ations of the Saviour
or the Madonna or some patron saint, finished in a very archaic
Byzantine style on a yellow or gold background, and vary in size from a
square inch to several square feet. Very often the whole picture is
covered with various ornaments, ofttimes with precious stones. In
respect to their religious significance icons are of two classes, simple
or miracle-working. The former are manufactured in enormous quantities
and are to be found in every Russian house, from the lowest peasant to
the highest official. They are generally placed high up in a corner of
the living room facing the door, and every good Orthodox peasant on
entering the door bows in the direction of the icon and crosses himself
repeatedly. Before and after meals the same ceremony is always performed
and on holiday or fete days a small taper or candle is kept burning
before the icon throughout the day.

An amusing incident is related which took place in the allied hospital
in Shenkursk. A young medical officer had just arrived from Archangel
and was sitting in the living room or entrance-way of the hospital
directly underneath one of these icons. One of the village ladies,
having occasion to call at the hospital, entered the front door and as
usual stepped toward the center of the room facing the icon, bowed very
low and started crossing herself. The young officer who was unacquainted
with the Russian custom, believing that she was saluting him, quickly
stepped forward and stretched forth his hand to shake hands with her
while she was still in the act of crossing herself. Great was his
consternation when he was later informed by his interpreter of the
significance of this operation.

Doughboys on the Railroad front at Obozerskaya will recall the fact that
when the first three Americans killed in action in North Russia were
buried, it was impossible to get one of our chaplains from Archangel to
come to Obozerskaya to bury them. The American officer in command
engaged the local Russian priest to perform the religious service. By
some trick of fate it had happened that these first Americans who fell
in action were of Slavic blood, so the strange funeral which the
doughboys witnessed was not so incongruous after all.

With the long-haired, wonderfully-robed priest came his choir and many
villagers, who occupied one side of the square made by the soldiers
standing there in the dusk to do last honors to their dead comrades.
With chantings and