New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-14
HEARN'S DESCRIPTION.

or the carnival. az which these satirical
songs spring up like poisonous fungi
Hearn draws vivid picture. projecting u
with terrible dramatic effect against an
account Of a plague Of smallpox. There Is
last masquerade before. Lent OF Ash
Nyednesday-thc CARNIVAL lasts q day long
er IN Martinique than anywhere else. Since
January there has been dancing every
day in the streets of St Pierre; such
dancing a. might be INDUCED I'm. pre-
sumably By decorous persons: but I'm the
country districts African dances have
been danced-such dances as the city
never sees. Nevertheless a cloud rests
upon the gayety because La Verette. a
terrible and unfamiliar visitor TO the ISL
and. has made her advent. The pesti-
lence. brought from Colon on the steamer
in the preceding September, has now
begun 10 sweep St Pierre. as IL had al
ready swept Fort de France. as by
wind Of death Hundreds are dying. but
there must be the usual procession OF
maskers. mummers and merrymakers.
Three o'clock There Is a sound Of drums
The people tumble into the streets and
crowd into the public square:
simultaneously from north and south
from the MOuillagc and the Fort. two
Immense bands enter from Grandc Rue
the great dancing societies these---the
n0HS-SOuci and the IrcpidcS They are
rivals they are the composers and sing
ers Of those carnival songs-cruel satires
most often. Of which the local meaning IL
unintclligible To those uracquaintcd with
the incident inspiring the Improvisation.
Of which the words are too often coarse
or obscene whose burden will be caught
up and re-echOed through all the burghs
of tire island. Vile rs may be the motive
the satire. the malice, these chants arc
preserved for generations by the singular
beauty of the airs, and the victim of q
carnival song need never hope that his
failing or his wrong viii Toe forgotten, il
will he sung long after he is In his grave.
All al once a hush comes over the mob
the drums stop and the maskers scatter
A priest I'm his vcstments passes by. carry
ing the viaticum to some victim OF the
dreadful scourge. "C'cSt BoH-Die la passep
1T is the Good-God who goes by" Then
the merriment goes on Night falls. The
maskcrs crowd into the bathrooms, and
through the black Streets the Devi makes !
his last carnival round:
BY the CLEAN OF the old-fashioned oil !
lamps hung across the thorOughfares / |
can make out few details Of his costume |
lie Is clad I'm red. wears hideous blood |
colored mask and a cap Of which the |
-four sides are formed by four looking |
glasses. the whole headdress being sur |
mounted By red lantern. He has a /
white wig made Of horsehair TO make him |
look weird and old-since the Devil Is |
older than the world. Down the street |
he comes. leaping nearly his own height, !
chanting words without human slgnifca- /
ton and followed by some three hundred .
boys. who form the chorus to his chant,
All clapping hands together and giving
tongue with a sinuitaneity that testihes
how strongly the sense Of rhythm enters
into the natural musical feeling Of the !
African--a feeling powerful enough 10 i'm
nose Itself upon ali Spanish-A America and
there create the unmista kable character
istics OF all that is called creole music
"Bmbolo :"
"Zlmabolo 80