Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-27
DEADLY - on JuGaEENArr.


is sitting on spikes. There IS no mistake
about the spikes. Hundreds of them are
driven through = board and upon their
sharp point the dcvotco sluats as though
ON a comfortable couch. The Hindoas have
an idea that any one willfully inflicting
pain upon himself must be "a holy man.
and that, moreover, any severe pcnances
which he undcrgOes viii infaliihiy give
| him great power with the gods Hence Il
! is that in India thousaEds flock round
these fallirs, i5npluring the holy men to
mediate with the gods for them and secure
either for themselves or for thcir friends
great blessings or terrible curses, as the
case may be.
SO inscrutablc are the ways of these peo-
pie that it is difficult, if not impossible, To
/ find out how some of these men protect
| themselves from injury. The spikes are
sharp aud pointed every one, and one can
| only surmiSe that the fakir'S feet have
been rendered absolutely callous 10y long
years of contact with tine spikes. Often,
| by way of variety, the spike devotoe VIII
| have "a long. narrow board made and stuck
| full of spikes. on which. instead of squat
ting, hc will rcciine mt fun length. Often
| the dcvOtce, not content with merely lying
naked on the spikes, actually rolls himself
about, causing his reVercnt attendants to
become almost hystcrical with religious
/
on the offerings.
In India the people virtually adore theso
| holy men, but from entirely selfish and
| interested motives Practically it is bar-
gain. The devotec wants the money, and
his client wants u favor OF some kind pro-
cured from the gods whose go between he
! is
Holy men of another sort display their
| holiness Ivy buTying their heads in the
| ground There is such dcYotec at Semi
pore, India, and he Is considered n devotee
| OF the first water. The outsider, however
sees most of the game and closer inspec-
| ton always reveals the fact that the holy
man has his right hand and arm out
stretched for the ever welcome picc.
| SOniuo-e is = favOritC haunt Of the holy
men. Tho .'mcla," or fair, at Sonipore
/ is the largest in Bengal. 1t il held at the
! confluence of the Ganrcs and Guuduck,
| and, according to Mr.. Prem Chand, the
/ Baptist missionary in the Gya, the Incla
owes its origin to the following legend:
! "Once in olden times an elephant was
! seized by q crocodile while trying - cross
the river at this point. The elephant
could not release himself from the jaws of
his enemy, and the crocodile could not
drag tho elephant into sufficiently deep
water 10 drown him. The pair struggled
! for 1000 years, during which period the
elephant called on almost all the gods for
( help-this would be about tho time re-
/ quisite 10 cnunorate them all--but with
/ out avail At last be called upon HAIR
/ har, and Immediately the god descended.
swung his shining Uladc and struck of
the crocoGilc's head Pilgrims soon began
to hattie at tho sacred spot, and in time
/ large temple was built IN honor OF the
heavenly knight -
The scene Ut the great fair of S,onip1re
is. one OF the most extraordinary cOncoiv-
abla Here Is the account of an Cycwit-
ness: we are piloted about the streets of
the fair-vast serried lines of booths,
smothcred in dust and sunshine 10y day
and ablaze with tyvinElin- fires and long
zigzags of lighted stars by night. The ter
rifle human aproar Is infinitely augmented
by thousands OF ho.rse and trumpCting
elephants When night has fallen, you
may sec long professions CT elephants
syvayinG through the haz1ars with lighted
lanterns hanging from their tCSss- Re
firing with a string Of pilgrims across the
fields / stopped on the way 10 take some
photographs OF a holy man His SOdy wss
head buried in Il deep hole, and + l. logs in
the air. How he raanae-e,i - breathe 90
nos know / rzadr - ricuinrly careful
examination OF the STonud all round near
Sis body, but could find no hidden irlIn-
boo tube for air suction or anything what
soeve- that was likely To assist him-
There is, however. no mystery about the
motive, since = single glance II his out
stretched Izllm viii show that he Is solicit
ing the charity OF the faithful I"
The worship Of tho Juggernaus, that