The St. Mary banner., 1908-01-25

SSe1Se2Se2se2sl2Sl2se2se;se2seIseise2
Reincarnation, which is a funda-
mental doctrine of Buddhism, has re-
Gently presented two cases which are
so extraordinary as to invite the in
terest of all foreigners, writes Ran
goon (Burma) correspondent OF the
New York Times. A reincarnation of
human identity in human form, al
though changed in outward appear
ance, is called a ''minza" and Is usu-
ally very ordinary looking child.
The "minZas" in the present cases
are the children of very humble Bur
mese parents, and the souls they are
said to possess are those of two Brit
ish officers who died at the time the
"minzas" were born The story OF
one "minza" is related in The Ran
goon Times. and, without comment. at
least furnishes curious and inter-
esting glimpse of phase of Bur
mese belief 1t runs as follows:
There is a little blue-eyed, light
haired boy here. between and 4
years old, the son of hard-working
and matter-of-fact Burmese parents
belonging to the laboring classes.
who. until quite recently. prattled like
any other child Of that age. The 9TH
er day. however, he astonished his
mother by gravely claiming that he
was the late Major D. j. Welsh. Bori-
er Regiment, come to life again. and
went on to describe the house where
he had previously lived. the number
of ponies he had, and other personal
matters.
His mother was frightened. and
called in the neighbors, to whom the
queer albino repeated his story, de.
scribing how he and two Others-a
lady and a gentleman-were drowned
in the Meikttlia Lake in a boating
accident during storm at night in
March, 1904. when the three and only
occupants of the boat perished. That
is the year in which Mrs. Reade.
Liut. A. W. Quinlan and Major Welsh,
the two latter of the Border Regi-
ment, did lose their lives in this man.
ner, as a consequence of Omitting to
put down the centrebOard Of thei:
sailing boat
Large crowds assemble daily to
hear the little child-man speak. OF
course, skeptics will say that it is a
'put-up job The answer to this is
that Burmese coolies are not given to
romancing to such an extent. Several
methods have bee. applied to test the
genuineness of the chili's utterances,
and people are satisfied that he has
not been tutored. The parents, in
deed, would have to be wideawake
sharpers to succeed in foisting such
story upon the public through the
instrumentality of mere infant, and
there is no suggestion that they are
not what they appear to be-simple-
minded folk"
A few years back A. W. Tucker.
District Superintendent of Police in
Pegu. was killed by gang of dacoits,
whom he had rashly attacked at close
quarters. after discharging his revol-
yer and without waiting to reload 1t.
His call to his orderly to fetch am
munition gave the clue to the da-
colts, and they killed him. Just about
the time this tragedy was being en-
acted In one part of the district. an
humble Burmese woman gave birth
to a boy. who, in time. before the
days of his babyhood were well over,
claimed to be no less a parsonage
than the murdered police-officer. So
circumstantial were his accounts of
the encounter with the dacoits as to
appear the narrative of an eye-wit.
ness, and when questioned on various
other points in connection with the
life of the deceased officer, he is as
serted to have answered with sucn
exactitule that the Burmese people
who flocked to hear him discourse
were convinced of the truth of his as.
sertions. Peculiarities of action and
speech were faithfully reproduced,
and. generally, quite a sensation was