Russia in 1839 -Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia

improvement—the struggle and the victory.

ABOLITION OF THE PATRIARCHATE. 271

But since the usurpations of the temporal authority., the Christian religion in Russia has lost its virtue; it is stationary, or at least moves as one of the wheel-works of despotism, and nothing more. In this country, where nothing is clearly defined, it it-difficult to understand the actual relations of the church with the head of the state, who has made himself the arbiter of the faith, though without actually proclaiming such prerogative. He exercises it de facto, but he dares not claim it as a right; he has therefore preserved a synod, which is the last homage rendered by tyranny to the King of kings, and to His ruined church. The following is the account of this religious revolution in Evesque, whose History of Russia I have just been reading, while waiting for a blacksmith to repair another misfortune that has happened to my caleche.

'1721. Since the death of Adrian*, Peter had constantly deferred lending himself to the election of a new partriarch. Under a twenty-years' delay, the religious veneration of the people for this head of the church had insensibly cooled. The emperor at length believed that he might venture to declare the dignity abolished for ever. He divided the ecclesiastical power, formerly invested exclusively in the person of a chief pontiff, and caused all matters concerning religion to be brought under the jurisdiction of a new tribunal, called the Holy Synod.

' He did not declare himself head of the church, but he virtually became so, by means of the oath which the members of the new ecclesiastical college

* The last patriarch of Moscow.—Note of the Traveller. N 4

272DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SECTS

took. It was to this effect: ? I swear to be a faith-fid and obedient servant and subject of my natural and true sovereign. . . . I acknowledge him to be the supreme judge of this spiritual college? The synod is composed of a president, two vice-presidents, and four assistants. These removable ecclesiastical judges are far from possessing, united, the power formerly enjoyed by the patriarch alone. They do not attend the councils, their names do not appear in the acts of the monarchy, they have not, even in the matters submitted to them, more than an authority subordinate to that of the sovereign. As no exterior signs distinguish them from the other prelates, and as their authority ceases as soon as they leave their tribunal, finally, as that tribunal itself presents nothing very imposing, they do not inspire the people with any particular veneration.'

The Eussian people are in our days the most believing among all the Christian nations: the chief cause of the little efficacy of their faith is easily seen. When the church abdicates its liberty, it loses its moral virtuality :—a slave, it can only give birth to slavery. It cannot be too often repeated that the only church really independent, is the Catholic church, which has alone preserved the trust of true charity. All the other churches form constituent parts of the state, which uses them as political instruments for maintaining its power. These churches are excellent auxiliaries of the government; eom·> plaisant towards the princes or magistrates who are the depositaries of the temporal power, hard upon the subjects, they call in Deity to aid the police. The immediate result is sure; it is good order in

AND A MOTHER CHUECH.273

society: but the Catholic church, quite as'powerful politically, looks higher and reaches farther. The national churches make citizens; the church universal makes men. Among the sectarians, a respect for the church is confounded with a love of country; among the Catholics, the church and regenerated humanity are one and the same thing. In Russia, respect for authority continues still the only spring of the social machine. This respect is necessary, no doubt; but, in order radically to civilise the human heart, it is necessary to teach it something more than blind obedience.

The day when the son of the Emperor Nicholas — I say the son, for this noble task does not belong to the father, obliged as he is to spend his laborious reign in drawing closer the bonds of the old military discipline which constitutes the Muscovite government, — the day when the son of the Emperor shall have taught all the classes of this nation that he who com-mands owes respect to him who obeys, a moral revolution will be effected in Russia; and the instrument of that revolution will be the gospel.

The longer I stay in this country the more am I impressed with the fact that contempt for the weak is contagious. This sentiment is so natural here, that those who most severely blame it come finally to partake of it. I am myself a proof in question.

In Russia the desire of travelling fast becomes a passion, and this passion serves as a pretext for every species of inhumanity. My courier has communicated it to me, and I often render myself, without at the time perceiving it, an accomplice in his acts of injustice. He is exceedingly angry whenever the N 5

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HISTORY OF A FOAL.

coachman leaves his seat to readjust any portion of the harness, or when he stops on the road under any other pretext.

Yesterday evening, at the commencement of a stage, a child who drove us had been several times threatened with blows by the feldjager for a fault of the kind, and I participated in the impatience and wrath of this man. Suddenly, a foal, not many days old, and well known by the boy, escaped from an inclosure bordering upon the road, and began neighing and galloping after my carriage, for he took one of the mares that drew us for his mother. The young coachman, already guilty of delay, wanted once again to stop and go to the aid of the colt, which he saw every moment in danger of being crushed under the wheels of the carriage. My courier angrily forbade him to leave his seat: the child obeyed like a good Russian, and continued to drive us at a gallop without proffering a complaint. I supported the severity of the feldjager. I thought to myself, ' It is necessary to sustain authority even when it is in fault; this is the spirit of the Russian government: my feldjager is not over zealous ; if I discourage him when he exhibits energy in performing his duty, he will leave every thing to come and go as it pleases, and be of no use to me at all: besides, it is the custom of the country; why should I be less in haste than another ? my dignity as a traveller is involved ; to have time to spare would be to lose my consequence in this country : here, to be important we must be impatient.' While I was thus reasoning, night had come on. I accuse myself with having been more hard-hearted even than the Russians, (for I have not,

HISTORY OF A FOAL.

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like them, the habits of early life as an excuse,) thus to leave the poor colt and the unhappy child to mourn in concert ; the one by neighing with all his might, the other by crying silently — a difference which gave to the brute a real advantage over the human being. I ought to have interposed my authority to cause this double punishment to cease; but no, I assisted, I contributed to the martyrdom. It was a long one, for the stage was six leagues in