THE MODERN DESIRE FOR AMUSEMENT.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 94, 13 February 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE MODERN DESIRE FOR AMUSEMENT.

Mr Aklo Bates, the American novelist and critic, in his "Lowell Lectures on English Composition,'' just published by Houghton, Mifflin, and Co., says : " Flippaucy is the prevailing literary vice of tho ago. Tho Periodicals are, perhaps, moro largely to blame for this than any other siugle causa, bu<, newspapers and magazines by no meams have the whole responsibility in this matter. Tho desire for amusement has eateu us up. Tho overworked and nervous public desires entertainment which shall make no call on tho intellect and as a little as possible o.i the perception. Tho man who could devise the means of amusing his fellows without their being obliged even to take the trouble to be aware of it would almost bo deified by this age. "The modern imaginatiou is harder to awaken than the Sleeping Beauty. An audience in the \heatre to-day cannot bo porsuaded to do anything for itself. In tho days of Shakespeare a playcard on the stage transferred all the beholders into the Forest of Arden, or to tho enchanted isle of Prospero. To-day it is difficult to induco the spectators to second tho most elabora.to devices which have been contrived by scene-painter and carpenter to assist their sluggish fancy. There is even a large class apparently so completely atrophied meat illy as to bo unable to follow a simple plot on the stage. ' Variety shows' to-day take tho place which real plays held once ; short stories, with so much substance as admits of their being beaten up like the white of au egg in a custard, are languidly read by tho million; and wo have oven replaced criticism by a sort of shallow flippancy for which no other name seems to me so appropriate as lit?rary skirt-dancing. " To be clever m the most superficial sense of that word, to be vulgarly glib, to reverence nothing, and, above all, to bo smart aud amusing, seems to be the sum and substance of this art. Ttioy substitute adroitness fur depth, scoffing for .-eutiment, and rapidity for brillancy, Their one aim is to entertain, the idle mind, and to win from astonishment the applause which they have not; the wit to gain from approbition. Tho literary gymnastics of writers of these flippant pseudo-orilcisms are hardly more intellectual than the supple evolution of the ballet girl, and it is to be doubted if tho dancer is not tho moro moral and less debasing of tho two." Mr Bafos would perhaps be iui.ercst.cd to learn that London's new thoalrj—the only theatre iu the metropolis known as the Shakespeare Theatre—opeued its doors for tho first timo last week with—a Gaiety burlesque.

Nickel bits repaired, also new rings fitted, by H. H. tiowdeu, jeweller, etc., Hamilton. The wearing qualities of Parisian drapery are tested with mud. Any new tint that cannot stand the influence of mud being thrown upon it is immediately nut aside us usule^.

