The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-11-16
A FlagellatiOn at Rome.

wendell Lamoroux in scribner for November.
We find q black-frocked sacristan Of
deacon beside the main door, standing
with both hands in his pockets; but tht
main door is closed.
"Will you tell us sir, where we entel
for the fagellation %
| "With pleasure !-con piacere-sig
nori," and he marched us around to 8
small side door, with an air of satisfaction
Here We found group of the humber
| classes men alone-one or two from the
Campagna, all the rest from the neigh
borho0d. They were waiting patiently
for the door to open, silent and barely
whispering to one another; and soOr
we all filed in.
Just inside the door sat another Black
frocked official, with a number OF
scourges lying across his lap each made
of three thick cords, knotted at the ends
and about two feet long. Everybody
took one and went in search of a seat-in
search, for objects in the building were
but dimly visible. What little light
struggled in through the high windows
soon ceased, and nothing remained to us
but one small candle at the corner of the
altar steps. One row of benches lined
the wall on either side, and on them,
about forty persons all told, had scat
tered themselves. The middle of the
floor was piled up with chairs, prayer
desks and stools.
We all sat silent in the cavernous
gloom; every eye, no doubt, fixed by the
fascination of that candle. Soon another
blacked-frocked figure, like an animated
exclamation point, came forward and
took a position right behind the candle
its shadows all thrown upward and flick
ering every way. He began in la
mentable voice." like Daniels in the den,
to recount the story of the Mother Of Cal
vary, and of the painful Station of our
Savior in his journey TO the Cross. He
reminded Us of our sins and transgres-
sions of our own hearts, which had pro-
cured those sufferings; of the punishment
justly due every soul and exhOrted us
to repent, to castigate now this sinful
flesh and to spare not. He took the can
die and disappeared with it behind the
altar and left us to the blackness of
darkness; or rather the darkness of
blackness.
Soon second priest stole from behind
the altar with a candle, and placed
it on the platform at his foot. He re-
peated the exhortatiou of his brother.
His face lighted unnaturally from below,
with big blots of shadow where the eyes
should be, looked at moments as weird
as a SKULL if the bones of some old
catacomb saint had slid down from their
shrine, to thrill us with cry of Purga-
tory. His voice rose higher and took
tone and rhythm like chant, and then
suddenly ceased. Somebody took away
the candle. The priest remained.
Then, after the blankest pause in the
blacklist Of darkness, q sound. like the
plash of heavy rain-drop came from
another, rather like whack near you |;
then two or three opposite; until the
whacks waxed into general shower.
The voices began wall of penitence
and prayer" Gesu miO !" Madonna della
n,isericordia !" Miserere mel, dom,inus p
half cry, half chant, rising, subsiding.
The candle re-entered. The priest
stood where he had disappeared and
gave us a dismissal, and we proceeded to
the door. There, outside stood row of
women, who passed in after our com.
pany had come out. We left the square
in possession of the brocc0ii-dealer, who
had opened her stand with her pile of
cabbages and faring torch during our
penitential service in the church, and to
one little beggar-girl looking up visit
fully, in half hope of charitable NOR
sci to give relish to her loaf