Page:Leskov - The Sentry and other Stories.djvu/240

 224 "No, Vladyko, you have comforted me greatly, you have comforted me as I never hoped to be comforted in this world."

"In what way, man of God," I said, "have I pleased you so greatly?"

"In that you have ordered the monks to learn, and when they go forth, first to teach and then to baptize. You are right, Vladyko, to make this rule; Christ Himself ordered it, and His disciples say: 'Where the spirit has not been taught there can be no good.' They can all baptize but to teach the Word they are not able."

"Brother, you have understood me in a wider sense than I intended," said I; "according to you, children need not be baptized either."

"For Christian children it is different, Vladyko."

"Well, yes, but Prince Vladimir would not have baptized our forefathers at all if he had waited long for them to learn."

But he answered me:

"Ah, Vladyko, it might perhaps really have been better to have taught them first. You know well—you have read the chronicles—the brew was boiled too quickly—'inasmuch as His piety was joined with fear.' The metropolitan Platon said wisely: 'Vladimir was too hasty, and the Greeks were cunning, they baptized the ignorant—and unlearned.' Are we to imitate their haste and