Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-02

did it ever occur to YOU said a globe
trotter who is now Quartered in one of the
big downtown hotels of this city that the
attitude of superiority assumed by the
people of Europe and America in their re-
lations with the East Indian. Chinese and
Polyuesian Islanders is somewhat ridicu-
lous in several instances. Now, for in
stance, it is admitted that in a thousand and
one ways the uative-born citizen of an
American or European state excels the
dweler in the Orient, but if you should
happen to ask him if he and his kind were
inherently and universally the superiors of
their Eastern brothers he would uuhesi-
tatingly reply that they we're. But as a
matter of fact we are 'wav back youder
when il comes to occultism. Here and in
Europe there Is a scattering of devotees to
mysticism and the occult but in the regard
of the bulk and mass of the citizens these
devotees are regarded cranks or hair
Drained enthusiasts aud | might add justly
so. Over in the Orient it is quite different,
for in that section Of the world the people
have developed the human possibilities Of
the occult to such degree that they can go
into realms impossible to the Western and
ignorant mind. Even in our new posses
wonderful class called Kahuuas or witch
doctors, who give the most astounding ex-
hibitions of the refinement of that mental
faculty.
About a year ago / made a visit to
Hawaii and among other things the an
nouucemeut of an apparently impossible
feat attracted my attention. 1t was an ad-
vertisement in one of the daily papers of
Honolulu to the effect that on the next day
a great Kahuna, Papa Ita by name, with the
aid of Pele, the great goddess of eternal
FIRE, would walk barefooted across thirty
feet of white-hot lava l suorted when /
read the announcement and commented on
the intelligence of the Hawaiian people for
believing such rot in no complimentary
terms. But just the same, when the hour
of the exhibition arrived I was on hand
and paid my half dollar along with about
900 other creduious residents and visitors
Out in the district that had been swept by
ERE during the visitation of the bubonic
plaguei in the preceding year the Kahuna
had caused to be erected a high board
fence, inclosing possibly an acre of land.
Rough benches had been provided all
around four sides Of the inclOsure, leaving
an open space in the center of perhaps 90
by 20 feet. great pit had been dug in
this space, fully 30 feet long, half as broad.
and some feet deep. This pit had been
filled with dry wood and kiudling. and
early in the day fire had been applied to it.
and as the flames hissed and sparkled
great rough pieces of lava had been piled
in the raging fire and allowed to remain
until the fuel was exhausted The lava
stones were shimmeriug with heat when
the crowd arrived. The people sitting in
from its Intensity and up through the in
terstices in the lava little tongues Of flames
shot up and licked the sides of the ardent
stone. There was no question about its
being hOt--it was.
The benches filled rapidly" continued
the narrator, and about O'Clock in the
tropical afternoon there came stir at the
gate and the tall, straight figure Of an aged
man appeared in view. He was dressed in
a single garment, something like the sena.
torial toga of ancient Rome having a Dor
der of scarlet. His feet we're bare. and as
he stalked into the arena his white hair and
calm, almost cold. expression gave even me
a sensation that perhaps after all, there
might be something in the show He car
ried in his hand a stalk of the sacred Ii
plant a shrub something like a common
Cattail, and when the attention of the entire
crowd had been centered upon him he com
meuced a wild chant in the musical tongue
of the South Seas. He chauted and sang
for perhaps two minutes and then, with an
invocation to Pele, he bent and struck the
ground with the Il plant three times and
walked across the 80 feet Of white-hOt lava
I was dumfounded I could not believe my
eyes. But It was nevertheless a fact
examined Papa tia s feet afterward and they
were absolutely free from FIRE or traces Of
IL. / kept thinking about the exhibition all
through that night and even went so far as
10 inquire Of several of the Honolulu ply
sicians whether it was possible for human
tissue to withstand that degree of heat.
They told me II was not and thus verified
my own ideas on the subject.
II am something Of believer in the rea-
soniug Of A. Conan Doyle, and especially
where he lays down as a basic principle Of
analysis that in considering any problem,
when you have eliminated all the impos-
sibe factors, that which remains, however
improbable, must be the truth reasoned
and reasoned and finally came to the con-
cIusiou that as human tissue could not
possibly come in contact with white-hot
stone and suffer no injury, Papa tia had not
walked across the lava. II was true / saw
him do IT, and it was improbable that my
eyes had deceived me, but 1t was impossi.
bic that he could have done II and escaped
uuburned Therefore, on the following day
went again to see the second performance
But in order to test the matter a little more
fully took along camera. The show was
exactly like the former one, except that the
crowd swas larger and the fire hotter
stationed myself in the front row, directly
opposite the middle Of the pit and when
Papa TIA appeared 1 watched him atten-
lively as / had on the former occasion. The
details we're just the same as before. Papa
TIA sang and chauted aud waved his Il
leaves and started on his quick walk over
the lava, and when he was right in front Of
me aimed the camera and pushed the but
ton. The Kahuna. passed on over the rest
of his journey and was subjected to the
congratulations and examinations Of the
crowd as on the preceding day. ! hurried
back to the hotel aud secured dark room
and developed that plate. worked over it
with care and uvhen I had finished I did