Thereforeitwasthatitbecamenecessarytoextemporizeforthissoldieratrainingwhichshouldfithimforthedutiesofthepositionsounexpectedlyopenedtohim;andthemanchosenashistutorwasaprofessoratMoscow，distinguishedasajuristandtheologian，——amanofremarkableforceofcharacter，anddevotedtoRussianideasasdistinguishedfromthoseofWesternEurope:
ConstantinePobedonostzeff。
Duringthedarkandstormydaystowardtheendofhiscareer，AlexanderIIhadcalledinashismainadviserGeneralLoris—Melikoff，amanofArmeniandescent，inwhomwasmingledwiththeshrewdcharacteristicsofhisraceasinceredesiretogivetoRussiaapolicyanddevelopmentinaccordancewithmodernideas。
Theresulttheworldknowswell。TheEmperor，havingtakentheadviceofthisandothercouncilors，——deeplypatrioticmenlikeMiloutine，Samarine，andTcherkassky，——hadfreedtheserfswithinhisempire（twentymillionsinall）;hadsanctionedavastschemebywhichtheyweretoarriveatthepossessionoflandedproperty;hadestablishedlocalself—governmentinthevariousprovincesofhisempire;hadimprovedthecourtsoflaw;hadintroducedWesternideasintolegalprocedure;hadgreatlymitigatedtheseveritiesformerlyexercisedtowardtheJews;andhadmadeallreadytopromulgateaconstitutiononhisapproachingbirthday。
Butthisdidnotsatisfythenihilisticsect。Whatmoretheywanteditishardtosay。ItismorethandoubtfulwhetherRussiaeventhenhadarrivedatastageofcivilizationwhentheinstitutionswhichAlexanderIIhadalreadyconcededcouldbeadoptedwithprofit;buttheleadersoftheanarchicmovement，withtheirvaguelongingsforfruitonthedaythetreewasplanted，decreedtheEmperor’sdeath——theassassinationofthegreatestbenefactorthatRussiahaseverknown，oneofthegreatestthathumanityhasknown。Itwas，perhaps，themostfearfulcrimeevercommittedagainstlibertyandfreedom;foritblastedthehopesandaspirationsofoverahundredmillionsofpeople，anddoubtlessformanygenerations。
OnthisthesturdyyoungguardsmanbecametheEmperorAlexanderIII。ItisrelatedbymenconversantwithRussianaffairsthat，atthefirstmeetingoftheimperialcouncilors，Loris—Melikoiff，believingthattheyoungsovereignwouldbeledbyfilialreverencetocontinuetheliberalpolicytowhichthefatherhaddevotedhislife，madeaspeechtakingthisforgranted，andthatthemajorityofthosepresent，includingtheEmperor，seemedinaccordwithhim;whensuddenlytherearoseatall，gaunt，scholarlyman，whoatfirstverysimply，butfinallyveryeloquently，presentedadifferentview。Accordingtothechroniclersoftheperiod，PobedonostzefftoldtheEmperorthatallso—calledliberalmeasures，includingtheconstitution，wereadelusion;that，thoughsuchthingsmightbesuitedtoWesternEurope，theywerenotsuitedtoRussia;thattheconstitutionofthatempirehadbeen，fromtimeimmemorial，thewilloftheautocrat，directedbyhisownsenseofresponsibilitytotheAlmighty;thatnootherconstitutionwaspossibleinRussia;thatthisalonewasfittedtothetraditions，thelaws，theideasofthehundredandtwentymillionsofvariousracesundertheRussianscepter;thatinotherpartsoftheworldconstitutionalliberty，socalled，hadalreadyshownitselfanabsurdity;thatsocialism，anarchism，andnihilism，withtheirplotsandbombs，wereappearinginallquarters;thatmurderwasplottedagainstrulersofnationseverywhere，thebestofpresidentshavingbeenassassinatedintheverycountrywherefreeinstitutionsweresupposedtohavetakenthemostcompletehold;thattheprincipleofauthorityinhumangovernmentwastobesaved;andthatthisprincipleexistedasaneffectiveforceonlyinRussia。
Thisspeechissaidtohavecarriedallbeforeit。AsitsimmediateresultcametheretirementofLoris—Melikoff，followedbyhisdeathnotlongafterward;theentranceofPobedonostzeffamongthemostcherishedcouncilorsoftheEmperor;thesuppressionoftheconstitution;thediscouragementofeveryliberaltendency;andthatfanaticalreactionwhichhasbeeninfullforceeversince。
ThiswasthemanwhomIespeciallydesiredtoseeandtounderstand;andthereforeitwasthatIwasverygladtoreceivefromtheStateDepartmentinstructionstoconsultwithhimregardingsomeratherdelicatemattersneedingadjustmentbetweentheGreekChurchandourauthoritiesinAlaska，andalsoinrelationtotherepresentationofRussiaattheChicagoExposition。
