234 Musings by Camp- Fire and Wayside 



and solemn harmonies, and the devout Aleut will 

 make sacrifices rather than be absent from a ser- 

 vice. Some of these churches are wealthy. That 

 at Sitka has sacred jewels costing many thousand 

 dollars. All of them are very showy in pictures, 

 gilt, banners, and colors. When the priest appears 

 from his holy and secluded recess, back of the 

 altar, he is artfully careful to allow you to peep 

 into his purple and golden wonderland. Then his 

 mysterious movements and his intonations, his 

 bowing and kneeling this way and that, and his 

 smoking incense, powerfully impress and excite 

 the imagination of the native worshiper. The 

 Russian beats the Roman in fine spectacles. The 

 latter was long under the tutelage of Greek culture. 

 He asks for fine art and chaste architecture. But 

 the Muscovite revels in color, and it must be admit- 

 ted that he handles it well. The interiors of these 

 churches are fine, any artist must say so. They 

 employ a background of pure white, and upon this 

 their gilt and crimsons, rich browns and yellows 

 make a harmonious and pleasing display. 



While we missed the scenery of Unimak Island, 

 of which I have spoken, and the next day remained 

 foggy, yet the captain fired at it with his fog-horn, 

 and a section of it, six hours wide, broke loose and 

 fell into the sea, where it water-logged and sank. 

 We knew from the bases of the mountains, and 

 especially from the volcanic scoria which slid from 

 them, and which we could see under the low-lying 



