Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-08-28
CHRIST STILL
CRUCIFIED IN
OUR OWN LAND
Ceremony Is Part of Religion
of Penitent Brothers of
New Mexico.
CREED DYING on,
By FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

| ALBUQUERQUE, n. NJ. Aug. 2s-In
this and other New Mexican towns, ehe
/ Eeople are rapidly. awakening to the fact
! that in their strange and beautiful
country they have commercial asset.
They now perceive that the historic
past, the picturesque present and the
wonders of nature are things which can
| be sold, like wool, beef and beans.
New Mexico has been o little late in
milking this discovery.
! Colorado found out long ago that there
is more gold In the tourist pocket thln
| ever was in Cripple Creek and that en-
! terprising state now has a long list Of
hotels of the $s-a-da -and-up variety.
New Mexico has fully as much to offer
in the way of scenery and amusement,
! but almost nothing in the way of first
class accommodations. However, new
| spirit is abroad in the land.
The New Mexican is beginning to real
| lie that when the fastener comes out
to rough 1t in the wilds. he likes to camp
! in q room and bath and that if you
charge him less than s. a day he is I'M
happy.
Prominent citizens are putting their
heads and their funds together; en-
/ thusiastic pow-wows are being held in
! Chambers of Commerce.
1t may be confidently predicted that
] lut uuuA4HAdhdblG lOhAAoh AbbSAf HANA 80
broad piazzas and lofty prices, will
| soon be feature of the southwestern
I scene.
| All Of which is an irrevelant prelude
! to the statement that there is one pic
| turesque phase of New Mexico life about
which her citizens are reticent
| The Navajos and the Pueblos, the
! horned toads and the mountains. the
sunshine and the scenery are all brought
to the attention of the visitor with craft
and JUNCTION.
| But little or nothing Is said about the
/ hermanos penitcntes.
( Picturesque they undoubtedly are and
| thrilling to look upon. but no sight-see-
/ ing parties are organized 10 witness
/ their rites
/ For some reason. slightly obscure. The
/ New Mexicans persist In regarding the
/ penitentes as a disgrace.
/ Last year a certain magazine published
/ letter saying, among other things that
/ were untrue, that the penitentes were
dominant influence in politics. and
an inordlnate amount Of excitement. cul-
| minsting in a threat Of prosecution from
/ the governor, was the immediate result
/ in New Mexico.
/ MEDIEVAL
/ REMNANT.
/ What. then, are these penitent broth
/ ers. whose .p!ety is regarded as scan
: dal?
/ The penitcnt brothers. or hermnnos
penitentes. arc religious fraternity.
/ long since outlawed by the church, the
/ members OF which practice seIfwhip
/ ping, crucifxion and other physical tOr.
I lures as n penance for their sins.
/ The practice originated IN The middle
/ ages In Spain. when ii was in good
{ church
/ brought to this country by the Spanish
/ conquerors.
/ 1t appears. although nothing debate
can .,e learned about the matter. that
some sort OF hagellant society existed
among the Indians here.
/ From the mipsling OF these two sects,
one Christian. and one pagan. among the
/ poems Of mixed Indian and spanish blood.
/ sprang the present organization OF the
I Hermanos penitentes.
/ At one time nearly all the natives OF
/ peon blood were members Of It's chap
( ters
/ Gradually its membership has declined,
/ giving way before the enlightenment that
/ has come with railways and public
I schools.
/ The Mexican OF the younger generation.
educated In public school. Is often an
up-to-date and coming young fellow.
I lie IS very likely an automobile me-
chanic or n lawyer
There Is no danger that he will have
I his back slashed with n Clipped fiiut and
/ 5elabored with a discipline for the glory
Of God.
Hence the tendency is for the chap
ters steadily 10 decline In membership.
dwindllng to a few Old timers who lash
( their backs but feebIy and deplore the
changing times.
| Thus we are told by one man who Is
wei posted that there are still four or
I five chapters in the Rio Grande valley
near Albuquerque. but none Of them
has more than twelve rr eighteen mem.
! bers
On the other hand In a certain noun
tain town far from a railroad. where the
! life OF the native goes on much as II
did a hundred years ago. We are told
that 500 penltentes were seen not long
ago In n single procession.
/ II is probably a fair statement Of the
case to say that the penltente sect is de-
clining and doomed everywhere except
In the remote mountain sections where
modern influences have been little felt.
PENITENTEs
UNIMPORTANT.
Under these circumstances It Is hard to
see why New Mexicans should be so SEN
sltive about IT,
The penitentes are no more primitive
than the Indians, and their ways have
as little to do with the commercial and
social life Of the state as have the ways
of the Indians
Furthermore. they are no more primi-
tive than people who can he found In
mountain sections Of many southern
states, in the spine barrens Of New Jer-
sey. and for that matter in the slums OF
New York and Chicago. And they are
vastly more picturesque and significant.
They are a true survival OF the age Of
faith.
In them Is the medieval soul. alive and
unchanged with it's unshakable faith in
redemption and immortality, its high
sc0rn Of blood and death.
The penitentes represent n step in the
progress of man. They are brutal and
bloody, II you will, but they have dig
nifty high courage and faith--things that
the race everywhere is losing now.
They deserve to he studied sympathet-
ically rather than ignored.
Our feeling OF superiority toward them
Is little uncalled for. too
The characteristics of their fraternity
are after all the characteristics Of fra
ternal organizations everywhere.
All such organizations have mystical
| beliefs and pompous ceremonies which
seem bit absurd to all but the par
Elephants.
| In all Of them the initiates are treated
! with more or less cruelty.