Ifoundhim，asoneofthegreatministersofthecrown，residinginaministerialpalace，butstillretaining，inlargemeasure，hisoldqualityofprofessor。Abouthimwasabeautifullibrary，witheveryevidenceofaloveforartandliterature。Ihadgoneintohispresencewithmanyfeelingsofdoubt。AgainstnooneinRussiahadchargessobitterbeenmadeinmyhearing:itwasuniversallyinsistedthathewasresponsibleforthepersecutionoftheRomanCatholicsinPoland，oftheLutheransintheBalticprovincesandinFinland，oftheStundistsinCentralRussia，andofthedissentingsectseverywhere。HehadbeenspokenofintheEnglishreviewsasthe\"Torquemadaofthenineteenthcentury，\"
andthisepithetseemedtobegenerallyacceptedasfitting。
Ifoundhimascholarly，kindlyman，readytodiscussthebusinesswhichIbroughtbeforehim，andshowingawideinterestinpublicaffairs。Therewerefew，ifany，doctrines，eitherpoliticalortheological，whichweheldincommon，butheseemedinclinedtomeetthewishesofourgovernmentasfullyandfairlyashecould;andthuswasbegunoneofthemostinterestingacquaintancesIhaveevermade。
HisusualtimeofreceivinghisfriendswasonSundayeveningbetweennineandtwelve;andverymanysucheveningsIpassedinhisstudy，discussingwithhim，overglassesoffragrantRussiantea，everysortofquestionwiththeutmostfreedom。
Isoonfoundthathisreasonsforthatcourseofactiontowhichtheworldsogenerallyobjectsarenotsosuperficialastheyareusuallythought。Therepressivepolicywhichhehassoearnestlyadoptedisbasednotmerelyuponhisviewsasatheologian，butuponhisconvictionsasastatesman。While，asaRusso—Greekchurchman，heregardstheestablishedchurchoftheempireastheformofChristianitymostprimitiveandpure;andwhileheseesinitsritual，initsart，andinallthecharacteristicsofitsworshipthenearestapproachtohisideals，helooksatitalsofromthepointofviewofastatesman——asthegreatestcementingpowerofthevastempirethroughwhichitisspread。
Thisbeingthecase，henaturallyopposesallotherreligiousbodiesinRussiaasnotmerelyinflictinginjuryuponChristianity，butastendingtothepoliticaldisintegrationoftheempire。Never，inanyofourconversations，didIhearhimspeakaharshwordofanyotherchurchorofanyreligiousideasopposedtohisown;butitwasclearthatheregardedProtestantsanddissidentsectsgenerallyasbutagentsintheprogressofdisintegrationwhich，inWesternEurope，seemedapproachingacrisis，andthatheconsideredtheRomanCatholicChurchinPolandaspracticallyapoliticalmachinemanagedbyahierarchyindeadlyhostilitytotheRussianEmpireandtoRussianinfluenceeverywhere。
Indiscussinghisownchurch，heneverhesitatedtospeakplainlyofitsevidentshortcomings。Unquestionably，oneofthewishesnearesthisheartistoreformtheabuseswhichhavegrownupamongitsclergy，especiallyintheirpersonalhabits。Here，too，isareasonforanyrepressivepolicywhichhemayhaveexercisedagainstotherreligiousbodies。EverythingthatdetractsfromtheestablishedRusso—GreekChurchdetractsfromtherevenuesofitsclergy，and，asthesearepitifullysmall，aidstokeepthepriestsandtheirfamiliesinthelowconditionfromwhichheissoearnestlyendeavoringtoraisethem。AsregardstheseverepolicyinauguratedbyAlexanderIIIagainsttheJewsoftheempire，whichPobedonostzeff，morethananyotherman，issupposedtohaveinspired，heseemedtohavenoharshfeelingsagainstIsraelitesassuch;buthisconductseemedbaseduponatheorywhich，invariousconversations，hepresentedwithmuchforce:namely，thatRussia，havingwithinitsbordersmoreJewsthanexistinalltheworldbesides，andhavingsufferedgreatlyfromtheseasfromanorganizationreallyincapableofassimilationwiththebodypolitic，mustpursuearepressivepolicytowardthemandisolatetheminordertoprotectitsruralpopulation。
WhilehewasverycivilinhisexpressionsregardingtheUnitedStates，heclearlyconsideredallWesterncivilizationafailure。
