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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1915)
9 THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 24. 1915. Wi jr a. -V ' 4i frcr if.- -i ' V -i' v.i K : Si -: RKNA BACH. DEVILS Jmvo faded out of real life, but in fiction they are still inter esting; and even useful. Always picturesque and amusing1, tbey appeal most strongly to the Imagination, and once a year, when Ove festival of Hal lowe'en cornea around, quantities of them are exposed for sale In the win dows of shops. They are manufactured for this market by tens of thousands, chiefly of papier mache and wood, by the humblo toy-makers of the Harz Mountains, In Germany a region full of goDiin foik-lore, wnere ue lnnaDi tants still entertain a firm belief in the existence of the demons whose counter feit presentments they turn out so cleverly, In earlier days even so short a time as a couple of centuries ago it was seriously imagined that Hallowe'en was the chosen anniversary occasion for a concourse and festival of devils. Not to believe in their existence and super natural powers was in those times equivalent to a declaration of non-faith in religion. Nowadays it Is different so much o. Indeed, that devils have become a ' subject of scientific study by the eth nologist and folklorist. Few people are afraid of them any longer, and, whenever the chance offers, an oppor tunity of meeting them is eagerly sought. This is because devils are recognized as survivals from an ancient and vanished epoch, ranking in this respect with the crocodile and the shark. In order to find them, one must visit out-of-the-way corners of the world such, for - example, as New Guinea, where the natives celebrate certain oc casions with weird and horrible rites of a quasi-religious character, in which the participants wear terrifying cos tumes consisting in part of enormous helmets with crocodile-like jaws that are made to clap together in a realistic manner as if with a gnashing of teeth. The wearers of the masks are in effect stage-players, and the parts they as sume are those of devils. About the middle of the fifteenth century there dwelt in the city of Plains, in Germany, a person named Johann Faust. He is supposed to have been a sort of partner of Gutenberg, who invented the art of printing. Cp to that time, of course, all copies of the Bible. like those of other books, had been produced by professional scribes, commonly monks. Such a method of booktnakingr was necessarily very laborious, and a copy of the New Testament sold for 500 crowns. Imagine, then, the surprise of every body when copies of the New Testa ment began to appear on the market at 60 crowns. At this price they were offered by Faust, and he turned them out as fast as they were wanted. An other remarkable point was that the copies were ail exactly alike. It thus became manifest that Faust had deal ings with the devil. An information was laid against him: hio house was searched and a quantity of red ink was seized, among other articles, in the belief that It was the blood witw which he had signed a oompact with Satan. He was found guilty, and, to save himself from the stake, revealed to the authorities the fact that the books were printed the art being at that time wholly new and unknown te the people generally. Some writers have averred that the whole etory of Faust (popularised by Goethe) was based upon the facts In the case of Johann Faust and his sup posed league with Satan. Certainly in all ages the devil has received credit for the labors of the learned and the discoveries of the ingenious, Roger Bacon, it will be remembered, was im prisoned because the Fiend has taught him mathematics. Whatever accusa tions may have been brought against his infernal majesty, the highest tal ents in many lines are attributed to him. Many wonderful buildings in Europe and other parts of the world are popularly believed to have been constructed by the devil; and TertuHian said that he was "so good a natural philosopher that he could carry a slave full of water without spilling a drop." The external galleries of the towers of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris, literally swarm with sculptured devils. Most noted of the whole dia bolical crew is one that has played no small part in French literature, its fame having spread to all parts of the world. The evil creature, serving the architectural purpose of a "gargoyle." leans upon the parapet, surveying the city as if with intense satisfaction, Its expression of marvelous portrayal of demoniac joy. The possession of superior knowledge waa dangerous in days of old; at alt events, to exhibit it waa unsafe. In the thirteenth .century, when Roger Bacon threw the image of a rainbow upon a screen by means of a glass prism, he performed an experiment with which every child nowadays is familiar. But his audience, never hav ing beheld such a phenomenon, fled in terror, and tue philosopher narrowly escaped being prosecuted and burned for witchcraft. There could be no bet ter illustration of the fact that super stition springs from lack of knowledge of physical science i. e-, of the laws of nature. In those -days, and even as late as a couple of centuries ago, belief in devils was universal. : Even the most saintly persons were not safe against their machinations for a moment; and it was supposed that every evil thought that entered the mind of any human being was a direct communication from the Evil One. Any happening that was alarming or disagreeable, from a thun der storm to mumps, was attributed to diabolical agencies. Even at the present time. In civilized countries, there are plenty of people who believe in devils. . Idle minds still find mischief for 8ataa to do. But. to discover this form of superstition in active and general operation, one must visit suh relatively unenligtehed parts of the world as China or India, where devils are still occupying themselves conspicuously with human affairs. picture of the evil one a portrait so definitely established that