Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-16

carved on the face of an almost inaccessible
precipice away up in the mountains. With
infinite labor and expense the solid rock
upon which the miraculous carving appeared
was cut away from the peak and carried to
Bogota, where a church was erected in its
honor.
The only Protestant place of worship in
Bogota is the Scotch Presbyterian Mission
house, which occupies building that was
originally constructed for a printing office.
There are galleries along both sides and at
the farther end are two very high windows,
above the raised platform, which holds the
reading desk and a rather squeaky har-
monium. The services are mostly con-
dncted in Spanish, for the benefit of native
converts, of whom. am told, there are
considerable number. And queer enough
it sounds to hear the same old home-tunes,
endeared by so many associations-"Rock
of Ages" ""Old Hundred" "Jesus, Lover
of my Soul, etc.-rendered with words of
another tongue, and the Lords prayer re-
peated by the congregation: Oar nos este die
nuestro pan, "Give US this day our daily
bread" Professionalism is protected in
measure, in comnon with all other forms of
religion bv the "Liberal' government.
The more supersttious of the people have
horror of all religions save their own. A
former missionary in Colombia relates how
poor woman came to him one day, weeping
and evidently driven to desperation by the
pangs of hunger, bringing her baby in her
arms, which she offered to sell to him "for
the service of the devil" she fully believing
that the mission OF the Presbyterians was to
gather in souls to his Satanic Majesty.
BABIES DON'T COUNT FOR MUCH.
The maternal instinct is by no means
wanting; but among the more degraded the
women have so many children and are so
habitually hungry and hopeless that it is no
wonder human instincts nearly die out of
them. In some cases infants are utterly
neglected and left to shift for themselves
soon as able to walk, to live or die, "assi
Dios quere" Gas God wills). as their parents
would piously remark il questioned on the
subject. An American gentleman tells me
that he was riding one day in the suburbs
when his horse accidentally ran over and
killed child that was lying asleep in the
road, its dirty and naked brown body COM
pletely hidden in the sand. OF course he was
stricken with horror and remorse, and hunt
ing up the mother, gave her all the money
he happened to have about him (amounting
to about S40), as balm to assuage her
grief. A lew days later, riding along the
same road, he saw ahead of him another
child seuatted in the sand in precisely the
spot where the other was killed. Dlsmount-
ing to investigate, he discovered that the
little thing could not get out of the way,
being securely tied in fiat basket He did
not run over any more babies.
Throughout all Spanish-America the
death of child seems to be matter of re-
joicing rather than Of sorrow-the idea
being that the little one, not having arrived
at years Of discretion, must be without sin,
and therefore in no danger OF the torments
of purgatory: whereas, had it been permitted
to live longer "quien sabe" (who knows)
what might have been its eternal future? The
small corpse is spoken of by all as otra
angelita, "another little angel" It is dec
GRATED gaily with birds wings, flowers and
bits of gaudy paper, kepti in the house as
long as possible, often great deal too long;
and its interment is celebrated by lively
music, followed by feast for all concerned
and sometimes dancing.
FANNIE B. WARD.