Heseemedtoanticipate，beforelong，acollapseinthesystemsandinstitutionsofWesternEurope。Tohimsocialismandanarchism，withalltheyimply，werebutsymptomsofawide—spreadpoliticalandsocialdisease——indicationsofanapproachingcatastrophedestinedtoendacivilizationwhich，havingrejectedorthodoxy，hadcastasideauthority，giventheforceoflawtothewhimsiesofilliteratemajorities，andaccepted，asthevoiceofGod，thevoiceofunthinkingmobs，blindtotheirowninterestsandutterlyincapableofworkingouttheirowngood。ItwasevidentthatheregardedRussiaasrepresentingamongthenationstheideaofHeaven—givenandchurch—anointedauthority，astheempiredestinedtosavetheprincipleofdivinerightandtheruleofthefittest。
RevolutionaryeffortsinRussiahediscussedcalmly。ReferringtoLoris—Melikoff，therepresentativeoftheprinciplesmoststronglyopposedtohisown，nowordofcensureescapedhim。Theonlyevidenceofdeepfeelingonthissubjectheevershowedinmypresencewaswhenhereferredtothewritingsofawell—knownRussianrefugeeinLondon，andsaid，\"Heisamurderer。\"
Astopublicinstruction，heevidentlyheldtotheideasothoroughlycarriedoutinRussia:namely，thattheupperclass，whichistoconductthebusinessofthestate，shouldbehighlyeducated，butthatthemassofthepeopleneednoeducationbeyondwhatwillkeepthemcontentedinthehumblestationtowhichithaspleasedGodtocallthem。AverycuriousexampleofhisconservatismInotedinhisremarksregardingthedroshkiesofSt。Petersburg。Thedroshky—driversareRussianpeasants，simpleand，asarule，pious;rarelyfailingtomakethesignofthecrossonpassingachurchorshrine，oratanyothermomentwhichseemstothemsolemn。Theyarepossiblypicturesque，butcertainlydirty，intheirclothingandinalltheirsurroundings。
Aconveyancemorewretchedthantheordinarystreet—droshkyofaRussiancitycouldhardlybeconceived，andmeasureshadbeenproposedforimprovingthissystem;buthecouldseenouseinthem。TheexistingsystemwasthoroughlyRussian，andthatwasenough。Itappealedtohisconservatism。Thedroshky—drivers，withtheirRussiancaps，theirlonghairandbeards，theirpicturesquecaftans，andtheirdeferentialdemeanor，satisfiedhisestheticsense。
Whatseemedtomeaclashbetweenhisorthodoxconservatismononeside，andhisRussianprideontheother，IdiscoveredonmyreturnfromavisittoMoscow，inwhichIhadsundrywalksandtalkswithTolstoi。Onmyalludingtothis，heshowedsomeinterest。Itwasclearthathewasseparatedbyawholeorbofthoughtfromthegreatnovelist，yetitwasnonethelessevidentthathetookprideinhim。HenaturallyconsideredTolstoiashopelesslywronginallhisfundamentalideas，andyetwashimselftoomuchofamanoflettersnottorecognizeinhisbrilliantcountrymanoneofthegloriesofRussia。
Butthemostcurious——indeed，themostamazing——revelationofthemanIfoundinhisloveforAmericanliterature。Heisawidereader;and，inthewholebreadthofhisreading，Americanauthorswereevidentlyamongthosehepreferred。OfthesehisfavoriteswereHawthorne，Lowell，and，aboveall，Emerson。
Curious，indeed，wasittolearnthatthis\"arch—persecutor，\"
this\"Torquemadaofthenineteenthcentury，\"thismanwhosehandisespeciallyheavyuponCatholicsandProtestantsanddissentersthroughouttheempire，whosenameisspokenwithabhorrencebymillionswithintheempireandwithoutit，stillreads，ashisfavoriteauthor，thephilosopherofConcord。HetoldmethatthefirstbookwhichheevertranslatedintoRussianwasThomasaKempis’s\"ImitationofChrist\";andofthathegavemetheLatinoriginalfromwhichhemadehistranslation，withacopyofthetranslationitself。ButhealsotoldmethatthenextbookhetranslatedwasavolumeofEmerson’s\"Essays，\"andheaddedthatforyearstherehadalwayslainopenuponhisstudytableavolumeofEmerson’swritings。
Thereis，thusclearly，arelationofhismindtotheliteratureoftheWesternworldveryforeigntohisfeelingsregardingWesternreligiousideas。Thiscanbeaccountedforperhapsbyhisowncharacterasamanofletters。Thathehasadistinctliterarygiftiscertain。Ihaveinmypossessionsundryarticlesofhis，andespeciallyapoeminmanuscript，whichshowrealpoeticfeelingandamarkedpowerofexpression。Itisacuriousfactthat，thoughsoaddictedtoEnglishandAmericanliterature，heutterlyrefusestoconverseinourlanguage。HismediumofcommunicationwithforeignersisalwaysFrench。Onmyaskinghimwhyhewouldnotuseourlanguageinconversation，heansweredthathehadlearneditfrombooks，andthathispronunciationofitwouldexposehimtoridicule。
