The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-03
CENTRAL AMERICA AS
ALARGE MISSION FIELD
Spanish CITY of 10000 Inhabitan is Which Was Newly Painted Tor
Secretary Knox-The Capital Of Guatemala-How the Town
Looks With It's Great Cathed rals-Newspaper Advertisements
$1,000 Page.

and the whole church is magnificent.
Leaving the cathedral and driving
! about through the city, one sees hne
churches or church buildings in al
most every lock. In the past the
| people were much more devout- than
they are now and the priests had
more power. Today some OF n OLD
converts have been turned INTO gov
ernment Offices and h administration
is rather opposed to the church than
in favor Of il.
One Of the most interesting Of the
ecclesiastical buildings is the Church
of SantO Domingo. . 1t was begun
! when the city was founded, and was
completed at about the same time
, that Thomas jefferson left the White
! are said to be laid in a mortar mixed
with milk and cane juice, sup
piled by one Of the nahobs of the past.
In it's vaults are the munlMlies OF the
| early friars.
The Church Of San Francisco, which
was begun in 1880, had its mortar
mixed with the whites Of eggs, bu
just how many eggs were employed
is not known. The church once had
q convent connected with it, and at
one time It was used as a pantheon
for the burial Of distinguished per-
sons. The church has low been taken
over by the government. and the gem
eral postofice occupies the convent.
Many OF the churches are shrines,
ond TO Of them pilgrims come
from all oeer Guatemala. In the
Church Of La MERGED is a statue,
consecrated in 1717, so that it is al
most 200 years Odd. It is considered
especially holy. and is a faVorite
shrine.
a Good Mission Field.
And Just here I would say that Qua
tema!at is a splendid field for mission
AIRY work. The people are Catholics,
the middle ages and they need regen-
Grafton. The work shoUld be don by
our Catholic missionaries, who would
/ believe. find the grain ripe for the
hervest. 1t must be remembered that
a great majority OF these GuateInalans
are Indians. Guatemala has more
than two million population, n Of
these about 1.5GO, 600 have no white
blood. The Indians are divided up
into tribes, and many OF the tribes
nave a mixture Of CATHOLICISM and OF
their old faith. They have their nriests
but they also have medicine men and
fire and devil worship. This is SO OF
the Quiches, who are descended from
the Toltecs, who ruled Mexico before
!, the Aztecs. There are several humid
red thousand Of them.
The Indians Of Guatemala are nat
urally devout. The greater support
. Of the church comes from. them, and
l see a half dozen red men to every
: white ma in the churches. 1t is per
= haps due to the Indians that the Vol
The statues in the churches are gor-
: geously decorated. In some place:
the Christ is clad in 4 WOODEN gowr
like a monk, and nearly everywhere
the wax Madonnas have gowns Of
= brocaded silk and their heads ARK
u decorated with jewels.
las il is now the church Is very poor
q And With the opposition OF h gov
eminent it is difficult to support tht
= clergy. The priests are not free t
" speak as they please, and the power
. and wealth which they had in the pas
y mission work, there is some carried OF
u by >the Presbyterians, the Methodist
- and the Evangelists. I am q Presby
terian myself, out l really believe tn
! best work can be carried on by tn
u Catholics, and that Central Americ;
e should be given over 10 them. VIVA
is wanted is not a new faith, but a re
y generation. revivifying and moderni
a cation of what h people believe now
" and this can be much more easily am
effectively accomplished by our Cath
Ollie church as it Is today.
Is The Theater and the Bull Ring.
l. But you must not III that Guate
q mala, is all churches. 1t has a fin
g theater and a we'll patrcnized bul
ring. The theateE is named after Co
n lumbus, and it's building was modele
ID after the Church OF the Madelaine, j
Paris. 1t has a subsidy from the gov
h eminent, and stars are brought i
Re from Italy, Spain and Mexico.
The bull ring is right near the Cen
trail railway station, and during tn
season all clesses meet there Sunda
20 afternoons to see the fun. Now an
g, then bulls are imported from Spai
to contest with the Gusternalan bull
lie, and some Of the cnief spanish bul
at fighters come here TO take part. AS
be rule. however, the animals used al
oxen with now and then an old blu
,2, for a change.
ut There are always good bands at II
bull fights and the city has plenty
music. The military bands play
gs the parks and On Sunday Afternoon
cd ,;ch ard moor walk about there ar