Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-18
read and raised right hand. gives the bene.

head and raised right hand, gives the bene-
diction, and, should 1t happen to be a god
father or godmother, the supplicant is per-
mitted to imprint a kiss upon the back of
the profered hand. 1t is so soon over, but
not quickly done, and done with such a
grace Of manner, so quietly and SO dignified,
to only witness the m has such q
soothing effect on one that I have often
wished that I were worthy and had the
moral courage and humility to uncover and
bow to receive the full benefit of all that
the aged one has to bestow. have viewed
this ceremony in the crowded store among
a lot Of irreverent and irreligious Chilians,
Jamaicans, Peruvians and Argentinians; I
have seen 1t on the trails, in the lonely
wooded mountains and on the beach, along
the river sides, always the same, never
hurried and never lacking in genuine rever-
ence and true dignity. Ask them who taught
this custom: "Oh. it Is very ancient; it has
always been the custom among our people,"
I have seen grown-up boys and girls romp-
ing along hand in hand, laughing, chatting
and chatting, each with a cigarette be-
tween the teeth, come suddenly upon an
old man; down they drop on a knee, the
head barred and cigarette removed, the
"bendito" recited, the old mans right hand
comes slowly out from beneath the folds Of
his ruana, Is raised and lowered and crossed
and back again to its resting place, while
his lips continue to move and the almost
inaudible voice says something that seems
to carry with it comfort and concord. OBJ
serve the awkward and really rude manners
Of a fashionable set in a fashionable church.
They may be perfectly proper in anners in
a drawing room, but, in a church, how few
can bow or kneel or stand or sit with be-
coming grace Of manner. Here is a people
whose genuine reverence and piety, I pre-
sumo, under most trying and difficult con-
ditions bears with 1t a simple elegance OF
manner that I have never seen equaled any
where.
Evidence of Honesty.
Their honesty, too. is a bright Jewel in
their long list of many virtues. Many times
have I had three Of these people pulling me
up the river in a dugout canoe; the river
Is SO swift and full Of rapids that a paddle
is Of no use; 1t requires three experienced
poems to a canoe. which Is pushed along by
stout poles Of a quality similar to our
hickory. The pilot takes his position in the
stern. the other two forward. Contrary to
the methods Of loading generally followed
elsewhere in the world the cargo is placed
we'll forward In order to keep the nose of the
canoe we'll down in the water, else a strong
current might get under and capsize the
outfit. The two forward poems do the pro-
pelling by placing their poles against the
bottom of the river, where the stream Is
shallow enough to allow. and, where not, In
holes that have been worn by centuries OF
usage in the solid rock bank. and pushing
the length of the pole and probably a step
or two II there is room enough In the
canoe to allow. In this manner the canoe
Is advanced from ten to fifteen feet each
push. Where the current allows the poems
alternate, viz, one is ready with a fresh
hold to push along as soon as the other lett
go; where this cannot be done the pilot holds
the canoe with his pole until the others
catch q fresh hold. 1t Is something like
climbing a rope hand over hand and abou,
as fast, for q mile and a half an hour IL
real good going. Oftentimes a pole 70 broker
in strong water, then there Is excitement
II not fun. Every house along the river
has a supply Of three poles on hand season.
ing. II the people are at hcme they will
give you one. or at most charge 10 cents
silver for 1t, but II no one is home you
might get your poems to die for you, but you
could not get them to 90 In and take a pole
even though you give them 100 times II
cents to leave In its place. Going down
stream is another game and the rarest kind
of sport. Catching the river Just right, ]
have foated down stream, with only a pilo,
to guide our little canoe, forty-six miles In
four hours.
can say more, too, In favor OF these peo-
pie. I can tell OF deeds Of self sacrifice, hero
ism and valor. can relate how one, a stran-
ger here. whose fellow-countryman writes in
correctly and slightingly Of these good peo-