The Miracle Mongers and their Methods | Page 6

September 27th, 1903, reveals so splendid an example of the gullibility
of the well-informed when the most ordinary trick is cleverly presented
and surrounded with the atmosphere of the occult, that I am impelled to
place before my readers a few illuminating excerpts from Mr. Reid's
narrative. This man would, in all probability, scorn to spend a dime to
witness the performance of a fire-eater in a circus sideshow; but after
traveling half round the world he pays a dollar and spends an hour's

time watching the fanatical incantations of the solemn little Japanese
priests for the sake of seeing the ``Hi-Wattarai''--which is merely the
stunt of walking over hot coals --and he then writes it down as the
``eighth wonder of the world,'' while if he had taken the trouble to give
the matter even the most superficial investigation, he could have
discovered that the secret of the trick had been made public centuries
before.
Mr. Reid is authority for the statement that the Shintoist priests'
fire-walking rites have ``long been one of the puzzling mysteries of the
scientific world,'' and adds ``If you ever are in Tokio, and can find a
few minutes to spare, by all means do not neglect witnessing at least
one performance of `Hi-Wattarai' (fire walking, and that is really what
takes place), for, if you are of that incredulous nature which laughs
with scorn at so-called Eastern mysticism, you will come away, as has
many a visitor before you, with an impression sufficient to last through
an ordinary lifetime.'' Further on he says ``If you do not come away
convinced that you have been witness of a spectacle which makes you
disbelieve the evidence of your own eyes and your most matter- of-fact
judgment, then you are a man of stone.'' All of which proves nothing
more than that Mr. Reid was inclined to make positive statements about
subjects in which he knew little or nothing.
He tells us further that formerly this rite was performed only in the
spring and fall, when, beside the gratuities of the foreigners, the native
worshipers brought ``gifts of wine, large trays of fish, fruit, rice cakes,
loaves, vegetables, and candies.'' Evidently the combination of
box-office receipts with donation parties proved extremely tempting to
the thrifty priests, for they now give what might be termed a
``continuous performance.''
Those who have read the foregoing pages will apply a liberal sprinkling
of salt to the solemn assurance of Mr. Reid, advanced on the authority
of Jinrikisha boys, that ``for days beforehand the priests connected with
the temple devote themselves to fasting and prayer to prepare for the
ordeal. . . . The performance itself usually takes place in the late
afternoon during twilight in the temple court, the preceding three hours

being spent by the priests in final outbursts of prayer before the
unveiled altar in the inner sanctuary of the little matted temple, and
during these invocations no visitors are allowed to enter the sacred
precincts.''
Mr. Reid's description of the fire walking itself may not be out of place;
it will show that the Japs had nothing new to offer aside from the
ritualistic ceremonials with which they camouflaged the hocus-pocus of
the performance, which is merely a survival of the ordeal by fire of
earlier religions.
``Shortly before 5 o'clock the priests filed from before the altar into
some interior apartments, where they were to change their beautiful
robes for the coarser dress worn during the fire walking. In the
meantime coolies had been set to work in the courtyard to ignite the
great bed of charcoal, which had already been laid. The dimensions of
this bed were about twelve feet by four, and, perhaps, a foot deep. On
the top was a quantity of straw and kindling wood, which was lighted,
and soon burst into a roaring blaze. The charcoal became more and
more thoroughly ignited until the whole mass glowed in the uncertain
gloom, like some gigantic and demoniacal eye of a modern Prometheus.
As soon as the mass of charcoal was thoroughly ignited from top to
bottom, a small gong in the temple gave notice that the wonderful
spectacle of `Hi-Wattarai' was about to begin.
``Soon two of the priests came out, said prayers of almost interminable
length at a tiny shrine in the corner of the enclosure, and turned their
attention to the fire. Taking long poles and fans from the coolies, they
poked and encouraged the blaze till it could plainly be seen that the
coal was ignited throughout. The whole bed was a glowing mass, and
the heat which rose from it was so intense that we found it
uncomfortable to sit fifteen feet away from it without screening our
faces with fans. Then they began to pound it down more