he would scarcely be recognized in any other aspect? The answer is that Satan, as we know him today, is actually the portrait of a man who once lived namely. Charles I, King of England. In his time the monarch was most bitterly bated by all Protestants. Not only was he the bead of the political party to which they were opposed, but, at the same time, he represented, the domination of the Church of Roma They called him Antichrist, and contemporary pictures of Satan commonly represented him with the face and features of the Eng lish King. Charles was one of the handsomest men of his time whence it happens that the devil, as we know him today, is so strikingly good-looking, the long and aristocratic nose, the sharply-angular chin, the long-pointed moustache, and the peculiar chin-beard being all Stuart characteristics. As for the costume, it is that of a noble man of the period, even the feather in the cap being a mark of rank. No religion has ever been able to get along without devils. The ancient Egyptians went to the grave literally papered and painted over with the ritual -requisite for successful encoun ter with the evil spirits waiting to op pose their passage into the abode of blessedness. Devil worship is the most primitive form of religion, and hence one is not UNIVERSAL ARMY SERVICE ! -o :- nww.'.vw...... i -, Engineers Estimates Itfarveloiisly Close in Construction of the Great Bridge I, . , , Tyzsa&csr&X : " r '- f ' '"a""""" " - i - "".'" ss '!- i THE arch of Hell Gate Bridge, the largest steel arch in the world, vu completed October. 1, when the last piece of steel waa swung into place connecting the two aides of the span. G us Lav Linden thai, who de signed the bridge, was on hand with his staff to see the work finished. The closing of the arch was interesting to engineers because it checked their com putations and tt was found that these measurements showed a variation" of only a quarter inch in the whole 101T feet. . This represented the total of all inaccuracies la fabricating and erect ing 19 990 tons of steel. The bridge is part -'f a connecting link between the New York, New Haven & Hartford and Pennsylvania railroads. Voire- Most of the numerous gods of the Hin doos correspond in all Important re spects to what we would call devils. Oriental devils commonly possess, many heads and many arms and legs the reason being that superior wis-' dom, power and activity are thus indi cated. Tbey the monsters, the devils of China, Japan and India, assuming forns which surpass all the ingenuity of heraldic art. In Thibet the whole country is literally overrun by "multi tudes of demons, who would entirely destroy the inhabitants but for the ef forts of a vast army of Buddhist priests, maintained for the purpose at public expense. Priestcraft everywhere Has always depended mainly upon devils for the success of - its highly-remunerative business. They are so much stock in trade. Ordinarily Satan wears the wings of a bat a hater of daylight), and is provided with horns and hoofs which unquestionably are inherited from the old Roman god Pan. But. as represented pictorially or on the stage today, he invariably assumes a very, handsome and courtly aspect and at tire. This seems altogether reasonable, inasmuch as he is supposed to mislead by his seductions. But why that spe cial cast of countenance, with long and aristocratic nose, up-curled moustaches and pointed chin? And for what reason the garb so distinctive, with doublet and hose a eostume ebelonglng to the period of the early Stuart monarch n England, t is in this guise that Mephistopheles Invariably appears in play or opera a long cloak serving presumably to eoneeal his forked tall. He Is always handsome, graceful, debonair a cour tier and gentleman, every Inch of him. What tradition is accountable for this THE example of Switzerland shows that we are not forced to choose between a voluntary system and the kind of conscription so disliked in England and the United States. We al ready have conscription in education. In so far as education of mind and body can also fit for military service, it should find a place in our system. Much could be done In the way of training that would be worth while in itself and at the same time be excellent prelimin ary discipline for the making of a sol dier. It would supplement our public education by furnishing a kind of dis ciplinary training which is now its greatest lack. I have heard an Admiral of our navy describe the transformation for th better of boys who serve In our ships under their sane and wholesome re gime. He had a waiting list of ap plications from business men for such boys when they might choose to leave the service. It is evident that the bur den of military service in Germany has not prevented an immense indus trial expansion. On the contrary, the drill has proved an excellent general training for all sorts of callings, in cluding agriculture. The best devel oped military training has become a branch of publl- education, and its ed ucative value has been worth Its cost. An Intelligent democracy should find a way to take over what it needs from a system like that of Germany, while rejecting alien features. Our military experts think we could do so as well as Switzerland. A goodly part might be incorporated into our system of education and be a gain from the pure ly educational standpoint. Every man should learn how to de fend himself and his family In case of emergency. He further owes to his community and to the state his aid when -needed for maintaining order. In case of war with a foreign country ho ewes his services wherever they may be most useful, either in actual fighting or In occupations that con tribute to the success of the army. It should not be left to the individual to decide what he will do. Every one fit for service should be liable to the call to the field, and every able-bodied man should ho fit for service. It is the com. men civic duty, not to be shirked at the expense of the willing and the patriotic. Few would be unwilling if they were sure that all