Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-03-24


Of the serenos, as Spanish nightwatch-
men are called. parolllng the silent
streets and calling the hours TO the
sleeping city, is very pretty idea; but
when you come to live with them It's
romance suffers considerably. Several
serenos perambulate every street, from
sunset until sunrise. Each is armed
with long, clumsy spear and carries
a lantern however brilliant the moon-
light His function Is three-fold-frst
10 preserve order, second TO open doors,
and third to sing out the hours as they
pass and an exact account Of the state
OF the weather. AS IN other parts OF
spaln-and. indeed. many European
clues-persons living In apartment
houses carry no street door keys, b.u
depend upon the Waterman for admis-
sion at night. Naturally, In country
where people sleep through half the
day, late hours are the rule. At inter-
walls all night long, until dawn Is fairly
IN the heavens. your sleep is constantly
disturbed by belated jewellers. going
noisily homeward and shouting "serc-
MOI at the top Of their voices. until
that worthy appears With hls big bunch
OF keys and unlocks their doors. And
then the song Of that bird Of night
Every half hour at every street corner
he sings fortssimo-"La bora es doce'
(or whatever the hour may be). La
noche esta ciaro y serene. Ave Maria
purissimaV
Yesterday morning after particu-
larry unsatisfactory night so far as
sleep Is Concerned-owng to unusual
galeties preceding Lent and innumera-
Bile jewellers demanding the services OF
the sercnos--l turned out early, 20
seek consolation in the ever satisfying
panorama " the streets, Turning the
first corner Of the narrow street ! found
myself IN the midst OF a strange pro-
cession. The central figure Of II was
COW gaily decked with garlands OF
flowers She was led by a barefooted
girl and Immediately behind followed
a blind man and a boy, the former
BLOWING A FLAGEoLET,
The latter beating a drum. What In the
world Il meant / could form no idea,
until ] asked q woman In the crowd,
WHO lDHAtl1 tIltANNlfl W i'IitNi Hfl
surprise at the dense ignorance Of
those Americans II seems that sim
liar professions are OF very common 0c-
ourrenoe, though this Is the first have
happened 10 encounter The animal
might be a goat, donkey, or any other
creature as well az COW; but 4, is al
ways flower-bedecked and advertised
BY music 70 be raiiled for, anybody
~t4bc tttfl ,aytpu "a trtNa aud fakfpy HE
chances II Is q fayorite way OF rails
Ing the wind. as they say In America,
for the people are born gamblers and
even a rafile appeals 70 them strongly,
a little further on / met an entirely
different procession First came a
dozen boys carrying long candies: then
a coffin. borne by four men, whose
heads were buried under the sweeping
black pail so that only their feet were
visible, and e looked as II the coffin
were actually walking OF Itself Several
priests followed. IN strange black habits
striped with red. whose links | have
never seen before and the
rear was brought up by n
band, consisting OF two bas-
soons and an oboe, which made q
most weird and melancholy accompani-
ment 10 the solemn chant Of the priests.
The procession was on It's way 10 the
cemetery, Every now and then II halt
ed In front Of house presumably that
OF some friend OF the deceased-the
coffin was set upon the ground ana the
face OF the dead uncovered. People
came out Of the house 10 take a last
look" while the crowd gathered curl
ously near; and after a few minutes
the music and march were resumed.
A little farther on | came upon a
group OF peasants engaged In the pie
turesque Industry OF spinning the green
rope so much used by Spanish farmers
II IL MANUFACTURED from the coarse PAM
pas grass Of the Guadalqulvir plains
The operation Is very leisurely and
social one, requiring a rude wooden
wheel and three persons. One man
woman. or child feeds the wheel; an
other turns II, and a third receives the
twisted rope. An Indispensable artclC
OF the peasants costume made or fe-
male--should an absence from home OF
even an hour or two be contemplated
Is the alforja. II is not unlike the don.
key-pannier-a long stout strip Of wood
en- cloth with bag at either end tn,
alforja Il ornamented with close tufts
OF blue. scarlet and yellow wool. II {,
worn over the left shoulder. and IN,
bags Invariably contaln-one a wine
skin the other pot OF garlic. or {
green pudding.
Ny destination was the Casa d,
Pllatas, House Of Plate" which stantt
near the Carmona gate amid a laby
rihth Of the narrowest and dlrties
street Of Seville. 1t is supposed 70 b,
an exact counterpart Of Pilates house
In Jerusalem. but as II was planned b,
Arab architects, IN the year 1900. AM
finished by Spanish workmen nearll
half a century later, the similarity 1
doubtful, Its history IL this In IN
year 1899 Senior Don Pedro EnriQue7
Gin our language his name would b
plain Mr.. Peter Henry)-made a pill
grlmage Of the Holy Land; and on hi
return conceived the
BRILLIANT IDEA
OF reproducing In Seville the house q
the Roman praetOr. He died not lon
afterwards and his son, Don Fadrlqu
Enriquez de Rlbera, first marquis {
Tarifa twho had not been IN Jerusalem
carried on the good work. a generatio
or two later a was finished by Ala
de Hibera the first duke Of klcnla an