The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1851-08-19

IomeSs lively sketches of Taboga, il
the " Literary World" we take the fol
re lowing extract:
- AS in all villages there are som,
notabilities who are thought TO b,
K somewhat better than their neighbors
e, and to have more claim, upon the no
Al tice of the chronicler than others; 50
:. there are in the village of Taboga.
r First OF an, mere Is tnv pcJr-. ~, rev.
e. erend ecclesastic of demure face and
s. sombre mien, but plump, jolly, "oly
: man Of God" without a care or wrin.
. kie, as round, smoothe, and unciuous
/, as a Spanish olive-no aScetic. who
y thinks that the JOY of this world must
be battered away to secure the happi-
ness of another, but right merry fel-
low, who never puts off TO the morrow
? any pleasure that may be got to-day,
and never giving thought to the par
adiSe above, seems quite contented
with his paradise here below, and
makes the most of his merry life a.
mong the orange groves and darkseyed
girls of Taboga He is a happy NOR
tai, beloved Of his simple flock. aHd an
! especial lavorte of the Taboga wo-
me-. By a free Interpretation of the
law of GeEbacy, or somehow or other
he has contri;ed TO become the father
of more than his share of the dark-fac-
ed and black-eyed urchiHs that indis-
criminately toddIe about the village.
There is no better Judge in the whole
village Of the fighting qualities Ur
gdme cock, and to see him to aIvan-
tage, just look at him when he has
DOTTED his canonicals, after saying mass
in church on a Sunday, and observe
how his smoothe, oily. face glistens,
and how young and spry he looks with
his finely woven Panama hat hung
knowingly on the side of his black .
crisp hair, and how gay, in his flowing
white trowscrs, and his bright, red
silked sash, and how earnestly he
thrusts himself among his cock fight
ing parishioners, and bets upon the
fight. He will Guidance, too, any
young gallant Of Tabogo at the fan
dango, and his presence always puts
fresh spirit into the movements of the
dancing girls, who think him the most !
lovcabie man in all Taboga. Though
a cock-fghting and fandango-dancing
person, the Padre is not unmindful OF
his spiritual duties. Upon Sundays |
Saints days, he Is always to be found
at the church, surrounded with an odor
of sdnctity, chanting the mass with his
oily voice, and he is always at hand
to perform his spiritual functions at
every birth. marriage and death in the
village. lie was, however, little
cure, an infant Christ, carved in wood
with golden hair, and red painted
cheeks, upon whom devolves much of
the parochial duties on the more tedi-
Gus of these occasions. At the earl>
est prospect Of a birth or death, the
little painted cure-who, by the by, is
somewhat the worse for wear in the
course of his heavy labors, and would
be the better for fresh coat of paint
lis despatched, to cheer, by his bless
ed presence,the suffering and dying, !
from his place at the high altar in the
church where he sits cross. legged at
the spangled skirts of the wooden vir-
gin in the worshipful company of
painted saints and apostles. On Saints
days, and especially upon the day of
the patron saint of the island. Our
Lady ofCarmen, the Padre, all gilt and
spangles, shows to great advantage,
leading over the island, at the break
of day, his procession of well drilled
vestals. all in white raiment, and with
her dark flowing hair decked with or
ange blossoms, bearing crosses adorn-
ed with flowers, and carrying Our La
dy of Carmen, gallanted by that glow
ing little cherub, the little cure, under
canopy brilliant with gay blossoms,
and odorous with rich perfume. We
question whether the people of Toba-
go, the women especially, would ex-
change their favorite Padre for the
Pope of Rome himself
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