InvariouscirclesinSt。PetersburgIheardhimspokenofasahypocrite，butasimplesenseofjusticecompelsmetodeclarethisaccusationunjust。Heindeedretiresintoaconventforaportionofeveryyeartojointhemonksintheirausterities;butthispracticeis，Ibelieve，theoutgrowthofadeepreligiousfeeling。Onreturningfromoneofthesevisits，hebroughttomywifealargeEastereggoflacqueredwork，exquisitelyilluminated。Ihaveexamined，invariouspartsofEurope，beautifulspecimensofthebestperiodsofmediaevalart;butinnooneofthemhaveIfoundanythinginthewayofilluminationmoreperfectthanthiswhichhebroughtfromhismonkishbrethren。InnothingdidheseemtounbendmorethaninhisunfeignedloveforreligiousartasitexistsinRussia。HediscussedwithmeoneeveningsundryphotographsofthenewreligiouspaintingsinthecathedralofKieffinaspiritwhichrevealedthisfeelingforreligiousartasoneofthedeepestcharacteristicsofhisnature。
Hewasevidentlyequallysensitivetothebeautiesofreligiousliterature。GivingmevariousbookscontainingtheservicesoftheOrthodoxChurch，hedweltuponthebeautyoftheSlavonicversionofthePsalmsanduponthechurchhymnology。
Thesameestheticsideofhisnaturewasevidentatvariousgreatchurchceremonies。IthashappenedtometoseePiusIXcelebratemass，bothatthehighaltarofSt。Peter’sandintheSistineChapel，andtowitnesstheceremoniesofHolyWeekandofEasterattheRomanbasilicas，andatthetimeitwashardtoconceiveanythingofthekindmoreimpressive;butIhaveneverseenanychurchfunctions，onthewhole，moreimposingthanthefuneralserviceoftheEmperorNicholasduringmyfirstvisittoRussia，andvariousimperialweddings，funerals，name—days，andthelike，duringmysecondvisit。OnsuchoccasionsPobedonostzefffrequentlycameoverfromhispositionamongtheministersofthecrowntoexplaintousthesignificanceofthisorthatfeatureintheritualofmusic。Itwasplainthatthesethingstouchedwhatwasdeepestinhim;itmustbeconfessedthathisattachmenttothechurchissincere。
Norweretheseimpressionsmadeuponmealone。Itfelltomylottopresenttohimoneofthemosteminentjournalistsourcountryhasproduced——CharlesA。Dana，amanwhocoulddiscussoneventermswithanyEuropeanstatesmanalltheleadingmodernquestions。Danahadbeenbroughtintoclosecontactwithmanygreatmen;butitwasplaintosee——whatheafterwardacknowledgedtome——thathewasverydeeplyimpressedbythiseminentRussian。ThetalkoftwosuchmenthrewnewlightuponthecharacteristicsofPobedonostzeff，andstrengthenedmyimpressionofhisintellectualsincerity。
InregardtotherelationoftheRusso—GreekChurchtootherchurchesIspoketohimatvarioustimes，andfoundinhimnopersonalfeelingofdisliketothem。Thenearestapproachtosuchafeelingappeared，greatlytomysurprise，insundryreferencestotheGreekChurchasitexistsinGreece。IntheseheshowedaspiritmuchlikethatwhichusedtobecommonamongHigh—churchEpiscopaliansinspeakingofLow—church\"Evangelicals。\"MindfuloftheearnesteffortsmadebytheAnglicancommuniontocomeintocloserrelationswiththeRussianbranchoftheEasternChurch，Iatvarioustimesbroachedthatsubject，andtheglimpsesIobtainedofhisfeelingregardingitsurprisedme。
PreviouslytotheseinterviewsIhadsupposedthatthemaindifficultyinthewaytofriendlyrelationsbetweenthesetwobranchesofthechurchuniversalhaditsorigininthe\"filioque\"
clauseoftheNiceneCreed。Asiswellknown，theEasternChurchadherestothatcreedinitsoriginalform，——theforminwhichtheHolyGhostisrepresentedas\"proceedingfromtheFather，\"——whereastheWesternChurchadoptstheadditionalwords，\"andfromtheSon。\"ThattheRusso—GreekChurchisverytenaciousofitspositioninthisrespect，andconsidersthepositionoftheWesternChurch——CatholicandProtestant——assavoringofblasphemy，iswellknown;andtherewasacuriousevidenceofthisduringmysecondstayinRussia。TwiceduringthattimeI
