Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-15

place the courts were empty hut on tha
benches of the ampitheatre were seated
ABOUT 800 persons male and female the
men to the north and the women to the
south They We're all clad i'm pure ,yhite
robes. the heads OF the men being shaved
ana those OF the women veiled but leaving
the face exposed Lastly. there were two
roadways into this ampitheatre one run
ning eaSt ana one west through tunnels hol-
lowed in the enclrcling rock of the crater
both OF which roads were closed at the
mouths OF the tunnels by massive wooden
double doors seventeen or eighteen feet in
helght From these roadways and their
floors we learned two things First that
the cave where had lived the Father of
Serpehls was. as | had suspected not the
zeal approach to the shrine OF the Child
nut only blind and. secondly, that the
ceremony We We're about to witness was
secret and might only be attended by the
presty class of families of this strange
tribe.
Scarcely was it full daylight when from
the cells OF closters round the outer court
issued twelve priests. headed by Harut him
sell VINO looked very dignfed in his white
garment, each of which carried on a wooden
platter ears of different kinds of corn.
Then from the cells of the southern clois-
Yer issued twelve women. or rather girls,
Tor All We're young and very comely, who
ranged themselves alongside of the men.
These also carried wooden platters and on
them blooming flowers
Al a sign they struck up n religious chant
and began to walk forward through the
passage that led from the first court to the
second
Arriving in front Of the altar they halted,
ana one by one, first priest and then a
prleStess' set down the patters of Offer
'hss' pllIng them above each other into
cone. Next the priests and the prestesses
lahseu themselves in lines on either side
"a Il
corn ana platter of flowers in his hands
Ihese he held first toward that quarter
OF the SKY in which swan the invisible
new moon, secondly toward the rising SUM-
ana thirdly toward the doors of the sane
tuary making genuhections and uttering
Some chanted prayer. the words of which
we could not hear
pause followed. that was succeeded by
n sudden outbrust OF song wherein all the
audience took part 1t was n very sonorous
ana peautlful song or hymn in some
language which | did not understand di-
vided into four verses the end of each
verse being marked by the bowing of every
one OF those many singers toward the east
toward the west, and finally toward the
altar
Another pause, till suddenly the doors OF
the sanctuary were thrown wide and from
between them issued--the goddess Isis of
the Egypttons as l have seen her in pic
lures She was wrapped in closely cling
ing draperies of material so thin that the
whlteness or her body could be seen be-
neath Her hair was outspread behind
her ana she wore. n headdress or bonnet
or ghttering feathers, from the front of
whlch rose little golden snake. In her
arms she bore what at that distance seemed
10 be naked child With her came two
women, walking a little behind her and
supporting her arms. who also bore feather
bonnets but without the golden snake. and
were clad in tight-fitting transparent gar
ments.
My God" whispered Ragnal at is my
wife :" '
Then be silent and thank Him that she
is alive and we'll" answered.
The goddess Isis, or the English Iadv-
IN that excitement / did not reck which
stood still while the priests and priestesses
and all the audience, who gathered on the
upper benches of the amphitheatre, could
see her above the wall of the inner court
raised thrce-repeated and triumphant
cry or welcome. Then Harut and the first
priestess lifted respectively an ear of corn
and flower from the two topmost plat
ters and held these first to the lips of the
chlld IN her arms and secondly to her lips
This ceremony concluded, the two at
tendant women led her round the altar
to the stone chair. upon which she seated
herself. Next fire was kindled in the
bowl on the tripod in front of the chair;
how, 1 could not see but perhaps IL was
III
burned up in a thin blue flame on to
which Harut and the head priestess threw
something that caused the flame TO turn
to smoke Then Isis, for | prefer to call
her so while describing this ceremony, was
caused to bend her head forward so that
it was enveoped in the smoke, exactly as
she and had done some years before in
the drawing room at Ragnall Castle. Pres
emily the smoke died away and the two
attendants with the feathered headdresses
.,N,-p fS.l,t 81 L,, .,,. a 1,
still holding the babe against her breast as
she might have done to nurse it, but with
her head bent forward like that of a per-
son in a swoon
Now Harut stepped forward and an
peared to speak to the goddess at some
length, then fell back again and waited
till, in the midst of an intense silence. she
rose from her seat and, fixing her wide
eyes on the heavens spoke in her turn
for, although we heard nothing of what
she said, in that clear morning light we
could see her lips moving
For some minutes she spoke then sat
down again upon the chair and remained
motionless staring straight i'm front of
her. Harut advanced again, this time to
the front of the altar, and taking his stand
upon kind of stone STEP addressed the
priests and priestesses and all of the en-
circling audience in voice so loud and
clear that / could distinguish and under
stand every word he said,
1.-The Guardian of the heavenly Child, the
Nurse decreed. the appointed Nurturer. She
who is the shadow of her that bore the
Child She who in her day bears the symbol
of the Child and is consecrated to its SER
vice from Of old, She whose heart Is filled
with the wisdom of the Child and who utters
the DEGREES of Heaven, has spoken. Hearken
now to the voice Of the Oracle uttered in
answer to the questions of me. Harut, the
head priest of the Eternal Child during
my lifedays. Thus says the Oracle the
Guardian, the Nurturer. marked like ali
who went before her with the holy mark of
the new moon. She on whom the spirit, f.t-
ting from generation to generation, has
alighted for a while. % People of the
White Kendah, worshipers of the Child In
this land and descendants of those who for
thousands of years worshped the Child In
a more ancient land until the barbarians
drove it thence with the remnant that re-
mained. War is upon you, o People of the
White Kendah. Jana the evil one he whose
other name is Set, he whose other name is
Satan he who for this while lives in the
shape of. an elephant, he who is worshiped
by the thousands whom once you con-
ouered, and whom still you bride by my,
might comes up against you. The, Dark
ness wars against the Daylight, the EVIL
wars against the Good Ny curse has
fallen upon the people OF Jana, my hail has