ifling difference in its phases as exhibited
in the Greek and the Latin Churches, but the difference is too slight
for us outsiders to notice. In Mexico it exists in its most
unadulterated state, less contaminated than elsewhere with
Protestantism or other foreign substances.

PENANCES.

The old farce of self-castigation is here still enacted, as it has been
for three hundred years, but in the dark, _of course_; and blood, or
some substitute for it, is heard to fall upon the floor by the few
selected witnesses;[70] but a party of boys, report says, being
somewhat skeptical about the quality of this blood, concealed
themselves in the church, and when the pious farce began, took so
active a part in the sport upon the naked backs of the fathers, as to
inflict bodily injury, and break up the bloody entertainment. Still
Protestantism has been felt in Mexico, if not embraced, and the common
people look back to the happy time when the soldiers of their
Protestant conquerors made money plenty among them, and when
even-handed justice was dealt out alike to rich and poor, high and low.
Though the foreigners laughed at the fables of the priests and
ridiculed the monks, they yet were honest in their dealings with the
people instead of taking by violence. As there are no people so
besotted that they do not admire courage and honesty, so the _Paisano_
looks upon the heretic as a man of a superior race to himself.

[68] I have selected three cases of taking the veil, to which I
have added captions, which lift the veil from this practice of
consecrating young girls to superstitions uses. They are
extracted from Madame Calderon's Life in Mexico.

_Taking the Veil._

"I followed the guide back into the sacristy [of the convent],
where the future nun was seated beside her grandmother, in the
midst of her friends and relations, about thirty in all.

"She was arrayed in pale blue satin, with diamonds, pearls, and a
crown of flowers. She was literally smothered in blonde and
jewels; and her face was flushed, as well it might be, for she
had passed the day in taking leave of her friends at a fete they
had given her, and had then, according to custom, been paraded
through the town in all her finery. And now her last hour was at
hand. When I came in, she rose and embraced me with as much
cordiality as if we had known each other for years. Be