< A Woman's Dream (continued from page 3-83) >
are silent! my sisters, hate you forgotten the lore and tenderness of our childhood, and our games of which these silent walls have been the witnesses?’
“At these last words my sisters appeared moved, they spoke to one another in a low voice, they rose up and signed tome to approach; one of them then knelt down before my mother and hid her face in her lap, as if she wished to play at a game called Hot-kok-kiry (a childish game where one cords his eyes and guesses who strikes him with the flat hand). Surprised at this strange freak at such a solemn time, I nevertheless touched my sister’s hand with the whip that I still grasped: a mysterious force seem to impel me to do so. Then came my turn to kneel down before my mother and to tuck my face in her lap. Oh, horror, I felt through her silk dress, a cold and angular form. I heard a sound of rattling bones, and when a hand was struck in my hand the hand remained there,—and was the hand of a skeleton.
“I arose with a cry of terror: all had disappeared, and there only remained to me of this dreadful vision the human remains which I grasped convulsively. Almost beside myself I ran from the place, crossed the yard, jumped on my horse, and galloped wildly through the forest. At day break my horse sank beneath me and expired. I fell insensible at the root of a tree, and was found there by my attendants, with my skull fractured. I almost died, and it was only after three weeks of fever and delirium, I regained my senses and gradually recovered.
“It was then I learned that all my family had perished in the pitiless war that had desolated Mecklenburg, and that the castle of Gross Rensow had been several times pillaged and sacked. Scarcely convalescent I hastened to the castle to render the last rites to the mortal remains of my parents; but the most scrupulous search could not discover a trace, save one hand only. One female hand, surrounded by a golden bracelet, lay on the floor of the room in which the fatal vision had appeared to me. I took the golden chain which I now hold, and deposited the human bones in the oratory chapel.
“Many years have rolled by, and it was two months ago, while lying in this arm-chair, a slight noise awoke me. Sly father, my mother, and my sisters stood before me, come as they had appeared to me at the castle. My sisters began to play at the same game, and signed to me to advance. ‘Never, never!’ I exclaimed; then the phantoms, joining hands, passed slowly round my chair. ‘Justice,’ said my father, as he passed before me; ‘Penitence,’ said my mother, leaning towards me; ‘Prayer,’ said my youngest sister; The sword,’ sighed another; ‘The 11th of August;’ ‘The 12th of August at midnight,’ whispered the fourth. Again they moved slowly round me, three times, then with one sad voice they all exclaimed, ‘Au revoir I Au revoir! To our next meeting.’
“I felt that it was a warning of my approaching death, and that I had only to look to my God to receive my soul, and bid farewell to your Majesty and my friends.”
“My dear Marshal,” said the king, “what you have related to me is very strange. Still do you not think the vision may have been caused by delirium? Take courage. Strive against these hallucinations, and you will rally and yet live a long time. Will you not try and believe me? Give me your hand.”
The Marshal not answering, the king took his hand; it was icy cold, and midnight struck by the old clock.
The spirit of Field Marshal Blucher had passed away.
Nature More Economic than Perfect
Pore tells the skeptic of the Divine government to call imperfection, what he fancies such, because Nature gives “here a little, there too much,”—making light of the unequalities of life and the common-place complaints of ignorant men and women; but the following reflections of O. W. Wright suggest the true purposes of Nature and the real method of Evolving Life. He is writing of the birth of Abelard, and says,—“There, nature made an effort once more to produce a man. Millions of efforts she makes, but in every instance she fails as well as succeeds. A perfect man she never produces, and, therefore, always fails. She never tads in making a good attempt, and, therefore, always succeeds. The perfect or ideal man, the standard of which nature in every instance comes short, is the type of the unity of the soul, while nature's failure in different degrees produces variety in unity. Her method is simple, her operations arc manifold. She proceeds in everything else as she does with man. She is infinitely economic, and at the same time infinitely prodigal. The child Abelard had one meaning for his parents, another for the world, and another for Deity. His history was, no doubt, already written in the quality of his infant blood, and the structure of his infant brain... to be coined into real acts in the mint of life. His good and his evil deeds will interpret for us ours, and make us wiser and better.”—Abelard and Heloise.
The feast of October 1 in Georgian city Mchete
Original in Old Russian
Праздникъ 1 октября въ грузинскомъ городҍ Мцхетҍ (т.е. въ городҍ помазанiя на царство бывшихъ грузинскихъ царей). Этотъ праздникъ, говоритъ «Церковн. Вҍстн.», погрузински въ просторҍчiи называется свети иховлоба (отъ слова: цвети-цховели – животворящiй), буквально – праздникъ столпа животворящаго. Въ богослужебныхъ грузинскихъ книгахъ подъ 1-мъ числомъ октября говорится такъ: «сего дня воспоминанiе чуда великаго и Богомъ прославленнаго столпа, и животворящаго и честнаго Господня хитона въ г. Мцхетҍ.
