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miracles。　This　priest　has　a　very　spiritual　and　kindly　face；　is



known　to　receive　vast　sums　for　the　poor；　which　he　distributes



among　them　while　he　himself　remains　in　poverty；　and　is　supposed



not　merely　by　members　of　the　Russo…Greek　Church；　but　by　those　of



other　religious　bodies；　to　work　frequent　miracles　of　healing。　I



was　assured　by　persons　of　the　highest　characterand　those　not



only　Russo…Greek　churchmen；　but　Roman　Catholics　and



Anglicansthat　there　could　be　no　doubt　as　to　the　reality　of



these　miracles；　and　various　examples　were　given　me。　So　great　is



Father　Ivan's　reputation　in　this　respect　that　he　is　in　constant



demand　in　all　parts　of　the　empire；　and　was　even　summoned　to



Livadia　during　the　last　illness　of　the　late　Emperor。　Whenever　he



appears　in　public　great　crowds　surround　him；　seeking　to　touch　the



hem　of　his　garment。　His　picture　is　to　be　seen　with　the　portraits



of　the　saints　in　vast　numbers　of　Russian　homes；　from　the　palaces



of　the　highest　nobles　to　the　cottages　of　the　humblest　peasants。







It　happened　to　me　on　one　occasion　to　have　an　experience　which　I



have　related　elsewhere；　but　which　is　repeated　here　as　throwing



light　on　the　ideas　of　the　Russian　statesman。







On　my　arrival　in　St。　Petersburg　my　attention　was　at　once　aroused



by　the　portraits　of　Father　Ivan。　They　ranged　from　photographs



absolutely　true　to　life；　which　revealed　a　plain；　shrewd；　kindly



face；　to　those　which　were　idealized　until　they　bore　a　near



resemblance　to　the　conventional　representations　of　Jesus　of



Nazareth。







One　day；　in　one　of　the　most　brilliant　reception…rooms　of　the



Northern　capital；　the　subject　of　Father　Ivan's　miracles　having



been　introduced；　a　gentleman　in　very　high　social　position；　and



entirely　trustworthy；　spoke　as　follows：　〃There　is　something　very



surprising　about　these　miracles。　I　am　slow　to　believe　in　them；



but　there　is　one　of　them　which　is　overwhelming　and　absolutely



true。　The　late　Metropolitan　of　St。　Petersburg；　Archbishop



Isidore；　loved　quiet；　and　was　very　averse　to　anything　which　could



possibly　cause　scandal。　Hearing　of　the　wonders　wrought　by　Father



Ivan；　he　summoned　him　to　his　presence　and　sternly　commanded　him



to　abstain　from　all　the　things　which　had　given　rise　to　these



reported　miracles；　as　sure　to　create　scandal；　and　with　this



injunction　dismissed　him。　Hardly　had　the　priest　left　the　room



when　the　archbishop　was　struck　with　blindness；　and　he　remained　in



this　condition　until　the　priest　returned　and　restored　his　sight



by　intercessory　prayer。〃　When　I　asked　the　gentleman　giving　this



account　if　he　directly　knew　these　facts；　he　replied　that　he　was；



of　course；　not　present　when　the　miracle　was　wrought；　but　that　he



had　the　facts　immediately　from　persons　who　knew　all　the　parties



concerned；　as　well　as　all　the　circumstances　of　the　case；　and；



indeed；　that　these　circumstances　were　matter　of　general



knowledge。







Sometime　afterward；　being　at　an　afternoon　reception　in　one　of　the



greater　embassies；　I　brought　up　the　same　subject；　when　an　eminent



general　spoke　as　follows：　〃I　am　not　inclined　to　believe　in



miracles；in　fact；　am　rather　skeptical；　but　the　proofs　of　those



wrought　by　Father　Ivan　are　overwhelming。〃　He　then　went　on　to　say



that　the　late　metropolitan　archbishop　was　a　man　who　loved　quiet



and　disliked　scandal；　that　on　this　account　he　had　summoned　Father



Ivan　to　his　palace；　and　ordered　him　to　put　an　end　to　the　conduct



which　had　caused　the　reports　concerning　his　miraculous　powers；



and　then；　with　a　wave　of　his　arm；　had　dismissed　him。　The　priest



left　the　room；　and　from　that　moment　the　archbishop's　arm　was



paralyzed；　and　it　remained　so　until　the　penitent　prelate　summoned



the　priest　again；　by　whose　prayers　the　arm　was　restored　to　its



former　usefulness。　There　was　present　at　the　time　another　person



besides　myself　who　had　heard　the　previous　statement　as　to　the



blindness　of　the　archbishop；　and；　on　our　both　asking　the　general



if　he　was　sure　that　the　archbishop's　arm　was　paralyzed　as　stated；



he　declared　that　he　could　not　doubt　it；　as　he　had　the　account



directly　from　persons　entirely　trustworthy　who　were　cognizant　of



all　the　facts。







Sometime　later；　meeting　Pobedonostzeff；　I　asked　him　which　of



these　stories　was　correct。　He　answered　immediately；　〃Neither：　in



the　discharge　of　my　duties　I　saw　the　Archbishop　Isidore



constantly　down　to　the　last　hours　of　his　life；　and　no　such　event



ever　occurred。　He　was　never　paralyzed　and　never　blind。〃　But　the



great　statesman　and　churchman　then　went　on　to　say　that；　although



this　story　was　untrue；　there　were　a　multitude　of　others　quite　as



remarkable　in　which　he　believed；　and　he　gave　me　a　number　of



