The Opelousas courier., 1884-05-31
SACRED WHITE ELEPHANTS.


New York SIN reporter. "All elephants
that are spotted OF albinos are called white
by the natives. One owned by the King
of Ava was spotted on its head and ears,
the rest of the body being black, but one
owned by the King of Siam at Bangkok
was a sort of cream tint. Some are gray,
others reddish pink. / hear that Bar
NUNS is a light gray, and, If that is so,
he's pot one OF the best, and it's a big
thing. How he ever succeeded in get
ting it I can't see. The lowest price
among kings themselves that [ ever heard
of was $50, 900 and they certainly would
never let one go out of the country for
that price. Even a few hairs from the
white elephants tail have sold for 81, 600,
and half a dozen or so of these in a gold
box constituted a present once from the
King Of Siam to Queen Victoria. Bar
NUNS elephant was procured from an
~impecunious noblcman, who probably
charged a good sum, and who exacted
o promise that the sacred animal should
not be deprived of any of the honors to
which it had been accustomed, and to
see that everything is as promised, tho
priests go with it.n
"What is the cause of all the attention
shown the white elephant ?" asked the
reporter.
ssThey are sacred. All the natives in
northeastern Asia consider them more or
less SO with the exception of the people of
AMMAN. 1t has been the custom from
the earliest times to worship the animal
for the reason that Buddha, who is and
has been ever undergoing gradual
changes, must at some period reside in
the purest of all animals-the white ele-
plant. This belief that the white ele-
plant is the abiding place of the god has
kept it sacred for centuries, and the in
fuence of the animal will probably never
be entirely lost until they become extinct.
Probably the real feeling of the nobies
and better educated people to day is that
of superstition. They consider it good
luck TO have the elephants, and an omi-
Lous thing to be without them. But the
lower classes worship them as they would
the Deity. Though the kings and mobiles
only regard them with superstition, it
amounts to as much as worship. Wars
are brought about on their account,
thousands of lives are sacrificed, and the
animal is regarded as one of the royal
family, it being next in rank to the
queen. 1t has its ministers and cabinet,
its priests, doctors and valets-all man
darins and men of noble birth-and is
treated as a crowned head.
When a white elephant is discovered
the very actmakes the finder mandarin,
exempts him from all taxation during
life, and a sum is assured him that in
that country makes him a rich man.
All elephants are terrible animals to con-
quer, and these divinities are no exception ;
but, whereas a common elephant can be
prodded withirons and points, the white
brute must be treated and tended with
the greatest care; no chains or ropes, but
silken cords of white or scarlet bind it.
Mandarins who GO out from the capital
for this purpose attend to its supposed
wants. Silk coverings, eanopies of gold,
silver and rich silks, fans of peacock
feathers-in fact, every article that can
afford it luxury or qualification is brought
out and used by the noble attendants,
that in its captive stlte the brute may
have as easy q time as possible.
In the meantime a place is being built
for it, probably within the palace walls,
the decoration of which is sumntuous in
the extreme. In the n ! saw the shed
was in the palace enclosure large.
roomy building with q magnificent cano-
Ply over it. In one corner of the room
were several umbrellas of white that
are only used by the king and white ele-
plant, and are held over its head on the
way to the bath by mandarins. The
decorations of the room were intended
to deceive the prisoner, the sides being
painted in imitation Of woods to make
him think he was back in his native for.
ests. The brute, and he was an ugly
chap, was chained to the floor By old.
fashioned iron chains giIded to- initiate
gold. and on its tusks were half a dozen
or more gold bands. By the head of his
majesty stood a mandarin, who, I under.
stood, was called the Lord of the Celes-
tial White Elephant, with a long, gilt.
handled peacock and argus feather fan
that he used whenever any flies ap.
preached the creature. Another man
DARN fed it with choice fruits, while
os;ss osher uanss na a - , "a - ,s gu,
tba White anes one IF wh;eh sssoL on,
- l;ns - me1tba sama raseaI bsd had
e the haa when +ba aa;saa, 10y :
d,efad IS ia hath a. Tie r;var !; sas 80 oo :
$500 q e.ra., 1870 IT, a,oahs. voc :
r;ohIv .ana sss d and s,,. s.a wa a.
nab1ss @Pa hald H. sui nnasaa,, y
ovnp ifc baad yrbyla nauv rrcr~
1890 u ahaad - a;pa
side -nIav;ng mon dr,Lna t;fas ~
tr,,mnafs asat fho,,ab tbe w. m ada
Int Hffle music aroused The neo,le a !