Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-02-24

| "Stop"
"stopp' And 1t stops.
Once more:
"spoutr'
And THUS tho crystal fountain spouts
and stops DIS hidden Until tiiore water
Is ftihnlns over tho deck thnn IS alto.
Eetlier comfortable For bystandGrs.
During his whole performance the
1uggler repeats over agnln the mystic |
but apparently irrelevant words:
"Bandar ka kopral Bandnr ka ko.
pra!' ('Skull OF monkey! Skull Of
n monkoyrD
"Backsieeslit'' tho holy man how siig.
eests and indicates the red cloth as aii
appropriate receptacle fot cash nc.
acknowledgement Of lis octult bower.
Az coins fall he deity RECEIVERS them
and bites each one to test its genuine
ness. AT last he piles the contribu.
lions neatly, shakes tho cloth and
again spreads 1t on the floor.
Again the Juggler's eyes Ok them.
selves In cntnleptlc trance. Again hc
pieces around the red square, tr,utterlhg
outlandish words.
Something begins to move beneath
tile CLOTH 1t grows In size us the
sbellbound audience gazts. There Ia n
| fnltit sotnd-nnd-out hops n grinnIhG,
clintterhg monkey. while from tho rnr.
thcr edge of the red rug cobra pokcs
Its venomous head and wrlthcs Its bulk
| along the plnnks.
| The passengers the snllors-
shrink and shudder. but their feet seem
spiked to the deck. No ono moves.
| though disgust md horror nrc mani.
fest on every face.
| a much larger object heaves beneath
the clotl,--slowly, gracefully. r1lndoo
girl rises to her feet, casts tho rcd
cloth from her shoulders md smiles
Upon ships company. as silent and
aghast rs were the royagera IN that
| dread ship. the Mystery"
Before anybody Is able to stir the
| juggler claps his hands, his creatures
vanish, he rolls up his coins in the red
cloth, ties II around his neck, leaps
over the rail Into the stream and
swlms away.
mystic performances being Illusions,
for my attempt to photograph them re-
suits in mn empty plate.
Hindoo Jugglers simply have the pow
er to make not only one person. but IN
unlimited number OF persons, see. taste
md hear things which do not exist
To attribute this power to hypnotism
does not detrnct from the marvel OF tho
| phenomena. We must admit that the
basic principle Of the mystery Ia the
subjugatlon Of the weaker to the
stronger will.
| Secondarlly, there Is In the Hindoo
race an Increase in the power OF
thought. resulting from their Intense
love OF solitary meditation. one OF the
nations most pronounced traits from
time immemorlai. We cannot dispute
that the Hindoos have acquired mental
faculties Of which the younger western
civilizations arc altogether ignorant
as n matter OF experience.
Tho Hindoo has attained marvellous
| results on speculative philosophy.
I Through centuries he has developed
his mental powers by persistent exer
else and persistent effort-as With us,
athletes develop and perfect the mus
CleS OF Inc DOuy.
The Hindoo conjuror Is no unlicensed
charlatan. He Is a man with "voca.
tion." 1t may be while he works in
the rice field that the Hindoo boy
hears the mysterious Gull of Brahma
and tells his parents:
"Kopnl me llkkha" cit is written
upon my forehead.'1
At first "the chosent wnnders
through the streets Of his native town
black ropes of dank hair falling
| about his face, streaks Of clay across
his forehead and down his nose. n sln-
| gle cotton rag wound about his mid
die. The million gods that 5000 Hin.
doc years have accumulated for faith
full souls know that the Chosen has
J vowed n pilgrimage TO Benares-the
residence Of the gods :, the alndoo
| Olympus, not strldIng over the journey
| erect, with strong young limbs, but
! falling fiat on his face, measuring his
length with his brass water bottle for
all the weary way,
Thus does the chosen" accomplish
his pilgrimage, never lacking food or
drink or sleeping mat for all jewellers
In the land know that lie is "a BAR
ageep' = he helps to keep the world
straight with the gods. At last, eyes
bloodshot, feet blistered. he washes in
the. sacred Ganges and bows In the
| grent temple ut Benares and the
priests recognize his holiness and shy,
sit Is written upon his forehead" AFT.
erNwhich the chosen" Is for years SC.
Guided In the silent places OF India
that by prayer and austerity and medi.
tatlon he may subdue the body and de.
velop the mind until lie acquires the