legends　showing　that　Father　Ivan　possessed　supernatural　knowledge



and　miraculous　powers。　These　he　unfolded　to　me　with　much　detail；



and　with　such　an　accent　of　conviction　that　we　seemed　surrounded



by　a　mediaeval　atmosphere　in　which　signs　and　wonders　were　the



most　natural　things　in　the　world。







As　to　his　action　on　politics　since　my　leaving　Russia；　the　power



which　he　exercised　over　Alexander　III　has　evidently　been



continued　during　the　reign　of　the　young　Nicholas　II。　In　spite　of



his　eighty　years；　he　seems　to　be；　to…day；　the　leader　of　the



reactionary　party。







During　the　early　weeks　of　The　Hague　Conference；　Count　Munster；　in



his　frequent　diatribes　against　its　whole　purpose；　and　especially



against　arbitration；　was　wont　to　insist　that　the　whole　thing　was



a　scheme　prepared　by　Pobedonostzeff　to　embarrass　Germany；　that；



as　Russia　was　always　wretchedly　unready　with　her　army；　The　Hague



Conference　was　simply　a　trick　for　gaining　time　against　her　rivals



who　kept　up　better　military　preparations。　There　may　have　been



truth　in　part　of　this　assertion；　but　the　motive　of　the　great



Russian　statesman　in　favoring　the　conference　was　probably　not　so



much　to　gain　time　for　the　army　as　to　gain　money　for　the　church。



With　his　intense　desire　to　increase　the　stipends　of　the　Russian



orthodox　clergy；　and　thus　to　raise　them　somewhat　above　their



present　low　condition；　he　must　have　groaned　over　the　enormous



sums　spent　by　his　government　in　the　frequent　changes　in　almost



every　item　of　expenditure　for　its　vast　armychanges　made　in



times　of　profound　peace；　simply　to　show　that　Russia　was　keeping



her　army　abreast　of　those　of　her　sister　nations。　Hence　came　the



expressed　Russian　desire　to　〃keep　people　from　inventing　things。〃



It　has　always　seemed　to　me　that；　while　the　idea　underlying　the



Peace　Conference　came　originally　from　Jean　de　Bloch；　there　must



have　been　powerful　aid　from　Pobedonostzeff。　So　much　of　goodand；



indeed；　of　great　good　we　may　attribute　to　him　as　highly



probable；　if　not　certain。







But；　on　the　other　hand；　there　would　seem　to　be　equal　reason　for



attributing　to　him；　in　these　latter　days；　a　fearful　mass　of　evil。



To　say　nothing　of　the　policy　of　Russia　in　Poland　and　elsewhere；



her　dealings　with　Finland　thus　far　form　one　of　the　blackest　spots



on　the　history　of　the　empire。　Whether　he　originated　this　iniquity



or　not　is　uncertain；　but　when；　in　1892；　I　first　saw　the　new



Russian　cathedral　rising　on　the　heights　above　Helsingfors；a



structure　vastly　more　imposing　than　any　warranted　by　the　small



number　of　the　〃orthodox〃　in　Finland；with　its　architecture　of



the　old　Muscovite　type；　symbolical　of　fetishism；　I　could　not　but



recognize　his　hand　in　it。　It　seemed　clear　to　me　that　here　was　the



beginning　of　religious　aggression　on　the　Lutheran　Finlanders；



which　must　logically　be　followed　by　political　and　military



aggression；　and；　in　view　of　his　agency　in　this　as　in　everything



reactionary；　I　did　not　wonder　at　the　attempt　to　assassinate　him



not　long　afterward。







During　my　recent　stay　in　Germany　he　visited　me　at　the　Berlin



Embassy。　He　was；　as　of　old；　apparently　gentle；　kindly；　interested



in　literature；　not　interested　to　any　great　extent　in　current



Western　politics。　This　gentle；　kindly　manner　of　his　brought　back



forcibly　to　my　mind　a　remark　of　one　of　the　most　cultivated　women



I　met　in　Russia；　a　princess　of　ancient　lineage；　who　ardently



desired　reasonable　reforms；　and　who；　when　I　mentioned　to　her　a



report　that　Pobedonostzeff　was　weary　of　political　life；　and　was



about　to　retire　from　office　in　order　to　devote　himself　to



literary　pursuits；　said：　〃Don't；　I　beg　of　you；　tell　me　that；　for



I　have　always　noticed　that　whenever　such　a　report　is　circulated；



it　is　followed　by　some　new　scheme　of　his；　even　more　infernal　than



those　preceding　it。〃







So　much　for　the　man　who；　during　the　present　reign；　seems　one　of



the　main　agents　in　holding　Russian　policy　on　the　road　to　ruin。　He



is　indeed　a　study。　The　descriptive　epithet　which　clings　to



him〃the　Torquemada　of　the　nineteenth　century〃he　once



discussed　with　me　in　no　unkindly　spirit；　indeed；　in　as　gentle　a



spirit　as　can　well　be　conceived。　His　life　furnishes　a　most



interesting　study　in　churchmanship；　in　statesmanship；　and　in



human　nature；　and　shows　how　some　of　the　men　most　severely



condemned　by　modern　historiansgreat　persecutors；　inquisitors；



and　the　likemay　have　based　their　actions　on　theories　the　world



has　little　understood；　and　may　have　had　as　little　conscious



ferocity　as　their　more　tolerant　neighbors。















CHAPTER　XXXVII







WALKS　AND　TALES　WITH　TOLSTOIMARCH；　1894







Revisiting　Moscow　after　an　absence　of　thirty…five　years；　the　most



surprising　thing　to　me　was　that　ther