‘Well, I went homewards, and near the hotel I came
across a poor woman, carrying a child—a baby of some six
weeks old. The mother was quite a girl herself. The baby
was smiling up at her, for the first time in its life, just at
that moment; and while I watched the woman she
suddenly crossed herself, oh, so devoutly! ‘What is it, my
good woman I asked her. (I was never but asking
questions then!) Exactly as is a mother’s joy when her
baby smiles for the first time into her eyes, so is God’s joy
when one of His children turns and prays to Him for the
first time, with all his heart!’ This is what that poor
woman said to me, almost word for word; and such a
deep, refined, truly religious thought it was—a thought in
which the whole essence of Christianity was expressed in
one flash—that is, the recognition of God as our Father,
and of God’s joy in men as His own children, which is the
chief idea of Christ. She was a simple country-woman—a
mother, it’s true— and perhaps, who knows, she may
have been the wife of the drunken soldier!
‘Listen, Parfen; you put a question to me just now.
This is my reply. The essence of religious feeling has
nothing to do with reason, or atheism, or crime, or acts of
any kind—it has nothing to do with these things—and
never had. There is something besides all this, something
which the arguments of the atheists can never touch. But
the principal thing, and the conclusion of my argument, is
that this is most clearly seen in the heart of a Russian. This
is a conviction which I have gained while I have been in
this Russia of ours. Yes, Parfen! there is work to be done;
there is work to be done in this Russian world!
Remember what talks we used to have in Moscow! And I
never wished to come here at all; and I never thought to
meet you like this, Parfen! Well, well—good-bye—goodbye!
God be with you!’
He turned and went downstairs.