The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-22
PROTESTANTS in MEXICO
SIMPLICITY OF THEIR FORMS OF
WORSHIP SUGGESTIVE.
strangers Are Reminded of New Test
ament of Prot
estant Movement.

Correspondence of the New York Mail and
Express.
In the frontier town Of Nogales. one
quarter Arizonian and three-quarters
Mexican, I passed, one day, a pretty little
adobe chapel. piastered in white as to its
facade only and rnamented with a squatty
corner tower of characteristic Spanish
American form. Above the door of the
chapel. in large, ornate, gilded letters. was
the inscription, Temple del Mesias." The
absence of a cross, as we'll as the general
appearance of the house, had already sug-
gested to me-, before l read these words.
that it was the place of worship of one OF
the Protestant congregations which Amer
lean missionary effort has bestowed in con-
siderable numbers on the Mexicans.
L had an impulse, as it was Sunday
morning, TO attend a service in the chapel
and see what Mexican Professionalism was
like. I rejected the impulse. "A false
growth" 1 said to myself. IF I go in I
shall find some nice American ladies pat
ronizing a few Mexicans, with a young lady
in a tall hat playing to them on a cabinet
organ and a Yankee missionary, with a
chin beard. preaching to them in bad
Spanish" Nevertheless. when evening
came and 1 heard the high-pitched little
bell in the tower of the chapel ringing al
luringly for the evening service, and sat
in my room at the hotel close by, with
nothing to do. 1 took my hat and went
into the chapel.
I confess that my heart began to thump
a little when l had entered and found that
apparently 1 had ak straight into the
New Testament. There was not another
American in the house. Although all the
congregation had not yet assembled, the
little house was full. The people were
seated on benches with backs, the men on
one side of the house and the women on the
other. There were a few more men than
women. and l presently found that. in my
confusion, seeing a back bench partly I'M
occupied. [ had strayed into the women's
side of the house. However. a courteous
young Mexican man, perhaps to keep me
IN co~untenance' came over and sat with
SIMPLICITY OF SERVICES.
The people were at this moment only
waiting, but there was already something
serious and devotional in their attitudes.
Some OF the men were old and gray and
sat with bent heads. Some were young,
and there were several boys. All but one
Of the women and girls were dressed in
the Mexican costume-a simple dark dress
with a light shawl. generally black, over il,
the head either bare or draped in the shawl.
At least half of the women had small
children with them, including some babies.
who at times fretted and cried. There were
also in the chapel six or eight dogs, Of
several breeds, including two naked, sharp
nosed little creatures of the hairless Mexi-
can variety. The dogs wandered about
more or less and had to be summoned
from time to time to their masters or
mistreSs'S side with stage whispers of Pc
dro! Chiquito veng' aca!" and sometimes,
during the sermon, they were called in ac-
tual vocal utterance. 1t was apparent that
entire families came TO the service, lock-
ing up the domicile; and, of course. as the
Mexican includes his dog in his family.
it was necessary for the dog to come too.
l have said it was like the New Tesla
ment, and so IL must have been, not only
in the assembly of jealous, simple people.
full of the thrill of a newly found revela-
ton, but in the physical type and, at any
rate, as far as the women were concerned.
in the dark. shy faces and simple, ~clinging.
fOrehead-draped costumes. The impression
of suddenly being carried back centuries of
time was startling.
1 was recalled to more familiar things
by the singing of the doxology to the good
old tune. There was no musical instru-
ment, and the preacher, a swarthy, thick
set Mexican, with thin side whiskers mot
the regular pastor, as l subsequently found
out, but a %visitor), started this and the
other hymns. The young Mexican at nv
side presented a hymn book, and L looked
over with him and did my best at the Span
ish words. When the minister's invoca-
ton came all the wOrshipers, men and
women, went down on their knees. some
facing forward and many turning about
and resting heads and arms on the benches
in an abandonment of devotion. With the
conclusion of every sentence there was a
fervent "A-ahmen,' and this response, as
the prayer went on, rose almost TO a steady
murmur, as if thus the people participated
in the utterance of the invocation. After
this a Spanish version of Sweet Hour OF
Prayer" was sung. and, though the minis
ter pitched it much too high, causing the
girls in front of me to glance at one an
other and smile, il was sung very we'll.
indeed. The Mexicans are a thoroughly
musical people.
BASED ON THE BIBLE.
The sermon was distinctly, and indeed
very peculiarly, a Bible homily. The
preacher was constantly engaged in turn
ing the leaves of his Bible and reading
texts to sustain his points. He stood at a
little Iectern or pulpit. which was sup
ported on one leg or post, and which bore
on its front d sort of banner with the word
'Deos es Amor" His sermon, delivered so
rapidly that l should have had difficulty
in following it even if L had known more
Spanish than l do. was plainly a kind of
running commentary on the Scripture, with
exhortation to heed at the present moment,
and not 'manana.' the call of grace. When
the minister told the story OF the man who
could not go with the Savior because he
had so much business on hand. he acted the
scene out with admirable pantomime. so
that one saw the troop of waiting and
| passing customers; IL was "muchos nego-
7 CLOS" indeed.
The words ia palabra," the word, were
constantly heard, and with every reference
to the Scripture the preacher announced
the name OF the chapter and ~verse-gener-
ally repeating these, as much as to say.
Now. that Is something for you 10 re-
member l caught no illusions to doctrin-
al matters, nor any direct reference TO the
great church from which his adult hearers
must all have withdrawn. though once he
spoke impressively of the priceless privi-
lege which mis- people now enjoyed OF
studying the Bible and of worshiping to-
gether in this way.
1t was perfectly evident that, in their
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