BULGARIAN CHRISTIANITY

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 731, 22 February 1877, Page 3

BULGARIAN CHRISTIANITY

In Mr Barkley's recently-published book,; "Sport and Travel in Bui'garia," he tKus describes liis visit to a Greek Church in Bulgaria :— •"' Father Vlatt, I asked one day, ' what time is service in the Greek Church ; at Inji Keui 1' ' Service, Tchellaby ? Oh, in the morning. This is Sunday, Tchellaby, and, if you ride off at once, you will be in time for church ; and should the priest have begun before you get there,just stop and tell him to begin again ; he will do it for a glass of raki.' < Well, this is delightful. I have known a parson in England who uever began service till the squire arrived ; but to whip off and run a foiled scent for "^a si ranger is quite new, so I will be off at once. ' A gallop of a quarter of an hour brought me to the door ,of the -a good-sized, well'built,i.stone edifice, in the shape of a barn, with the whitest ef walls and reddest of tiles ; but the door was shut, and, if service was going on, it was a Quaker one, for all was silent within. At last I saw an old Moldaye, arid inquired of him: 'Here, father, I want to know about your church ', when does the service begin ?' 'In the morning. Effendi.' ' This is the morning. I hope it is not over.' ' No, Effendi, it is not' begun yet.' ' When will ifc begin?' 'Ah, who knows !' with a shrug of the shoulders. ' Why, you ißhouldy you old sinner ! lam afraid yon don't go to church regularly.' ' Effendi,. I am a very good man and quite pious ; see, lam "hung all over with chai'ms against the evil eye which the priest sells me, but I don't of ten go to church — how can 1 when there is no service?' 'You have no resident priest, perhaps !' 'Oh| ( yesj Eflfendi, we have, an excellent, worthy creature! such a good 'man, JBffendi, that everyone from, far and near comes to buy wax candles arid charms .from him, and each week: he makes a lot of money, which enables him to get so drunk on. Saturday night that he is like a dead man all Sunday. He is now lying among the nettles at the back of the drinking shop there, and will not be able to move till night-' 'Does ho often do this?' I asked. ' Well, Eflendi, I can't exactly say how often, ibut this is the fifth Sunday he has spent among the nettles.' I gave the old fellow a cigarette, and, declining a glass of raki he offered me, wended my way home, meditating on the enormous blessing ii would l?e if we of the Western Church could amalgamate with the Eastern Christian Church !" "