Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-08-21
Dr.. EDWARDS Letter

/ - $3.50 ~ -
last letter l. spoke Of the Christmal
celebration, but have just seen al
4 event that for strangness and unique
ness exceeds anything that has COME
before me. | have studied many re
/ hgions. in many lands. and have
found that in nearly all lands there
Is union of several different kinds
Of religion. 1t has remained for q
visit to this country to show me a
mixture Of Christian and pagan relig
Ion that is the most queer of all. II
talking with a Spanish priest who
looks after the religious welfare oil
savage and semisayage races Of diff
ferent countries, have discovered
that Catholic missionaries succeed
better than any other denomination
because they incorporate with their
rites and services certain rites that
the natives are loath to give up.
1t was explained to me by priest
in Mexico, when | was travelling in
that country, who said that the rites
desired by the natives did not inter
fere in the least with the Catholic
observances, and 1t was better tc
incorporate harmless things in the
church services than to antagonizs
those whom It was desired to con
vert to the Christian belief. This
explanation serves to harmonize
what | saw yesterday with the gen
eral ideas Of the church services as
I'VE know them In Our country.
4 The day was devoted to the feast
Of the animals, and was strictly 9
] religious service, ending up with
great jollification. I was walking II
one of the suburbs Of Binondo, ont
!, Of the parts of Manila, when l was
attracted by a crowd before a church
III am always looking out for thu
unusual, and / turned my steps thai
way. l was well repaid for the visit
and spent the entire day about thu
the neighborhood. At first / did no
understand what 1t meant but gradu
ally l noticed that the people wer'
all leading or carrying some animal
Here one would have a COW, ther'
, a donkey, or a horse, then a sheer
or a goat.
But this was not the queer part o.
it. All these animals were dressed
up in some grotesque manner.
COW walked sedately along with he
fore legs clothed In an old pair o
trousers, and on her head perchet
an old hat with holes for the ear
and horns; a donkey had his hint
legs similarly encased, while aroun'
his neck was a gaudy colored piec,
Of calico; one girl carried her pc
dog in her arms, and 1t was dresse,
: like a woman, with a gown and hat
a monkey is no unusual sight any
where, and in this crowd there wer'
dozens Of them, while cats innumer
able added strangeness to the scene
One sturdy Filipino carried a squea
ing pig under his arm. and 1t was
sight to behold. On each leg was
different colored piece Of cloth, 1t
head wore a night cap especial
to fit over its ears, while aroun
its body was a piece Of colored ca
leo, tied in a large double boy
knot on the back. One woman cal
ried large rooster dressed in ca
tco gown, and its head adorned wit
a little straw hat. There were hunt
reds of animals Of all kinds in tn
group. Everybody seemed intent o
getting close to the church, and as
waited | found the reason for
Suddenly a door opening onto a II
tie balcony above the crowd wa
drawn back and a priest with his a
sistants apperaed. He carries larg
brush In his hand, and this he dir
into a basin Of holy water held b
= one Of his assistants. Leaning TO
ward he blessed the animals an
then sprinkled the holy water fro
his brush over the crowd. Everybot
tried to get his or her animal und'
the priest so that some Of the hol
water might fall upon it, and thoi
who were fortunate retired, sati
fled that their animals would be We
for the coming year. This cont
" ued all day long, the priest appes
:, ing every half hour and goil
= through the same ceremony in ord
that all who came might have the
a animals blessed. After the drops
" holy water fell on the animals tn
III were carried off in triumph
the homes of their happy owners al
we're then kept in their gaudy clo'
Il ing until evening. During the mig