heardthe\"MissaSolennis\"ofBeethoven。ItwasfirstgivenbyasplendidchoirinthegreathalloftheUniversityofHelsingfors。ThatbeinginFinland，whichismainlyLutheran，theCreedwassunginitsWesternform。Naturally，ongoingtohearitgivenbyagreatchoiratSt。Petersburg，Iwascurioustoknowhowthisfamousclausewouldbedealtwith。InvariouspartsoftheaudiencewerepriestsoftheRusso—Greekfaith，yettherewereverymanyLutheransandCalvinists，andIwatchedwithsomeinteresttheapproachofthepassagecontainingthedisputedwords;butwhenwereachedthisitwaswhollyomitted。Anyallusiontothe\"procession\"wasevidentlyforbidden。Great，therefore，wasmysurprisewhen，onmyaskingPobedonostzeff，[5]
astherepresentativeoftheEmperorintheSynodoftheempire，——thehighestassemblageinthechurch，andhethemostinfluentialmaninit，reallycontrollingarchbishopsandbishopsthroughouttheempire，——whetherthe\"filioque\"clauseisaninsurmountableobstacletounion，hereplied，\"Notatall;thatissimplyaquestionofdialectics。Butwithwhomarewetounite？ShallitbewiththeHigh—churchmen，theBroad—churchmen，ortheLow—churchmen？Thesearethreedifferentbodiesofmenwithdistinctlydifferentideasofchurchorder;indeed，withdistinctlydifferentcreeds。WhichoftheseistheOrthodoxChurchtoregardastherepresentativeoftheAnglicancommunion？\"Iendeavoredtoshowhimthattheunion，ifittookplaceatall，mustbebasedonideasandbeliefsthatunderlieallthesedistinctions;buthestillreturnedtohisoriginalproposition，whichwasthatunionisimpossibleuntilamoredistinctbasisthananynowattainablecanbearrivedat。
[5]Ifind，inaletterfromPobedonostzeff，thathespellshisnameashereprinted。
IsuggestedtohimavisittoGreatBritainandhismakingtheacquaintanceofleadingEnglishmen;buttothisheansweredthatathistimeoflifehehadnoleisureforsucharecreation;thathisdutiesabsolutelyforbadeit。
InregardtorelationswiththeRusso—GreekChurchonourowncontinent，heseemedtospeakwithgreatpleasureofthetreatmentthatsundryRussianbishopshadreceivedamongus。HereadmelettersfromamemberoftheRusso—Greekhierarchy，fullofthekindliestexpressionstowardAmericans，andespeciallyacknowledgingtheirfriendlyreceptionofhimandofhisministrations。Boththearchbishopinhisletter，andPobedonostzeffinhistalk，wereverymuchamusedoverthefactthattheAmericans，afterextendingvariousothercourtesiestothearchbishop，offeredhimcigars。
Hediscussedthepossibilityofintroducingthe\"HolyOrthodoxChurch\"intotheUnitedStates，butalwaysdisclaimedallzealinreligiouspropagandism，sayingthatthechurchauthoritieshadquiteenoughworktodoinextendingandfortifyingthechurchthroughouttheRussianEmpire。HesaidthatthepagantribesoftheimperialdominionsinAsiaseemedmoreinclinedtoMohammedanismthantoChristianity，andgaveastheprobablereasonthefactthattheformerfaithismuchthesimplerofthetwo。HewasevidentlyunabletograsptheideaoftheCongressofReligionsattheChicagoExposition，andseemedinclinedtotakeamildlyhumorousviewofitasoneofthedrollinventionsofthetime。
Heappearedtoholdournationasaproblemapart，andwas，perhaps，toocivilinhisconversationswithmetoincludeitinthesamecondemnationwiththenationsofWesternEuropewhichhad，inhisopinion，gonehopelesslywrong。HealsoseemeddrawntousbyhisadmirationforEmerson，Hawthorne，andLowell。WhenProfessorNorton’seditionofLowell’s\"Letters\"cameout，Iatoncetookittohim。Itevidentlygavehimgreatpleasure——perhapsbecauseitrevealedtohimaverydifferentcivilization，life，andpersonalityfromanythingtowhichhehadbeenaccustomed。Still，Americaseemedtobetohimasortofdreamland。HeconstantlyreturnedtoRussianaffairsastothegreatrealitiesoftheworld。Discussing，asweoftendid，theconditionandfutureofthewildtribesandnationswithintheAsiaticlimitsoftheempire，hebetrayednodesireeitherforcrusadesorforintriguestoconvertthem;hesimplyspokeofthelegitimateinfluenceofthechurchincivilizingthem。
