The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-07

sive and polite. The reason is not
far to seek. The black man can no
more govern his black brother success
fully without tyranny than you can
reach a blind mans sense without
touch or speech. No appeal is made
to his reason; he is coerced by solid
fear. Hear him pray and you will UNI
derstand him better. He does not sup
plicate his God: he demands of his
God; he essays to bargain. This Is be-
cause his deity is far away out of sight;
therefore in relation to that unfelt
power he begins to esteem himself and
mis- desires and to be pulled up out Of
all due proportions. Whereas the grip
of his generals iron hand Is unmis-
takably evident over all the hours Of
his daily life.
when you know how the Haytian
soldier is paid you know how Hayti is
governed. The principle is one and in
Invisible. The paymaster takes toll OF
the fifty confines and passes 1t on 10
the first general. The first general. who
is a very big general indeed. hands it
on in simmer bulk to the second gem
eral. He in turn transfers 1t. further
diminished. to his next III command
, The captain lightens lest II should be
too heavy for the lieutenant to carry.
and the lieutenant not liking to break
the chain, takes his own discount; thus
the soldier who receives five centimes
is in luck; he who gets ten is a favor
tie of the gods. And when at last ne
las pocketed 1t. his lieutenant comes
along and wins 1t off him at the uni
versal game of dice. This sounds very
grotesque, but 1t is none the less the
sober truth. Nor is ii matter OF iso-
lated instances; 1t happens every week
Regularity A1U
Vnudoux worship.
'In Hayti the nominal religion is Ro-
man Catholicism but II is no more
than a thin veneer: beneath you find,
rot traces merely, but solid ground
work of West African superstition, SER
pent worship and child sacrifice. This
last assertion may seem almost incred-
lille, made In connection with nation
not only living in the midst of other
civilized communities, but which was
itself started a century ago on the dou-
ble lines Of European laws and Chris
tan creed. Nevertheless, all those who
know anything of Hayti by personal ex-
rerience and residence there know, too
that the fact has been amply proved
ever and over again. The national
method is not to suppress these infa-
nous crimes. but simply to deny their
existence. The evil Of Vaudoux wor-
ship is widespread. The government
has been at all times too unstable to
care to take the risk Of seriously OPP
posing so powerful a combination. The
sect Is universally feared. hence they
carry on their rites and their orgies
with practical impunity. At the root
of this outgrowth of superstition are
the papalois and the mamalois, the
priests and priestesses who minister
to the naturally credulous mind Pap
aloi and mamaloi are corruptions of
papa lie roi and mama lie roi. They
dwell chiefly in the mountains.
"Vaudoux, according to it's more
elect disciples, is an all-powerfuI deity
but the idea of the. masses does not
rise above the serpent which represents
to them their god. and which rkesides.
in its box, over all their services.
These usually take place at nights and
in pseudo secrecy. They consist of
dancing, sacrificing, feasting, invoca-
lions and a Delphic delirium on the
part of nlamaloi, winding up with
scenes of an indescribable nature.
There are said to be two sects of Vau-
doux; one which sacrifices only fruits,
white cocks and goats to the serpent
god; the other, that sinister cult above
referred to. whose lesser ceremonies
call for the blood of a black goat. but
whose advanced orgies cannot be fully
carried out without the sacrifice of
the goat without horns"-the human
child.
"Vaudoux is cannibalism in the sec
ond stage. In the first instance a saw
age eats human flesh as an extreme
form of triumph over an enemy: SO
the appetite grows until the food is
preferred to any other. The next stage
follows naturally. The man. wishing
to propitiate his god, offers him that
which he himself most prizes. Add
to this sacrifice the mysteries and ira
ditions of the ages and you have the
Vaudoux of to-day"
The Vaudoux Ceremonies.
Mr.. Prichard devotes several articles
to description of the ceremonies he
witnessed. He describes the evil in
huences of the papaloi, with their
knowledge Of the medicinal qualities OF
roots and herbs. and their mysterious
po.sons handed down by tradition, for
which they alone know the antidote,
thus creating AFFECT fear and exact.ng
large sums from the victims of their
roisons. He witnessed many orgies, but
was not a witness to the sacrifice of the
goat without horns" the utmost Sc