" HOLY RUSSIA." 287 



behind the ikons, and bread or little saucers of food 

 are often placed on the shelf where the holy pictures 

 stand. Small loaves of holy bread, made of fine white 

 flower, purchased from the monks in the monasteries, 

 are favorite articles of food to keep on the ikon shelves. 

 To make those loaves more acceptable to the departed, 

 inscriptions are sometimes written on the smooth white 

 crust with pen and ink by the monks or the village 

 priest. 



In religious matters the more ignorant of the Russian 

 peasants still waver, so to speak, between the devil 

 and the deep sea. They are afraid to make themselves 

 too familiar with the village priest lest they give mor- 

 tal offense to the old pagan gods, which have now 

 taken the form of various mischievous and malignant 

 spirits ; and, on the other hand, to protect themselves 

 from the evil designs of these they are eternally mak- 

 ing the sign of the Cross, and spending their scant earn- 

 ings on candles to burn before the shrines of protect- 

 ing saints. 



Though centuries of time have naturally modified 

 this fear, it would seem to be a matter of doubtful 

 credit to the " only true Church" that its children and 

 chief supporters, the very Orthodox, on whose patient 

 shoulders it rests, still shy at its priests lest the agents 

 of the Evil One be offended. In many instances the 

 peasants have transferred, in a foggy way, the attributes 

 and functions of their ancient gods to the saints of the 

 Christian Church, or to reverse the transformation, 

 have simply bestowed the names of the saints on. their 

 old pagan deities. In transferring their allegiance from 

 the old faith to the new, they have not always escaped 



