this absurd notion; he will not even be seen carrying a small bundle through the streets. Refuse him pecuniary assistance if you will, but do it courteously and as an equal; and if you value his good opinion never suggest that he should go to ploughing or hoeing for a living. Ostensibly, he is seldom a mendicant; he usually frames his petition in the form of a courteous request for a small "loan," which of course he never expects to pay. In all probability he would not ask for it if he thought you expected him to return it, or if he really thought you were unable to lose it, or would ever afterwards remind him of it. But if by some unforeseen turn of fortune's wheel, your relative positions should become reversed, he will quite as readily advance you a "loan" as he now solicits one. "Once a gentleman always a gentleman" seems to be his motto; for no matter how reduced in circumstances, his associates never cut his acquaintance, nor address him other than as "Señor."

The Bogotano is nothing if not scrupulously polite and formal both in speech and manner. He never thinks of saluting you in the street without removing his hat, or of leaving you without asking "your permission." Even among the middle and lower classes, there is always the most perfect courtesy and deference. There are no boisterous or hurried salutations, no scarce perceptible nod of the head with a swinish grunt for "Good-morning." If he feels secure in his social position, he never waits for a lady acquaintance to speak first when he happens to meet her in the street. He will lift his hat and even speak to her before being formally introduced, provided he knows who she is; and she, so far from taking offence, rarely fails to return his salutation. But if she is not married, and he is a bachelor or a widower, they cannot see each other alone, even in her own parlor. Her mother or elder married

sister, or her aunt, or her dueña, or some member of the family must be constantly present. Such is the unwritten law of social ethics in the Colombian capital, and the belle who dares to violate it loses caste. But she may talk and flirt with a male acquaintance to her heart's content if her mother happens to be present, or if there happens to be an iron-grated window between. them.

Every man of local prominence is sure to be a "doctor," if he is not a "general;" the first is usually a politician, the last a military leader by brevet or out of commission. There are no brevet "colonels" and "judges," as with us; but all pedagogues are "professors," and every man out of alpargattes and rauanas 2 is a "Señor." In compensation for this bit of extravagance, ward politicians and aldermen are never "Hons."; blacksmiths and butchers are never "Esqs."; and there are no "lady cooks"!

No matter what may be his financial condition, the average Bogotano somehow always manages to dress well. No matter how poorly he may live at home, he generally appears well in the streets. He has a horror of looking shabby. He will attend a funeral service in the forenoon in full evening dress, but is never seen, even at an informal evening reception or at a dinner, in a Prince Albert frock-coat and colored cravat. He

must be in full evening dress. He rarely appears in the streets without gloves, and never without his black plug hat. In damp weather he is inseparable from his black silk umbrella, and in dry weather he is seldom without his gold-headed cane. The street and church

1 I. e. Doctor of Laws.

2 Alpargattes are sandals made of hemp; a rauana is a blanket with a hole cut in the middle. Both are worn in the streets by common people only.

dress of the ladies is always black; at balls and parties they wear the latest Parisian styles. No lady will be seen under a hat or bonnet at church, and it is only within the last few years that a lady is ever seen wearing a bonnet in the street. She adheres rigidly to the traditional black-lace mantilla, which she adjusts over her head and shoulders in a most bewitching manner; but, unlike her husband or brother, she ignores gloves entirely.

The peon class of both sexes wear straw hats and alpargattes, but seldom trouble themselves with socks or stockings. They will wash their feet on Sundays and feast days, when they wish to put on a new pair of sandals, but seldom otherwise. The house servants usually dress better, though in the same style of garments. You may coax your butler or man-servant to appear in the dining-room or at the front door in swallow-tail coat, white cravat, and patent-leather shoes; but on no account will he venture thus attired into the street; for when he goes out he must have on the rauana, straw hat, and alpargattes of his class.

The ecclesiastics dress very much as did their class two and three centuries ago. They have recently, however, abandoned the enormous hat with great brim rolled up into a small scroll at the sides, and have adopted instead the more convenient shovel hat of modern times. But they still adhere rigidly to the long priestly black gown, low quartered shoes, black silk stockings, and silver buckles.

The parish priest is an important factor in society at the capital. No social gathering is thought to be quite complete without him. He generally makes it a point to accept all invitations, but he always goes in his priestly garb. He is usually an agreeable guest, and although he will not dance himself, he seems to enjoy

seeing others dance; and being a person of great social influence, young fellows who wish to get along well with elderly ladies who have marriageable daughters are generally careful not to displease him.

The Bogotanos have a Christian Sunday, but no "Holy Sabbath." Their is nothing puritanical in their religious make-up. Sunday is observed more as a Church festival and day of cheerful recreation than as a day of religious penance and torture. The forenoon is devoted to religious service, the afternoon to outings, games, and social enjoyment. There is early mass at six o'clock in the morning, high mass at nine and ten, vespers at four, and sometimes there is a short sermon. The balance of the day is devoted to worldly pleasure. It is a favorite occasion for paying and receiving formal calls, for attending the theatre, and for balls, banquets, and social reunions. Among the common people Sunday afternoon is a favorite occasion for sports, such as cock-fights, bull-fights, horse racing, and gambling; and there is perhaps more drinking and general dissipation amongst the lower classes on that day than on any other.

All this seems very odd to Anglo-Americans, and, to be quite frank, we could wish it different. Drinking and gaming and dissipation are bad enough at all times, but they seem worse on a day which the Christian world has tacitly set apart for religious instruction, rest, and pious meditation. Erroneous and pharisaical as some of our traditional conceptions and observances of the Sunday undoubtedly are, we would not willingly see them exchanged for those which prevail amongst our Latin-American neighbors.

At the same time, in any consideration of "the Sunday question" we should keep in mind the fact that the old Jewish Sabbath of the Bible is not the Christian

Sunday of the orthodox Church. It was not the first, but the seventh day of our week which the Pharisee sect held sacred. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" was not written of Sunday, but of Saturday. Moreover, the injunction was not addressed to Christians, but to Jews.

Just when or by what authority the early Christians began the observance of the first day of the week as a religious duty is not quite clear. Neither in the New Testament nor in the writings of the Church Fathers do we find anything very satisfactory on this point. We know, however, that, up to the beginning of the fourth century, Christians never attempted to transfer to our Sunday the obligations incident to the old Jewish Sabbath. Nor did they attach any special sacredness to either. If they observed the first day of the week as a time for assemblage, meditation, and religious exercises, they did not pretend to ground their action upon any injunction of the Mosaic law; nor upon any precept or example of Christ and his Apostles; nor yet upon any pre-Mosaic "Sunday law," promulgated at "the beginning" and in force after the Advent. Even if such a law ever existed the attention of the Gentile world was never once directed to it by the great Apostle; hence the inference that Saint Paul was either ignorant of it or regarded it as inapplicable to Christian believers. Indeed, his express declaration of their entire freedom from "the observance of days," etc., was so general as to apply to all laws and usages on the subject.

How came it about, then, it may be asked, that the early Christians were accustomed to assemble themselves together on Sunday? The question cannot be satisfactorily answered. If the custom originated in Apostolic precept, there is no record of it. If it origi