The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-03-21
THE ORDEAL BY FIRE
A Hindoo Ceremony That Puzzles
the Uninitiated.
WALK OVER GLOWING GOALS.

WALn ovEh oluNifas1s GuALo.
The Participants In tie Mystifyinst
Spectacle Play WITH the Fiery Em-
bers as childssa Play With Sand
and Emerge unharrned.i
once Witnessed . most remarkable
ordeal by IRE at Benares, India. J 1t
was held ON the grounds OF villa on
the outskirts Of the city. and among
us were come OF the most prominent
men and women Of official, and social
life IN British India. Army and navy
officers touched elbows with French
savants, ell more than glad to accept
an invitation that might at least offer
opportunity either to catch some sciew
toward solving the mystery OF the In.
dian FIRE ordeal or else catch the priest
ly performers iii n nice trap Mt consum.
mate and aye long deception, success.
fully worked among a superstitious
and oyercreduious people like the Hin.
docs.
Seats had been arranged for onr par
~ out on the spacious lawn, where a
trench had been dug sixteen feet long,
six feet wide and four feet deep. The
tire In the trench was lighted before
noon. but the ordeal itself was not to
come on until after sunset. Tie trench
vas hiled with kindling wood and logs
and was set aiire by the attendants,
who kept up q blaze US hot as a blast
furnace NIL day long, until the trench
by sunset was filed three feet deep
with q compact, glowing bed of red.
NOT coais
we were escorted 70 our seats at
apout ":5o. and We were not inclined
70 question the reality OF that fire from
the moment we sat down within twelve
1est o. y. Whafeyer else might be
irhuu OF 3hypnotism IN TINS Indian fire
'orueal we could not for a moment
doubt the realism OF that seorching
meat that made our eyes smart and
grow pioodshot, we. who had come to
soon ana donbt, We're soon realizing
fhat me managers OF the Benares fire
ordeal mud already gained 20 points out
OF looin OF their honesty and OF
their power over the mighty element
OF ire that figures SO largely in orien-
tni phiiosophy as one OF the three or
Tour primal elements Of the physical
universe. ~,
great commouon and babel OF
voices soon proclaimed the coming Of
me procession OF priests. headed by
the arcn estsBrahmapoots, carrying
huge Indian sword, followed by the
TWO minor priests who We're destined
to walk unharned through that yard
thick hery bed, tillating in the in
creasing darkness and lighting up the
dark faces of the hundreds of gaping
Hindoos standing behind us. While
we Europeans aud Americans. always
hypercritical and given to scientific re-
search, were awaiting the coming OF
the moment when our 70 per cent OF
crednlity was either to be shattered or
rounded out TO the fullness of com
pleted and abiding faith In Hiadoo
control and mastery Of the devouring
element Of fire. our Hindoo fellow on
lockers, on the other hand, were antfci
paftng the ordeal with all the simple.
tty of crednlous children. Ours was an
almost terrifying heart tension. and we
almost wished that we were not occi-
dental skeptics, always bent on doubt
ing things of an extraordinary nature.
The priests marched about the trench
chanting and performing mystic incan-
tations. carrying along glass reliqu-
airy, 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 MS the de:
stroyer. Brahma being the creator and
xishnn 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 ,incantation. the two candi-
dates for the ordeal plunged into the
reahet Goals and walked ankle deep
the whole length Of the trench. back
ward and forward, time and time
again. They played with that scintil-