been frequented by such multitudes, has the "seal of the white dove" been preserved with such precision, the simple, fatigued, and hungry folk thronged so passionately to the wizards, and last, but not least, never before has sorcery had such amazing success and importance in the life of the whole Russian nation.
The Orthodox churches are overflowing with pious multitudes praying and invoking the help of the Almighty, not for themselves, but for the country. Persecution and blasphemous mockery frighten them no more. It often happened that the Bolsheviks rushed a church, shouting wildly, and trying to terrify and disperse those that were praying. But in vain. There was no panic, and the crowds did not even turn their heads at the reports of the fusillades. At such moments one was able to understand that Russia has been seized by a mystical readiness to submit to the death of martyrdom for the redemption of future generations.
During the Easter service in 1918 the Bolsheviks in Moscow burst into the church where the All-Russian Patriarch himself celebrated Mass. Not a single member of the congregation moved; one of the Communists shot at the Patriarch and wounded his arm. The Patriarch did not heed the pain; he continued praying till the time came when he turned, the congregated flock intoning the joyful song, "Christ has risen from the dead." It is impossible to describe the enthusiasm and the ecstasy with which the crowds were seized.
