The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-04-04
FAITH OF oRIENTALs.
Illustration of 1t in BOrneO-Proph-
cts Promise Of Flying.

PAASN W NfShbo MAAe1
northern Borneo during the last dec
ade of the nineteenth century. The
interior of that portion of the island
is inhabited by a race called Muruts, a
semi-savage folk living in dirt and
squalor engaging in head-huntlng
and other barbarous practices, and an
nually reducing themselves to the
verge of famine by converting the
best part of their crops into infamous
native liquor, in which they habitual-
ly indulge to excess. Their religion
is a crude form Of pantheism, butthey
hold a belief in a future life, their
theory being that departed souls con-
gregate upon the inaccessible SUBMITS
of Kina-Balu, the magnifcentmoun-
tain which dominates the land in
which they dwell. They are apathet-
ically lazy and indolent, prodigal and
imprOyident to a degree, and wholly
u~nambitious of better things.
A%prophets sudden yappearedamOn
them, says the London Spectator.
He came alone and unattended, a ma
ked Murut like themselves, wander
ing nOrthward through the mean for
est country that lies back of Brunei
and the Limbang valley, and bringing
with him no credentials save his own
lying tongue. Among any except an
oriental people he would nothaye OBJ
tanned moments hearing; but, with
the boundles8 credulity Of the Asiatic
to aid him, he had no difficulty in en-
listing the whole countryside among
the number of his disciples. Yet,
apart from their lack of proof, the
temptation to reject his teachings
should surely have been irresistible.
The prophet demanded enormous
personal sacrifices from his devotees
as a step preparatory to their initia-
ton into the mysteries which he
taught. The disciple was required to
give up his wife, his cattle and all his
other property, which st%raightway
passed into the keeping of the proph-
ct, and it was only after that trans
fer had been effected that the magi-
clan would consent to undertake the
long series of incantations and other
magic ceremonies which were to pre-.
cede hefulfllment o fhis promise.
This promise itself was perhaps th'
most curious part of the whole trans
action. 1t was hal he would be abb
to confer upon the initiated the pow
er to fly! Why a naked Muru
should be ready and willing to par
with all material things in exchang,
for the bare prospect Of an acquire
ment so little advantageous to him i
not easy to understand or explain, e1
cept on the hypothesis that he hopeC
to use his new power for the purpos.
of visiting the crest Of Kina-Balou
and so in a manner, gaining Heavel
before his time.
Whatever the cause Of the subtl
7 fascination of the idea, fascinating i
e unquestionably vas to the Murut'
and the prophets had no lack Of fol
d lowers. Wherefore upon a certain day
= when the procession of initiation wa
declared to be complete, a number Q
e men climbed to the tops of the high
est cocoanut trees in their village
and, triumphantly testifying to tn
' boundless faith of the oriental, cas-
themselves thence to the ground, thu
gaining an afterlife, indeed, but witt
= out the aid of wings. A failure on S
large a scale as this, and fraught wit
consequences so unpleasant, migf
have been thought sufficient to coz
n the enthusiasm and to discredit an
prophet, but this was not the case,
The magician explained that tn
Il dead men had fallen victims to the.
inability to comply literally withth
minute Instructions which he ha
given them as being essential to the
due initiation into his mysteries, an
not only was this view Of the circun
stances accepted in all good fat.
but, passing from village to village
he was able to find many to furnis
practical proof Of their mistaken COZ
fdence in his mission, to the materi
enhancement Of his own wealth ar
the dislocation of his neighbol
necks. How long this state Of affai
might have continued it is impos;
BILE to guess, but more than a score
"A men had been killed before the Nor
Borneo Chartered company stepp
= 4ol 49, u,o,b,4 oo,;1 ~a,,