THE PARDON OF FIRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 79

THE PARDON OF FIRE.

QUAINT OLD CHURCH CUSTOMS. One of the most picturesque of the many; Brittany "pswions, -or church feasts, is the pardon of fire at Plouganou in Finistere. On Jane 22 ,tne dam interior of the old church of St. Jean dp Doigt^-so eattetf because it is said to posseea among its Telics a finger of St. Joan — had been mad' 3 gay with countless baasaers and etranida of coloured paper flowera. The porches, too, TBexe hung with flowers and greens. Upon- every available bit of ground* Taooths were erected, *h* one stoeet taking on such a gala ai. as to indicate & »umtry fair rather than a • religious festival. Aft through the long night the murmur -of voices continued, and with the rising of the.sun. Eager faces, wwtcning for th« dawn of a cloudless day, were greeted ■ with clear skies and bright sunshine, for, according to superstition, if the rain falls amd the fire of the Taut**- be not lighted, the sun will never onoe shine during the year to follow. At 10 o'clock the bells announced the hour of mass, and the . crowd ' Tlocked into the gaily-decked church. It was a charming yet suirious sight to see the vast concourse of Breton women (the male ccx being Tather/ in the minority), wearing the usual black gown, but their shoulders covered with shawls of exquisite textnre and the most delicate colours, each community wearing its urn particular headdress. Near the entrance of the sacristy, witWn tfce wall, ia ,a baaa of holy water, and above it are <rut tie word*, "Itaisr ar Bis" (water of the finger), dose- beside this basin b&ngs a bas-relief ©f the head oi St. Jean, ikt* in rather dilapidated condition, as fre* qaenfc — Kisses Upon His Submissive Countenance — have despoiled him of much of the colouring wit* which he wa« originally adorned. As the moving throng, lame, halt, and blind, ad>vanoed towards the altar at the close of tbe mass each fcesto-wed s Tasa upon the cheek ol tiae image of ii&efe patron saint, at the Jsame time dipping their hands into the basin of holy water and applying it liberally to their faces, particularly tKe eyes. At the altar rail stood the waiting priest, who first touched their heads with a»' im»fce ol St. . Mleriadek, then applied the sacred finger to Uieir eyes as a cure. Wfoen the vesper bells ring, tbe T«al ceremony of the day is at hand: It lacked but a few minutes of 4 o'clock, -when, according to custom, clergy, choir, and people went up Urn hill to the arose-roads to meet the pflgrirae from Plouganoo. Vespers over, outi they came, like r swarm of brilliant-Iroedl butterflies, wending tbeir way to- the hill above, led by the otfeiarting clergy ia glittering white and goH vestments, bearing: the sacred finger, uroich rested in a. little glass-encased arkt Ifcece followed ai score .or- more of Breton B*»idensr cbreaMd in white, thek heads crowned! with stiffly/ starched caps of the finest embroidery : — Leading a flauwy Ztamb— — came a s*ftny-hasred .child of six or seven years, wearing a sheepskin coat, typifying St. Jean and the lamb, Tbe peasoati ; folk fell into line on the end. Singing amd chanting as they -went, they made their waj to the heights above, circling around tae huge pyramid of the Tantadi, which sttod Site a mammoth funeral pyre,

$£ summit crowned with a cross of green, S>ady for a touch to transform it into a ving thing of fiery splendour. From the £ower of the church to the foot of the Hound a rope had been st'-etthed, over [ prhach the "Dragon" was to descend. Be%>xe the pyramid rockete were fastened.

