"Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil."
ST. MATTHEW V. 38, 39.
It was in the time of serfdom--many years before Alexander II's liberation of the sixty million serfs in 1862. In those days the people were ruled by different kinds of lords. There were not a few who, remembering God, treated their slaves in a humane manner, and not as beasts of burden, while there were others who were seldom known to perform a kind or generous action; but the most barbarous and tyrannical of all were those former serfs who arose from the dirt and became princes.
It was this latter class who made life literally a burden to those who were unfortunate enough to come under t... (From: Wikisource.org.)
"Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" .mw-parser-output .nowrap,.mw-parser-output .nowrap a:before,.mw-parser-output .nowrap .selflink:before{white-space:nowrap}. . . . "So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."—St. Matthew xviii., 21-35.
In a certain village there lived a peasant by the name of Ivan Scherbakoff. He was prosperous, strong, and vigorous, and was considered the hardest worker in the whole village. He had three sons, who supported themselves by their own labor. The eldest was married, the second about to be married, and the youngest too kcare of t... (From: Wikisource.org.)
CHAPTER I.
In a certain kingdom there lived a rich peasant, who had three
sons—Simeon (a soldier), Tarras-Briukhan (a fat man), and Ivan (a
fool)—and one daughter, Milania, born dumb. Simeon went to
war, to serve the Czar; Tarras went to a city and became a
merchant; and Ivan, with his sister, remained at home to work on
the farm.
For his valiant service in the army, Simeon received an estate
with high rank, and married a noble's daughter. Besides his
large pay, he was in receipt of a handsome income from his
estate; yet he was unable to make ends meet. What the husband
saved, the wife wasted in extravagance. One day Simeon went to the estate to collect his income, when the steward informed him that ther... (From: Wikisource.org.)