National Republican., 1885-11-21

MEXICO, Nov. s, 1ss5.-The days Of can
Saints" and can Souls,n through which we
have just been passing, are the saddest OF
the year to religious Mexico-that means
everybody Of Latin blood within her hor-
ders. In our own older republic few church
eromonals--unless II may be those Of
Christmas and Easter-call for special OBJ
servance from the people at large, but in
Mexico-notwithsta the "new epoch,"
In which the state instead of the church is
supposed TO rule-the latter is still the all
Prevailing power The "holy days. in her
calendar outnumber the days OF tho year,
but among them oil none touches the public
heart SO deeply as these two days devoted
TO the dead. "Black Fridayn-commem-
orativo Of the crucifiNon-.is sad enough,
for on that day no sound OF wheel or ham
mer or human labor is heard, no carts or
carriages are permitted on the streets, and
the whole nation, dressed in black, goes TO
church to mourn with the Virgin mother.
But that far-away tragedy, with nearly 1900
years between, does not come home to all
hearts like the common sorrow Of every
household, for death is alike q tragedy In
palace or hovel; in the home Of the haugh-
tiest don or in the family Of the untutored
Indian, who has only mother earth for n
Deu anu lne Dlue SKY lot covering.
ALL SAINTS DAY.
On All Saints Day, Immediately after
early mass, the people crowd the ceme-
teries, and II is about the only day in all the
year when those cities Of the dead are ever
visited, except by sightseeing tourists. But
this day, solemn though it Is, is more es-
pecially devoted to the remembrance of
those who died In other years-the saints
and martyrs and "glorious army Of just men
rnona nppfapt ~ who a Pc. eInnnaa1 IN haya
safely passed the pains OF purgatory and
long since become acclimated to the atmos-
phere of heaven. On All Souls Day peo-
pie pray in the churches, each for his own
dead, and every family in the land, high
and low, rich and poor, rends lamenting
Rachels-for true indeed it is that
There Is no flock, however watched and
But some dead lamb is there.
Cathedral services on that day are long to
be remembered. For hours the bells tolled
dismally, and the streets were filed with
mourning figures with black shawls, or
rebosas, covering their faces, silently
vending their way to the place Of prayer
In the center Of each darkened church the
black -palled funeral dais was erected, with
its flickering candles and grim suggestions.
The affairs were draped with Grape, the
usual gaudy paper roses replaced by black
ones, and somber banners bore I'm Spanish
ihC hClhOhluSl luG uCuis
The kneeling crowd, all with devout
faces turned toward the cross-the symbol
OF their hope-repeated their prayers SO ear
nestly that the united murmurs sounded like
the distant roaring of the sea. They were
mostly Of that sex who are "flrst at the
cross and last at the tomb" and it was
easy to read In the upturned countenances
whose sorrows were freshest. There were
orphaned children, the widow in her weeds,
the white haired mother bereft of sons and
daughtcrs-every face had its history.
And 1t did not distract from the solemnlty
Of the occasion to know that the floor of
the sanctuary In which We knelt was
succession Of trap-doors,. covering
vaults filed to the .brim with the bones
of two centuries dead.
MEXICAN FUNERAL.
A Mexican funeral is very different from
the same sad ceremony in the United
States, for here all that is ghostly is brought
10 the front and every charing suggestion
carefully extended. Apparently these
people mean to enjoy the "luxury of woe''
to the full, and decline to be robbed Of q
sent by sympathizlng friends-no pillows
OF white carnations with "Rest" I'm purple
immortelles, nor crosses and anchors OF
spotless lilies, and the dear departed are
not laid away in beds Of roses with whit,
blossoms upon their bosoms.
If flowers are used at all, they are gen
orally the most gaudy of artificials, Will
like those fastened to iron hooks which arl
thrust into the bulls hide at the Sunday
advertisement of the plaza de torros.
have seen a bunch Of these monstrosities,
as big as cabbage, in the waxen hands o
dead baby, and a wreath Of blood-red rose
man, which gave the poor corpse rakisl
air. most comically prOtesuue,
At whatever hour of day or night per
son dies In Mexico IL is customary to ap
point the funeral services just twenty-fou
hours thereafter, or as near to 1t us cal
possibly be arranged. 1t is well knowr
fact, the wide world over that the majority
OF souls go out of the body at that myst
hour between night and dawn, when all tn,
forces of life are at their lowest ebb and
therefore-in consequence Of the nationa
custom aforesaid-most of the funerals ar
conducted before sunrise
AN INFANTS INTERMENT.
About the saddest sights / ever saw
enough to make any mothers heart ache
are frequently met In the twilight of tn
early morning; little procession OF me-
on foot, with seldom woman among them
winding their way to the Campo Santo, o
"Field Of Saints,n as the cemetery is called
The bereaved father marches in advanc
with the little blue coffin balanced on hi
head, while male relatives follow wit
lighted candles, and the rear is brought III
by boy carrying the cofllnlid. The deai
child is plainly visible within the gayl
painted box, wearing its brightest garment
garnished with many paper flowers, an,
often the little features are hardly recog
nizable from the dust Of the street that ha
settled upon it before the "dust to dust
process begins
All the bodies must be carried to tn
church before being laid In consecratet
ground but 1t is not the fashion here TO
women to attend funerals, nor to folloy
their dead to the cemeteries SO the wife
the mother, the sisters, the daughter TAX
their last farewell en- casa, and the corps
is then borne away by male reatives--frs
How mothers can endure this when thei
children die passeth American understand
ing, but the iron hand Of custom is far NOR
inexorable here than in our own country
and none dream Of defying 1t.
WHY WOMEN DO NOT ATTEND.
At my first visit to Mexican "Fleld c
Saintsp' learned the wisdom Of excludin
women from the last horrible rites. Elk
cept among the wealthy the coffin Is nc
buried with the body, but Is merely rente
for the journey between the house an
cemetery; the same pine box (Which fo
adults is usually painted black, with whit
or yellow stripes) serving the same purpos
a great number of times. Arriving at III
grave, whether the body is inferred wit
first covered with lime, that 1t may ii
more quickly decompose. In the majorit
Of cases the corpse is taken out of the cotlll
laid in the dirt without any covering (ofte
the sightless eyes wide OPEN, quantity
unslacked lime thrown in and earth sho
eled Iupon. it, the sexton now and the
jumping In and stamping the di
down with his feet to make a
snug and secure. Even then, thoug
buried like dog, the poor c
daver cannot be said to have gor
to his ''long home" for he Is not sure
his grave time enough TO decay decent
in. 1t Is an actual fact all over the lengt
and breadth OF Mexico that Except amor
the few who are rich enough to own fami
YnnlIsl the prAYes are mostly rente