The Forrest City times., 1901-09-06
MADAGASCAR SUPERsTIrio,o
The Nativss Are Firr D''ns and Fate and sore.,h h
 Are Greatly Fe.r.a

' ,. ''dAA'a alona. tha
 queen of Madagascar, to p.- ,H e1- excited among the French a Ii.., aas serest in their dark-skinne5 ca,e! ID. ana especially in the little s-'A's, hoFas established in Paris TIP 0t eiudes several medical stna... h. ot whom, Dr. Gerthon Rami,ir,r One just been given degree by ,h. a@s ut! or medicine of Paris. bstaN which he read a paper on ,bs e an Ief and Practice of Medicfna ;z De- agascar,' says Ethelyn Frjend ;- 'aa' Chicago Record Herald. '1 'ae
 The Hovas," says Dr. Ramisi,..
 as might be expected of a raca ~ y' seconded from the Arabs. halia,. destiny and fate. Accordjny = "a month in which a child cones cue the world, his life will b. g,va--'' -l'o For instance. man born in June ,r;I, be successful in amassing a for.ns- II born Tn July, he will die na.a.-, death while if September he hol birth month, fate is so terrible as,.;.-. him that t is the custom to svna-' such child in an inclosnre ,,sose ,rte cattle are kept. If not tramnla5 as oy any of these. the fates may b.s- been propitiated and the parents r~.s expect to raise the child. The Hor,. ! also believe that the spirits of .ts dead stay among the living sor. times to work them ill and sometim., good. Among the spirits especisTs malignant are those of the raca K. formerly occupied the land .ns which was conquered by the Nas.. gascans.
 The people are great believer, |, the virtues of various charms deco.., ed by the native doctors. One .b,. they believe to be preventive aoairs. bullets Is tea made of several bs,h, The soldiers take a bottle of .b;, with them and drink few drons o, It during the battle. Durinc X. fighting with the French soldiers in 1895 the Hovas believed that tba French soldiers possessed amulets sn. perior 10 those of the island.
 sorcererS are greatly feared and when man is suspected of tbis crime he Is promptly subjected n the poison test. He is forced 10 take "tangena.' violent poison. mixed with a certain quantity of rice and three pieces of chicken skin. While the poison is taking effect the exc. cu'ioner puts his hand on the na. tient's head and solemnlv demands that the crime shall be made mani. fest. Vomiting follows. and if the three pieces of chicken skin are found intact. the patient is judged innocent, and if he escapes death by the poi. son is allowed to go free.
 Perhaps the most curious super. stition of the island is the belief tha. the body and the soul are quite sep arate, and that one can exist for awhile without the other The com mon idea is that the soul leaves the body some months before physical death occurs and that if the spirit can be enticed back death may be avert ed To get the soul back native doc tor is consulted and set to work. By means of certain experiments he first aScertains the direction the spirit takes and then starts in pur- suit. surrounded by the anxious rela- tives of the sick person. Sometimes the doctor is days in locating and finding the spirit, demanding mean while the best of food and drink with which to entice if into the basket he carries. When he finally succeeds in entrapping it he goes back in tri- umph to the patients house, where big feast is held. from which time the patient is supposed to be on the road to recovery"
 pr. Ramisiray comes Of noble Hova family, and studied and prac- ticed medicine in the capital of his country. where there is a medical fac ulty. honestly endeavoring 10 over come the ignorance and superstition of the people. Four years ago he was invited to France by the Bremen government, and since then has not only mastered the language and taken his degree as doctor of med icine, but has been professor of the ITova tongue in the government schools of oriental languages. Dr' Ramisray will, it is expected, be one of the first to receive the new or der recently created by the French government to be bestowed only on natives of Madagascar who have rem dered service to the French cause This decoration corresponds to the Legion of Honor and has three grades the chevaliers display cross oi bronze, the officers one of silver while a gold cross IS reserved Tor the commander.
 \ Tall Smoke Column.
 Durino the burning of the StandaTu