If I wish to preach a sermon--not that I often wish to do such a thing, but there are occasions when it is advisable--I am expected to show it first to the Blagotchinny, and--" "I beg your pardon, who is the Blagotchinny ?" "The Blagotchinny is a parish priest who is in direct relations with the Consistory of the Province, and who is supposed to exercise a strict supervision over all the other parish priests of his district.

He acts as the spy of the Consistory, which is filled with greedy, shameless officials, deaf to any one who does not come provided with a handful of roubles.

The Bishop may be a good, well-intentioned man, but he always sees and acts through these worthless subordinates.

Besides this, the Bishops and heads of monasteries, who monopolise the higher places in the ecclesiastical Administration, all belong to the Black Clergy--that is to say, they are all monks--and consequently cannot understand our wants.

How can they, on whom celibacy is imposed by the rules of the Church, understand the position of a parish priest who has to bring up a family and to struggle with domestic cares of every kind?
What they do is to take all the comfortable places for themselves, and leave us all the hard work.