USSIANS CONVERSION--GREEK AND LATIN CHRISTIANITY

So the scattered clans of the Slav race were roughly drawn together
into something resembling a nation by the strong arm of the
Scandinavian. But the course of national progress is never a straight
one. Nature understands better than we the value of retarding
influences, which prevent the too rapid fusing of crude elements. This
work of retardation was performed for Russia by Sviatoslaf. When,
instead of leaving his dominions to his oldest son, he divided them
among the three, he introduced a vicious system which was to become a
fatal source of weakness. This is known as the system of _Appanages_.
To his son Yaropolk he gave Kief, to Oleg the territory of the
Drevlians, and to Vladimir Novgorod. But as Vladimir quickly
assassinated Yaropolk, who had already assassinated Oleg, the injurious
results of the system were not directly felt!

Vladimir became the sole ruler. He then started upon a course of
unbridled profligacy. He compelled the widow of his murdered brother
to marry him--then a beautiful Greek nun who had been captured from
Byzantium--then a Bulgarian and a Bohemian wife, until finally his
household was numbered by hundreds. But this sensual barbarian began
to be conscious of a soul. He was troubled, and revived the worship of
the Slav gods; erected on the cliffs near Kief a new idol of Perun,
with head of silver and beard of gold. Two Scandinavian Christians
were by his orders stabbed at the feet of the idol. Still his soul was
unsatisfied. He determined upon a search for the best religion; sent
ambassadors to examine into the religious beliefs of Mussulmans, Jews,
Catholics, and the Greeks. The splendor of the Greek ceremonial, the
magnificence of the vestments, the incense, the music, and the presence
of the Emperor and his court, filled the souls of the barbarians with
awe--and the final argument of his _boyars_ (or nobles) put an end to
doubts: "If the Greek religion had not been the best, your grandmother
Olga, the wisest of mortals, would not have adopted it."

Vladimir's choice was made. He would be baptized in the faith of Olga.
But this must be done at the hand of the Greek Patriarch; so he would
conquer baptism--and ravish it like booty--not beg for it. He besieged
and took a Greek city. Then demanded the hand of Anna, sister of the
Greek Caesar, threatening in case of refusal to march on
Constantinople. Consent was given upon con