THE CHURCH AND ITS CEREMONIES. ] f',7 



of priests and acolytes, if not in t irae, at leant to the accompaniment of first-rate quadrille manic, 

 the show wan <|uit<- e^ual to a melodrama, and I could only wish it had been powiible to behold 

 it somewhat nearer. S-ime such .scene as this mii-t have l-e.-n witn..-.i i,\ Mdafg BUtt t-- 

 cause him t iletine the I toman Catholic religion as "posture and imposture, flexions and genu- 

 flexions, Lowing t< the right, courtesying to the left, and an immense amount of man-milli- 

 nerv." l'i -i -haps, utter all, the distance of my position lent enchantment. 



All at once the black veil which concealed the altar and its ornaments was drawn aside, dis- 

 playing it brilliantly illuminated. "Christ risen 1" pealed from the choir and organ ; the bells 

 throughout the city, which had been so long silent, were started to merry chimes; and the artil- 

 lery of Santa Lucia poured out its thunders in the national ecclesiastical rejoicing. At egress 

 from the church, when the services were completed half an hour later the apparent incubus 

 which had been hanging over Santiago was gone; shops were opened, displaying gaudy goods 

 to the moving multitudes let loose by the sound of the bells ; loaded carretas from the port 

 already occupied the plaza, tabooed to them during so many days ; and the thousand and one 

 peddlers, with their equally numerous varieties of goods, were again rendering the thoroughfares 

 a nuisance by their cries. 



EASTER SUNDAY. Were not so much time occupied in robing, unrobing, and re-robing tne 

 archbishop, high mass at the cathedral would be an attractive ceremony even to the uninitiated. 

 The arrangements for his toilet occupy full one half of the time ; and with this senseless draw- 

 back the service becomes irksome, especially when one is obliged to stand amid a crowd of 

 unwashed and unsavory peons, whilst the seats are filled with scores of priestlings, many of whom 

 have not yet entered their 'teens. To add to the annoyances, half a dozen fleas or so the 

 unfaithful wretches ! desert their lawful masters for strangers; and so closely is one pressed in 

 the crowd, that a finger cannot be raised to attempt arresting their frolicsome gambols, induced 

 at finding so fair a field to race over as the middle of one's back. 



At one time I began to think the archbishop would be so loaded down by robes that he would 

 not be able to walk, and mentally congratulated him on the change of temperature, which 

 would give him ability to support the heat of such a mass without much suffering. There was 

 most excellent music by the choir and organ ; quite an impressive sermon ; and, at the conclu- 

 sion, a pastoral letter of moderate length exceptionable only for the sentiments of intolerance 

 with which it terminated. From the dignity and rank of the officiating priests, and intrinsi- 

 cally, the service as one of the highest known to the church was an interesting one. An old 

 gentleman, to whom a portion of the ritual was assigned, began reading from the missal at a 

 place appropriated to another occasion, and it was some minutes before the master of ceremonies 

 could set him right, having made somewhat unholy haste to do so from the vicinity of the altar. 

 In other lands, it is to be feared that such a scene would have brought smiles and titters to the 

 countenances of more than one of the congregation, but there was no such exhibition here; and 

 I could but think it a pity to mortify the venerable prelate by such interruption ; for, even had 

 his aged voice been audible, all pages of the book are alike unintelligible to the multitude. 



It is alleged as one reason for anticipating the resurrection, and celebrating it on Saturday, 

 that the number of prayers and lessons could not be gotten through with in reasonable time on 

 a single day. Yet it is quite certain, as has already bfl& said, that more than one half of the 

 whole time of yesterday and to-day was consumed in displaying the archbishop's wardrobe, 

 either on.the salvers or on his person; music only, and that often selections from operas, accom- 

 panying the exhibitions. If this be a part of the religion, nothing more can be said ; if not, 

 they had better read more prayers in a language understood by the audience, and practise fewer 

 theatrical shiftings. 



SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. By sunset of the preceding day, the ringing of church-bells and firing 

 of rockets at the same places, heralded the advent of another fiesta Quasimodo the day on 

 which is celebrated "Christ visiting the sick." Such an uproar was kept up throughout the 

 night, that it was not an easy matter to sleep. 



