A RELIGIOUS PROCESSION 
making pretence of atheism in a very acute form. “ Down 
with faith: down w r ith religion: down with the priests! ” 
was their cry. 
Yet, much to my amazement — I was there in Easter 
week —- one evening there was a religious procession 
through the town. What did I see? All those fierce 
atheists, with bare, penitent heads stooping low, carrying 
lighted candles and wooden images of our crucified 
Saviour and the Virgin! The procession was extremely 
picturesque, the entire population, dressed up for the oc¬ 
casion, being out in the streets that night, while all the 
men, including the policemen and federal soldiers, all 
bareheaded, walked meekly along in the procession, each 
carrying a candle. When the procession arrived at the 
church, the Presidente himself — another atheist — re¬ 
spectfully attended the service; then the priest came out 
and delivered a spirited sermon to the assembled crowds 
in the square. Then you saw those atheists, old and 
young, civil and military, again kneeling on the hard and 
irregular paving-stones, where some had taken the pre¬ 
caution to spread their handkerchiefs so as not to soil 
their trousers, beating their chests and murmuring 
prayers, and shaking their heads in sign of repentance. 
Such is the world! The prettiest part of the procession 
was that formed by the young girls, all garbed in immacu¬ 
late white, and with jet-black hair—-masses of it — hang¬ 
ing loose upon their shoulders. The chanting was musical, 
and the whole affair most impressive. 
I had received somewhat of a shock in the morning on 
passing the principal church; there were five or six-in 
Goyaz. Spread out upon the pavement was the life-size, 
wooden figure of our Saviour, which had evidently long 
been stored in a damp cellar, much mildewed, and left 
in the sun in preparation for the evening performance. 
The red wig of real hair, with its crown of thorns, had 
been removed and was drying upon a convenient, neigh- 
111 
