The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-04-24
Death and Burial in Spain.

They will never returnl The bright
days of yore have gone; the friends we
loved have gone; and they will never re-
turn to us again. So say all classes in
Spain, in their hour of bereavement and
desolation--'the fair spring, will come
with it's wealth Of smiling fields, and
painted flowers; the summer heats will
come; the tropic, the autumnal rains
all will return; but the hours, days,
years, and friends that have passed come
no mOrel'
Children of nature, holding their
tenure Of life by natural more than arti-
fiical right, it is in spring and fall that
the Spanish die; in tho summer heats,
deaths are very rare; and in the chilly,
but little-yarying temperature of the
winter, still more rare.
And 80 the Spaniards call Autumn
the Harvest of the aged,'. and Spring,
the Harvest Of the yOung', and almost
invariably, it is at night the Host is
carried to the dying.
1t is 8 or 9 p. M. of autumal eve
suddenly from the old church tower
ring out three, then three more, then
three more-a trinity of sharp clangs of
ono bell; the priests assemble in the
chapel-they live hard by, in their
clergy-house, and ono always keeps a
lamp outside his window, in wakef,ll
slumbers, ready to rise If summoned and
carry the Host to any poor man-and
In five minutes, heralded by boy in red
petticoats, ringing his bell, and preceded
by six candle-bearers, the clergy carry,
ing the Host pass up the silent street
servants open the shutters, and place a
candle in the window; they crouch down
and murmur prayers, their hand elapsed
around each others waists.
The tinkle Of the bell wakes fainter
and fainter along the dusky and wind.
ing street: in a semicircle of lights, with
two policemen, sword in hand, on guard
| the lay professionals stand outside the
sick mans door, while the priests walk
upstairs to administer the Host to the
dying man.
All around are heard the sounds OF
| woe; the hysterical wailing and weeping
the men are smoking the soothing ci
garette, that universal and chief com.
fort in this land, and stand, reverently
here and there.
But there are some terrible diseases
in which the Host cannot be admins.
tered.
The patient cannot retain the wafer
or he is too far gone to swallow it; IL
cannot be.
The friends are consulted, and they
say, we desire, on his behalf, that the
Church should give him extreme unc.
tion,' which Is done, only however IN
desperate cases. The bed-clothes are
turned down; with due decency, the
forehead, chest, soles of the feet, etc.
are 'anointed with oil in the name OF
the Lord, and the kiss is given, and the
sufferer dies.
! In this semi-tropic climate, there Is
mono Of that keeping Of the cold clay II
the house as long as possible, and the
funeral follows close upon the very heels
of death.
In ancient days, in Spain, the deat
were robed, according to their sex, II
the garb Of monk and nun, and thus
buried.
But now they are buried, according
to taste, in white, or, more often, IL
theiIordinary clothes; a babe would b'
laid out in It's white baby clothes;
bride, In her wedding g-dress.
The short while the body lies in state
oftentimes in room with window opel
TO the street, lighted candles burn al