Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-05-26
ps,il Mor,Alp -ln csrler.

The last annual report OF tue huglinh
Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society
gives the following account Of desil.wor.
ship: f N4a
The people are, Ia .heSry, all Buddhista
lin practice all deYii.Worshippers.-
Within four miles ofmy houss, there are
sixteen Buddhist temples. In one of,hess
alone there are 80 Priests The whole
number Of priesa in thit eiteuis Il perhaps
eve hundred. Il il "not By Thumanl
might nor BY power" that We can pre-.
vail againat aueh = host ~ this FrSquen-
tly, in the dead Of the night, I hear music
from the devil dances in the neighborhood.
| have attended these midnight orgies;
and it is only by doing 80 that any person
can form an idea OF the strength with which
this superslition binds down an otherwiss
acute, ingenicul and intelligent peopls.--
Never did Christian congregation Ia
England listen with more silsnes-=nor An
audience in Exeter Hall hang with more
complete absorption Of soul on The lips Of
itS most chosen speakers. than those peo.
pie doom the frantic gestures. and hlds0us
yellings Of the devil priest. To thsir con.
eeptions. he is penetrating the invisible
world, and eommuning with spirits. Hit
ascendaney over their minds d eompisto.
He IL the great intereessor bstHsen devils
and men, for the removal Of al evil and
bestoWment Of all good for the devil Il
still the same liar who said Of old, "All
these things will give thee II thou wilt
fall down and worship me" Without
the priests nothing can be dons. as
The whole system received . severe
shock last autumn At MaturA, ita QrsaA
stronghold. The priests there are con.
sidersd the elsvsrest on the island. kf.
Murdoek, the Secretary Of the Singhslsps
Tract SOeieiy. being At that place on bnsi.
ness. challenged the priests publicly, and
offered them large reward, ifthey would
cause any Of their inesntstions 70 take ~.
feet upon him By causing him 70 fall down
dead, for these priests profess 70 be dis.
penseri Of death to the living, - we'll as
life 10 the dying. They used eli tho me.
thOds Of preparation already mentioned,
sleeping In graves for many nights aud
met Mr.. Murdoch, in the presence Of mas
ny Singhalese, who had gathered togsther
70 witness the experiment on the day ap.
pointed. Their GTst effort was 70 70 eSads
the challenge. They excused themseltss
on the ground that they should be tried
for murder il they killed him. -
Application was therefore mGde 70 che
government authorities, and an undssirsd
| permission obtained for them 70 do their
worst. The next attempt vas 70 intimi.
date. Their incGntations never failed
his death was certain IL they tried them--s
and he had better save himself At once.
and run no risk. When this failed, they
were driven lastly 70 the test, and q mis-.
cradle failure ! They stood reading their
incantations, burning rotin, and blowing
its fumes upon him Tor more than an hour
aud the people "lOoked when be should
have swollen or fallen dead suddenly. but
after they had looked great while, and
saw no harm come 70 him. they changed
their minds" il not with rsfercnes 70 him,
At least with reference 70 the power Of
these charms A dsrisiTs cry Was rhitsd
throughout the crowd. and che deSilprissls
have since been hoOtsd through the sirsss
of MatuFa f