The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-22

along the center pathway, and were evidently intended to drive away the fire spirits. Afterward the same mo- tions were gone through with at the four corners. while handfuls of salt were scattered along the edges. At length the exorcism reached the proper stage-that is. at the end of about fif- teen minutes-and a piece of straw mating was laid close to the end of the fiery pathway. and on 1t was placed quantity of salt. Then one of the priests stepped upon the mating and, rubbing his bare feet In the salt, walk ed deliberately along the depression. He was quickly followed by another and another till all had gone over. Then an elderly man, with a look of triumph ant determination on his face, walked half way across and stood still for a second or two before finishing his jour ney. Then other people, not priests, went across One man carried a baby In his arms. A girl about IF years old was inclined to try it, but, being some what timid, ran all the way across Then a nicely dressed young woman crossed over.
 Having seen this much and so seen all, I went away, though 1t was report ed that some foreigners went across after left. I saw the fire-walking miracle. and came away fully convinced that there is nothing miraculous about 1t. It Is true that the bed of charcoal was a burning fact, and it must be said that the incantations were very enec- tive. It was quite evident that those who went across did not walk over the live coals: If they had done so 1t would have been fin the nature of a miracle, especially if they received no injury. In the first place. much of the life Of the fire was beaten out by the bamboo poles. When this operation was finish ed the layer of coals in the center was exceedingly thin. Fifteen minutes Of incantations served to reduce what was left practically to a bed of ashes, hot ashes, but yet ashes. This was evident from the fact that the feet of the first man who went over clearly made an im- pression, which was all the deeper be- cause he raised his feet high and put them down with a great deal of force. The stamping served to scatter the fire, as well as to leave a mark to guide the footsteps of the next man. In the next place there is a virtue in salt. Books of recipes tell us that a good way to ex- tinguish a burning chimney Is to put salt on the fire. The earth back of the mating was perceptibly wet, and ob- served that the priests were careful to step from the moist earth into the salt, and that they took pains to rub the salt as far up on the sides of their feet as pOSSlDl6. m LHlS way LhO Sdit was made to cling to their feet and to serve as an extinguished.
 It will be seen from the above re- marks that I am still a skeptic. The exceeding great paints taken to render the fire innocuous dampened my enthu- isasm. The experience of Daniel was much more to the point. No one was kind enough to beat the fire out before he got into the furnace; on the con- trary, the King saw to it that 1t was seven times hotter than usual. Neither was he allowed to take salt with him, but was bound with his clothes on. That the fire was genuine is shown by the fact that those who threw him in were burned to a cinder. Moreover, he walk ed about leisurely in the furnace and did not come out till the King called him. This is a genuine miracle, since every precaution was taken to make death sure. and yet Daniel did not die. But the Tokio miracle Is worth while; for the professional guides inform trav- elers that it is in order to pay fee of yen and upward. It is the upward" that counts.