New-York tribune., 1868-07-28
MEXICO.

MEXICO July 10, re.
The days of monkhoOd in the capital have s,..
by like scene. Tho hooded Frayles have ya,ish.,
in cloud and troublc like Changing rookery r..
gregated parade Of tonsuIes, serges, scapulas mi.
crucifxes, images-in short, tie whole poinu 49,
circumstance of the chmchs solemn pastmes-.,.
now prohibited by law. The oofined Christ is nav.
moved for want Of proceSsionists TO carry him,
enough that the TRdiO iste can kiss the nailed r.,
Of the corpse at the church-gate or tie hand On a.
death-couch indoors The churches hack te;,
ancient, fanatic splendor; feast days hr,
become more trivial than ever the converts are a,
serted the ssterhood of doves have been driven on.
of their cotes, and the ockng rocks Of male moni,,
have passed into the night Of things SO ii seems Al
least for cowls are not often seen now-a-days. aa,
monk with robe and girdle and shayeu clowas.
surprise. serious. blow has been dealt al IL,
Church-none more rude or less apoogetic-and M,
/ by q people bred and almost owned bv
it. ! hear native Mexicans say the worst thiss
OF their rigid old Alma Mater, and even clur4
members are bold to doubt some Of the snpcrtitos,
auciently erected into beliefs The women OF IA.
land are its last stronghOlds, Of course. Religion
abides with then whether men believe or not fof
they have lived in it from childhood up as in ahOas
and by a hearthstOne Half a century Of civil van
cannot have produced great deal Of saving iaithOD
the male side of affairs; and it Is possible 70 hnr Il
said among a class that the men believe nothing ths
women everything Under these cilcnmrangs.
there must exist social hypocrisy worse than na
deity and an inhdelity besides Of the least hOpfu
sort-that is TO say a slcepticism without faith what
ever and without the moral courage to adyahe,
a doubt-save on the one hand, coward on the o;h.f
l do not ignore the stratum OF siHceIe pety which
must perf0rce exist in the church nor the mpOTnes
of the victory which has been gained over the
/ Church. But who has heard OF Mexican Garrison
Illuminating against religious oppression What
apostle of the Church has ruined himself IN the cause
of educatiOng There were spits ready Tor seOre q
martyrs, but the martyrs never appeared ns
people oyercame, the Church Ia tme' but the slow
| victory won by lodges nearly cost them
life and soul. The question between Chuecs
aud State has, OF course, pot beea -
! broad an issue as that between freedom ml
! slavery Il was a quarrel between the pOckesd
the priesthood and of the purse OF the poor Nation
riding on horseback and begging the question t 4
got tired. In the struggle the CHURCH was pushed
the wall and the leaders of the people were educated
dare not say that the compton people nave under
gone great regeneration in consequence, for $ ooa
must do this rather than warlaIeg, a war NlIaoQs
schools in the background has nothing IN reserve q
save il from itself Hence, the greatest needof Aer
leo is teaching aud nothing else under Heaven vii
save it.
present day albeit the immense masonres and ruIbs
that remain sufficiently suggest the extent and pow
er of the cOnventual system. The old cOnyent Of
Z
class of structures. Halt dozen stone paved ooats
with fountains, many corridors overlooking tbe4
patios countless cells looking out upon the COrd0m
and heavy arcnways leading from one courtyard in4
another describe the general character OF such 4
building AS it's name implies, children weEf
to school in, this convent. lbat q
the EncanaciOn illustrated better principle init$
structure and life Instead OF many little court
there was one large patio with two stories OF bro1
corridors surrounding In the center fountsir
played that now oyerruns It's VIDE basin, and ih
space around was broad garden, laid out IN walzi
edged with tiles, and oyergroNn WIN the ioyshes
flowers Of the cline, orange lily monoSlllo, eamps
nela, trumpet-ylnes, and more than ciil namt
In this patch of Paradise, wen-nestcd efd
kept up a sweet, livelong jargon, Just as thg !