r and th« expectant multitude ■waited eagerly for these to be set aflt, -which •would be a signal for those in the far-off i tower to place the "DTagon" in readiness 1 for hl« flight through space. The rock©* hjjed skyward, the tij^D was < ji\«L> tiie

chuToh chimes sent out their joyous melody over valley and hill, —The "Dragon" Started on Hi? (Way.— A touch, and snake-like flames crept here aaid there through the crackling gorse. As the Tantad burned those who came to be cured of their blindness or lingering ills drew closer to the crimson, glowing flames, hoping and praying that the magic power hidden within its fiery depths may touch them as with a healing 'hand. Once again' the finger of St. Jean was applied to piteous, beseeching eyes, | and again the procession circled' about the I sacred fire. , Then, having once more > raised on high their bright banners, they ■ descended- the hill, over the shady road with its canopy of poplar and ash, chanting as they went. In the church the procession was disbanded, and the great ceremony was over. At this fete it is the custom for -.'All Marriageable Maidens — of the tuanmunity to place themselves in evidence for prospective bridegrooms, and tbft situation is accepted 1 in all seriousness. This ceremony is called the "Kinadek" < pronounced "Shinadiek). Before I the churchyard/ entrance was drawn up i in line a goodly number of exceedingly | plain-faced Breton girls. In one hand each held an umbrella or parasol. There sauptered by a varied assortment of shy and awkward country beaux, possibly life companions for these buxom Breton girls. When a face appealed to the wife-seeker he would shamble forward toward the lady of his choice, take from her hand the umbrella, which no doubt had become a burden, and they would then link arm's and walk off, or she would step out of the line and follow, falling into step beside him. One eager Breton kd, unable to make a choice between two girls who had strongly appealed to his fanciful mind, stood for a moment, lost in contemplation, then taking an umbrella from each, walked serenely on, with a girl clinging to each arm, all supremely, content, trusting to Fate for a happj' outcome of a momentous and, to them, a vital question. DRAMATIC SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. There was a very dramatic scene in the House of Lords recently when the South African Constitution Bill, which makes a nation out of the South African colonies, passed its second reading. It was an amazing sequel to the. war, for there on the steps of the throne was General Botha — perhaps the first Premier of the new nation — and other South African statesmen who have not always had friendly eyes for our land. —People Who Were There.— "It was a dramatic scene on which the scores of peeresses in the side galleries looked down," -writes the Mail parliamentary correspondent. "Great administrators like Lord Cromer and Lord Selborne (High Ctoramdaeianer of South Africa) sat side by side on the crossbenches, while others, like Lord Lansdowne, Lord Curzon, Lord Morley, and Lord MaoDonneJil, were on their respective party sides. White-robed bishops at one end of the scarlet benches diversified the picture. Slim figured Lord Crewe, the Colonial Secretary, stood at the table in the middle of the House explaining in measured phrase the bill which paves the way for the uniting oi vast tracts of the British Empire in one vast sub-empire of itself. "Most striking of all were the South African witnesses of the scene. Seated on the steps of the throne was a broadshouldered man, with strong face and steady eyes, watching and listening with quiet interest. It was General Botha, who only a few short years ago, rifle slung at his back, was leading his people in fight against us. Xow the Premier of the Transvaal, he is one of the foremost servants of the King. By virtue of his position of Phivy Councillor he was admitted to the little space round the throne. He sat on the eteps at the extreme left — a splendid specimen of virile manhood — while by his side were the venerable Sir Henry de Vilhers and other South African statesmen. • — Botha's Pi*esence. — "Among ihoee who shook hands in cordial greeting with General Botha and his companions was Lord Curzon, who left his seat and walked the length of the House in order to do it. Mrs Botha and the wives of the other South African delegates had places in the galleries. "Lord Crewe, in moving the second reading of the bill, said that it closed a chapter in the history of South Africa — 'a chapter which has been varied, sometimes agitated, but not, on the whole, inglorious or unfruitful. The whole pa.^t hiftory of Houth Africa becomes a common po*s©3sion for ever of all the racep. " 'So far as we can ace ahead, this net of union places the self-governing dominions of the King in something like their fiinl form — the great American s joup, the great Pacific gioup,. and now ( in gieat African gioup.' " — Ciedit to C.-B. Lord Oi owe ; l-o trace'l event* for 400 yen- — how the Cape wa 4 -. at fir<-t tieated .is a ni' if Mopping-place on the hitjh road to the E.v-t. To the visit*, of Portuguese, Dutch, and British the hitths of the coionics were to be attributed, and, de\ eloping thi<s idea, he showed that for many year.* past there had been a groping in the direction of union, the originator of which was Sir George Grey. Coming on to the period after the declaration oi peace in 1902 the movement for union progres.-ed until it now culminated in this bill. "The historian of the future would undoubtedly point out that this particular act of union had been made possible by the action of the Government of the late P^inis JMmiVter, &r JZenry C'amubcll

