Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-08-09
The Japanese slara Cure.


While we lunched in the opea quad
rangis before the temple. groups Of
CHEEKY Japanesc came in, ehatfering
as gayly as any picnickers could wish
70, took off their straw sandals, washed
their feet, and disappeared in jolly
parties to the interior of the temple.
When we dropped our shoes and fol-
lowed 70 the one upper room we found
our Jolly ehaftterers adj there. sitting
in rows with their faces-tou the walls.
All were stripped to the waist, and
' thejold priest made marks on their
backs in sacred characters to indicate
where the ploxa should be burned.
Following larn came a small boy with
lump of what appeared to be very
sticky dough in one hand. With dex-
terous fingers this youngster pinched
of a BIT of dough, rolled it into a small
cone, and stuck it over the priests
mark. After him came a staid, stoical
youngster, vino in the most cold-blood-
ed way touched a match to the tip of
the moxa cone, and went down the
lines giving lights. It burned without
fame, slow red glow like charcoal
consuming the cone down to the flesh,
where it sizzled and smoked fora few
seconds that must have seemed years
to the victims. Soaring with q red
hot iron would be quick aud humane
treatment compared to this slow-eat-
ing fire. of the imoxa. The men and
women that / watched for the few
| minutes that I could endure it stood it
heroically, but BY the tension Of every
muscle in their backs and arms one
could judge of their agony. Ono old
man folded his arms. bent his head
over and indulged in suppressed
chuckles that varied with groans and
hysterical ha! ha!, has! Awonian bur-
led her. face in blue cotton towel and
made no sign or movement, while two
moxa cones wereaburning down, and
into her flesh. A young man started
to rock to and fro when the fire began
entering into his very bones, but soon
stepped it, .braced, himself, and sat
motionless. The prfcsE having set his
seal on his victims, sat down by q
brazier. put on his big spectacles, and
was lost threading pious book, who'll
| ly indifferent to hefowiof backs friz-
| zling beside him. This mine priest
has some secret of composition for his
moxa dough that has kept it in favor
for many years, and about the only
revenue of the temple is from his
patienbls fees.---Fef rheumatism, -lum-
bago, and such aches and ills it is most
beneficial, and gives quick relief to
anyone heroic enough to endure it.
The Japanese resortt to moxa for al
fmost everything that ails them, and
one secs coolies with their backs and
b the calves of their legs covered with
moxa scars. Foreign doctors have
discovered the virtues of the treatment
for certain things, and in Paris many
eases of paralysis have. been success
fully treated, Charles Summer having
been one Of the famous cases, whose
paralyzed nerves were revived by the
moxa. A variation Of the treatment
: used in Paris under the name of fnoxa
consists in burning with tiwhite-hot
irons, which is MUCK less painful than
with paste ones, and Clara Morris was
one. of the best-advertised subjects un-
dergoing the white-iron moxh4 When
the patients descended from the lpidxa
room, put on their sandals, and NUT
tered sullen prayer toward the open
door of the temple, they were. hardly
: to be identified With the gSy people
who had arrived earlier; and when
they walked, it was plain by the way
! they held their shoulders, that the raw
places still smarted. aRasA i-f}R7'