Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-06-05
TRIP TO THE Orient
Clarence e. Edwords Touring the
Eastern Countries.
~ IS OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN IN MEEK
LY LETTERS, WHICH WILL Ap.
PEAR IN THE RECORDER.

mas celebration, DuC haSO J"oV
seen an event that for strangeness
and uniqueness exceeds anything
that has come before me. | have
studied many religions, in many
lands. and have found that in near
Nv all lands there is a union OF sew
eral different kinds of religion. 1t
has remained for visit to this
country to show me a mixture OF
Christian and pagan religion that
is the most queer of all, In talk
ing with Spanish priest, who
looks after the religious welfare OF
savage and semi-savage races OF
different countries, | have discov-
er.d that Catholic missionaries sue
coed better than any other denom-
nation because they incorporate
with their rites and services certain
rites that the natives are 10th to
give up.
1t was explained to me by a
priest in Mexico; when | was trav-
cling in that country, who said that
the rites desired by the natives did
not interfere in the least with the
Catholic observances, and it was
better to incorporate harmless
things in the church services than
to antagonize those whom it was
desired to convert to the Christian
belief. This explanation serves to
harmonic what / saw yesterday
with the general ideas of the church
services as we know them In our
country.
The day was devoted to the feast
of the animals, and was strictly a
religious service, ending up with
great jollifcation. | was walking
| in ED of tle suburbs of Binondo,
one of the parts of Manila, when l
was attracted by crowd before a
church. l am always looking out
for the unusual, and | turned my
steps that way. was well repaid
for the visit, and spent the entire
dav about the church and most OF
the night in the neighborhood. AT
first | did not understand what II
meant, but gradually | noticed that
the people were all leading or car
irving some animal. Here one
would have COW, there donkey
or a horse, then a sheep or a goat
But this was not the queer part
of it. All these animals were
dressed up in some grotesque man
ner. A COW walked sedately along
with her fore legs clothed in an ole
par CT trousers, and on her heat
perched an old hat with holes to-
the ears and horns; a donkey hat
his hind legs similarly encased
while around his neck was gaud.
colored piece of calico; one girl car
ried her pet dog in her arms, ant
it was dressed like woman, witt
a gown and hat; a monkey is nj
unusual sight anywhere, and in thu
crowd there were dozens of them
while cats innumerable adde'
strangeness to the scene,
One sturdy Filipino carried
\
squealing pig under his arm, and
was a sight to behold. On eacl
leg was a different colored piece o
cloth, its head wore night cal
especially made to fit over its ears
while around it's body was a piec
of colored calico, tied in a larg
double bow knot on the back. On
woman carried a large rooste
dressed in calico gown, and 1t
head adorned with a little stray
hat. There were hundreds of AMI
mails of all kinds in the group. Ev
erybody seemed intent on gettin
close to the church, and as l walt
ed I found the reason for it. Sud
denly a door opening onto a littl
balcony above the crowd was draw
back, and a priest with his assist
ants appeared. He carried a larg
brush in his hand, and this ne dip
ed into a basin of holy water he'll
by one of his assistants. Leanln
forward he blessed the animals an