Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1902-02-06
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1909
From Darkness to Light in Old Mexico.

In the two excursions Of to-day W,
had a happy contrast. In the morn
ing we visited the horrible catacomb
lcf Guanajnato; In the afternoon W,
had a jolly mountain-burro ride In ,
party Of thirty.
The Mexico d. e. conference is ii
session here now and Bishop Hamil
ton and wife, from Los Angeles, Cali
fornia, are in the house with u.s. There
are also eight or ten other visitors
here and In the guest-house at the
corner Of the gardens. Many Of these
are fresh from the States and they are
thoroughly enjoying everything.
The conference programme Is con-
Quoted In Spanish. So I'm afraid |
cannot tell you much about that, but
to me the social element of this meet
ing is very interesting as well as i'm.
portant.
Yesterday morning a small party OF
us walked up to the Pantheon the
chief burying place here--way up on
the side of the mountain, and Just
outside the city limits. There is an
immense wall surrounding about an
acre Of ground, and this wall is made
up OF hundreds and hundreds Of riches
making regular honey-comb for the
dead. For 800 the corpse is allowed
to remain in this niche as long as any
OF the family are In existence; for s25
1t is allowed TO remain for 5 years,
after which, II the subscription is
not renewed, it is taken up and
thrown into the public bonfire Of
bones. which is kept burning most Of
the time. Many Of the people are too
poor to rent these catacombs, so they
bury their dead in this oblong acre en-
closed by the horrible wall Of skele-
tons. Hundreds Of them are buried
without any collins. A very deep
grave Is dug and they are put In
layers. We peeped into one grave
which they told US had two children
In 1t. A little dirt was thrown over
each-right on their faces without
even cloth to protect, and still the
grave was about ten feet deep, left
open for several more. This last rite
Of sprinkling the dirt upon the eyes Of
the child is sometimes performed by
the mother herself; then she seats her
self by the side Of the grave and walls
the most pitiful sounds ever heard.
The next class rent collins. In
times of malaria among the poor as
many as three are carried out to the
Pantheon in one cottln--carried on the
heads Of men. A missionary minister
told me himself that one time these
''pall-bearers" stumbled right in
front Of his house and spilled out
three corpses In the center Of the
main street.
Among the better classes, the cof-
fins are often very elegant, but always
carried on the heads of men-there
are no hearses.
Among these classes the women
never appear alta funeral.
After seeing what we could in open
air, one by one we were led down a
very small circular hole, about like a
small cistern, on winding ladder, un-
I'll we got deep under the ground;then
we we're led through several long mar
row passages to one enclosed In glass |
doors; this we were not allowed to en-
ter, but distant gaze was sufficient to |
ill us with horror. On either side Of |
ibis long chamber were rows Of num-
mics, standing erect with winding |
sheets about them, men and women,
md occasionally a child, Just as they |
lad passed away In the agonies Of
leath, with their faces distorted,
mouth and cheeks all awry, and their
ingers and toes standing in every d.
-ection. l, seemed almost that you
,ould hear curses coming from those
inarled and snaggled teeth.
The Egyptian mummles, Of the
British Museum, and the Catacombs
II Rome are not to be compared with
,hese dreadful specimens. / have never
,efore seen anything 50 horrible, and |
hardly think Dante's visions we're
my worse. They say the duty is very
ligh for taking body out of this
country, but 1 beseech you, my fellow
;itizens, If / should pass away while
n this foreign land, please take up a
collection TO ferry me over the river
,tyx Of the Mexican border.
How different our hurro ride Of the
afternoon. We pass from darkness to
light, when a jolly party Of happy,
inging Christians, climbed up five or
TX miles in this beautiful mountain
ange to the "Presa Esperanza"-the
Reservoir of Hope,n
which supplies the whole city with
yater. AS our tired and faithful old
,urros reached the last crag and we
TODD thousands of feet above the
alleys, and the last rays of the sun
he'd its beams over hundreds OF noun
ain peaks, we all sang out in one
rand chorus: "Beulah Land Oh,
3eulah Land!"
was reminded of trip, a year and
! half ago, up grand old Vesuvius; ex-
ept, instead OF being greeted with
ulphur, and smoke, and hot ashes,
here was a mass Of golden clouds every
where and the purest, freshest air 1
Iver breathed.
What a contrast to the atmosphere
4 that morning on old smoky
vesuviusl
Our ride was mostly by moonlight-I
inging all the way-the American
National airs, and old Southern darkey
ongs.
can see the grand old Bishop now as
We entered the city-riding a donkey,
lis long coat flowing like a robe, lead
ng on his Joyful host Truly 1t was a
entry
How thankful we we're that we be-
Onged to a Christian Protestant
Nation that could enjoy light and life
q everything.
''out OF the shadows of night,
The world rolls into light;
II is daybreak everywhere.
ANNIE d. HNDE.
I r. Da Iaruaft naad