The Republican journal., 1896-01-30

"a windowless room, large enough for =
town hall, its high-posted bed 'corded''
with strips of raw hide and piled with
such wealth of husk mattresses that it
needed ladder to scale it, and chairs,
or rather stools, of rawhide strips woven
lavatOry purposes was placed i'll a pottery
vessel about the size of a half barrel,
which stood in one corner with a saucer
shaped utensil alongside that answered
for both bowl and dipper.
The most interesting sight that came in
our way at Santa Maria was a rather lu-
gubTiOus One-a funeral. A motley COM
pany came down the street, four men
marching gaily ahead, carrying a coffin
on their shoulders, closely followed by
priest in cassock and shovel hat, and
red-frocked boy bearing a crucifx, the
rear brought up by a crowd of stragglers,
augmented at every street corner by fresh
recruits of the idle and curious There
were no women in the procession, and no
''mourners;' for the last service over the
dead, and the last farewell of the rea-
tives, are said in the house. The coffin
is left quite open on it's way to the grave,
so that the body within is plainly seen by
passers by and people looking down from
their balconies or housetops. According
to Azorean customs, the funeral must
take place within As hours after the death.
The first night the corpse lies in state,
with candles at the feet and head glass
vessel of holy water at one side and an
image of the blessed Virgin at the other.
The body of young unmarried woman
is always dressed in white, a matron in
black, and a man in the clothes he wore
while living. White paper flowers with a
profusion Of most unnatural green leaves
adorn the corpse, and relatives and friends
pass the night around it, weeping and
praying, and frequently sprinkling the
body by shaking over it a small branch of
an aromatic herb, dipped in the holy wa
ter. The following forenoon the church
authorities come, place the corpse in the
coffin and bear it to the cemetery: while
the house of mourning is closed, its doors
and blinds all shut, and none may enter
or leave it for a week At the expiration
of that time the daily routine of life be-
gins again and goes on as before Among
the Weather class of the cities, and al
WAYS when government official dies, the
body lies in state in the church and the
mournful sound of the death bell is kept
mp necessarily. The visitor in many of
these islands often sees the Ito HIM
strange spectacles of the sacrament being
carried to the bedside Of some dying per
son. Four priests bear aloft red canopy
stretched upon four poles, beneath which
walks the vicar in his robes of office, pre-
ceeded by the sexton ringing dinner
bell, and followed by other priests bring
ing the cup, wafer, wine and other sacra-
| mental vessels, the cross and censor,
while the bare headed rabbie run after:
women kneel in their doorways, and the
From grave to gay, from lively to
severe is the rule in remote st. Mary $
as in other parts of this tragic world. A
dead priest was lying in state in the cathe-
dral, and we learned that a ball was in
progress at a private house on another
street. Through the inn keepers wife
haunad itati ho hon VIII; I,
was promptly and cordially given; and on
the way thereto we followed the throng
into the catheral where the prelate was
holding his last reception, guarded by
soldiers and surrounded by lighted can
dies. The lady of the two-room casa in
which the dance was given greeted us
with gentle and dignifed courtesy; and
though no doubt we were as much ''curi-
osities'' to most of her guests as they and
their ways were 20 us, there was no vul-
gar staring, nor anything to indicate that
the appearance of Las Americans was
unusual. Indeed, one may learn many
lessons in politeness from these simple
hearted Azoreans. The house was deco
rated with ferns and masses of bright blue
hydrangeas, and as we entered somebody
was accompanying his voice on a viola
and singing the song which is as common
in the Azores as after the Ball. is in
the United States, beginning
| ''Quero cantar Saloisa
ia que outra mao sci.
The viola is an instrument peculiar to
these islands, an odd cross between gui-
tar and a mandolin, but its delicate music
is unlike that of any other instrument. 1t
is used as an accompaniment in all their
singing and dancing, and always in the
nightly serenades without which no AGO.
rean maiden can be won in marriage. A
favorite dance is the Chama Rita, which
was to be danced at the ball in question
and could not begin until the leader came;
and pending his arrival there was much
/ good natured joking to the effect that it
always takes violist three months to get
ready for ball. Presently he came. a
| handsome fellow, attired like a Spanish
| hriuan1 nd, l.,