The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1903-09-10

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Address DR.. r. V. Pierce Buffalo, N Y
AS it is not every day that a Bishop
dies, the citizens of La Paz will i'm
prove the occasion of his burial by
making it general holiday and ali OPP
portunity for the military and civic
display they so much enjoy. Several
thousand invitations have been issued
to the services in the cathedral. These
invitations are elaborate cards, or
rather large sheets of pasteboard folded
in quaint fashion, with inch wide black
borders, skull and cross-bones embel-
lishment, and other funeral emblems,
announcing that performances will be-
gin at 10 a. M. and close at 3 O'Clock in
the afternoon. 1t is only two squares
from the palace to the cathedral, but
the whole army will be called out to
escort the illustrious corpse, and pro-
cession SO vast that it will require hours
to accomplish the short journey.
Besides thousands of priests monks
and friars, ill white, gray and black
robes, all chanting and unfolding can
candles or crucifixes, there will be all
the children from the public schools,
boys from the Jesuits college and red
skirted acolytes, singing with piping
voices: nuns of every order: Daughters
of Mary, Sisters of Charity, female
semnaries, female beneficenciaries
congregations of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. and all the other churches: and
the murmur of their united prayers
will sound like the distant voice of
the sea Then the President and his
cabinet, the diplomatic corps, munich
pal counsel, National Institute, law
yers and judges, bomberos (firemant j;
the half-dozen choirs and other musi-
cal organizations of La Paz; the
"Workmen of the Cross'-a sort of
sanctitied Labor Union-Brothers of
san Jose, and no end of other societies.
Even the gambling and dancing clubs
are to be represented in separate bod
les, and thousands Of citizens will join
the parade and Walkfrom the cathe-
dral to the cemetery, a distance of
about three miles. The militia will
bring up the rear, and the most strik-
ing feature of this part of the pageant
is always the cavalry, a thousand men
in scarlet and gold from top to toe, rid
ing five abreast on splendid white
horses. A score of brass bands, march
ing at equal distances, will furnish
plenty of music, and innumerable ban
ners and symbolmatic devices will be
flying along the line. In the midst,
enveloped in clouds of incense, the
body of the Bishop will be borne on an
uncovered catafalque, its black pail
hidden under fresh roses. 1t will be
carried by priests, but scores of black
ribbons extending from it will be held
by the President of the Republic, the
vice-president, Minister'S of Justice,
Foreign Ministers and other digni-
taries. The impressiveness of the
scene will be somewhat marred, / am
afraid, by the empty hearse, which has
already been prepared for it's part of
the show.
1t is dressed all over in purple and
white gauze, put on in billowy puffs to
represent clouds, spangled with silver
stars and hung with wreaths of paper
roses, and is expected to show itself off
by careering gaily to and fro. ...
The cemetery of La Paz is one of
finest in South America, excepting
those of Santiago de Chilli and Monte
video. Most of the dead are deposited
in inches, placed tier above tier in the
high walls that surround the enclos-
ure, each niche being just large enough
to slip in a coffin, or oftener a corpse
without a coffin. In a few days the
newly sealed door of one of these
inches will be labelled in letters Of
gold, Limo Senior Doctor Don Juan de
Dios Bosque Obisho de La Paz." The
high-sounding title, it translated into
English, which doubtless would have
nightly shocked His Holiness, would be
illustrious Sir, Mr.. Doctor John-of God
Wood" Bishop of La Paz.
Returning to our hotel we sit long on
the balcony musing in the twilight.
The soldiers who have been in a body
to kiss the dead Bishops hand are
marched three times around the plaza
to the music of gay waltzes and nation
al airs, before returning to their bar
racks on the hill top. Gray cowled
Franciscans glide away to their clois-
tiers; groups of white-robed friars hurry
to the San MERGED; priests, canons and
clergy hasten home to dinner, many
inclined to be jolly after the labor OF