Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-17

RISES HIGHER AND HIGHER.
Next, he crosses his arms upon his breazt
with the outstretched fingers almost touching
the opposite shoulders, and so bows three
times Then he returns TO the first position
and bows three times more in the original
way. After that he may, or may not, &C
cording to his own knowledge of his spiritual
requirements, bow twice more in the second
fashion and perhaps twice again as at first.
While he is doing all this he is mentally
praying, either putting special petitions
suited to his requirements before the Deity
for consideration, or repeating one or more
Of the 200 formulated prayers prescribed by
the priests, many of them said to be far
moro ancient than the Christian religion.
Here is free translation OF one that is said
to be more than 5000 years old, and is yet
one of those in comrnonest use today:
''Oh, Cod accept ny love Forgive my
nisdeeds, of the body and the thought.
Bless me, and my family, and my ancestors,
and those l love, and all who love thee.
Bless those who love thee not, and bless
those who know thee not. Give unto me
q happy future and call me as thy child
when all things are past And bring about
the time when thou shalt be with US. Amen"
And here is one Of their little prayers that
CONVEYS the ideas of reincarnation and
karma:
.Ohl Lord, thank thee that have grown
through so many lives to be man and
thence to be myself. l pray thee that my
good deeds may hold me up il other lives
and that thou wilt assist mo in my growth
until l reach thee in the end"
Finally, here is one with which the wor-
shipper may close his devotions, as simple,
tr7lstful and beautiful as any childs prayer
ever was:
"Ohl Lord, now lay me down to sleep
Keep away from me all diseases and at
dragons, and so fill my soul with thy good
ness that when l awake l shall be better
man"
But before arriving at that point when he
has sacrificed, made his obeisances and said
his prayers, the worshiper-especially In
these trou5lous times-will want to look into
the future. QuonG- Tai-Gong, if his adora-
tons have been acceptable, will aid him. On
the altar stands deep cylindrical bamboo
vase, handsomely lacquered. In it are stand
ing upon end many very thin long strips Of
bamboo that do not quite reach TO its top.
Sometimes there are not more than 50 or 100
Of these strips, but there should be 500 With
the latter number one has an oracle that
amounts to something He who inquiries of
fate clasps his hands around the vase and
shakes it with q rotary movement As he
does SO ono of tie slender bamboo strips de-
taches itself from the mass and with q steady
movement, as if it really meant it, rises
higher and higher, until it is ready to fall to
the ground. and DOUBTLESS would do so il the
shaking were continued The theory is that
q magnetism from the soul Of the earnest IL
quirer, especially when ne has just been puri-
fed by prayer, acts upon the bits Of bamboo
and causes taen 70 be receptive Of the
spiritual power that selects the particu-
lar one that points out q truthful
snswer to the question that Is domi-
nant in the mind Of him who
holds the vase. Each OF the strips bears
number and that number is affixed TO "a sen
tence in the Book Of Fate--a volume that hes
upon table at tho farther end Of the room
from the shrine. A priest generally takes
the strip, hunts 10 the sentence il indicates
and reads it TO the worshiper. Il is supposed
that those sentences reply, in all possible
ways, TO all serious questions concerning
life that can be ssked, and, taking into con-
slderatlon the oracularly ambiguous con-
st-uction Of some Of them, they probably
do-more or less
In this method Of divination. and q majority
have been informed that The evil day Is
not nigh" ]. q. Connolly.