New-York tribune., 1900-03-04

after the service; consequently any old thing in
| the way of clothes is the best thing to 20 -
church in that Sunday and the hats, mas.
culine and feminine, are probably the worst col
lection ever seen anywhere out OF doors Thu
old church in the Chiada stands near the cent-a
/ of Lisbon popular Hfe-the life of theatres roe
taurants and retail stores-and it has the adH
tCnal attraction Of ecclesiastical privilege
unique in the Roman Catholic world. by which
the Sunday parish mass is allowed 10 beain
at 1 p. m, or full hour later than in anv
/ other church, probably, in the world. So the
Sunday service at the Chiada is allowed to ser
the time for the beginning of Shrovetide mis-
rule.
The theory is that the congregation coming out
/ of the Chiada church represents all the lazv
people of the city. who have stayed in bed late
| that morning. The mob outside are the good
| people. who went to church hours ago. No
| Tompng is allowed inside church. but as soon
as the first man. woman child puts foDt out
side the leather curtain of the big doorVay at
the top of the flight of stone steps. he or She is
met with a shower OF dried peas, and egssheIs
filed with -four. and streams of liquid from
numerous 'bisnagas.' Then comes the general
| 'sortie." the congregation with heads duck-d-
/ in two senses-charge into the mob aHG lose
themselves buying carnival ammunition &.
turn the fire of their neighbOrs.
| This hurry burIy, beginning at about o'clock
| on Sunday afternoon. lasts as hong as any one is
! to be found in the streets that night. which is
late Il begins again early on Monday morning,
and again on Tuesday, when. at about sun
down. it reaches climax. BY that time every
man woman and child not invalid If either
dominoed or otherwise disguised. and
mask. The object is to disguise the voice as
well the figure and face. and everybody
1 Lxs nd Oil DUilX
| tom of forming companies of maskers 20 visit
houses the evening of Shrove Tuesday ap-
pears to be more observed in Lisbon than else
| where. No names are given TO servants or cate
| keepers and the game requires the hosts dis
cover the identity OF their guests. which is all
the difficult when. sometimes happens
guests and hosts have never before spoken to
each other Sometimes a party Of visiting mlIm-
mers will be received with a bucket Of cold water
thrown from a window commanding the porte
cochere,' and If. as has happened the master
Of the house happens TO be among the dreuched,
he has no right to discharge the cook or cham
| bermaid who poured contempt upon his for
how could any know?
The rule at all Shrovetide balls in lisbon and
in southern European cities generally, is that
| upon the first stroke Of midnight every mask IS
removed. Upon that unmaskins, though the
fun and frolic of the ball may not Immediately
end the penItence Of Lent very often begins. OF,
at least, remorse for words spoken to the wrong
person. Such situations are common enough
in stage comedy AMI in real life stiu comuraer.
sometimes ending i'm the gloom of tragedy
At whatever hour Ash N-In-s,l3- may BE
considered fairly begun it holds full sway in
Lisbon at daylight next after ShTove Tue ay.
Then. if ever whole streets squares, rows Of
houses and lines of garden walls could Be- suffer-
ing from acute "katzenjammer.'' the sI-.. .4cIe
level, with their cObbIestOnes covered
inches thick by paste OF -four and IT7LIe
peas, with here and there an empty peas lack
or 4 broken 'bisnasa"; rows upon rows Of tt-at-
shut jalousics; women in black, and a few
men, sadly making their way 10 the chur.1es.
TO receive upon their foreheads the mark of the
cross in black palm ashes with the Chureh's
ldmonition. ''Remember man, that thou art
dust and to dust shalt return