The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-19

"ASA ulQ come DIck 10 the city /
found note from him He was
Obliged to go TO England. He wrote in
the most affectiOnate terms: You may
some day or other go to Japan. who
can tell2 Should you visit my country.
lnclosed is a letter Of introduction.
which may be Of assistance TO YOU. 1
VIII never forget that you saved my
NE His address in London was
given.
Yes, it was strange. The same day
that his letter was read by me I sc-
cepJed an engagement on the Pacific
SIDE, to end in San Francisco. The trip
was fatiguing one, but profitable, ana
made up my mind TO take a holiday.
{ some one said, Go to Japan So to
Japan / went. a friend in Sacramento
/ had recommended to me a japanese to
serve me as a guide and interpreter. 1
at once, on arrival at Toxic. sent for
the man and engaged his services. /
round him to be singularly honest and
} capable. / visited all the theatres and
! the sideshows and learned some new
Things in my line Of business. One day
L remembered my letter Of introduction
/ and showed il to my man. he read il
/ over with marked attention. Then he
sdlo: 'Honored sir, this is indeed a won
QerTul letter. The writer Of 10 is well
known in Japan and Of the most illus
1 trlous lineage. It was reported some
/ years ago that he owed his life to an
/ American. You must have been the
/ one who saved him. Then I owe YOU
/ reverence
/ did not know how to reply. The
man continued: I am honored by serv-
ing YOU VIII you permit me to make
] use OF this letter. Il is addressed TO
| one we all hold in the highest esteem.
a saint, in fact, on whose shoulders has
J fallen the mantle Of Buddha. He lives
l IN a monastery some two days distant
! from the city.
Il somewhat reluctantly gave nv
/ consent to the forwarding Of the letter.
/ In few days came a reply and a most
/ urgent request that an immediate visit
should be made. Then one morning
/ Jnere came string Of ponies with their
| attendants, and 1 was on my way 70
! the monastery. II took three DAYS be-
/ fore 1 reached my destination. There
stood on the side Of a mountain a lofty
/ monastery. Then followed a ceremo-
| NOUS introduction Ny host was the
I grandfather Of my japanese friend. He
/ was very old and venerable. 1t was
strange, but the old priest seemed to
3 De well up In my history. He even re-
ferred to my calling. Now, I knew that
the profession generally did not occu-
/ py a high social condition in Japan
+ he seemed to divine my thoughts. for
: he said: Do not think that I do not
/ mold your business IN respect. The pro-
3 genitOr Of my family was a coniUror
J out an inspired one. To YOU my debt
I Is great If not for you my grandson
/ would not be alive. He wrote all about
/ your goodness. My own life has been
} devoted 10 the worship Of Buddha To
follow out the path Of the righteous.
all that ever possessed has been
/ shared by others. Ny grandson will in
/ season return to this monastery
and VIII lead the same life as has been
mine
Though what he said TO me was ex-
plained by my Interpreter, the old
priests manner was singularly i'm
4 pressive. His abiding TO an ancestor
T who was a cOnjuror interested me. Gu
riosity took hold Of me Would the
I priest perform for me some Of the acts
Of his fOrefathers? I was bold enough
10 intermingle with my thanks the
wish that he would show me some Of
his magic. It was some time before an
answer came. Then he slowly replied.
: i am old now. and, as you know, with
increasing years inspiration goes
made out that what he meant was that
for feats Of legerdemain hands must
be supple. The old gentleman was
silent for some time and seemed TO be
debating in his mind what he Should
do. Then he said, always through nv
Interpreter: I CONSENT I am under too
great an obligation 10 refuse you any
thing. I viii show you some acts
which no one outside Of our religion
has ever seen. Meet me in the shrine
ed
Next day went 70 the temple in the
monastery. I found the old priest. He
was dressed sumptuOusly. He seemed
10 be in a measure rejuvenated. He
bowed gravely to me, then placed his
fingers on his lips as if 10 indicate that
silence was in order He moved
through the shrine. I following. and
presently, without the temple we
reached an open court. surrounded by
high walls, built Of massive stone. The
area inclosed, as far as I could Judge,
was some fifty feet square There
might have been a tri1e Of u1istiuess
in the atmosphere. but not sufficient to
prevent my making out clearly all the
immediate surroundings. In the mid
die OF the court there stood q teak
and black veined marble. OF course
my attention was directed 10 the table.
On that table we're number Of cups.
I was allowed 70 approach and scruti-
nize the table. Were there any wires
or strings running from under it,
could not make out anything Of that
kind. The pavement OF solid slabs Of
stone preclUded any ground cOnnec-
tons. What was TO be done I knew
nothing about. 4 professional is nat
urally entarprising, say. sharp. A GER
tain sense Of the proprieties, however,
prevented my coming too near TO the
table, but certainly was within six feet
Of it. Now I counted the cups. There
were ten OF them. They seemed 10 be
Of the most ordinary make OF clay. the
cOmmOnest kind Of rough pottery.
Ic my surprise the priest permitted
me 70 pick up one Of the cups. any one
7 pleased. I did so. Next he intimated
that [ should take a cup and throw IL
on the ground. I did so. and as it was
shattered I was startled by a fash %
light which blazed from the broken
/ cup. / soon recovered my cOmpOsure.
There was, 7 said 70 myself. some kind
Of an explosive. like a illuminate in the
cup, and there had been a detOnation-
Then the priest told me TO select an
other cup. I did so, looking carefully
at the inside Of IT, There was abso-
lutely nothing In IT, 7 hurled 10 on the
pavement. Just where the cup had
fallen and broken there was visible a
( large splash Of water OF Of some kind
Of fluid. They must be hollow cups. 80
I thought Now the old man bowed
to the ground until his head touched
the pavement Then he motioned me
70 move aside. Then. standing erect
and fully ten feet from the table. he
waved both OF his hands. To my utter
amazement tue eight remaining cups
rose from the surface Of the table and
stood in midaiF some three feet above
the "a rTn Than ia. ems ua-I~ dom