The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-11
FEATS BY ORIENTAL FAkIRS
Marvellous Illusions That Amaze
Western Philosophers
Wonderful Feats That Cannot be Ex-
pIaincd-Early Jesuit Fathers At
ributed Their skill to the Devil,
Which Explanation is Still Persisted
i'm by Missionaries.

Kashimir at the feet Of COomra Sami,
the philosopher Of Srinagur, one of the
greatest of the thousands Of adopts
who are to he found all over the wilds
Of India, says a writer in the Occult
Review. They are not ordinary fakirS
or the jogis, but the higher brother
hood Of Sadhu and S~anaysis, who sell
dom exhibit their powers and never
for rewards.
These marvellous illusions have been
the wonder Of centuries. If l could
produce anything like them and go up
and down the country exhibiting them
Occidental humanity never experience
ed.
I shall never forget the day and the
state Of my feelings when;I saw the
mango feat for the first time. This was
in a large public square at .Arga and In
the presence of about 400 people, form
ing a circle Of perhaps sixty yards in
diameter. In the center stood the
"Sadhu." Some of the OnlOOkers were.
Of course. nearer to him than others,
and he seemed to have, no objection
if people came within ten Or fifteen
yards of him, but the average dis.
lance kept by the spectators was, l
dars say, thirty yards. Most of my
readers will know what a mango is.
For the benefit of the few who may
not, l will say that it is an edible
tropical fruit, about the size of a pear.
growing on a tree which reaches a
height of from forty to one hundred
feet.
The "Sadhu" dug a hole in the
grOund-by means of a short stick
about six inches deep, placed the
mango in it and covered it with earth.
/ now expected to see a mod ficatiOn
of a well-known trick practiced by
some of your western cOnjurers. The
performer plants a bean or pea IN q
flower pot, containing quicklime. The
bean has been previous sOaked i'll
warm water for several days and is
on the point Of terminating. Then
bS pOull hS liz SliouSh NoCN W -
the quicklime the earth is warmed to
such an extent hat the germ is driven
ont in ii few minutes, Ofrcing its way
upward Though the soil, a"d reaching
a height of :evaral inches in less than
half an hour. This will astonish ali
those who are unac lnalntei WITH the
wonders Of plant life.
SAW THE TREE
Instead Of his, l was startled to see
in the air above the spot Where the
mango had been buried the form Of a
large tree, at first ratner indistinctls
.enting as it were merely lazy out
lines, but becoming visib]y mere dis
tinct until at length there stood as
natural a tree as ever | had seen In
my life-a manSO tree about fifty feet
high and in full foliage with manages
on it.
All this happened within five min.
uteS of h bn"yIng of h frnlt. 1t
may have been three minutes till |
saw the tree, but as L had been al
first looking into 1tly at the spot where
the mango was planted. the apparit:on
may have been there even sooner. |
WAS so intensity surprised at What
beheld that | cond hardly realize the
fact hat I was not dreaming. There
stood a tree. 10 Ill intents and pur-
poses, as natural rs any tree eonl1
have appeared to human eyes-a huge
tree, with a stem at least two feet
in thickness at is base.
And yet thece was something W.
earthly, something gruesOme. Ehere
was a weird rigidness about it, not one
leaf moving in tie breeze: it sto1d
there as if carved out Oc some hard
solid, like the ODelisk on the Thames
embankment. Another curious feature
| noticed the leaves seemed to OBJ
scure the sT:.'E rays, AMI yet I coul1
not detect a particle Of shade: it was
tree without a shadow.
But the most amazing thing ofAal
was this: After having gazed at 1t 1ol
about two or three minutes I slowly
approached it, wishing to make {
closer examination of the stem and, II
possible, to secure some of the leaves
Now, in proportion, as | drew near the
tree seemed to lose it diStinctneSS; its
outlines became blurred and faded sc
that | had to strain my eyes to re-
tain the impression of its form unit
when about ten yards from the suppos
ed stem tile %apparition had com
pletely vanished. Only the "Sahu'
stood there, and he smiled as ht
caught my eye, but his look was one
| shall not easily forget.
And my surprise did not end here
for no sooner had | commenced retrac
ing nv steps than h outlines of thu
tree appeared once more, growing
more distinct with every step till. a.
lass, when reaching the spot where
had originally stood. it resumed thu
same marvellous reality. Precisely tn
same thing happened, when, instead O.
approaching the tree, | went further
away from it. 1t faded, and finally
disappeared completely when [ hae
about doubled the distance: then cam'
back again and appeared as distinc
as ever when I got to my origina
position. AS it was evident that al
the rest of the OnlOOkers- underwear
the same experience, viz, each indivld
mol cor tho trao only from the nlacf