re the Lord's supper and
baptism. The ordaining of priests and marriage are ordinances that rank
next in importance.

Baptism is administered by bishops and elders. All the children of a
member are baptized by immersing three times. Some believe that baptism
regenerates a child, while others say it will have a good effect
provided the parents give the child proper training thereafter.

The Lord's supper is administered with much ritual on festival days
such as Easter, Christmas and Ascension day. This ceremony is more
highly honored than any other ordinance as it commemorates the death
and victory of Christ. Both wine and bread are used. A few years ago
(and even now in some places) it was a custom to make the bread and
wine from gleanings brought in from the fields and vineyards by
virgins. This was considered pure and more acceptable as it had
belonged to no man. They do not believe with the Catholics that the
bread and wine become the flesh and blood of Christ, but they put much
emphasis on these ingredients after the same have been consecrated.
They are then holy.

On the night previous to communion day, the priest and deacons go to
the church shortly after midnight and entering into the most holy
place, make the bread for use on the next day. The priest himself
kneads the dough. This bread is considered more sacred than that made
in the ordinary way. After the bread has been made, the remainder of
the night is spent in chanting psalms, Scripture and prayer-book. An
hour before sunrise the people flock to the church. When the church is
full of worshipers the priest mounts the pulpit, chants the sacred
words for an hour or more. The audience remains in perfect silence
until he reaches the end of a psalm or the end of the service, when all
the people say "Amen." The priest and a deacon stand in the pulpit to
administer the sacrament. Communicants come forward one by one and the
priest puts a small piece of bread in their mouths, and the deacon
gives the wine. Children under seven years of age do not partake of the
sacrament. On these occasions the priest and deacon wear long white
robes of silk or cotton, tied about with a long silk girdle. A turban
is worn on the head.

CHAPTER V.

ASSYRIAN OR NESTORIAN COLLEGE.

The golden age of this church was the period from the fourth to the
thirteenth century. They had twenty-five flourishing colleges. The most
important schools were located at Oddessa, Nesibis,