Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-10-19
ARE BURIED ALIVE
Hindu ASceticS Revived After
Three Months Under Ground
Returned Missionary Tells OF Remark
able Performance Of Religious
Fanatics In India.

Rev. DR.. ]. c. r. Ewing, missionary
to India. who recently returned TO the
United States after IS years in the
country of the rajahs and mahatmas.
was discussing the miraculous things
reported of the Hindu ascetics and
admitted that he has been obliged TO
tell of some things which he has seen.
but does not understand. Doctor
Ewing said:
1T is certainly true that the Hindu
magicians perform some tricks when
our best sleight-of- hand performers
are unable To approach. j have seen
some things without being able to &C
count for them. but l am, nevertbe-
less, certain that they are all tricks
One of the best of these was IN exhibt-
ton with cards. The performer
placed q deck of cards upright In a
glass. Then, taking another deck, be
exposed card and calling come.
come" several times in his native Ian
guage. the identical card which he was
exhibiting rose out of the deck In th@
glass and stood where II could be seen
by Il large audience right on top OF the
deck, the performer at the same tirRe'
exhibiting the card which he had Sc
lected. believe that this was due to-
clever manipulation. though l suppose
some persons would ascribe 1t to tel
epathy.
II have seen the trick of making a
plant grow from seed before the
eyes, and this. too. believe, is the re-
suit of manipulation. a curtain Is
placed around the vessel and then re
moved and the plant shown expanding
and growing.
Somewhat more difficult to be skep-
teal about, however, are the perform
ances of the Hindu ascetics, and some
of these are possibly the results OF
religious fanaticism. l know of the
case of man who lay IA years on n
bed of spikes. That is. he was said
| to have lain there II years. Eventual
ly. of course. he died of his suiferings.
l saw the man myself, and there was
no reason to doubt the tales of the
length of time of his torture.
|
going into cataleptic state and being
buried are true The tongue is pulled
out as far as II can be pulled and
| then turned back into the victims
throat and he becomes unconscious, all
animation being apparently suspended
He is buried and after remaining In
the ground for Il period as long as
three months I'm some cases, he is dug
up and resuscitated.
"The theory upon which these tor
lures are endured is that our separate
existence is Il mistaken notion ana
that only by asceticism is 1t possible
to overcome the mistake and realize
unity with all things. The teaching
which has been evolved by the Hindu
ascetics is very beautiful and very at
tractive for n certain type of mind.
but It is after all nothing but form
of atheism. The Christian religion Is
spreading rapidly I'm India, especially
among the lower classes and we have
great difficulty in taking care Of tho
converts. Among the higher classes II
is spreading, too, although formal as
sent to 1t is slow on account Of tho
severity Of the caste ostracism which
follows conversion. The English gov
eminent has the country well In hand
and IL would seem that the country IL
destined for a very rapid development
both in Christianity and democracy