THE PAEAGUAY MISSIONS. 311 



in their canoes, or forcing a patli through the forest, the Fathers intoned hymns, 

 while the savages emerged from the recesses to listen to their homilies. During 

 the processions the ground was strewn with bright flowers and sweet- smelling 

 herbs, and birds held by a string fluttered around the triumphal arches. As the 

 Blessed Sacrament was borne aloft, the natives presented the produce of the chase 

 and the fruits of their gardens ; musicians accompanied the cortege, and the day 

 concluded with a display of fireworks. 



Such appeals to the untutored savage mind were irresistible, and even the 

 most refractory were at last drawn within the fold. Between 1610 and 1768 

 over 700,000 were baptized, and in 1730 the reductions, some 30 in number, had 

 a collective population of more than 133,000 converts. These statistics were 

 carefully kept, for the missionaries had to pay the king a dollar a head, receiving 

 in return a free hand in their government of the congregations. 



Once bent to the yoke, the catechumens strictly followed the prescribed rules. 

 At dawn the children trooped to the church for the exercises of song and prayer, 

 while the whole community assisted at mass. In the evening the children 

 returned for instruction in the catechism, after which all took part in prayer, the 

 day ending with the recitation of the rosary. On Sunday the ceremonies 

 were redoubled, and those of the faithful gifted with a good memory were 

 expected to repeat the sermons by heart. All work was strictly regulated ; 

 each family received its plot of land, with the necessary allowance of seed- 

 corn, and oxen to plough the field. But it was at the same time responsible 

 for the good condition of the animals and of the crops, of which it enjoyed only 

 the usufruct. 



The part of the territory cultivated in common wa-s the Tapamhno, " Property 

 of God," the harvest being stored against bad years, and for the support of the 

 feeble, orphans, and artisans. The excess was transported to Buenos Ay res 

 by the rivers, and exchanged for sumptuous objects introduced from Europe for 

 the adornment of the churches. Round the central square were disposed the 

 workshops of the craftsmen — carpenters, masons, locksmiths, weavers, metal- 

 lurgists, flute and fiddle-makers, sculptors, architects, gilders, carvers, and even 

 painters — who were taught to look on their work as an act of faith, and to make 

 the embellishment of the churches a labour of love. All shortcomings noticed 

 by the overseers, reported by the faithful, revealed in the confessional or by 

 public avowal, involved corporal chastisement. The penitent had to appear in 

 church before the congregation, and submit to the stripes, while thanking God 

 and the good fathers for the correction. 



In this " model republic," sustained by a hateful system of espionage pervading 

 all classes, from the highest to the lowest, the rule of the priests was absolute. 

 Yet they hesitated to place arms in the hands of their subjects, even to defend 

 the missions. Nevertheless, they were several times driven by urgent necessity 

 to take action against the Paulistas. Between 1638 and 1661 they gained four 

 victories over the aggressors ; but after each triumph they disarmed the people 

 through fear of the influence acquired by the chiefs, whom success had made 



