Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-07-16

when you change a savage into q
Christian he will never go back
Christianity has been inculcateG
into the minds of the Tahitiank
for more than half a century, and
missionaries have been eongratu.
lating themselves on the whole.
sale conversion, and have flat
tered themselves with the belief
that because nearly three genera.
tons have continued in the Faith
these people would never return
to their savage beliefs. But alas
for their knowledge of the savage
character. Tahitians are rapidly
lapsing into a belief that is worse
than their original religion, for
with them they now have mix
ed several Christian beliefs that
have given them a good God an
a Devil that has attributed to
him powers equal to, if not great
er than that of the Good God. On
top of this mixed belief they
have been given new thoughts by
who have taught
them that there is cOmmunica-
ton between the two worlds, the
and invisible.
This latter belief comedies SO
with the original savage
belief that it is being accepted
without question, and the old
time priests and their descend
ents are coming back into power.
But there is a queer turn to their
spiritual belief, for they have &C.
oepted the Christian taught fact
that there is a powerful evil Spir-
it, and they think it is better Ito
prOpitiate his power, than to con-
praise the good God. The
result is that Spiritualism on the
island of Tahiti is DiaboliSm, with
almost a worship of a personal
devil. 1t is revival, in degree,
IF the belief that the stone i'm
age found in the mountains is the
representative of evil, and they
need have sacrifices to keep him
N a good humor. 1t is whispered
hat the rites of these believers
Ire verging upon those of the old
lays and that there has even TAX
IN place in recent days human
sacrifice.
| have found several TahitianS
who. openly say that their god
S again coming into power, and
they really believe that when this
occurs the white race will be
Danished from the island. These
people do not like the French,
and would be glad to see their
own people ruling over them.
Numerous native mediums have
claiming to be possess
ed with supernatural powers, and
n the deep woods of the noun
aims there are held nightly cir
lies, where strange incantations
Ire practiced.
So strong has this belief taken
Mold that | was told by a Catholic
priest, by a Baptist minister and
by a Mormon missionary, and all
If them have been here for years,
-hGt the natives were raridly
drifting away from their teach
ngs. | asked Alexander if he
could give me any information
regarding this new belief, and he
said that the natives had never
really accepted in full the teach
ngS of the Christians, but that
they always held part of the
old belief. Alexander, himself, is
with a strain of vouGe-
,iSm, and is now a member of the
spiritual band that goes to the
for their rites.
He described one of these
rites where they have a living al
ar. A woman whom he describ-
I'd as being beautiful, is the
DrieSteSs Of the cult, and at their
meetings she lies full length on
the sacrificial stone on the old
altar, becoming a living altar at
which prayers are made. She is
'aid to be in league with the
Evil One, and over her naked
body the followers are bound by
most awful oaths to follow her
mandates. All their prayers are
directed to the Devil, and there is
being introduced into the rites a
species of phallic worship, with
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