The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1907-03-20
The ORDEAL BY FIRE
a Hindoo Ceremony That Puzzles
the Unnitiated.
WALK OVER GLOWING GOALS.
The Participants In the Mystifyins
Spectacle Play With the Fiery En-
bers as Children Play With Sand
and Emerge Unframed.


Spectacle Play With the Fiery En-
bers as Children Play With Sand
and Emerge Unframed.
once witnessed a most remarkable
ordeal by fire at Benarcs, India. 1t
was held on the grounds of a villa on
the outskirts Of the city, and among
rs were some of the most prominent
men and women of official and social
life It'll British India. Army and navy
officers touched elbows with French
savants, all more than glad 10 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 priest
ly performers in a nice trap nj consum-
mate and age long deception, success
fully worked among "A superstitious
and oyereredulous people like the Hin
docs
Seats had been arranged for our par
y ont Oh 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 before
noon. hut HE ordeal itself WAS not to
come of until after sunset The trench
WIS filed with klndlng wood and logs
aud WAS set atire by the attendants.
who kept up a blaze rs hot as "A blast
furnace all day long. until the trench
by sunset wits filled three feet deep
with a compact, glowing bel of red
hot Goals
We Wcrc escorted to our seats at
about 30. and We were not inclined
70 question thu reality of that fire from
the moment w sat down within twelve
feet OF II Whatever else might he
fraud IL h5paotsm in this Indian fire
ordeal. W could not for moment
doubt The realism nf that scorehing
heat that made nur eyes smart and
grow hlpodshot We. who had come 10
scon aud doubt We're soon realizing
that the managers Of the Benares fire
ordeal hdd already gained a. points out
Of ldp IA fd4er Of their honesty and of
their power over the mighty clement
Of fire thai figures So largely III orien
tai philosophy as one of the three or
four primal elements of the physical
universe
4 efeal c9nlmntinn aud babel of
voices soon proclaimed The coming of
the procession of priests. headed by
lhe arch priest BrallHapoets. carrying
huge Indian sword. followed by the
two minor priests who were destined
10 walk unharned through that yard
thick fiery bed, seiHtlIatihg in the in
ereasiHg darkness and lighting up the
dark faces OF the hundreds of gaping
IIHtlaes standing behind us. While
we Europeans and Americans, always
hypereritiea and given Ia scientific re
search. were awaiting the coming of
the moment when cur - per cent Of
credulity WAS either 10 he shattered or
rounded ont 10 The fHlHess of a com
peted and abiding faith In IIindoo
control aud mastery of the dcvourlng
element of fire. oHt lIindoo fellow on
lockers, on the other hand. were antici
patins the ordeal with all the simple
ity OF etcdalpus 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
tatiens earrYing along a glass reliqu
nry, or shrine, in which was seen the
image of the god silva. who, in the
IIludoO religious system, Il one of the
trinity aud is worshipcd as the dc
shoyer Hrahma being the creator and
Nishua the prescrNcr of the universe
We do not know 10 this day what those
priests said rs they pcrambulated
about that fiery trench but we do
know what soon followed, for, at the
end Of the incuutation. the two candi
dates for the ORDEAL plunged into the
redhut cDals aud walled ankle deep
the whole length of the trench back
ward aud forward timc and time
again. They played with that scinui'
latIng, glowing tire rs children play
with the sands 81 Coronado beach,
kicking II with their feet aud stopping
down to pick up handfuls OF the glow
Ing Goals, tossing them In the air, TO
be blown hy the rising evening breeze
all over our heads and our easily in
tiammable clothing, We We're really
afraid W doubt about those sparks
and live failing coals
When the two priests had walked up
and down alone through that fiery
trench uuscathcd and unscorched,
then the whole lliudoo throug seemed
to suddenly catch the spirit OF their
priests, and sure of their conquest over
the power az fire they began plunging
into the trench old men and young
children walked through that fiery fur
nacC forward and backward and
when they had tired of this playing
with iirce they came out as they had
entered. not a hlir or garment
scorchetl, not even the solcs "f their
feet hiStefel
only maleS are allowed 90 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 Ia he considered as an explanation
Of what we had Witnessed Los Angc-
les Times
A Caed,e's Cadenra.