Petals Plucked from Sunny ClimesBrooks, A. M. (Abbie M.)
History
Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes
Brooks, A. M. (Abbie M.)
Cuba -- Description and travel; Florida -- Description and travel; Florida -- History
There are also eight other altars of less dimensions, where the
more humble kneel to receive consolation. The priest looks as ancient as
the religion he represents, and chants mass with an intonation that
would be creditable to one less in years. With fine music, choice
paintings from Spanish and Italian masters, representing saints preceded
by a record of unsullied purity, upon which were beaming subdued rays of
light through stained glass of rare design and workmanship, besides all
that could be attractive in a church and service combined, there were
only about fifty persons present, including white and black. The edifice
was designed to seat only a few of the congregation. A noticeable
peculiarity in attending worship here is that each lady-worshiper is
accompanied by a servant, who carries a low cane-seated chair for her
mistress to occupy during service, and an elegant rug made of long, soft
cashmere goat's hair, beautifully dyed, which is placed in front of the
chair. On this mat the mistress kneels to repeat her devotional
exercises, with an ease which would have been considered quite
sacrilegious by St. Francis, or any of those old hair-shirt-wearing
friars. The servant in attendance, if young, kneels by the side of her
mistress upon the marble tiles, where she is expected to repeat all the
prayers connected with the ritual. If she is seen gazing about, as an
admonition to give attention to her religious duties, she receives a tap
on the head from her mistress's hand, which causes her lips to move
again, and her eyes to cease their voyages of discovery. Old servants
kneel behind their mistress, and go through the forms of worship as a
religious duty and safeguard against sin. At 11 o'clock A.M. the poor
people attend church in the same place; the heat is too fervent for the
rich to venture out then. Spiritual consolation is a commodity not much
sought after in this market by rich or poor, if the numbers in
attendance are any criterion. What few are assembled go through the
service in a hurried, business-like manner, which has no soul in it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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