The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1885-06-27
The Prayer Barrel.

first met with prayer barrels on tho
borders of Thibet. when, travelling the
narrow paths which wind along the face
of majestic, precipitous Himalayan
crags, We met native travellers from
still further north traders driving
focks of laden goats, women with
quaint headdresses of Jumps of amber
and large, coarse turquoises fastened
on bands of dirty cloth, and here and
there man holding in his hand small
bronze or brass cylinder which he
twirled mechanically all the time he
was journeving. It was some time be-
fore succeeded in getting hold Of one
of these for q closer examination, as
the owners are nervously afraid to trust
their treasures in the handsof one who,
albeit in ignorance, might irreverently
turn them the wrong way, and so undo
much of the merit acquired by perpet-
ual twirling in the opposite direction.
For, as we eventually discovered, not
only is the sacred s1x-syllabled charm
embossed ON the metal cylinder, but
the same mystic words we're written
over and over again on very lengthy
strips of cloth or papyrus, which are
bcund round the spindle on which the
cylinder rotates, and one end Of which
forms the handle. It is, therefore,
necessary to turn this little barrel of
prayers in such direction that the
characters forming the holy phrase
may pass IN proper order before the
person turning, and as all Oriental
books are read from the right side of
each page to the lift. the barrel is
turned in the same direction. For
the same reason the Thibetan walks in
this direction round the great terraces
and other buildings on which the holy
words are inscribed, in order that his
eyes may rest on the words in due
course, which can only be the case
when he keeps his left hand toward the
object round which he is walking.
Happily this produces . doubly salts
factory result, for in Eastern lands, as
well as our West, it has ever been &C.
counted lucky and meritorious to walk
round sacred objects or places in this
sunwise cOurse-an act of homage to
the sun which have seen rendered in
many lands. just as our British an
cestors continued thus to circumambu-
late their churches long after they had
nominally abandoned all paganism, so
throughout the world we find survivaIs
of the old homage. Tile Co1atenapora-
~ ReUieW. sA'i .'-' tA'~'-'.s
q Sending Kentuckian to Death.
The difficulty with some people to
comprehend the distinction between a
mandatory and an advisory railway
commission is very amusingly illus
trated in on anecdote related by a very
witty member of the Kentucky bar. A
criminal Judge had before him . hard
ened and notorious criminal, who had
been found guilty of o crime for which
the penalty was death. The Judge, on
pronouneing sentence, told the pris-
oner it afforded him extreme pleasure
to pronounce upon him the severest
penalty of the law, and the Sheriff
would be directed to take him from the
Court House to the jail. and thence, on
q given date, at given hour, to be
taken to the Jail yard and there be
hanged by the neck until he was dead,
dead, dead.
The Judge then asked the prisoner il
he had anything to say why the sentence
of death should not be pronounced
agains.. him. t ia.s
n-"Wen, not much, /" said the prisoner,
with ,mperturbable sang froid., All
have to say to the - court and every.
body connected with it is that, if it af
fords them any pleasure to have me
hanged till l am dead, dead, dead, ther
this court and all connected with it may
Just 90 to hell, hell, hell.
"Ah!" Instantly exclaimed the Court
@in the Courts case the order is manda
tory, but in that of the prisoner it j.
only advisory. Mr.. Sheriff, let the sen
tence be executed" d.""-Nashuille 4Ameri
can, 20, -i tslss-l
4ao. The Study Of Dancing.
The old fashion prescribed that
lady or gentleman should learn to wall
before dancing. Neophytes were prac
tica1lv put to the back on the goos
step. They were made to march slow
" to tune upon squeakiug kit o
sort of pup-fiddle, and after sever
| course Of such treatment were ct las
| initiated by single steps into the mar
ner of moving in quadrille. We hav
now changed all that. The crammin
system is at work in the dancing school
| And As horse trainers are in the habi
of Harvesting proficient stagers wit
animals unaccnstomed TO the shaft.
pr0fusoesof Tho esdance. h. discovere
that nothing expedites the culture Of
pupil like having sthe benefit of hi
daughters to practice with OF coairs'
the number Of people engaged in b
calling is proof Of the large propol
tion Of persons in town requiring The