carclessY do now 10 the wondeTnent OF tle Vi'ite
who puts foot IN the deserted garden suppose w
the meek nuns did not cease to gTleYe Tor peysq
feelings sake, unless the narrowing routlue o. a2F
dnties set the mind in mechanic groove Of faith L
the hum-drummng away of sentiment The ehH
inscriptions dScOverable on the convent walls -
rules in verse observing that a nun must seg
tidy. be precise IN her fEe fee"eanEF mSIFtinea
of the pious drill thus suggested thrnlShed eoMsl
able part of the discipline OF prltns moly ile s1
was of course much OF the life itself Ihe salht1f
drilled thereby might not have been as usefni ds
humble as poor Dame burden. let the Worid B~H
that this penitentiaTy system OF plety has 4aA
tanned and educated women pure and g0od
lee in Summer, and 10 whose lives the exae
ton Of the holy ST. Agnes was scarce mlisch
Chance led me the other day into the precincea
Santa Brigida. The entrance Il secluded iron ~ |
street and il is to the Tambler's surprise thai
finds himself in the walls of an old convent -
selated with the little slabs of det made ii Fkss
a century ago. Over the door leading out OF w
courtyard OF patio we see relic Of the intense -
that raised such immense walls out OF the pocsa
of the faithful. lt was thought manifestau@
high spirit for PeTe Duchesne 20 propose az "
end Of q clerical sessions in Belgium cheer s
the RedeemeT Here the cheers are written oyd1
portal: Viva Jesus. Viva Maria Viva jose -
the Viva is far from being profane however II s0.
to ears undeyout. The Convent Is now tenanl1a
families of simple fosk. and its garden Is reaeheag
applying to one of these. 1t Is the charm q "
place-a wild convent-wall such as we reas
where in n brief space all the floral coOrs nam
rs in some such day dream OF blossoms and VIZ
as grew out of the somnolent gsi
of the Sleeping Palace. The fouasi
in the middle has ceased TO play chapel at thes,
daubed over with red cherubs is in runs a htt
hermitage at the back wall, where nun might fni
TO niched copy of Our Lady Of Solitude, ~
mantled Lizards caper up and down the wak
the hot sun. or peep out OF crcVlces or Vasa 49,
the rank oyergrowth of nastursion flowers. Ihetn.
Que or convent pools, once clear as ton has Deo1
green by ill-use, and little oratory near by >enes
party of washerwOmen. One is reluctant t0leaVei~
garden and Its scattered benson OF bO"eiS--
Vari-tinted geTlnums campanellaS. mah a's@
lilies. and if mistake not, crown-oi, thorn How
with spnescent stems and small blood-red blossss
the same whose wood Indians used 20 poison r.
arrows. Good st. Bridget and her deyotees D."
been in this garden, and left it rosy, just rs II m
lier days its ssteIhOOd of religions blossoms bad b
regularly sprinkled with holy water, and ~ gIe'A
grace.
The principal convent OF monks in Mexico weta
of San Francisco, the ruins of which Law -
adapted 20 a circus 1t was an enormous esIages
ment, occupying several largo squares, now sc
sected By streets and taken up by houses: Look .
at the old gateway, one can still SEQ -
convent chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Arsa
witha sculptured pastoral OF its facade, shoSngka
the story OF the heaven-inspred Indian az Gspf
lupe was hardly unique. A shepherd is piping iss
iocks at the foot of tree, and Our Lady, IN an h
abethan dress, Tadiated with glory, is deseeRe
upon or out of the tree. Wonderful 20 say ths eI
vent was built in 1891, on the site OF an Aztec e.
dedicated to the god of war, and was iounSs III
FRAY Pedro de Gante, son of the Emperor CDsgsI
" The convent had five churches at;acheop'
| one of them of cathedral size. A.L.
Though the monkish system Is no longer the ~
ful commonplace it was. the Church priyaey To- ri
/ = =. - ni.la