По преданiю грузинской церкви, соборный храмъ Мцхета стоитъ среди нҍкогда бывшаго здҍсь города (теперь тутъ селенiе); онъ построенъ во имя 12 апостоловъ увҍровавшимъ по наставленiю просвҍтительницы Грузiи Нины, царемъ Мирiаномъ изъ рода хесреiанъ въ IVв.
Подъ сводами этого храма поставленъ высокiй, помнится, четырехъугольный столпъ, сложенный изъ камней и теперь стоящiй, аршина три, если не больше. Въ длину и ширину; онъ поставленъ надъ тҍмъ мҍстомъ, гдҍ росъ огромный кедръ, подъ которымъ была погребена еврейка дҍвица Сидонiя, съ нешвеннымъ хитономъ Спасителя на груди, который она получила на сохраненiе отъ брата своего Елiоза, бывшаго въ числе распинателей Господа Iисуса Христа на Голгофҍ и получившего его по жребiю. Съ лҍвой стороны столпа видна ниша или небольшая амбразура, въ которой былъ корень названнаго кедра. Это ниша и самый столпъ съ одной стороны ограждены рҍшеткою, къ ней привҍшены двери, которыя отворяются, чтобы приблизиться къ св. мҍсту (нишҍ) для поклоненiя и постановленiя свҍчей.
Хитонъ Господень найденъ былъ еще при равноапостольной Нинҍ и хранился въ соборномъ храмҍ. Въ XVII в. (1625г.) персидскiй шахъ Аббасъ, покоривъ Грузiю, узналъ о хитонҍ Господнемъ, взялъ и отослалъ его въ даръ Русскому Царю Михаилу Феодоровичу.
Часть ризы Господней въ настоящее время находится въ Москвҍ и по временамъ она выставляется въ ковчежцҍ для поклоненiя, а двҍ части ея здесь въ Петербургҍ, в церкви Зимняго дворца и въ Петропавловскомъ соборҍ.
Въ г. Мцхетъ къ празднику Ризы Господней почти каждый разъ прiезжаетъ изъ Тифлиса экзархъ Грузiи для торжественнаго совершенiя всенощной и литургiи; всю ночь почти въ храмҍ горятъ тысячи свҍчей и посҍтители принимаютъ живое участiе въ богослуженiи. Жители съҍзжаются изъ всҍхъ частей Грузiи – изъ самой Карталинiи, гдҍ находится храмъ, и изъ Кахетiи, большею частiю на своихъ тяжелыхъ и неуклюжихъ повозкахъ ( уремахъ или арбахъ), запряженныхъ несколькими парами воловъ. На этихъ повозкахъ устраиваются точно шалаши, покрытые коврами для защиты отъ солнечныхъ лучей и непогоды; многiе прiҍзжаютъ и верхомъ. Тифлисскiе же жители – въ нҍмецкихъ фургонахъ, а некоторые въ каретахъ и коляскахъ.
На праздникъ прiҍзжаютъ не одни православные, но и армяно-григорiане. Нҍкоторые привозятъ, по обету, больныхъ своихъ и живутъ при храмҍ по нҍсколько дней съ надеждою исцҍленiя и часто эти надежды сбываются.
Поклонники иные устраиваются въ домахъ мҍстныхъ жителей, другiе въ большой оградҍ храма или внҍ ея у стҍны. Большею частiю на праздникҍ довольствуются приготовленною дома провизiей – варенымъ и жаренымъ мясомъ, преимущественно-же сыромъ, балыкомъ и икрою, запивая все кахетинскимъ виномъ. Иные готовятъ шашлыкъ или мцвади, т.е. жареные на железныхъ прутьяхъ куски баранины, для чего привозятъ с собою барана, котораго по обҍту закалаютъ здҍсь, сами ҍдятъ и знакомымъ раздаютъ. На свободҍ сельскiе жители поютъ свои нацiональныя пҍсни и составляютъ хороводы. Городскiе жители играютъ на бубнҍ и диплипито (два кувшинчика, обитыхъ лошадиною шкурою) и танцуютъ лезгинку.
Editor's notes
- ↑ Nature More Economic than Perfect by unknown author, Spiritual Scientist, v. 1, No. 10, November 12, 1874, p. 113. Signed: Abelard and Heloise
- ↑ The feast of October 1 in Georgian city Mchete by unknown author, Церковный вестник ?. In Old Russian: "Праздникъ 1 октября въ грузинскомъ городе Мцхете"
Sources
Spiritual Scientist, v. 1, No. 10, November 12, 1874, p. 113