The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1882-04-12
Written. for The Florida AgrqcuHurist.
Holy Week in Panama.
BY HELEN HARCoURT.


In the United States, as in all the
Protestant countries, the week pre-
ceding Easter Day, is one of iprayer
and solemnity, of earnestness and
repentance the same may be said of
the Roman Catholic countries of
Europe, for spite OF the professions
and ceremonies from which the
Protestant recoils, there is withal
an appearance of decorous solemn
ity on the part of the participants,
which commands the respect of on
lockers, even though reason and con-
science disapprove.
In the Catholic States OF South
America, however, the feasts and
fasts of Mother Church meet with
little respect from its votaries; they
are celebrated it is true, but in such
a manner that complete oblivion had
been far better, both for church and
people. In Brazil perhaps more than
in any other portion of South Amer,
lea, the Catholic religion is regarded
with much of it's old>time reverence;
but pass beyond the borders of this
great empire, land one meets religion
which lie more deserving the name OF
superstition. Panama, presenting a
fair example of this homogeneous
compound which is there termed
"Catholicism," and "Holy Week."
striking sample of its workings, we
shall confine ourselves to these limits,
confident that we need go nc further
to prove our statements.
Let us simply premise that Pana-
ma has its own Bishop, appointed by
the Pope, to whom, however, but a
nominal sort OF subj is paid. IL
has eight or nine churches, several
of them in ruins, and all in rather
dilapidated condition as regards
paint adornments and cleanliness. In
some the tiled floors are broken and
-.ii;issiitt -aaEazed. IN otheEs the inches,
once occupied by costly, jeweled,
spangled efii gies of saints, are now
empty, or else filled by rude wooden
or plaster images, with broken noses,
heads or arms, dirty faces, and ragged
robes. The noble domes, the plllared
aisles, and arched windows, once
these were grand and beautiful, now
they are melancholy, fit emblems of
that religion, which at the outset was
pure and glorious in its simplicity,
and is now 50 soiled and debased
from it's high estate. Open and dilapi-
dated, the churches are for most
part left exposed to the depredalions
of chance passers by, the inroads of
bats, birds, mould and dust.
In one instance, to our own per.
sonal knowledge, an escaped monkey,
pursued by its master, and having
perhaps heard that churches were
once held sacred as places of refuge,
clambered into the open window
of one of these grand, halt ruined ed.
ifices, and springing from pillow to
pillow, and niche to niche, overthrow
and destroyed dozen or more saints,
and was finally discovered asleep on
the Virgins shoulder, halt concealed
in the the tinselled robe ne had
drawn up over his head. This is
only one of many similar instances
which are laughed at by the people
and winked at by the priests; but
enough, tor the rest let the proceed
ings during ''Holy Week" speak for
themselves.
kor. several days preceding Palm
Sunday the explosion of muskets,
cannons and fire crackers. the music
Of the government band (colored, as
are also the State troops) aud above
all, the clang OF all the bells in the
city, made Panama always noisy
a very pandemonium, we m'ghtGhave
thought half a dozen Fourth of Julys
in a crowded city, let loose at once.
AS the sun rose on Palm Sunday
the bells, silenced for a few hours,
recommended their monotonous
clapg, cIang clang!l Those bells |!
We have no words to express our
horror OF them, not only on special,
but on all occasions; most OF them
are cracked, none are melodlous, all
are loud, and none of them are rung,
but pounded by means OF rope, with
the clappor at one end, and little
boy at the other, as motive power,
the said motive power taking a mas
licious pleasure i'll extracting all the
clot,pr ot which the bell is CAPABLE;