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of　peasants　were　adoring　a　sacred　picture。　He　dwelt　on　the



fetishism　involved　in　this；　and　said　that　Jesus　Christ　would　be



infinitely　surprised　and　pained　were　he　to　return　to　earth　and



see　what　men　were　worshiping　in　his　name。　He　added　a　story　of　a



converted　pagan　who；　being　asked　how　many　gods　he　worshiped；



said：　〃One；　and　I　ate　him　this　morning。〃　At　this　I　cited



Browning's　lines　put　into　the　mouth　of　the　bishop　who　wished；



from　his　tomb；







　　　　　　　　　　〃To　hear　the　blessed　mutter　of　the　mass；



　　　　　　　　　　　And　see　God　made　and　eaten　all　day　long。〃











I　reminded　him　of　his　definition　of　religion　given　me　on　one　of



our　previous　walks；　and　he　repeated　it；　declaring　religion　to　be



the　feeling　which　man　has　regarding　his　relation　to　the　universe；



including　his　fellow…men；　and　to　the　power　which　governs　all。







The　afternoon　was　closed　with　a　visit　to　a　Raskolnik；　or　Old



Believer；　and　of　all　our　experiences　this　turned　out　to　be　the



most　curious。　The　Raskolniks；　or　Old　Believers；　compose　that



wide…spread　sect　which　broke　off　from　the　main　body　of　the



Russian　Church　when　the　patriarch　of　Moscow；　Nikon；　in　the



seventeenth　century　attempted　to　remove　various　textual　errors



from　the　Bible　and　ceremonial　books。　These　books　had　been　copied



and　recopied　during　centuries　until　their　condition　had　become



monstrous。　Through　a　mistake　of　some　careless　transcriber；　even



the　name　of　Jesus　had　been　travestied　and　had　come　to　be　spelled



with　two　e's；　the　crudest　absurdities　had　been　copied　into　the



test；　important　parts　had　become　unintelligible；　and　the　time　had



evidently　arrived　for　a　revision。　Nikon　saw　this；　and　in　good



faith　summoned　scholars　from　Constantinople　to　prepare　more



correct　editions；　but　these　revised　works　met　the　fate　which



attends　such　revisions　generally。　The　great　body　of　the　people



were　attached　to　the　old　forms；　they　preferred　them；　just　as　in



these　days　the　great　body　of　English…speaking　Protestants　prefer



the　King　James　Bible　to　the　Revised　Version；　even　though　the



latter　may　convey　to　the　reader　more　correctly　what　was　dictated



by　the　Holy　Spirit。　The　feeling　of　the　monks；　especially；　against



Nikon's　new　version　became　virulent。　They　raised　so　strong　an



opposition　among　the　people　that　an　army　had　to　be　sent　against



them；　at　the　siege　of　the　Solovetsk　Monastery　the　conflict　was



long　and　bloody；　and　as　a　result　a　large　body　of　people　and



clergy　broke　off　from　the　church。　Of　course　the　more　these



dissenters　thought　upon　what　Nikon　had　done；　the　more　utterly



evil　he　seemed；　but　this　was　not　all。　A　large　part　of　Russian



religious　duty；　so　far　as　the　people　are　concerned；　consists　in



making　the　sign　of　the　cross　on　all　occasions。　Before　Nikon's



time　this　had　been　done　rather　carelessly；　but；　hoping　to　impress



a　religious　lesson；　he　ordered　it　to　be　made　with　three　extended



fingers；　thus　reminding　the　faithful　of　the　Trinity。　At　this　the



Raskolniks　insisted　that　the　sign　of　the　cross　ought　to　be　made



with　two　fingers；　and　out　of　this　difference　arose　more



bitterness　than　from　all　other　causes　put　together。　From　that　day



to　this　the　dissenters　have　insisted　on　enjoying　the　privilege　of



reading　the　old　version　with　all　its　absurdities；　of　spelling　the



word　Jesus　with　two　e's；　of　crossing　themselves　with　two　fingers；



and　of　cursing　Nikon。







This　particular　Raskolnik；　or　Old　Believer；　to　whom　Tolstoi　took



me；　was　a　Muscovite　merchant　of　great　wealth；　living　in　a　superb



villa　on　the　outskirts　of　the　city；　with　a　large　park　about　it；



the　apartments；　for　size　and　beauty　of　decoration；　fit　for　a



royal　palacethe　ceilings　covered　with　beautiful　frescos；　and



the　rooms　full　of　statues　and　pictures　by　eminent　artists；　mainly



Russian　and　French。　He　was　a　man　of　some　education；　possessed　a



large　library；　loved　to　entertain　scientific　men　and　to　aid



scientific　effort；　and　managed　to　keep　on　good　terms　with　his



more　fanatical　coreligionists　on　one　side　and　with　the　government



on　the　other；　so　that　in　emergencies　he　was　an　efficient



peacemaker　between　them。　We　found　him　a　kindly；　gentle　old　man；



with　long；　white　hair　and　beard；　and　he　showed　us　with　evident



pleasure　the　principal　statues　and　pictures；　several　of　the



former　being　by　Antokolski；　the　greatest　contemporary　Russian



sculptor。　In　the　sumptuous　dining…room；　in　which　perhaps　a



hundred　persons　could　sit　at　table；　he　drew　our　attention　to　some



fine　pictures　of　Italian　scenes　by　Smieradsky；　and；　after　passing



through　the　other　rooms；　took　us　into　a　cabinet　furnished　with



the　rarest　things　to　be　found　in　the　Oriental　bazaars。　Finally；



he　conducted　us　into　his　private　chapel；　where；　on　the