Banhenolan, bi g6T*ding i, Oomftijssfon td \ Sotith Africa in 1.908," fended Lard ifreifa. ! "He thought this credit wae due to Sir Gentry Campbell-Baruiecrtnan and his own pradeoeissor in the Colonial Office, Lord Elgin." i Lord Ourzon congratulated the Govern- ! ment heartily, and Lord Lansdowne, the Unionist leader, joined in the chorus of praise. ; A HUSBAND WHO WOULD NOT SPEAK. I In the opinion of the Official Referee of New Park, New Jersey, silence on th« part of a husband, when prolonged over a period of years, or wihen occurring in unduly large slabs over comparatively small periods, is just as muoti legal cruelty to a wife «s neglect to providie her -witii clothes and' food. He therefore granted! 'Mrs Blickensdorf'e petition for divorce. Her husband, silent to the bitter end, merely sent a friend to court to cay he had nothing to adkl to wihat he had said to his wife before their marriage, «nid, further, that Mrs JBlackeoisdorf had more than enough to say far any two people, and finally tihat Mis Blickensdorf's persistent loquacity was just as galling as prolonged silence. A stream, of witnesses swors before, the Referee that. MrBlick«nsdoTf maintained a spMnk-like wooden, impenetrable silence ever since four years ago, when he mumbled responses at his wedding. For four years Mrs Blickenedorf tried by, every artifice known to woman to make her husband talk, but in be. testimony before the Referee she admitted that she failed. At first she squeezed bis hand and chucked him under the chin, 'but the only response she got was a stony stare. Then ehe burnt the soup, put salt in his coffee, and finally she had tried putting tin. tacks on his chair. All in vain; etdll he waa speechless. —A Careful Man With Hie Talk.— Several neighbours testified they had not heard him say a word in six or seven years. "We even took him to fireworks, one night, to see if he would say 'Ah !' " .said one witness, "but we oouldn'i get him to open up. He is the most careful man in the world with his talk. It ie worse for a man to be able to talk and to be always silent than to be dumb." "Yes, indleed," ejaculated Mrs Blickensdorf, weeping before the jury. "In summer," she continued, "he sat in the yard all day, and long into the night, silent as a wooden man. And in winter he kept close to the stove, and burned the wood and coal she carried i», but said never a word. Previous to marriage my husband talked fluently, but was never what you would call a born talker." The Blickensdoirfs were married in 1905. At ' the wedding breakfast Mr Blickensdorf, after murmuring what was taken for an apology, huried off to work. When he came back in the evening his bride met him at tfie door with an affectionate smile. • Blickensdorf returned the smile, and hurried i«nto th« house, where h« sat do^rn. Mrs Blickensdorf started conversation with a remark about the weather. From this she led to the question what he would like for diiniver, but got no answer to any of her observations-. At last she wept, but even tears failed to melt her husband's silence or abate his stony stare. Becoming desperate at the silence which pervaded her home, Mars Blickensdorf admitted to the Referee that she had not cared 1 very much of late what her husband would say when he finally did consent to open his mouth. When important matters came up for consideration he would sometimes condescend to shake his head, and 1 indicate hia opinion in that way. Once, and it was a red-letter day for Mrs Blickenedorf, he moved his lips as if about to say something, but, evidently changing his mind, closed his lips again. And co an end came to Mts Blickensdorf's endurance, and the Referee has now given her a chance of finding a more loquacious helpmate.