This Greek Church is a schism from the
Roman Catholic, or the Roman Catholic is a
schism from the Greek; at all events the one
split into two, on the elevation of Gregory
the Sixth to the patriarchal chair of Rome.
Before that time the four patriarchal chairs
of Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and
Constantinople, had been independent, the one
of the other, and each patriarch ruled in his
own division; but squabbles had been going on
between the patriarch of Rome and his brother
patriarch of Constantinople, for the supreme
headship of the whole Christian world. The
two grand divisions which to this day are
maintained— the Eastern or Greek, and the
Western or Roman Church— now present so
many points of similarity that a commo
origin is evident, and so many points of
dissimilarity that the impossibility of any united
action is equally evident. The Greeks have
no purgatory, their priests must all be
married, the Emperor is head of the Church in
the same sense as the Queen of England is head
of the Church of England and defender of the
faith, and each diocese has a supreme patriarch
who is only supreme in his own district. It is to
the especial honour of the Greek Church that it
has not been intolerant of other creeds, has
not persecuted with fire and faggot, and at the
present time allows in Russia every form of
religious belief to be publicly followed by strangers
and foreigners. But no proselytising is
permitted. The great defect of the Greek system
is the almost total exclusion of moral teaching.
All is display of ceremony.

Service was being performed when we entered
the church by four long-haired priests, attended
by their clerks, and robed splendidly in sacred
vestments of cloth of gold, with chains of gold and
crosses hanging from them. The services
consisted of chantings, genuflexions, crossings, and
readings from a book of prayer; the voices of
priests and assistants rising and falling the whole
pitch of the gamut at a word, running in a low
monotonous tone for a few seconds, then bursting
afresh into a high key for a word or two, and then
sinking into a mumble of inarticulate sounds.
Immediately behind the popes (all priests are
called popes in Russia), and facing the entrance,
was a raised platform or dais, extending across
that part of the church: with wings and side
doors, not unlike the stage of a theatre. In
the centre of this stage, stood the altar, around
which were blazing a large number of wax
candles. At the side-wings, were images and
pictures by the dozen. A small rail, with an
opening in the centre, separated this altar, and
its attendant holy images, from the main body
of the building.

The audience was pretty numerous, chiefly
composed of women, many of whom carried
babies, and were getting themselves crossed
and sprinkled with holy water by one or other
of the priests as they passed. There was
not a single seat in the church; all worshippers
were standing, bending, bowing, prostrating,
and diligently crossing themselves. The
prostrations were complete, to the touching of
the cold flags with the forehead, and the kissing
of the ground. A few reading-desks were
placed here and there about the church among
the people, and on each lay for study a small
picture of some particular saint. The one I
examined was a miserably mean representation
of Joseph and Mary, with a child between them.
On these desks beside each of the pictures, lay
a plate for the reception of money, and there
was a stand for tapers and candles. The poor
devotees crowded to kiss the pictures, made
their children do so too, and when the children
were babies held the pictures to their lips. After
a time the performing priests retired behind the
side-scenes, and reappeared on the stage beside
the altar. Then, was heard a choir of very good
voices commencing another part of the performance,
and now, bending, crossing, and prostrating
were renewed with added energy. During
all this time the people were going and coming,
passing and repassing, through the church, as
they sought out the particular saints' pictures
before which they desired to perform their
devotions. No one seemed willing to rest for a
single moment. Wax tapers and candles were
being sold near the door, varying in price from
three kopecks to many rubles. I am told that
the priests derive a considerable revenue from
the chandlery trade—first selling their caudles
for sacred purposes, and after they have burnt
for a short time, putting them out to be resold
for common use.

On this and on many other occasions, I did not
hear one syllable of preaching or homily reading,
nor one hint of the moral precepts of
Christianity.

At Easter, there is absolution given to the
Greek Church people. Six weeks of common
fasting have been previously observed, and a
week of uncommon, almost absolute starvation
precedes Easter Sunday. During that week
confession is made, and absolution in some sense
given in a very wholesale manner by the priests
who attend for the purpose.

"Evan, where are you going?" said a friend
of mine to his servant man, on one of these days
of " Gavating;" that is, confessing.

"I am going to confession; I'll be back in a
quarter of an hour, the church is just at hand."

"But I cannot let you go to-day, I want
you."

"God help me, John the son of Thomas, but
I must go; this is the last day of gavating,
and if I don't go, I shall have no certificate to
get a clean passport; I will be back in a few
minutes."

"How can you manage to confess all your
year's sins in a few minutes?"

"Your honour, if I had only five kopecks, the
pope would keep me a long time, but I have a
rouble and that will get me through in five
minutes I know how to do." Off the fellow
went, and returned in less than half an hour
with all his spiritual accounts squared. On the
Sunday after this week of confession, all Russia
is cleaned and purged of twelve months' sins.