Irecallabrilliantbutdenunciatoryarticle，publishedinoneoftheEnglishreviewssometimesincebyawell—knownnihilist，whichcontained，inthemidstofvariouschargesagainsttheRussianstatesman，adescriptionofhissmile，whichwascharacterizedasforbidding，andevenghastly。Iwatchedforthissmilewithmuchinterest，butitnevercame。AsmileuponhisfaceIhaveoftenseen;butitwasakindlysmile，withnotraceofanythingghastlyorcruelinit。
Heseemedtotakepleasureinthesocietyofhisoldprofessorialfriends，andoneofthemheoncebroughttomytable。Thiswasaprofessorofhistory，deeplyconversantwiththeaffairsoftheempire;andwediscussedthecharacterandcareerofCatherineII。Thetwomentogetherbroughtoutamassofcuriousinformation，throwingastrangelightintotransactionswhichonlythemostrecenthistoriansarebeginningtounderstand，amongthesetheassassinationofCzarPeterIII，Catherine’shusband。OnoneoccasionwhenPobedonostzeffwasvisitingmeI
testedhisknowledgeinregardtoamatterofspecialinterest，andobtainedanewside—lightuponhistheoryoftheuniverse。
ThereisatpresentontheislandofCronstadt，atthemouthoftheNeva，aRusso—Greekpriest，FatherIvan，whoenjoysthroughouttheempireavastreputationasasaintlyworkerofmiracles。Thispriesthasaveryspiritualandkindlyface;isknowntoreceivevastsumsforthepoor，whichhedistributesamongthemwhilehehimselfremainsinpoverty;andissupposednotmerelybymembersoftheRusso—GreekChurch，butbythoseofotherreligiousbodies，toworkfrequentmiraclesofhealing。I
wasassuredbypersonsofthehighestcharacter——andthosenotonlyRusso—Greekchurchmen，butRomanCatholicsandAnglicans——thattherecouldbenodoubtastotherealityofthesemiracles，andvariousexamplesweregivenme。SogreatisFatherIvan’sreputationinthisrespectthatheisinconstantdemandinallpartsoftheempire，andwasevensummonedtoLivadiaduringthelastillnessofthelateEmperor。Wheneverheappearsinpublicgreatcrowdssurroundhim，seekingtotouchthehemofhisgarment。HispictureistobeseenwiththeportraitsofthesaintsinvastnumbersofRussianhomes，fromthepalacesofthehighestnoblestothecottagesofthehumblestpeasants。
IthappenedtomeononeoccasiontohaveanexperiencewhichI
haverelatedelsewhere，butwhichisrepeatedhereasthrowinglightontheideasoftheRussianstatesman。
OnmyarrivalinSt。PetersburgmyattentionwasatoncearousedbytheportraitsofFatherIvan。Theyrangedfromphotographsabsolutelytruetolife，whichrevealedaplain，shrewd，kindlyface，tothosewhichwereidealizeduntiltheyboreanearresemblancetotheconventionalrepresentationsofJesusofNazareth。
Oneday，inoneofthemostbrilliantreception—roomsoftheNortherncapital，thesubjectofFatherIvan’smiracleshavingbeenintroduced，agentlemaninveryhighsocialposition，andentirelytrustworthy，spokeasfollows:\"Thereissomethingverysurprisingaboutthesemiracles。Iamslowtobelieveinthem;
butthereisoneofthemwhichisoverwhelmingandabsolutelytrue。ThelateMetropolitanofSt。Petersburg，ArchbishopIsidore，lovedquiet，andwasveryaversetoanythingwhichcouldpossiblycausescandal。HearingofthewonderswroughtbyFatherIvan，hesummonedhimtohispresenceandsternlycommandedhimtoabstainfromallthethingswhichhadgivenrisetothesereportedmiracles，assuretocreatescandal，andwiththisinjunctiondismissedhim。Hardlyhadthepriestlefttheroomwhenthearchbishopwasstruckwithblindness，andheremainedinthisconditionuntilthepriestreturnedandrestoredhissightbyintercessoryprayer。\"WhenIaskedthegentlemangivingthisaccountifhedirectlyknewthesefacts，herepliedthathewas，ofcourse，notpresentwhenthemiraclewaswrought;butthathehadthefactsimmediatelyfrompersonswhoknewallthepartiesconcerned，aswellasallthecircumstancesofthecase;and，indeed，thatthesecircumstanceswerematterofgeneralknowledge。
Sometimeafterward，beingatanafternoonreceptioninoneofthegreaterembassies，Ibroughtupthesamesubject，whenaneminentgeneralspokeasfollows:\"Iamnotinclinedtobelieveinmiracles，——infact，amratherskeptical;buttheproofsofthosewroughtbyFatherIvanareoverwhelming。\"Hethenwentontosaythatthelatemetropolitanarchbishopwasamanwholovedquietanddislikedscandal;thatonthisaccounthehadsummonedFatherIvantohispalace，andorderedhimtoputanendtotheconductwhichhadcausedthereportsconcerninghismiraculouspowers;
