The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-11-01
RrDnHA. TIE HEALER.

fitted together that they seem TO be one piece
Of solid metal. The figure sits with its hands
folded Gu lis knees and with its thumbs toneh-
Ing. The eyes look downward, and the express
sion of the face is Of perfect peace. it is sup
posed, / am told, to represent Buddha after
he has entered the Niryana or Heaven, and il
persoHific5 all that the true Buddhist desires
to be. It's surroundings fit in with its wonder
ful size. Seated on great pedestal of stone,
its head, as high as the roof of a fourstory
house, towers - feet above the base and it
dwarIs the hills surrounding it. Ii IS nearly
100 feet IN circumference st the base, and If
Stewart, Of Texas. who was tic ,allGst man In
Cne of our recent Congresses, could stand on
lis lower lip, he would not rise above its fore
head. Long Jones, the saveU-foot politician of
Illinois, could just about reach the hair on the
top of this images head ii he could put his feet
on the sitting god chin; and George Barnes,
Of Georgia, and President Cleveland, who are
both big men, could sit on one OF the thumbs
and have room 10 spare The circumference
Of each Of these thumbs is as big as the chest
measure Of many man, and measures Sc
inches, and the mouth Of this idol is over three
feet wide. 1t has, SO the priests here say, eyes
Of gOld and If this IS so, these eyes arc indeed
Of value. They are between three and four feet
long. The eyebrows above them measure more.
The ears are six and 0ne-half feet long, aud the
nose measures more than three feet. There are
$50 curis on the big, round, beautiful head. and
each Of these bronze carls is about one foot in
diameter and nine and one-halfiuches high. The
immense knees Of this sitting god Of bronze are
50 wide that from one TO the other is just the
measure Of one side OF the Washington Monu-
ment before it reaches its pyramidal top or 55
! feet A city house Of 50 feet front is a good
sized house, and by comparing this with the
knees Of this god you get some idea OF their big
ness.
Going TO the bacl, Of the statue and looking
I'D, this mass of brass seems as big around as a
! haystack and at the side there is a door which
leads 10 lis interior and shows y0u little tenn
/ pie IN its inside. Here, by mounting a ladder,
/ you reach a window IN the back which has
many strings tied 10 it. Each of these contain
writing. and tn ~ are put there by young men
or women who wish to be well married. At
/ the front of the god, aud a little TO the left
/ there IS a stone water-t trough Of holy water 10
/ going TO pray, and over this, upon sticks, hang
I little linen towels about a foot wide and two
/ feet long, labeled with tea-box characters Al
! the front Of the great garden in which the
4 statue stands are The hideous giants who guard
the gate to the holy place. They are under
cover. and are about eight feet high. They az,
naked aud painted red and green, and theil
bodies are covered with spit-balls These spit
j balls are prayers which are written by devo
tees and chcwed mp until they become a sof
mass Of paper pulp. The WOrshiper throws thi
al the god or giant If it sticks, am told, h
thinks his prayer Will be granted; If not, h.
in.