T BIN ID AD : THEN AND NOW. 



821 



intended to represent the crowd of men, with torches 

 and staves, sent by the Chief priests to arrest Our 

 Saviour in the Garden of Gethsemane." 



I (the writer) do not agree with either version, 

 both are far-fetched and mere guess work. The fol- 

 lowing was the real reason for this procession. Car- 

 nival was originally held on three days, instead of as 

 at present two, viz : Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 



The religious susceptibility of the better class of 

 people were aroused and they protested against the 

 sacredness of the Sunday being disturbed by this 

 saturnalia. Consequently Sunday was prohibited 

 from being one of the days on which the Carnival 

 could be held — df the legislature did what was done 

 in later years, name the hour at which it was to begin 

 it would have been a wise measure, but they did not 

 and as Sunday was considered as ending at 12 o'clock 

 midnight, it opened the door for the re-introduction 

 of the old torchlight procession formerly held in 

 celebration of the abolition of slavery. This cer- 

 tainly was a short-sighted policy and was the means 

 of introducing the more objectionable features, that 

 could not have taken place in the light of day. 



Anyway, Cannes Brulee had been established on 

 an illegal basis and no matter how long a weak exe- 

 cutive had winked at it its days were numbered, 

 but not without a struggle. Captain Baker was 

 appointed head of the Trinidad Police Force, and 

 taking a little time to look about him he soon saw 

 the objectionable part and the danger to the town the 

 Cannes Brulee procession played in the festival 



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