Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1853-04-26

and devil by turns, the income OF the ONCE not
enabling him to employ assistants.
Veo 1l6any Ledger.
BLESSING THE BEASTS.
Grace Greenwood in a letter from Rome, dated
january 2sth furnishes this description of peculiar
religions ceremony:
We went last Sunday to see the blessing of
beasts an annual ceremony, which takes place
at the church of San Antonio Abate. There
was AN immense crowd of all descriptions and
classes of people; among the rest, a vast CON
vocation of beggars- the crippled and manned
in endless varieties, wrecks and remnants, diyi-
sions and subdivisions of men.
A priest stood on the steps of the church,
with a holy water sprinkler in his hand, and a
little boy ut his side, bearing the benitier. The
animals were trotted up before him; he read
a form Of benediction in Latin, shook the sIqink-
Ter at them, and they were good for a twelve
month. OF course, this is done for conside-
ration, as what is not, in the way of church pa
rades, privileges and inlnunities2 The first
applicants for a benediction after our arrival,
were two miserable old rt-horses, who looked
as though tile blessings of fall the fathers of the
Church could not keep them on their legs for
twenty -four hours. fear the rite was extreme
JUNCTION to them; and yet the owner doubtless
led them away, rejoicing in the faith that the
crows were clleated of the poor skeletons for a
year to come. -
Next came a.slrnxe Of eaonkeya, with their
heads and tails decorated with gay ribbons
One of these committed the eycr-to-be-appre-
hended asinine impropriety of braying in the
midst of the ceremony. So absurd, ludicrous,
and ponpously farcical was this scene so stu
pid, vet consciously ridiculous seemed the chief
actors, that it struck me the benediction might
have commenced, without great Inappropriate
ness, with an apostolic " Dearly beloved breth-
renn
Do not think me irreverent from this, or any
thing OF the kind / may say. feel a daily
increasing Indignation and contempt toward the
monstrous absurdities of this system of religion,
and the actors therein. To reverence such
things and such men, were an insult to the
God in whom believe.
There came up a sudden and violent shower,
and we were driven, for shelter, into the church,
where We were brought into more intimate rela-
tions with the lower classes than was altogether
safe or sayory. am democrat, even in Italy,
till it comes to garlic and DstLci, when, must
confess, my democracy assumes more abstract
character. After the storm was passed, the
Popes stud came, mostly driven in carriages,
magnificent turn-outs. Then followed those of
the cardinals, scarcely less stately and gorgeous.
Next came, twenty -four superb horses, belong
ing to Prince Piombio, attached to one carriage,
all decorated with pllmes and ribbons-really
a beautiful sight.
The horses which arc to RIM in the Corso,
during the Carnival, were blessed amid unusual
demonstrations Of popular feeling; and so it
ended, the uddest, absmdest most utterly ridic-
uIous religious ceremonial ever beheld.
Tomorrow, Carnival begins. 1t is late at
night: all is quiet in the streets except the
noise of hammers next door, where they arc
putting up balcony. Ihesound, at this hour,
has something strange and sinister IL some
thing so scafold suggestive, that 1t almost gives
one a to-beh hung mex morning sort Of feeling.
lF need not, however, go so far for exam
pies of this kinds for here, in this city, bureaus
bc6ste5ds, barrels of salt, 6c- &cs are bless
ed 9 consideratio but this concerns
.r,sohly irotn the fact that an attempt IS now
being nude fo educate American youths as far
as 81 IL le lI5 fe hereafter 10 WELD tho des-
ttinies 81 the Republic, by men engaged as pFiI=
cipalssin this SOFT d. lElslI tli,s g inees.
IOsIg,Ilss OF THE G sUs.
80
The Inst census returns show some curious
re atise to the comps rstiive iidiiocy and IN
sanity 81 the free blacks in the United States.
Ill Maine, every tourteenth eolored person IS an
idiot oF lHnatie In Ohio, there are Just TEN.
coIofed ons1 who re idiots orlunaties, where
there n one ii Kentucky. And ,ollisiaiia,
where d large Of the popiil IS col
ofeli. and four-fiffhs Of them afe sl;EN there
s but one Of these tinloftulate to 4.3O9 who
ane. IN Mass,s setts i III 81 4 toanectl-
cut i ia lS5:: New ltillg II enils i
Nariia IN 2Be j land 81 Z a.; Yffl
Gina j III 81 North ina i Ia ], 15;;
South Carolina 81 ,240 bio ii 1o5
igentfielsy / n sO53. This ertainiy q very
curious tlei ton and indicates that diseases
Of the Mn e far more rsie among he slaves
tll8n among Be bred
not the cause very traced Is It
Isl Ii ti al iiiteeeleet lie slsi-
cdE eoii ii, 81 the two i'd eople
slS5 h s. { Vel fed y lof hon
irving no anSiett
lie in the body ndg tonlblg
tisis a, tslill condition 81 Gle
only
he o plieh
elfen " down
She hadn't NO eqr t0f 0dsie sam rt s4e
Ind cdpiia eye iof 1auds with poor iolss
that's much better Ao man never
much dit IN inr house as a iiy couldn't brush
off luih his wings Boston gals may oeas' OF
fhcir spnucis and their 1J'are ant
aiis. and their ears for nps'c hli give me me
eIl that has an eye loI dri -nea lpe Gal iol
niv money