The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-18
A VICARIOUS PENANCE.
Twenty Generations Have Borne a
Cross In Procession.

Cross In Procession.
In the July Century Stephen Bonsal,
late OF the American legation at Ma
drid, describes Holy Week in Seville"
| In describing the t>rucvsslU1l Oh oilvIve,
Mr.. Bonsal says:
/ But there is one muf1ed figure that
bears the heaviest cross, and walks
painfully with unshOd and shackled
feet over the uneven stones, who. ow-
ing to the strange and peculiar pen
ance he performs, cannot hope to en-
| joy the anonymity of his brother peni-
tents. The seIf-imposed penance of
the fathers in Seville would seem, even
as the weight of their sins. TO be Wis
tied uoon their children unto the last
generation CO their seed. At least. 1t
is true that the staggering youth before
us is the Goth of his name and line who
has done VicariOuS penance for the sins
of his forefather, a celebrity of the
sixteenth century, who looked 'on
beauty charming" with the eyes of Don
Juan Tenodio. He was finally captur-
ed, the legend relates, by a Barbary
corSair, and carried prisoner to Oran,
where, manacled and chained, he spent
many a long and weary day, wishing
that he were dead. But while he pinned
he -,elessly in prison he made a solemn
vow that. should he ever regain his
liberty he would walk barefoot, and
humbly bearing his cross, behind the
Christ of the great power in every ma
drugada, or morning procession; ana,
further he vowed that ne would make
the annual accomplishment of this vow
a charge upon his estate for all time,
BY providing that, should any one of
his male descendants fail in its per-
fcrmance his share of the estate should
go TO enrich the foundation of a con-
vent.
There have been no defaulters among
the old gallant's heirs; and though the
present bearer of the proud name is
peIfumed and scented polio, a dude OF
Seville society. ne, too, did not shirk
from the sacrifice necessary to keeping
the money in the family. And l regret
to say that, as he came meekly along
III this strange guiSe, MS appearance
excited much amusement among the
other 9olloS. whose Inheritance mad
come to them without so unpleasant a
condition; and at the sight of his bruis-
ed and bleeding feet much money was
wagered on the question of whether he
would be able TO lead the coulllon at
the Duke of Alba'S on Easter morn
iEg.
But perhaps the strangeSt of all the
array of silent maskers who followed
| the Christ of the Great Power, was
| little girl of some II summers, clothed
If her communion robes, weird and
ghostly apparel for this the dark hour
before dawn. Her eyes were blind
| folded, and. unlike the hoods of the
! Nazarenes,' there was not left the
smallest aperture through which she
| might look to choose and pick her way.
| She carried a golden chalice in one
| hand. while with the other she grooed
and felt her way. Every now and then,
misled by the deceiving echo of the
music. she would turn out of the wav.
| row to the right, and now to the left
| Once she stumbled and fell. and when
| she rose. in her confusion. started TO
/ walk back the way she had come; but
! the Nazarenes caught her by the hand,
1 and directed her on her way again.
| The little girl in the white communion
! dress smbolized that faith which is
| blind.