iconostas；the　screen　which；　in　accordance　with　the　Greek



ritual；　stands　before　the　altar；the　sacred　images　of　the



Saviour　and　various　saints　were　represented　somewhat　differently



from　those　in　the　Russo…Greek　Church；　especially　in　that　they



extended　two　fingers　instead　of　three。　To　this　difference　I



called　his　attention；　and　he　at　once　began　explaining　it。　Soon　he



grew　warm；　and　finally　fervid。　Said　he：　〃Why　do　we　make　the　sign



of　the　cross？　We　do　it　to　commemorate　the　crucifixion　of　our



blessed　Lord。　What　is　commemorated　at　the　crucifixion？　The



sacrifice　of　his　two　naturesthe　divine　and　the　human。　How　do　we



make　the　sign？　We　make　it　with　two　fingers；　thus〃accompanied　by



a　gesture。　〃What　does　this　represent？　It　represents　what　really



occurred：　the　sacrifice　of　the　divine　and　the　human　nature　of　our



Lord。　How　do　the　Orthodox　make　it？〃　Here　his　voice　began　to　rise。



〃They　make　it　with　three　fingers〃and　now　his　indignation　burst



all　bounds；　and　with　a　tremendous　gesture　and　almost　a　scream　of



wrath　he　declared：　〃and　every　time　they　make　it　they　crucify



afresh　every　one　of　the　three　persons　of　the　holy　and　undivided



Trinity。〃







The　old　man's　voice；　so　gentle　at　first；　had　steadily　risen



during　this　catechism　of　his；　in　which　he　propounded　the



questions　and　recited　the　answers；　until　this　last　utterance　came



with　an　outcry　of　horror。　The　beginning　of　this　catechism　was



given　much　after　the　manner　of　a　boy　reciting　mechanically　the



pons　asinorum；　but　the　end　was　like　the　testimony　of　an　ancient



prophet　against　the　sins　which　doomed　Israel。







This　last　burst　was　evidently　too　much　for　Tolstoi。　He　said　not　a



word　in　reply；　but　seemed　wrapped　in　overpowering　thought；　and



anxious　to　break　away。　We　walked　out　with　the　old　Raskolnik；　and



at　the　door　I　thanked　him　for　his　kindness；　but　even　there；　and



all　the　way　down　the　long　walk　through　the　park；　Tolstoi　remained



silent。　As　we　came　into　the　road　he　suddenly　turned　to　me　and



said　almost　fiercely；　〃That　man　is　a　hypocrite；　he　can't　believe



that；　he　is　a　shrewd；　long…headed　man；　how　can　he　believe　such



trash？　Impossible！〃　At　this　I　reminded　him　of　Theodore　Parker's



distinction　between　men　who　believe　and　men　who　〃believe　that



they　believe；〃　and　said　that　possibly　our　Raskolnik　was　one　of



the　latter。　This　changed　the　subject。　He　said　that　he　had　read



Parker's　biography；　and　liked　it　all　save　one　thing；　which　was



that　he　gave　a　pistol　to　a　fugitive　slave　and　advised　him　to



defend　himself。　This　Tolstoi　condemned　on　the　ground　that　we　are



not　to　resist　evil。　I　told　him　of　the　advice　I　had　given　to



Dobroluboff；　a　very　winning　Russian　student　at　Cornell



University；　when　he　was　returning　to　Russia　to　practise　his



profession　as　an　engineer。　That　advice　was　that　he　should　bear　in



mind　Buckle's　idea　as　to　the　agency　of　railways　and　telegraphs　in



extending　better　civilization；　and　devote　himself　to　his



profession　of　engineering；　with　the　certainty　that　its　ultimate



result　would　be　to　aid　in　the　enlightenment　of　the　empire；　but



never；　on　any　account；　to　conspire　against　the　government；



telling　him　that　he　might　be　sure　that　he　could　do　far　more　for



the　advancement　of　Russian　thought　by　building　railways　than　by



entering　into　any　conspiracies　whatever。　Tolstoi　said　the　advice



was　good；　but　that　he　would　also　have　advised　the　young　man　to



speak　out　his　ideas；　whatever　they　might　be。　He　said　that　only　in



this　way　could　any　advance　ever　be　made；　that　one　main　obstacle



in　human　progress　is　the　suppression　of　the　real　thoughts　of　men。



I　answered　that　all　this　had　a　fine　sound；　that　it　might　do　for



Count　Tolstoi；　but　that　a　young；　scholarly　engineer　following　it



would　soon　find　himself　in　a　place　where　he　could　not　promulgate



his　ideas；guarded　by　Cossacks　in　some　remote　Siberian　mine。







He　spoke　of　young　professors　in　the　universities；　of　their



difficulties；　and　of　the　risk　to　their　positions　if　they　spoke



out　at　all。　I　asked　him　if　there　was　any　liberality　or　breadth　of



thought　in　the　Russo…Greek　Church。　He　answered　that　occasionally



a　priest　had　tried　to　unite　broader　thought　with　orthodox　dogma；



but　that　every　such　attempt　had　proved　futile。







From　Parker　we　passed　to　Lowell；　and　I　again　tried　to　find　if　he



really　knew　anything　of　Lowell's　writings。　He　evidently　knew　very



little；　and　asked　me　what　Lowell　had　written。　He　then　said　that



he　had　no　liking　for　verse；　and　he　acquiesced　in　Carlyle's　saying



that　nobody　had　ever　said　anything　in　verse　which　could　not　have



been　better　said　in　prose。







A　day　or　two　later；　on　another　of　our　walks；　I　asked　him　how　and



when；　in　his　opinion；　a　decided　advance　in　Russian　liberty　and