YOGI MAGIC IN INDIA. —♦ i . I had heard vaguely long before I reached India that there was a baud of the Yogi—the so called sanctified Yogi somewhere up ir; tho northern part of the country —a sect, iu fact, who, not for a mere living, but apparently from religious conviction, performed miracles. And so—though I was told it would take me at least a week to accomplish my purpose—l started one night from Delhi northward for the unknown. It was a very long journey, but one that is undertaken every year bv the mote wealthy people—the Kuglish particularly, who during the waiter manage to survive this'cloying, deadening climate. On this slow railway it look one day to reach Simla, and from there the voyage was more or loss precarious. Trains were few and connections very infrequent. The population grow less dense, the people more hardy. Wc gradually got into a hilly country where barbarism still survived ; that is to say, the severe impact of European civilisation which distinguished the lower part of the country seemed to fade away, and we got into the native, genuine aad historic Ind'aism. English officials were fewer, and one saw only an occasional trooper. Now and then soldiers invaded the thirdclass section of the train, but they were all natives, excepting an occasional English officer. And without dilating on the tediou-iuess and the annoyances of a very long trip, I got at last to the foothills of the Himalayas, a little village with an uuprououncablc noma, from which we took horses for 30 miles further into the interior, and then, as the route grew more precipitous mules. An occasional inn was found, but the country had almost completely lost its English character. We travelled on higher and higher. I had the map well routed for me, and I was told I could make no mistake as to my destination. Toward sunset of the second day my courier pointed out to mo in the lowering distance a small congregation of huts surrounding a principal edifice of stone. " There," said he, " is tho abode of the Yogi." I had been careful to provide myself with lirst-chiss recommendations, and so I feared no refusal on their part to allow me to enter the sacred precinct. Making oar way through a tortuous defile down the mountain 3ide, wo passed sparse populations, finally to reach the gate of what looked not unlike a monastery of the medieval tinip.s. Absolute silence reigned there, and I was puzzled how to enter. There was no bell, no knocker; only a huge wooden gate made of unhewn logs, but a very respectable barrier in itself. My interpreter informed me that the doorman only came every half-hour, and that I should have to wait until he made his rounds. So. allowing the mules to graze at leisure, I sat with my companion upon a bench that stood beside the place, and patiently waited permission to enter. Ten minutes passed, and then I saw emerging fro.n the distance in the gloom a tall, gaunt, spectre-like person clad in a grey robe. As he approached I noticed that he was wondrously thin ; cheeks sunken in, deep-set eyes, and altogether the mien of a Franciscan of old. In fact, the whole atmosphere was monkish. It recalled to me the stories I had often real of the monasteries of the mediaeval days. It seemed as if I had gone back four or five centuries of civilisation. There was no greeting inhisdenieanour. My interpreter handed him my letters and lie shuffled off, to disappear as mysteriously as he came. Another 15 minutes'wait. Then he returned and laboriously opened the gate. Not a word passed his lips, cither to myself or to ivy companion. He signed us to follow him, which, of course, we did. We found ourselves after traversing a parallelogram somo 7ft or Bft long silently shown into whut seemed a small antechamber. There, very shortly after, came to us a man quite the reverse of the one we had seen —an athlete iu appearance, strong as to sinews, heavy in build, neither fat nor loan, and possessing a countenance tbtifc one would say at the jump was one of great intelligence. He was kindly in his greeting, neither shaking hands, however, nor bowing. And I took my demeanour from his. Ho asked us why we came there, and I replied that I wished to witness the mysteries of the Yosri. Ho told me that, unfortunately, this was the time of year when they were in retreat. He explained, as well as he could, that they were an ascetic order not given to tho display of their powers to strangers. I made bold to ask the purpose of the sect, and he explained that they were ascetics ; that they believed in tho exercise of religion through the visual ■sense —that is to say, tho powers of a perfect man could be so developed as to appear miraculous to the imperfect. And what wonders they acomplishod were through- the direct interposition of Buddha with God. This conversation may have lasted .some 20 minutes, and it took place standing. This man, who, it soetns, was the superior of tho order, asked us to partake of the repast then due. Wo accepted willingly, and entered a larue refectory, perhaps 70ft long by about 20ft broad, bare of everything excepting one long table, benches, and two or three smaller tables at the cud. To one of these wc were assigned, while the superior took his position alons. Then the members of tlio order filed in iu perfect silence. Tho repast consisted of milk curds, honey, and a species of unleavened bread heavy as dough. We were treated to small portions of kid, but I remarked that nobody else in tho plane ate any—in fact, they were not served with it. Most of them looked like the man who originally lot us into tho gate ; occasionally there were two or three words of conversation that appeared to be necessary, but no general talk. And during tlio entire repast. 1 never saw one smile permeate the countenance of any there. In my search for information I feel bound to say that I mot with disappointment. The superior took mo out into the yard surrounded by the parallelogram, showed me a recent grave and said: " One of our brethren sleeps there." As there were marks of graves all around the place, it struck me as of no particular significance, and observing my look of astonishment he spoke t> the interpreter, who translated his meaning thus: " This man made an infraction of one of our.rules, He has been condemned to 10 days'solitary confinement. He is coufiuod here. He will live." Iu short I was told aud asked to believe that a human being lay lift, under this earth, and would be resurrected at ijio end of his imprisonment and remain as whole as before. Ton days of his time were up. I confess that the temptation cum over me for a moment to remain 30 days here and witness tho resurrection, but the necessity of returning to the Stata forbade. I was assured by the people on the outddo of the village that they had seen tho burial of tho man, though he was alive ; that ho submitted to his fate without a murmur ; and that, at thitimoof his disinterment, all those who eared would be invited to .vituess tho fact, that he cniw to life again, After a while wo went into a small darkened room : that, is to ,<iiy, two lamps stood behind us, and I wo others far in front. The superior asked me if I desired an example of their powers, 1 told him that that was the principal reason of my going there. •' Then sue this," jjdid Jje, One of the monks rushed

forward and coiled a section of slight rope throw it into tho air, and then scrambled up ir. I sa v as plainly as my eyes can see the rope thrown up and the man disappear hand over hand beyond my line of vision. But I have not tho slightest doubt that it was an optical illusion. There was darkness all around. Nothing could have been easier than for tho trickster to throw tho rope, disappear iu the black shadow, and a dummy bo pulled up. At any rate, that is the way I explained one of the most Hystericus and celebrated tricks of these Yogi. There is no doubt in my miud tiiat these men, while perfectly sincere in their religious belief, employ tricks to affect the mind of the ignorant and give them the name of miracles. The baro truth seldom obtains. It must be accompanied by somo supernatural manifestation.—Frkdkuick BanCEorr, ir the Detroit Free Press.