The Washington times., 1895-04-08
Old Sol Tried Vainly All Day TO
Break Through Clouds.
CROWDS WITH PALM EMBLEMS
Traditions of Spring Maintained by the
Parks and Avenues-Catholic Churches
Celebrated the Religious Festival-Trees
Putting Forth Buds ard Blossoms -spe-
cial Services for the Rest of the Week.

There was decided frown of inhospital-
ity in the clouds and breath of incivility
in the atmosphere of Palm Sunday
Consequently there was some disappoint-
ment in the expectations of a good many
people who replanning to goforth yester-
day in Sunday raiment, to be in keeping
with Palm Sunday sunshine, spring buds,
and spring blossoms.
The sunshine was there, but it was like
the fireworks at Nanki Pooh's funeral
He didn't see them, and the sunshine wason
the wron side of the canopy of clouds The
buds and blossoms, natural and artificial,
did, however, materialize.
A spring hat and a winter cape are, it
is true, little incongruous, but a bonnet
of the temperate zone and a cape of the
frigid zone. are a better combination of
expediency than a spring bonnet solo on
Sunday, with a pneumonia appendix on
Monday. The spring bonnet, par excel
lence, will, of course, appear on Easter
Sunday.
Palm Sunday was not cold; it was
merely chilly; but enough SO to make
people more careful about the corporeal
trunk than the spiritual blossom.
FLOWERS THAT BLOOM IN SPRING.
The parks and avenues did their best
to maintain the traditions of spring The
elms and silver NAPLES are away ahead
of theothers in donning the spring costume.
The NAPLES are so well advanced that they
flung down yesterday, under the influence
OF the breeze, showers upon showers of
their flowers.
The elnls are decidedly green, but the
great glory of the season is the verDal
carpet OF grass which is thick and rich in
color and tone. The bright bits OF red carna-
tions, phlox, Jonquils, crocuses, and hya-
cinths, lend the realism to the spring, and
talk plainly enough of the coming man
in the belated straw hat. and the inevitable
and ineXorable thermometer.
The feature OF interest in the morning
was the crowds 1t the churches The
special significance of Palm Sunday
accounted for the great crowds that poured
out OF the Catholic churches, each wearing
more or less the emblematic palm
Palm Sunday in the Catholic churches
is a festival, in the sense that it COM
memorates the entry OF Christ the King
into Jerusalem. The palm is blessed and
distributed at the l o'clock mass. Those
who receive the palms are expected to keep
them until the beginning of the following
lcHb, WHEN tDeS are DuEDeQ, bIle ds0eS DetilS
used for the ceremony OF Ash Wednesday.
The palm was seen everywhere after
church, and was mostly used in the formof
a cross.
The services at ST Patrick's Church yes
terday morning were attended by very
largecongregation. Father McGeepreached
an instructive and forcible sermon on the
significance of Palm Sunday. with special
reference to the ceremonial OF blessing and
distributing the palms, the origin of the
custom and its use in commemorating the
entry of Christ into Jerusalem on His way
to Judgment, death and resurrection.
HOLY WEEK SERVICES.
This being Holy Week, there will be
series of special services in the Catholic
churches.
The Terehrae Will begin on Wednesday,
called Spy Wednesday, at 7:30 p m, and
will be continued at thathour on Thursday
and Good Friday. at the same hour
The Terebrae is the solemn rendering of
that part of the offices of the priest called
mathis and lauds. The music is solemn
and without organ accompaniment. Fif-
teen candles are lighted and are in turn,
except the last one, extinguished to typify
the darkness that overspread the earth at
the crucifixion.
The last candle is taken down and placed
behind the altar and represents the death
Of Christ The earthquake is represented
by noise made by the priests with their
books struck gainst the altar.
On Thursday Rev. j. M. Walter, a nephew
of the late Father Walter. Will preach, and
on Friday Rev. James F. x. Mulvaney at
the Tenebrae.
The services on Thursday commemorate
the establishment of the eucharist, or the
Lords supper. 1t is sometimes called
Maundy Thursday from Mandatum,
signifying the command or Injunction of
the Savior. The pope on this day washes
the feet of twelve poor persons, the custom
being followed by some of the Eastern
bishops, and in some religious orders or
communities.
On Saturday, Easter Eve, the paschol
candle is blessed.
And thencomeS Easter Sunday ,theg greatest
festival of the year in all Christian com
munities. The services on this day are
familiar to everybody.