The times., 1901-06-01
SACRED ELEPHANTS ON PARADE
A Ceylon Picture for the English
Royal Party.
(From the London Standard.

(FIom the London Standard)
OF all the spectacles presented to the
eyes Of the Duke and Duchess of Corn
wall and York the strangest and the
weirdest was the Perahara, or procession
OF elephants. These exhibitions aTe part
of the Buddhist ritual. and Ceylon is not
ed for its elephants. A sacred STUD OF
forty is kept for festivals. the chiefs In
the neighborhood acting as guardians II
was dark when the performers began 70
assemble at the entrance to the payillon
grounds-a long line OF men and animals
in fantastic dress. The cir famed with
torches and reeked with cocoanut oil, ana
thousands of natives nlled the lanes with
a medley OF color. Their royal highness-
es, having dined came out upon balco-
ny of the White House with the massive
white pillars. The gardens were shrouo-
ed In blackness and silence suddenly,
from tho distance, came the sounu OF the
tom tom and the shrill note of the Chet,
tey pipe There Is a subtle sameneSs IN an
Eastern music. The tom tom ana the pipe
of the devil dancer were IN my ears as
the echo of Dervish drum ana omopeI!la
sounding the charge at Omdurman. me
head of the procession appeared. II was
a white elephant on a cart drawn py q
patient bullock and attended py q heaI- hi
| man in fiat round cap. one was hdtuI az
! Jv curious to learn why TINS very oDNI-
| Gus property animal should have the pIaSSe
| of honor seeing that 80 many maehli-
| cent beasts were behind. Because IL Is
| beautiful" said the headman, hiding un-
| der under an air of grave courtesy ms ms
! surprise that any should doubt It's claim
! Noisily and slowly the procession un-
| folded itself in waves OF yellow llghl rom
| hundreds OF long torches held by brown
| skinned Cingalese. The ordeE or thelr
! coming was after this fashion: FIRST
\ walked a company OF men IN loose ~ ~ropes
| ~ White and red, ar clad only in camboy
! or waist cloth, the light cleaning on their
| etIninc bodics. Behind them marched
| three elephants, ia rich trappings, the
| middle and largest having crimson gold-
| embroidered cloth drawn over MS heau,
| leaving only eyes and ears uncovered. On
| their heels Whirled the devil dancers
| 1.-THE figures, stripped 60 the waist, the
sweat Streaming from their dark bodies
| as thev leapt and turned and chanted
| ctronpe rnonotonous chant to the beating
| Of driJn and the shrieking of pipe. Some
| were children. others white-headed, of a
| solann countenance that was grotesqueIy
! o1it of harmony with their strange antics:
| No chief of any pride and dignity would
| deign 10 appear in these professions with
! ont his devil dancers | do not know
whether rank is measured by the NUMBER
| or nv the energy of the dancers 1t was
| none the less manifest, that distinctions
| exist even in devil worshlpers, Tor the
| n,,rnher the dress. and the noise seemed
| i'm nroportion to the gravity and magnln-
| cence OF the chieftains VINO followed these
| cyclones of color and sound.
| The Kandyan chief may be handsome
| man and even an imposing man. He has
| The dignified solemnity OF the Turk and
! The heard of the prophet. His dress, too,
| is snlandid In tn days of the kings II
| was simple white, uut, since they can no
| longer be courtiers at home. the chlefs