andthen，withawaveofhisarm，haddismissedhim。Thepriestlefttheroom，andfromthatmomentthearchbishop’sarmwasparalyzed;anditremainedsountilthepenitentprelatesummonedthepriestagain，bywhoseprayersthearmwasrestoredtoitsformerusefulness。Therewaspresentatthetimeanotherpersonbesidesmyselfwhohadheardthepreviousstatementastotheblindnessofthearchbishop;and，onourbothaskingthegeneralifhewassurethatthearchbishop’sarmwasparalyzedasstated，hedeclaredthathecouldnotdoubtit，ashehadtheaccountdirectlyfrompersonsentirelytrustworthywhowerecognizantofallthefacts。
Sometimelater，meetingPobedonostzeff，Iaskedhimwhichofthesestorieswascorrect。Heansweredimmediately，\"Neither:inthedischargeofmydutiesIsawtheArchbishopIsidoreconstantlydowntothelasthoursofhislife，andnosucheventeveroccurred。Hewasneverparalyzedandneverblind。\"Butthegreatstatesmanandchurchmanthenwentontosaythat，althoughthisstorywasuntrue，therewereamultitudeofothersquiteasremarkableinwhichhebelieved;andhegavemeanumberoflegendsshowingthatFatherIvanpossessedsupernaturalknowledgeandmiraculouspowers。Theseheunfoldedtomewithmuchdetail，andwithsuchanaccentofconvictionthatweseemedsurroundedbyamediaevalatmosphereinwhichsignsandwonderswerethemostnaturalthingsintheworld。
AstohisactiononpoliticssincemyleavingRussia，thepowerwhichheexercisedoverAlexanderIIIhasevidentlybeencontinuedduringthereignoftheyoungNicholasII。Inspiteofhiseightyyears，heseemstobe，to—day，theleaderofthereactionaryparty。
DuringtheearlyweeksofTheHagueConference，CountMunster，inhisfrequentdiatribesagainstitswholepurpose，andespeciallyagainstarbitration，waswonttoinsistthatthewholethingwasaschemepreparedbyPobedonostzefftoembarrassGermany;that，asRussiawasalwayswretchedlyunreadywithherarmy，TheHagueConferencewassimplyatrickforgainingtimeagainstherrivalswhokeptupbettermilitarypreparations。Theremayhavebeentruthinpartofthisassertion;butthemotiveofthegreatRussianstatesmaninfavoringtheconferencewasprobablynotsomuchtogaintimeforthearmyastogainmoneyforthechurch。
WithhisintensedesiretoincreasethestipendsoftheRussianorthodoxclergy，andthustoraisethemsomewhatabovetheirpresentlowcondition，hemusthavegroanedovertheenormoussumsspentbyhisgovernmentinthefrequentchangesinalmosteveryitemofexpenditureforitsvastarmy——changesmadeintimesofprofoundpeace，simplytoshowthatRussiawaskeepingherarmyabreastofthoseofhersisternations。HencecametheexpressedRussiandesireto\"keeppeoplefrominventingthings。\"
Ithasalwaysseemedtomethat，whiletheideaunderlyingthePeaceConferencecameoriginallyfromJeandeBloch，theremusthavebeenpowerfulaidfromPobedonostzeff。Somuchofgood——and，indeed，ofgreatgood——wemayattributetohimashighlyprobable，ifnotcertain。
But，ontheotherhand，therewouldseemtobeequalreasonforattributingtohim，intheselatterdays，afearfulmassofevil。
TosaynothingofthepolicyofRussiainPolandandelsewhere，herdealingswithFinlandthusfarformoneoftheblackestspotsonthehistoryoftheempire。Whetherheoriginatedthisiniquityornotisuncertain;butwhen，in1892，IfirstsawthenewRussiancathedralrisingontheheightsaboveHelsingfors，——astructurevastlymoreimposingthananywarrantedbythesmallnumberofthe\"orthodox\"inFinland，——withitsarchitectureoftheoldMuscovitetype，symbolicaloffetishism，Icouldnotbutrecognizehishandinit。ItseemedcleartomethatherewasthebeginningofreligiousaggressionontheLutheranFinlanders，whichmustlogicallybefollowedbypoliticalandmilitaryaggression;and，inviewofhisagencyinthisasineverythingreactionary，Ididnotwonderattheattempttoassassinatehimnotlongafterward。
