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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1920)
PAGE 4 T H E C H E M A W A A M E R IC A N YOGI STORIES M any of the sciences and arts of m odern civilization had th eir beginning centuries ago in the E ast. E a s t ern philosophers not only invented our num bers and our notation system and contributed in one way and an o th er to various other th in g s th a t we use every day, b u t they produced a peculiar lite ra tu re and philosophy and delved profoundly into m a n ’s psychical powers as well as various unexplained n atu ral laws. On the discoveries and rep u ted discoveries of these m ystics and ascetics have been based several cults and isms w ith large Bodies of adherents in A m erica and other countries of the W estern world. T h ere is no doubt that som e of these m ystics resort freq u en tly to trickery and fraud w ith in ten t to deceive. Y et in some instances they appear actually to possess a w eird kind of su p ern atu ral pow er and the ability to perform feats th a t no one can explain on any n atu ral basis. Some of these men seem to have acquired a most ex trao rd in ary m astery over m atter. T hey say they have accom plished th is by rigid penance. W hether th is is tru e or not, it is not uncom m on for some of them to abstain from food and w ater for long periods. Som etim es they impose on them selves absolute si lence and no th in g can induce them to u tte r a word or syllable. A nother m eans em ployed to inflict th eir bodies and gain superhum an pow ers is to lie for a long tim e on a spiked bed. Still an o th er is to hold the arm extended above the head u n til it become fixed in th a t position and the nails grow into th e palm of the hand. N um erous witnesses, regarded by all who know them as tru th fu l men and w om en, have testified to th e strange, u nusual pow ers of these occultists. Stories are told of th eir w alking th ro u g h a fierce fire w holly u nharm ed. In some instances, it is declared, onlookers suddenly become endow ed w ith this m ar velous h eat-resisting pow er and follow th e yogi u n harm ed th ro u g h flames whose heat is so intense as to scorch the clothing of persons sta n d in g near. A young E nglishm an was on the point of m arry in g a certain young lady to whom his m other objected strong ly for some reason or o th er. H e called on a yogi celebrated for his occult pow er, hoping to as certain th ro u g h him w hether the girl really cared for him . A fter bidding th e young sw ain seat him self on th e floor— the h u t was bare of ev ery th in g but the m ost essential fu rn itu re —the yogi had the lig h t e x tin guished and then directed his caller to co n cen trate his m ind on his wish and th en ask a question. A ll was silent for a few m inutes and th en th e y o u n g m an said: “ Tell me who is th e women that loves me b e s t.” A fter m u tte rin g some in can tatio n s th e old m an set fire to some sandalw ood. T h e sm oke arose and form ed a sort of cloud in th e room . T h en it m elted aw ay and in its place there appeared th e picture of an aged w om an. T h e visitor, greatly surprised, exclaim ed: “ My m o th e r!” A s h e spoke, how ever, th e vision began to fade and w ith in a few m inutes q u ite disappeared. A fter re lig h tin g the lam p, the yogi inquired: “ Are you q u ite satisfied, my son?” T h e E ng lish m an r e plied th a t he was and sou g h t to press a coin into the old m a n ’s h an d . H e waved it aw ay, how ever, d e claring th at he w anted no m oney and b id d in g him go in peace and m ake an offering to the poor. O nly a sh o rt tim e after th is the young m an received from his fiancee a letter breaking off the engagem ent. HOW DO RATS CARRY EGGS? W hen the eggs of chickens and other dom estic fowl are found in th e partitions of houses, u n d er floors and in o th e r places frequented by rats b u t inaccessible to the egg-layers, th e natural conclusion is th at rats have carried them th ere. T h is is probably correct but it is largely a circum stantial conclusion; not even th e most learned n atu ra lists can say au th o ritativ ely how rats can carry eggs w ith o u t breaking them . Some who claim to have seen the feat perform ed say th a t the ra t holds the egg closely betw een his chin and forefeet or grips it snugly betw een his forefeet. W hen he w ants to descend to a low er level he covers the egg w ith his body so as to protect it and then deftly tum bles dow n. In some cases, alleged eye-w itnesses aver th e ra t will hold th e egg, lying flat on his back, and a crowd of his fellows will seize his tail and drag him and the egg over level surfaces. N um erous observers agree th a t a num ber of rats invariably take part in th e w ork of carrying an egg. H ow ever, looking on from a distance, as is necessarily th e case, it is difficult to determ ine exactly how the in d iv id u als of th e group w ork. T h ey do a great deal of squealing but no-one has been able to decide w h eth er this is in the n atu re of com plaint at h av in g to do w hat seems an u n fair proportion of th e w ork or an o u tcry of pain from g ettin g scratched or having th eir toes stepped on. P erhaps they m ake th e job a sort of football scrim m age and squeal in sheer enjoym ent of the fun and excitem ent. FEM ININITY OF SHIPS T o th e E nglish-speaking sailor a sh ip is alw ays a “ sh e ” and m any of the vessel’s fittings and attrib u tes — w aist, stays, laces, bonnets, ties, ribbons, chains, w atches, e tc .—are distinctly fem inine. I t is believed th a t th e G reeks originated the custom of speaking of ships as fem inine, applying fem inine nam es to th eir craft in deference to A thene, th eir goddess of the sea. In th e F re n ch , Ita lia n , S panish and P o rtu g u ese la n guages the w ord “ s h ip ” is m asculine. In th e T e u tonic and S candinavian to n g u es it is neuter in gender.
