The sun., 1901-10-13
MAGIC WHICH MAKES BOXERS.
sBE MUNNERY THAT PLUNGED
CHINA INTO WAR.
A Clergyman VINO studied the Develop
ment ef the Boxer Mevement IN Its
Home says That 70 II IN Did Friend
IN New Guise --The Form of Initiation

(1ergyutan Who Stumeu tue Develop
ment ef the Boxer Movement IN Its
Home says That n IL IN Old Friend
I'm n New Guise Tho Form ef Initiation
N. Rcv John Ross Of Shanghai. who
a., made q careful study OF the Boxer
,.oven@nt in China. says that he has no
,t.re ssan In English a description OF
q. evolution and development Of Boxer.
NJ Rnss has spent many years In Man
ebur,a and It was there that the oh-erva-
scns we're mad, whose result he sivcs
q +. recent number Of the North China
EpdA
The Clergyman does not pretend To say
10 What extent the rising Was justified
nv ,he action Of foreign missionaries. that.
h. says. has already been fully discussed
h, others He concerns himself only
With the phase Of tho subject which Ia In
,.resiing because presenting curious
example II the vsgariee OF human nature
NJ Ross begins with the initiation of the
t.r-on who wishes TO become a Boxer.
.No man he says. intellectually the
inferior could initiate his superior. I
have not heard 81 a junior initiating his
s,nior A man could initiate others who
W. himself incapable of initiation. The
Initiation was largely by teachers Of
scholars. Of apprentices by masters. Of
Juniors by seniors. BY far the larger
nurIl-,r ~ initiated were boys and girls.
The frenzy was universal. Every even
ing and night magical work went on In city
and country, eScept in those few PLACES
whore parents and headmen set their faces
pernly against IL.
-Of TWO men meeting casually on the
street. one would say Ia the other: Let me
give YOU tho exaltation' II the party
addressed were agreeable he was made Ia
stand facing the southeast, the direction
in which kuan Yin IL wor-hipped. Kuan
YIN Is the special deity Of the ubiquitous
1sail secret sect The feet Of the novice
or s@t each on n sign Of the cross. The
tps Of the forefinger- and thumbs ara
brought together Ia form a circle. The
other fingers are folded backward on each
other toward the foreinger
Through this circle or through q glass
The youth is To look. a circle against each
ev, But the eyes were closed. His hands
are thus held and his eyes kept closed dur
ing the whole PROCESS. The performer
goas on the side Of the youth and speaks
close 90 his ear: Ia t'ien tien men ka
Strike heaven. heavens door opens. strike
earth. earth's door comes. II you wish Ia
suain spirit-ist ability. only invite tho
teacher to come
In Chinese the4e four line. Of Eve syl-
tables each rhyme Pleasantly After the
words are said the teacher breathes gently
into the ear He gu+s To the other side
and repeats the ceremony. From side To
sre he goes till AZ length the spell IL upon
the youth He falls backward In a trance
and les on the ground.
Will. thus lying. eyes still closed he i
asked what his name IL The question l.
o. ascertain which Of the numerous shen
or inferior drities of China has made IN"
youth It's medium. He replies giving a
name-it NAV be % the god Of war. II may
te Of the spirit of the fox or stoat The
youth L. thenc~forth known A. the medium
or incarnation Of that spirit He then
stands erect and wells in an unearthly
Noice. terrifying to the onlooker. 'shn. shd.
skdo. shGo' Kill, kill. burn. burn II II
usually. 'shd kHsitsc. slay the foreigner
A. the sans Time he finxs his arms
wildly atouf him. striking with an unnatural
force whatever comes into contact with his
hands for he IL still blind Yelling his
unearthly cries and madly finging his
arms. striking brick walls or mems heads
lie does not seem to know exhaustion. He
keeds not Gu, hands or bleeding knuckles
At length when the bystanders believe
hA has taxed sufficiently his powers Of
physical endurance, one goes toward him
and with the open palm administers a
smart slap on the ioftfedt saying. IhR-
part This l. addressing the spirit possess
ing the youth Then for the first time tho
youth opens his eyes and l. himself again.
He IL asked what his experiences were and
answers. ! do not know. He L. now Ia
his ordinary mind and continues 40 Till
the ceremony IL repeated. The proves
t continued until he il able to go through
Il all with his eyes open. Then he II fully
dev.ioped into n real Boxer.
Al first a cloth girdle IL put into his
hands. which he swings about in the most
extraordinary fashion. Then a millet stalk
follows, which he uss'- as sword. and
when his ewes are opened and he has at
tAined Ia the Boxer state, he receives a
huge and sharp sword with which he per
forms the most wonderful antice. not with
out danger to himself and TO Others. Once
such = sword came down upon the per
formers nose and cut IL open. This In
the sword with which he " to drive the
foreigners into the sea, a. his sacred FIRE II
u consume everything belonging to the
hated foreigner.
Some youths readily succumbed 20 the
magical influence of the above words,
others required n great deal morc rep--
tuon and vet Others succumbed not at all
From all which, u can be at once In
feued that the magic which makes Boxers
an old friend in a new gui-e. IL II vari-
ously called hypnotlsm, mesmerisfn, spirit
pslism All the fools who have through
many ases been deceived by this magic are
Rot confined 70 China