DuringmyrecentstayinGermanyhevisitedmeattheBerlinEmbassy。Hewas，asofold，apparentlygentle，kindly，interestedinliterature，notinterestedtoanygreatextentincurrentWesternpolitics。Thisgentle，kindlymannerofhisbroughtbackforciblytomymindaremarkofoneofthemostcultivatedwomenImetinRussia，aprincessofancientlineage，whoardentlydesiredreasonablereforms，andwho，whenImentionedtoherareportthatPobedonostzeffwaswearyofpoliticallife，andwasabouttoretirefromofficeinordertodevotehimselftoliterarypursuits，said:\"Don’t，Ibegofyou，tellmethat;forIhavealwaysnoticedthatwheneversuchareportiscirculated，itisfollowedbysomenewschemeofhis，evenmoreinfernalthanthoseprecedingit。\"
Somuchforthemanwho，duringthepresentreign，seemsoneofthemainagentsinholdingRussianpolicyontheroadtoruin。Heisindeedastudy。Thedescriptiveepithetwhichclingstohim——\"theTorquemadaofthenineteenthcentury\"——heoncediscussedwithmeinnounkindlyspirit;indeed，inasgentleaspiritascanwellbeconceived。Hislifefurnishesamostinterestingstudyinchurchmanship，instatesmanship，andinhumannature，andshowshowsomeofthemenmostseverelycondemnedbymodernhistorians——greatpersecutors，inquisitors，andthelike——mayhavebasedtheiractionsontheoriestheworldhaslittleunderstood，andmayhavehadaslittleconsciousferocityastheirmoretolerantneighbors。
CHAPTERXXXVII
WALKSANDTALESWITHTOLSTOI——MARCH，1894
RevisitingMoscowafteranabsenceofthirty—fiveyears，themostsurprisingthingtomewasthattherehadbeensolittlechange。
WiththeexceptionofthenewgalleryofRussianart，andthebazaaroppositethesacredgateoftheKremlin，thingsseemedasIhadleftthemjustaftertheaccessionofAlexanderII。Therewerethesameunkemptstreets;thesamepeasantrycladinsheepskins;thesametroopsofbeggars，sturdyanddirty;thesamesqualidcrowdscrossingthemselvesbeforetheimagesatthestreetcorners;thesamethrongsofworshipersknockingtheirheadsagainstthepavementsofchurches;andaboveallloomed，nowasthen，thetowerofIvanandthedomesofSt。Basil，gloomy，gaudy，andbarbaric。Onlyonechangehadtakenplacewhichinterestedme:forthefirsttimeinthehistoryofRussia，amanofworld—widefameinliteratureandthoughtwasabidingthere——CountLeoTolstoi。
OntheeveningofmyarrivalIwentwithmysecretarytohisweeklyreception。Asweenteredhishouseontheoutskirtsofthecity，twoservantsineveningdresscameforward，removedourfurcoats，andopenedthedoorsintothereception—roomofthemaster。Thencameasurprise。Hisliving—roomseemedthecabinofaRussianpeasant。Itwaswainscotedalmostrudelyandfurnishedverysimply;andthereapproachedusatall，gauntRussian，unmistakablyborntocommand，yetcladasapeasant，hishairthrownbackoverhisearsoneitherside，hisflowingblousekepttogetherbyaleatherngirdle，hishighjack—bootscompletingthecostume。ThiswasTolstoi。
Nothingcouldbemorekindlythanhisgreeting。Whilehisdresswasthatofapeasant，hisbearingwastheveryopposite;for，insteadofthedepressed，demure，hangdogexpressionoftheaveragemuzhik，hismanner，thoughcordial，wasdignifiedandimpressive。Havinggivenusaheartywelcome，hemadeusacquaintedwithvariousotherguests。Itwasasingularassemblage。Therewereforeignersineveningdress，Moscowprofessorsinanydresstheyliked，andacertainnumberofyouth，evidentlydisciples，who，thoughclearlynotofthepeasantclass，worethepeasantcostume。Iobservedthesewithinterestbutcertainlyaslongastheywereunderthespellofthemastertheycommunicatednothingworthpreserving;theyseemedtoshow\"thecontortionsofthesibylwithouttheinspiration。\"
Theprofessorsweremuchmoreengaging。TheUniversityofMoscowhasinitsteachingbodyseveralstrongmen，andsomeofthesewerepresent。Oneofthem，whosedepartmentwasphilosophy，especiallyinterestedandencouragedmebyassurancesthatthemovementofRussianphilosophyis\"backtoKant。\"InthestrangewelterofwhimsanddreamswhichonefindsinRussia，thiswastomeanunexpectedevidenceofhealthfulthought。
Naturally，Isoonaskedtobepresentedtotheladyofthehouse，andthecountescortedusthroughaseriesofroomstoasalonfurnishedmuchlikeanyhandsomeapartmentinParisorSt。
Petersburg，wherethecountess，withotherladies，allinfulleveningdress，receiveduscordially。Thissuddentransitionfromthepeasantcabinofthemastertothesesumptuousroomsofthemistresswasstartling;itseemedlikescene—shiftingatatheater。