The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-30
BLESSING OF THE BEAST.
A SIGnT OF ST ANTHoNI'S DArlIy
OLD MExFCO
Fenthcred Teis ana Four-Foofea Possessions
BrsuEht by the teasants TO tho Prirai't to
ne sprinkied with Holy water and Receive
M. nn.AhIntInm rnr iha a,n.nInr Ann.

SAN LUIS DE LA PAz, Mexico, Jan. lS.-In Old
Mexico Jan. IL Is n day sacred to the birds and
beasts. TO every shrine in Mexico the people
yesterday brought their pets and their four.
footed possessions that tho priest might sprlnk,s
holy water upon them.
The church at San Luis do Ia PaZ presented q
curious sight during the ceremony. Tho hone
was late. and tho purple sierrns %glrdling the
town were beginning to glow with sunset light
as the people fockcd toward tho church. leading
or c~irrying tho animals for which they sought
n benediction. The women and children who
carried birds o. dogs In their arms crowded. I'M
the stately stone steps into tho churchyard
where they s~quattod about on the ground. chat
tering together while they waited for the priest,
Men and boys leading horses. burros, cows. pigs.
and sheep stayed below the church steps. cover
ing In a dense crowd an acre or SO of the hillside.
Tho owners of tho animals seemed TO be all Of
tho peon class; but on the outer edges OF the
crowd stood n small proportion Of the people
who wear shoes and hats and occasionally
take a bath. and are the gcntc dcccntc, tho
Four Hundred, OF the community. They wcre,
for the most part, looking on with n sympa.
tbetic though condcscending interest at the no.
tons of the others. There, among Others, stood
the Jofe Politico. who, as Mayor of the town,
Chief Of Police. and Government agent all In
one. commands from the common people n rev.
cTenCc SuCu bS tuC ucTHlin rsnlpcIOT might cnNys
He was laughing and saying to his friend, the
customs agent, who was watching tho scene
with q cynical smile under the corners Of his
fierce mustache:
"Why, yes; my horse is here. He's had q
sore back ever since I bought thin. Pancho. my
mozo. wanted to bring him to-day, and I'm sure
l shan't object IL tho holy water can cure him.
1t was said laughingly. but underneath Al it all
Mr.. Jcfe Politico nursed q tiny superstition
that there might after all be some efficacy In
the priests blessing; Else why had he given
ment on that dayi There was something very
amusing and yet pathetic in the efforts foI Of tho
portant occasion. Barefootcd women, who had
scarcely enough to cover them. carried under
take the place of mantle and hat, a gay old
rooster decorated from comb to tail with bits OF
'' "My hens haven't laid we'll this year" said
one bent old hag. and ] think its Just because
So h here 1 h. him to-day" &c ''''''0 lust year.
Sir Chanticlocr, seeming to understand her
words, lifted up its voice and cheered; just then
n typical Indian boy. with the peaked head and
coarse black hair of his race. the poems charac-
teristic dress of white cotton trousers and shirt,
tho coarse leather sandals strapped by rude
thongs TO his feet. the torn straw sombrero, and
the mischief-loving disposition of any other lit.
rooster Of his own that was spelling for a fight.
Evidently not having the price OF tissue pa.
RBeefd i fonnd less 10 f, decorate ne th haa rooster eseH "hF Tb ne
happened to he orange Feelings. cast aside. Be-
fore the old woman realized what he was up to
he began to circulate about her, thrusting the
rooster up against tho bird she carried. The old
woman's rooster made n lunge from her arms TO
Pelea dc gaLos! Pclcd dc ~adlos!' Cock
fight. Cock fight shouted the crowd ~joyfuily,
and ,nn,ns closed .xi1, around ,ho nd.s the ., G GosI:ir h fns,o the 6 old
clutch on Sir Chanticloer's spreading tail feath.
ers and Grew the rooster from the fray before
any serious damage was done. Then she fixed
her dark eye on the boy. and he thought IL best
to disappear with his chicken at once.
trimming their bird cages. Disporting them.
selves in ylne.hupg wooden cages were sober.
enoush. t to pass the Government school OK:
nminations in singing. Behind tin bars on
Of osT SriiIia .n,'p pIuma wet ea PS a Of e,PS sSear sH1 p stroms
Castilian, oaths at the padre or tho Pope him;
self; In gilded cages herringboned and furnished
canary birds. awed into silence by the strange
sights around them; ,. ,.,o. .
little girl had two turtle doves held close to her
brown check while she danced around impn.
lit 10 boy brought out from beneath his ragged
shirt: where they had nestled warm against his
low; chicks not two days. out Of their shell.
Another child. better clad than his fellows, with
a %ai s t 1do six srs sisss too la lsrgod i for him Irs .n nPd
man, struggled under the double burden of a
sleepy baby on one arm and a spotted white pup
under the other. He had assisted nature in her
work of adjournment by painting rod. purple, and
green spots all over the dogs notified skin;
no peon is too poor to keep a yellow dog. snarl.
ing, wolhsh creatures these dogs are. the terror
OF % b aSs i9ae'y The n 0s same sort OF man nn Sho al m nsSa
tains six dogs and ten children on 25 cents a day
finds room for a litter of pigs in his one.roomed
blessing, fat porker. old SOW. and little pigs.
each with a tissne-paper cap tied under its
snont and a wreath OF corn husks twined in tho
On tho hillside below the church the larger
their owners leaned over their backs and gos.
siped. passing, around the welcome mescal bot
Tie; m mhs1esy 1nss got A %ScS and tbe % S1im iIyiS Me @s
the burrs that chung to their woolly backs:
adornments were big horns. given by. nature
and developed by a diet of limestone and cactus
poor patient animals. doomed to a lot OF hard
work and much abuse.
pealed and the priest issued from the church
door. He. was arrayed in ceremonial robes.
other two carrying tall brass candolabra in
which lighted candles burned. The people
sTSi's sSen ahs eRowdsd a ss ind RRfi@ar.e ho siRRiTGafhhi si
their dogs and bird cages. The priest paused
! Of 81. Anthony. patron saint Of the animals.
He was heard reverently. but when he had fin.
holy water Sae to Dok Fight ana "pi left ,G those in np the rear
tun,bled over one another and fought and cursed
IN their .endeavor TO clenye a way to him
through the crowd. In his excitement a boy with
two white pigeons in his hand loosed his h9iii
and the birds spread their wings. disdainfnl Of
holy water. and rose high into the air. What a
shout went up from the crowd as for a moment
the birds paused, futtering over the head OF The
priest! To the superstitious people that seemed
almost a sign from heaven that the priest was
The Lords, nnointed. for they had seen the
fresco in the church which pictures tho dove
lowering oyer Christ after John baptized Him in
Inc River Jordan.
The priest made his way down the hillside.
forcing passage sometimes by a deprccrt:
hack. The animals he touched were specially
favored. There were some that could not -Cb
near enough to receive even n drop OF the holy
water. but ihcir masters, knew il had been good
for them TO be there, and went away fairly con
tent. One little girl who had in her arms a cog
with u bandaged paw wriggled her way through
the crowd to the very feet OF the padre. and
cl!nging TO him held M her burden. pleading, :,
make him well, Dc T padre, make him we'll,
the dogs face. and tho child crept away h"ppnI,.
IL WAS twilight when the crowd dispersed with
a happy feeling OF security and duty done. The
went, reeling and chnttering 10 their homes.
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