Christianity and Patriotism
which scouts were to be on the look-out, they were all to run, just as they were, to meet it, and with shouts of "Hurrah!" were to run after the carriage, and every tenth man was to cross himself as he ran. The noncommissioned officers lined up the companies, and reckoning the men, stopped at the tenth: "One, two, three... eight, nine, ten—Sidorenko, cross yourself. One, two, three, four. . . Ivanov, cross yourself. . . . And everything was carried out according to instructions, and the impression of enthusiasm made upon the Tsarevitch and on all present, even on the soldiers and officers, and even on the General of the Brigade, who had arranged the whole thing, was complete. Exactly the same thing is done, though less crudely, whenever there are patriotic manifestations. Thus, the Franco-Russian celebrations, which appeared to us as the spontaneous expression of popular feeling, did not happen of themselves, but were very skilfully and rather obviously prepared and evoked by the French Government.
As soon as the arrival of the Russian sailors was known [I am quoting again from the same Rural News, a Government organ which collects its news from all the other newspapers], committees began to be formed for the organization of rejoicings, not only in all the towns, big and small, situated on the somewhat lengthy route between Toulon and Paris, but
58