were to be called on. that all were ready for a similar sacrifice. If common report is true, volunteering in Germany was gen eral among those not liable to military duty, even in addition to the millions of the trained. - At the outbreak of the present war It seemed to many that "preparedness" was the cause of the war, and that the race for military superiority inevitably led to the catastrophe. The Inference was that we should not Join in any such race, but do our best to prevent It here and abroad. Jater Information will no longer allow us to hold that opinion. The war was caused, not bj competition in armament, but by Austria- They prepared for war. not be cause they wanted peace, but because tbey wanted predominance, to be ob tained preferably without a fight, but with one if need be. The peace desired was to be the pax teutonics. The best hope of preventing war was adequate preparation on the part of the entente, and they were attacked precisely be cause they were not prepared. It. therefore, remains -true, as it has al ways been true, that a nation hon estly desirous of preserving peace should be prepared for war to the ex tent of being too formidable for at tack, and ready to do its share of in ternational police duty in maintaining order. If it is feared we will abuse that power, better that risk than the risk of suffering the abuse of a fore ign power taking advantage of our helplessness. Militarism imposed from outside is not likely to be better than our own brand. Cor. a Springfield (Mass.) Republican. John Ba(eycora, Cbanffenr. Philadelphia Telegraph. John Barleycorn Is a bad chauffeur. His hand shakes, his knees wabble, his eyesight Is poor and his conscience half asleep. And any one who permits this reckless driver to sit at the wheel of a motor car is a menace to life. That is why little sympathy is felt for the Baltimore man Just sentenced to two years In the penitentiary because, while intoxicated, he ran down and killed a woman. And if this convict fancies himself the victim of a great injus tice, he should compare his fate with that of the woman whose neck bis care lessness broke. One does not have to b intoxicated to deserve prfson for reckless driving. Nov dees one have to be rich, as the Baltimore man is. In deed, the plight of this man should have an equally sobering effect upon all careless drivers, tipplers, teetotalers, plutocratic and poor. surprised to find among savage peoples ceremonials which have no other object than the propitiation of evil spirits. Among the natives of Australia one meets with "devil dancers," who wear plumed headdresses, and whose faces, in lieu of masks, are thickly covered with white paint, giving them a pe culiarly grisly aspect. Apart from these adornments, they are entirely naked; but an imitation of clothing (if such it may He termed) is made by painting lines on the front of their bodies and thighs, 'which are so ar ranged as to suggest la an odd and striking way the effect of a civilized evening-dress coat. The Apache Indians have a devil dance of their own, In which the per formers wear very fantastic masks and headgear. But one must visit the Moki, in their own oountry in the Southwest, to see the business of devil dancing elevated to a really artistic plane. The .principal devil of the Moki is the Great Plumed Snake, which, oddly enough, is also the god that controls the rains. He is the arch enemy of the sun, who is the beneflcient divinity par excellence. Once in a long while, ,on the occasion of an eclipse, he actually succeeds in swallowing the sun. but is, presently, compelled to digorge. Sev eral centuries ago. when this tribe of Indians dwelt In cliff houses along the Rio Verde, the snake brought about a deluge; and later on he so afflicted the Moki in other ways as to oblige them to migrate northward into Arizona, where they now reside. The principal ceremonial of the year in Moki Land is one in which a tre mendous fight Is represented between the devils, headed by the Plumed Snake and the good divinities. It is supposed, according to the theme of the drama, that the evil spirits are trying to make the sun a captive. He, of course, is the hero of the play, and carries a shield on which Is painted in brilliant colors a picture of the orb of day. The costumes worn by the perform ers are very elaborate and interesting, their beads being covered by helmet shaped maska painted with extraordi nary faces. Most of these masks are of leather some of them made of buf falo hide, and nearly all of them quite ancient. On some of them have been found marks which show that their material was obtained from Spanish saddles, centuries old. They are the most cherished property of the secret societies of the tribal clans, and no money will buy them. But the Great Plumed Snake has a huge gourd for a head, with a red leather tongue, and the way he -can roar when angry is something fierce. There seems to be more or less, mis understanding in regard to Batan. which it may be as well to remove. He was originally a seraph, that is to say. one of the first In the hierarchy of angels, which are of various ranks. Like other seraphs, he had six wings, and, according to the authority of Isaiah, "with twain did he cover his face, with twain did ha cover his feet, and with twain did he fly." His rank entitled him to stand nearest the throne of the Most High and (again according to Isaiah) his crime, which brought tribuation Into this fair world, was that, not content to stand, be as pired to sit in the Divine Presence. In the art of the middle ages Satan is usually represented with a halo about his head, whereat many people have been puzzled. But the matter is very easily explained, inasmuch as the balo was originally a pagan symbol of power. Roman emperors and even con suls were represented with halos. Square holes in mediaeval times were used for living personages of high au thority and importance. Thus it will be understood that the devil's halo, when he wears one. Is an indication merely of his "bad eminence" and for midable character.
