The popular school system among the Mohammedans was entirely reorganized by an imperial decree of Xov. 20, 1874. This decree placed tlie schools of the Tartars, the Bashkirs, and Kirghis under the imperial ministry of education, which informed its subordinates of this act as follows: "The subtmlination of the Tartar non- Russian schools under this ministry is not only im- portant in an educational, but also in a political, point of view. The Mussulmans' schools have been, up to this time, without any government supervision, and there- fore promoted among the people an anti-Russian senti- ment and a fanaticism which prevented the assimila- tion of the Tartar, etc., with the other inhabitants of Russia." According to Mohammedan views, every mul- lah is at the same time a teacher, while the school is near the mosque. Through these schools, the mollahs en- deavor to bring tlieir communit}' under iheir influence, and to keep them away from their Russian neighbors. They are also decidedly opposed to any government supervision of the schools. The government at first tried to establish teachers' seminaries for the education of teachers in these schools; and the decree of 1870, which ordered the establishment of these seminaries, provided, in order to do away with all prejudices, that the teachers of the Russian language should be, as far as possible, Mohammedans, and the mollahs be permit- ted to attend all the lessons, so that they might con- vince themselves that nothing objectionable was taught. Even now the teachers in the madrassas of the principal cities, like Kasan, speak Russian fluently, although they are all INIohammedans. The authorities are also active- ly engaged in the preparation of reading-books contain- ing, besides tales and fables, incidents from Russian his- tory, as well as facts from geography and natural his- tory. This is a decided improvement, as according to all authorities, like Shaw, Lerch, and Viimbery, the en- tire Turkish-Tartaric literature breathes "a spirit of re- ligious mysticism, rose-colored sensual love, and reck- less bravery emanating from the most bitter hate of the unbelievers." Even such an old library as that of Ka- san is completely wanting in works on the history and ; geography of Mohammedan countries; but it is ex- I pected that this want will be relieved in time by the j Mohammedan students in the Russian high and second- ary schools. In 1871 the Oriental faculty of the Uni- versity of St, Petersburg was attended by thirty- six students. In the same year there were ninety-two iMo- hammcdan students in the Russian gymnasia, of which the educational district of Kasan, with its forty-three per cent, of the total Mohammedan population, had for- ty-seven.
3. Pdfjans. — The number of pagans in European Turkey is 258,125; in Poland, 245; in Caucasia, 4G83 ; in Siberia, 286,010; in Central Asia, 14,740.
IV. Liiei-ature. — On the history of the Russian Church, see Mouravieff, History of the Riigdan Church (transl. by Blackmore [1842] to the year 1710), vol. i; Strahl, Bei- trdge zur russischen Kirrhengesdrichte (1827), vol. i; id. Geschichte der rassische7i Kirche ( 1830 ), vol. i ; Schmitt, Die moi-(/enlandisch-griechisch-riissische Kirche (1826); lA. Kritische Geschichte der neugriech. tmd der russischen Kirche (1840); lUenle, IJist07-t/ of the Holy Eastern Church (1850) ; Stanley, IJistoi-y of the Eastern Church (1862) ; Theiner, I>ie Stiiatshirche RussUmds (1853); Gallitzin [prince A.], L'Ef/lise Greco -Russe (1861); Boissard, L'E(jHse de Russie (1867, 2 vols.); Philaret [archbishop of TchernigoflF], Geschichte der Kirche Russlands (Germ, transl. by Blumenthal, 1872); Bassiroff, Russische Orthodoxe Kirche (1873); also the Occasional Papers of the Eastern Church Association of the Church of Eui/land and the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States (published in New York and London since 1864). The doctrine of the Orthodox Eastern Church as taught in Russia is set forth in the catechisms of the metropolitans Plato and Philaret of JIoscow. An English translation of the larger cate- chism of Philaret was published by Blackmore (1845),
RUSSIA, VERSIONS OF 171 RUSSIA, VERSIONS OF
and republished in Schaff, Creeds of Christendom (1877), vol. ii. See also Guettee [a Gallican priest who joined the Russian Church], Exposition de la Doctrine de VEylise Cath. Orthodoxede Riiss. (186(5); Procopowicz, Theologia Christiana Orthodoxa (1773-75), 5 vols.; abridg. (1802). On the rites and ceremonies of the Russian Church, see King [Anglican chaplain in St. Petersburg], The Rites and the Ceremonies of the Greek Church in Russia (1772) ; Mouravieff, Lettres a un Ami sur FOffice Divin (French transl. by prince Gallitzin). On the constitution and present condition of the Church, see Silbernagl, Veifass- nng und fjegemrartiiier Bestand sdmmtlicher Kirchen des Orients (1865); Neher, Kirchl. Statistik (1865), vol. ii. The latest statistics of the Church are found in the an- nual reports of the procurator- general. A full statis- tical account of all ihe religious denominations of the empire is found in the Statistical Year-book of the Rus- sian Empire (in the Russian language [St. Petersburg, 1871]), vol. ii. (A.J. S.)
Russia, Versions of, or, rather. Versions in the Languages of Russia. The praise which has been awarded to ancient Thebes on the Nile by calling it tKarofnrvXoQ, " the hundred-gated," may be also given to Russia, which, in its geographical dimensions, variety of races, multiplicity of population, and diversity of lan- guages, is a world in itself, and baffles and bewilders the mind at the bare conception that the millions that owe allegiance to the throne of the czar are to be furnished with the Word of God in their own vernaculars. Ac- cording to the geographical position, we get the follow- ing linguistic groups :