Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-11-08
THE OBJ a ID OF FIRE
eAYsTiFYlNG RlTEs cElEeRArEo "
TIE oHlENIALs.


W0h3NM8 Win 0oees E0et Wvee - bons
iag stones and Hnesging Frsn the
Pat UnburneA-Dr. Heeken Sow This
Done ana Describes the Ast,
Andrew Lang. who has written ex-
tensively on myths, rituals and strange
human practices, has made collection
Of stories that remind one of the ex-
periences of Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego. In India, Japan and NUM-
Der Of the south sea islands custom still
survives which is known Ms the fire
walk" Sometimes it Is prefaced with
incantations, and 1t lis usually followed
by a feast. The religious part OF the
ceremony is conducted BY priests. The
origin Of the custom, both in respect to
time and place, is apparently unknown,
but It Is possible that the rite has now
lost some OF its earlier significance and
detail.
The essential feature OF the perform
ance, at least from the point Of view OF
the uninitiated, Is walking barefoot over
bed of stones that have been rendered
| red or white hot by fire. The stones are
laid at the bottom OF an excavation like
| that prepared in New England for a
Rhode Island E,ambakc. Logs are cut
into suitable leheths and piled over the
rocky foundation, and these are then ig-
nited. From four or five hours to day
rs consumed in this part of the prepara-
/ ton. which has been preceded, Of course.
/ BY the work Of digging the pit or oven
I and arranging its rocky foundation. The
/ embers having been hastily raked off
I a q hot
| been exposed, several men descend into
I the oven and walk more or less leisure
/ ly across the stones. In most cases they
/ suffer no apparent harm
One of the narratives was presented to
[ the New Zealand institute in 1898 by DIR.
4. NJ. Hocken and describes a scene
/ which he witnessed in one of the Fiji
islands Albenga. 30 miles south OF Suva.
( Through the cooperation of civil officers
1 and the steamship company the small
clan on Mbenga that still possess the
wonderful power was persuaded to give
/ an exhibition, and several whites accom-
panied the doctor. One of them, gov
eminent meteorological. carried Their
moneter that would register up to 400
/ degrees 4. When these guests arrived
on the scene. they found hundreds of ma
! tives assembled in characteristic Fiji cos
1 tune. The preparations had been under.
taken long enough in advance to avert
/ any delay. The oven was % or 30 feet
j long and 8 feet broad and was shaped
like q saucer. The deepest part OF the
depression was Is feet long. The visitors
z Eaw the stones yet covered with embers,
Ii which were removed in their presence by
means of long poles bearing loops of
! green withes.
Walking beside the pit before this stage
of the proceedings. the man with the
thermometer recorded a temperature OF
III degrees. After the stones were I'M
covered he hung his instrument out over
4 the center OF the oven, Six feet above the
stones, Whereupon the mercury rose to
9S2. The solder was melting, and the
instrument was liable to be ruined il LEFT
4 in that position any longer. What the
Temperature was on the. stones them.
selves can only be conjectured, but DIR
Hocken declares that they were white
Il hot" and that low flames from smal
Goals between the stones could be seen
leaping up around them.
Two of the men who were to walk
4 through the fire were examined by DIR
Hocken before their daring act. They
wore garlands about the neck and waist
q Their feet and legs were entirely bare
The soles We're soft and flexible. showing
that they had not been rendered perma-
nently callous in any way In order to
detect chemicals that might have been
applied for this occasion the doctor did
not hesitnte to use touch. smell and taste
4 Heslicked the natives feet with truly sci
entifc zeal. But no explanation of what
was to follow could be discovered. Final
". at an appointed signal the seven OF
eight natives who took part in the per
Torrance came down in single file to the
oven and then walked across the stones
from one end to the other of the pit
:. They spent less than half minute there
Immediately after they emerged DIR
h Hocken again inspected their feet, hut
could find no sign Of burning or blister
z ing.
Il Another historian mentions FIRE wall
. In which the passage was made no les
than five times Miss Teuira Henry re
counts similar incidents in the Polynesia,
journal, and adds that her own sister ant
4 niece also walked over the stones. Mr.
q Lang picked up stories of the practice ii
II Japan. whore several women pretende.
Ito have done tie same thing. although
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Is lacking.
Il An Englishman who tried the expert
e, nlent hinnsifs :a'.d w.,s s,,tnipa Il