The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-08-02
A VICIOUS PENANCE.
Twenty Generations Have Borne Oross
in seville's Holy Week Procession.

Twenty Generations Have Borne Gross
In SevilIe,s HOLY Week Procession.
In the July Century Stephen Bonsal,
late of the American legation at Ma
drid describes sHoly Week IN SeVllle.
In describing the Procession OF 81
lence. Mr.. Bonsal says: But there is
one muff1ed figure that bears the neaV-
lest cross and walks painfully Win uh-
shod and shackled feet over the un-
even stones, who, owing to the stranse
and peculiar penances he perlorlns'ce'n
not hope to enjoy the anonymity "
his brother penitents. The sell-lni-
posed penance of the fathers in Sevllle
would seem, even as the Welgnt u
their sins, to be visited upon tnell
children until the last generation OF
their seed. And least, it is true that
the staggering youth before us Is the
twentieth of his name and line VINO
has done VicarOous penance Tor the
sins of his forefnther, a celebrity OF the
sixteenth century, who looked ON
beauty charming with the eyes OF Don
Juan Tenodio. He was finally cap
tured, the legend relates, by BarDafy
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 plned
hopelessly in prison he made solemn
VOW that, should he ever regain MS
liberty, he would walk barefooted, and
humbly bearing his cross, behind the
Christ of the Great Power IN every
madrugada, or morning procession;
and, further, he vowed that he would
make the annual accomplishment OF
this vow charge upon his estate Tor
all time, by providing that should any
one of his male descendants fail in its
performance, his portion of the estate
should go to enrich the foundation of
convent. There have been no default
ers among the old gallant's heirs; and
though the present bearer of the proud
name is perfumed and scented polio,
a dude of Seville society, he too did not
shrink from the sacrifice necessary to
keeping the money in the family. And
I regret to say that, as he came meekly
along in this strange guise, his appear
ance excited much amusement among
the other pollos, whose inheritance had
come to them without so unpleasant
a condition; and at the sight of his
bruised and bleeding feet much money
was wagered on the question of Wheth-
er he would be able to lead the cotillon
at the Duke of Albas on Easter Mon
day But perhaps the strangest of all
the array of silent maskers who fol-
lowed the Christ of the Great Power
was a little girl of some twelve sum-
mers, clad in her communion robes,
weird and ghostly apparel for this the
dark hour before the dawn. Her eyes
were blindfolded, 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, and with the other she
CROPPED and felt her way. Every now
and then, misled by the deceiving echo
of the music, she would turn out of the
way, now 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 and directed her on her way
again. The little girl in the white
communion dress symbolized that faith
which is blind.