Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-20
MEXICAN LETTER.
Three Great Feast Days-All Saints
Day, All Souls Day, the Day
OF the Dead.
Re lies 81 the saints Fxpospd-Gre"t Respect
for the prnd-Story Connected With
Picture OF the Virgin.
speei., Correspondence of the Gazette.

Day" greatly observed in this city by
solemn high mass IN the cathedral
Many relics of saints were exposed tc
view during this day in the cathedral
| and other churches. Some of the re-
mains seemed Of Yesterday SO fresh and
life-like did they appear, and so grea'
was the crown in the cathedral that cir
culatiou YVES impossible. One had to
peaceahly await the pleasure of the
crowd and drift away with it. The next
| day was an Soul > Day. - but being q
| Sunday the church postponed it until the
| next day, giving the Mexirans an extra
| feast day, to their great delight. The
Mercado de- Flores Glover markeO which
| adioins the cathedral, also the garden
| which eucrrles It, afforded curious
| sight. Wreaths, crosses, hearts and
bouquets of great beauty were offered
| for sale by the Indians. Their taste in
arranging aud blending colors is some
thing remarkable. The flowers were of
every variety, wild and cultivated, and
one could admire them for half day
and still find new kinds. The white flow
ers predominated. Among them the
Gala and water lilies played an import
ant part, rs they grow everywhere.
They also had
wREATHs OF WILD GRASS
and autumn leaves. The grass is both
white and pink, and has teathery and
delicate appearance.
But the greatest OF these feast days was
Monday, the day of the dead. At + Il.
IN. the street cars and coaches began
their work. II is not exugeeration TO
hirls ynr,
ulatiou visited the cemeteries, or rs they
are here styled by the tar prettier name
of Pantheon. The cars and coaches had
doubled the rates and toward the middle
OF the day as many as eighty were piled
In one street car. Being warned of the
crush bv friends l avaied myself of the
early morning, first visiting san Fer
nandO, where most all Of Mexico's illus
trious men are buried. 1t was nicely
decorated, but AZ many years have passed
since anyone has been buried there II
cannot be compared to the burial grounds
of the present time fer decoration. Next
was the pantheon OF Dolores, which Is
about a league from the city. 1t is beau
tifully situated aud contains many beau
iiiui tombs. Artificial as we'll as natural
flowers had been lavishly used in decor
ating the tombs. Lastly i visited the
Piedad (French cemetery which is about
two miles from the city. 1t is at presen.
one of the most beautiful as well as most
fashionable cemeteries Of the city. The
Mexicans (the elite)
PAY EXHORBITANT PRICES
to be able to bury their families in 1t.
1t is scrupulously neat, and nothing can
surpass its beauty. It is almost entirely
planted with cypres and the beautiful
eucaly ptus, which seems to almost reach
the heavens. Some of the monuments
are magnificent in richness and archi-
lecture. At the end of the middle alley
is the chapel, which is not yet COM
pleted. 1t is in the gothic style, aud
when completed will be of great beauty.
A temporary altar has been erected and
mass was celebrated In 1t on that day.
1t was well adorned, of course, IN SOM
bre colors, with wreaths of cvpres inter
mingled with lilies. The singing was of
the best, as some of the Italian troop
now IN the city had lent their voices.
Nothing can describe the soemnity of
the services under that roofless church.
The moaning of the wind among those
beautiful trees and the songs of the
birds fitting from tomb to tomb lent a
GRANDEUR to the whole which l am I'M
able to describe. In the cemetery are
monuments erected to the memory Of the
soldiers and officers killed in the war be-
tween France and Mexico. Here the
decorations surpassed those of the others.
Some tombs were entirely covered with
flowers. Many q wreath cost from 500
to 5000, but all that display does not
touch the heart as the grave whose only
monument was simple flowers, which,
thanks to the fertility of the soil, grow
in the greatest profusion and without
any care. In death
KING AND PEASANT
are equal, but it seems as if rivalry and
vanity still hold their part, even IN such
a sad and sacred spot as cemetery.
About a quarter of mile from the Pie
dad is the church which bears the same
name. 1t also served as u IN monastery.
About the middle of the Sew eDteenth
century, SO the story goes. there was in
Rome monk Of the Dominican order,
who had been charged by the prelate of
the monastery to which he belonged in
Mexico to have painted by one of the
best artists then IN Rome, a picture of
he virgin with the dead Christ. When
he monk was about to depart for Mexico
he asked for the picture, but the artist
had only drawn the outlines. Neverthe-
less tue HULK tOOh tulo VIII anu
journeyIug through Spain took ship for
Mexico. As he and his companions
sailed westward a dreadful tempest
arose and there seemed to be no doubt
but all would be lost. In this frightful
danger they made VOW to the virgin
that in return for her protection they
would build her d church ID Mexico, and
that the picture which they carried of
her would be there enshrined. The vir-
gin heard their prayer, and their desti-
nation was reached without further
peril. On their arrival they collected
aims and so built the church of La
Piedad. Another miracle was in store
for them, for when the picture which
the monk had carried from Rome was
opened in Mexico, behold 1t was not the
simple outline, but
A MOST BEAUTIFUL PICTURE,
entirely completed and the miraculous
picture hangs over the main altar of the
church Of LII Piedad, and to this day is
greatly vene rated. The church was
dedicated February 2, 1862. III addition
10 this picture are several notable ones |
by The Mexican artists, Belasquez and |
Cahera. and a very curious picture rep
sen ling the storm at sea W hich was stilled |
by the Virgins intervention.