Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-09-27
The ORDEAL sY FIRE.
IA Hindoo Ceremony That Puzzles the
Uninitiated.

IA Hindoo Ceremony That Puzzles the
Uninitiated.
once witnessed a most remarkable
ordeal by fire at Benares, India. 1t,
was held on the grounds Of villa on
the outskirts Of the city, and among
US were some of the most prominent
men and women Of official and social
life in British India. Army and navy
officers touched elbows with French
savants. all more than glad to accept
an invitation that might at least offer
opportunity either to catch some clew
toward solving the mystery Of the In
dian fire ordeal or else catch the
priestly performers in nice trap at
consummate and age long deception,
successfully worked among a supersti-
tlous and overcredulous people like the
Hindoos.
Seats had been arranged for our
party out on the spacious lawn, where
a trench had been dug sixteen feet
long, six feet wide and four feet deep.
The fire in the trench was lighted be-,
fore noon, but the ordeal itself was not
to come of until after sunset. The
trench was filled with kindling wood
land logs and was set afire by the at
tendants, who kept up a blaze as hot
as a blast furnace all day long, until
the trench by sunset was filled three
feet deep with compact, glowing bed
Of redhot Goals.
| We were escorted to our seats at
about $50, and we were not inclined
to question the reality Of that fire from
the moment we sat down within
twelve feet of 1t. Whatever else might
be fraud or hypnotism in this Indian
fire ordeal, we could not for moment
doubt the realism of that scorching
heat that made our eyes smart and
grow bloodshot. We, who had come
to scoff and doubt, were soon realizing
that the managers of the Benares fire
ordeal had already gained rs points
out of 100 in favor Of their honesty and
Of their power over the mighty ele-
ment Of fire, that figures so largely in
oriental philosophy as one Of the three
or four primal elements Of the physi-
cal universe.
A great commotion and babel OF
voices soon proclaimed the coming OF
the procession Of priests, headed by
the arch priest Brahmapoots. carrying
hugh Indian sword, followed by the
two minor priests who were destined
to walk unharmed through that yard
thick fiery bed, scintillating in the In
creasing darkness and lighting up the
dark faces Of the hundreds Of gaping
Hindoos standing behind US. While
we Europeans and Americans, always
lhypercritical and given to scientific re-
search, were awaiting the coming OF
the moment when our rs per cent of
credulity was either to be shattered or
rounded out to the fullness Of COM
pleted and abiding faith In Hindoo
control and mastery Of the deyouring
element OF FIRE, our Hindoo fellows on
lockers, on the other hand, were antic-
lipating the ordeal with all the SIM
Ipiicity Of credufous children Ours
was an almost terrifying heart ten
sion. and we almost wished that we
were not occidental skeptics, always
bent on doubling things of an extraor-
dinary nature. ,,..
The priests marched about the
trench chanting and performing mys-
tic incantations, carrying along a glass
reliquary, or shrine. in which was seen
the image Of the god silva, who. In the
Hindoo religious system. is one of the
Trinity and is worshiped as the de-
stroyer, Brahma being the creator and
vishnu the preserver OF the universe.
We do not know to this day what those
priests said as they perambulated
about that fiery trench, but we DO
know what soon followed, for, at the
end Of the Incarnation, the two candi.
dates for the ordeal plunged into the
redhot Goals and walked ankle deep
the whole length Of the trench, back
ward and forward, time and time
again. They played with that scintic
lating, glowing fire as children play
with the sands Of Coronado beach,
kicking 1t with their feet and STOPPING
down to pick up handfuls Of the glow
ing Goals, tossing them in the air, to
be blown by the rising evening breeze
all over our heads and our easily In
Aammable clothing. We were really
afraid. No doubt about those sparks
and liya 20 Hing coalsi
When the two priests had walked up
and down alone through that fiery
trench unscathed and unscorched, then
the whole Hindoo throng seemed to
suddenly catch the spirit OF their
priests, and, sure Of their conquest
over the power Of fire, they began
plunging into the trench. Old men and
young children walked through that
fiery furnace, forward and backward,
and when they had tired Of this play
ing with fire" they came out as they
had entered, not a hair or a. garment
scorched, not even the soles Of their
feet blistered.
Only males are allowed to go
through the fire ordeal.
Never yet has any scientific theory
explained the power Of the silva wor-
shippers over fire. We ourselves were
absolutely convinced that trickery was
not to be considered as an explanation
of what we had witnessed.-Los An
geles Times.
A LAKE OF FRE.-The Lake OF Wa