Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-08

upon the weeping throng; but, unfortu-
nately for me who was anxious to be i'm
pressed }, | happened to be near enough
to see how ii was done. by merely pulling
puppet string
Then the soldiers brought lad Ter,
mounted the cross, took down the body
carefully and bore it away. AS the effigy
passed the pulpit, the priest passionately
seized the dead Savior's hand and showed
the nail marks, and broke into excessive
lamentations of sorrow This example
was followed by all the people. and scene
OF indescribable confusion ensued, in which
the soldiers continued to clash their swords
with fury and the women walled more
violently than ever. Upon Good Friday
evening the performance called the pc
same, or
CONFIDENCE OF THE VIRGIN
Was celebrated in church, where the Btiserere
was again rendered amid an enormous
crowd The music began with a discord-
ant crash of ill-assorted instruments and
voices-such inharmonious harmony
as has seldom tortured mortal ears; in the
midst of which the leader OF the undrilled
band continued to rush wildly from one 10
another with uplitted baton, in vain en-
deayors to evoke something like time and
tune out of the din. The heat was as in
tense as the noise was deateDing, but exit
was out of the question till the ceremony
was over Several persons tainted, but not
having an inch of space to fall down in,
were upheld by the crash till consciousness,
numerically. returned Meanwhile, the
crape-robed Virgin. with bowed head and
calm face, looked down reproaehfully from
i H. h. 1
PRAYERS were addressed directly to her. and
the sermon was also in her honor. And
after all this was over the Ora Pro Nobis"
must be rendered before we were allowed
to escape, more dead than alive, into the
open air.
The day before Easter is devoted TO the
- Procession of the Angels" and the pun
ishment of Judas. The former is quaint
beyond description. Figures, with silver
wings, gorgeously attired in silk and tinsel,
were carried about on platforms to the
sound of music, followed by various other
appropriately costumed characters In
the midst of the angels lay the body of
Jesus in glass coffin, borne by men sing
ing Il solemn dirge while close behind
came band of women carrying the Virgin
Mother. In fact, there were half q dozen
" Virgins in line-the Virgin before the
birth of Christ, attired in white vel
vet the Virgin and Joseph. sitting on a
donkey: the Virgin in mourning with
dagger sticking in her heart and the
" Virgin in Glory in fashionable blue
satin ball dress, made decoiette and en- traine
There was also St. John, the beloved; st.
Michael and the dragon, St. somebody
with his fish, st. Peter, st. Paul, more
saints and more angels-a glittering and
innumerable train
To obtain a better view, Betsy and l
clambered up an Old stone cross that stood
by the wayside, she perching upon
one arm and l upon the other.
like badly-balanced birds. We
realized anew that g. It's distance lends en-
chantment to the view" for in the full
glare of the sun the procession looked false
and trickery enough, with its gaudy trap
pings and tinsel wings but as it wound
away under the broken arches and along
the green lanes, aud the funeral music fell
fainter and fainter upon the ear il began
to grow impressive. Imagine it if YOU can
the odor of incense from a hundred
swinging censors mingling with the fra
GRANGE of flowers, the sad figure in its
coffin. the slow tolling of bells, the beating
of muilled drums and the mournful chant,
all blending into one distant harmony
and you will not wonder that our tears fell
as freely as anybody's.
But whiz. pop! bang went sudden
shower of fireworks, with such unexpected
energy as TO tumble us both from our
shaky perch. The funniest part of Holy
Week performances in this queerest coun-
try under the sun is
THE PUNISHMENT OF JUDAS.
Fireworks are made up inside of all
manner of grotesque and hideous figures TO
represent that arch-traitor-big and little,
black yellow, red, or all colors of the rain
bow combined. They are suspended bv
the neck TO hoops fastened to long poles
where they hang apparently writhing and
kicking in all the torments of strangulation
carried above the heads of the crowd by
hundreds of men who sell them. Some of
these ugly, misshapen monsters are life
size, others small enough for a baby to
handle; but all are filled with powder
for fuse. They are strung
on wires from window to window
across the streets every horse-car and
mule-cart is decorated with them; and
every small boy and beggar has one as
well as the proudest grandee. At noon
on Easter Sunday, when the Stabat
Mater ami Glorias are concluded,
all the bells of Mexico clamoring together
proclaim the joyful fact that the Savior of
mankind is dead and has arisen. At that
signal all the Judases are touched off at
once and the air is filled with the smell CT
powder aud flying particles of burning
traitor. Nobody seems to regard the fact
that had the Betrayer failed in his
part of the programme, as " foreordained
from the foundation" the plan of Salvation
must have been sadly confused Poor
Judas Little did he dream, when he sold
his Master for thirty pieces of silver, that
in the lapse of ages his effigies would be
held up to the execration of a Mexican
mob; that the secret bargain, perhaps
whisperingly made with the Jewish rulers
in some darkened chamber, would be
shouted forth from the housetops hundreds
of years later, in an unknown land across
the sea FANNIE Z. WARD.