This time it was the women who got excited.

The men contented themselves with smiling, as they saw in it only one of my vagaries.

The new curate sent for me, and while he did not reprimand me, yet he said that I should first take care of religion, that before learning such things the children must pass an examination to show that they had memorized the mysteries, the canticles, and the catechism of Christian Doctrine.
"So then, I am now working to the end that the children become changed into parrots and know by heart so many things of which they do not understand a single word.

Many of them now know the mysteries and the canticles, but I fear that my efforts will come to grief with the Catechism of Padre Astete, since the greater part of the pupils do not distinguish between the questions and the answers, nor do they understand what either may mean.

Thus we shall die, thus those unborn will do, while in Europe they will talk of progress." "Let's not be so pessimistic," said Ibarra.