Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-09-28
RISES HIGHER AND HIGHER.

R1oG hlohE AM IL
Next, he crosses his arms upon his breast,
with the outstretched fingers almost touching
the opposite shoulders, and so vows 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, ac-
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 bis requirements before the Deity
for consideration, or repeating one or moro
of the 200 formulated prayers prescribed by
the priests, many of them said to be far
more ancient than the Christian religion.
Here Is q free trans alton of one that is said
to be more than 5000 years old, and Is yet
one of those in commonest use today:
"Qh, Godl accept my love. Forgive my
misdeeds, of the body and the thought.
Bless me, and my family, and my ancestors,
and those I love. and all who love thee
Bless those who love thee not, and bless
those who know thee not Give unto me
a 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, I thank thee that I l ave grown
through 30 many lives 10 be a mar and
thence to be myself. I pray thee that my
good deeds may hold me- up in other lives
and that thou wilt assist me In my growth
until / reach thee In the end'
Finally, here Is ono with which the wur-
shipper may close his devotions, as simple
trustful and beautiful as any child's prayer
ever was:
"Ohl Lord, now I lay me dow 30 sleep.
Keep away from me all diseases n all
dragons, and 30 fill my soul with thy good
ness that when ! awake / shall be q better
man."
But before arriving at that point, when he
has sacrificed, made his obeisanoes u said
his prayers, the worshiper-especially in
these troublous times-win want to look into
the future. Quong-Tai-Gong, il his adora-
lions have been acceptable, will aid him On
the altar stands a deep cylindrical bamboo
vase, handsomely lacquered. In 1t are stand
Ing upon end many very hin long strips of
bamboo that do not quite reach TO it's top
Sometimes there are not more than 50 or loo
Of these strips, but there should be 800. With
the latter number one has an oracle that
amounts to something. He who inquiries Of
fate clasps his hands around the vase and
snakes IL wlth o rotary movement AS nt
does SO one OF the slender bamboo strips dc
taches itself from the mass and with q steady
movement, as If it really meant it, rise
higher and higher, until it is ready to fall u
the ground, and doubtless would do so II thu
shaking were continued. The theory is thai
a magnetism from the soul of the earnest In
quirer, especially when he has Just been puri
fed by prayer, acts upon the bits of bambot
and causes them to be receptive of th'
spiritual power that selects the particu
lar one that points out a truthful
answer to the question that is domi
nant in the mind Of him wht
holds the vase Each Of the strips bears
number and that number is affixed to a sen
tenoe in the Book of Fate-a volume that lie
upon q table at the farther end of the room
from the shrine A priest generally take
the strip, hunts up the sentence 1t indicate
and reads it to the ~worshiper. 1t is SUPPOSE
that those sentences reply, in all possible
ways, to all serious questions concerning
life that can be asked, and, taking into con
sideration the ~oracularly ambiguous con
struction Of some Of them, they probabl.
do-moreo or less
Cinnamon have an immense deal of faitl
In this method of divination, and q majorit,
have been informed that 1.-THE evil day 1
not nigh j, II. CoSNELLY.