THE WAY OF MARTHA AND THE WAY OF MARY
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PREFACE
The quotation “Martha, Martha, thou art cumberedabout with many things: but one thing is needful:and Mary hath chosen that good part which shallnot be taken away from her” is as common inRussia as “faith without works is dead” is commonhere. Speaking roughly, Eastern Christianity isassociated with Mary’s good part and WesternChristianity with the way of Martha and service.The two aspects seem to be irreconcilable, but theyare not; and I have called my book The Way ofMartha and the Way of Mary because the waysof the sisters are as touchstones for Christianity,and in their reconciliation is a great beauty.
If you would know what a nation is, you mustask what is the religion of the people. Withouta national religion a nation is not a nation but acollection of people. It is a truism to say that whatis best in a nation springs from its religion, fromsome central idealism to which every one in thenation has access—the idea of the nation. Thereviis a “British idea,” an “American idea,” a “Germanidea,” a “Russian idea.” This is profoundly trueof Russia; for all that is beautiful in her life, art,and culture springs from the particular and characteristicChristian idea in the depths of her. Sheis essentially a great and wonderful unity. It is ofthat essential unity that I write, and in writing hopeto show on the one plane Russia, and on anotherthe splendour of the true Christian idea.
This book was written in Russia and in Egyptduring 1914 and 1915. In 1913 I was in Americaand wrote my study of American ideals in contrastto Russian ideals. I returned to Russia in January1914 eager to look at the East afresh and compareit with the West. In setting out for Russia thefundamental idea in my mind was that of Russia asa religious country where one found refuge frommaterialism and worldly cares, and I hoped to findstories and pictures of life with which to clothe thebeautiful idea of the sanct