MYSORE 



4040 



MYSTICISM 



the bark is utilized in the tanning industry in 



nil sections of Southern Europe. Among 



the ancient Greeks the myrtle, as a symbol oi 



youth and beauty, was sacred to Venus and 



found a place frequently in the greatest of their 



als. 



Among other species of myrtle are the small- 

 leaved myrtle of Peru, which bears sweet red 

 berries of a very pleasing flavor ; and the guava 

 of Chile, which prows as a tree and produces 

 a hard, useful wood. In California various 

 :os are cultivated as ornamental outdoor 

 shrubs. 



MYSORE, misohr' , a city of Southern India, 

 capital of the native state of Mysore. It is 

 picturesquely situated at the base of a hill 

 whose summit, crowned with temples, lists 

 nearly 3,500 feet above the sea. Though a 

 town of ancient historic associations, for it was 

 in existence three centuries before Christ, My- 

 sore has many modern features and possesses 

 several handsome public buildings. In the cen- 

 ter of the city is an old fort containing the 

 maharajah's palace. Other points of interest are 

 the Maharajah's College, the law courts and 

 the Victoria Jubilee Institute. The manufac- 

 ture of carpets is a thriving and important in- 

 dustry. Population, 1911, 71,300. 



MYSTERIES, mis'teriz. In ancient Greece, 

 and later also in Rome, solemn religious cele- 

 brations were held in honor of certain gods or 

 goddesses, to which no one was admitted except 

 those initiated and under the vow of secrecy. 

 Violation of the vow meant death. This ex- 

 plains the name mystery, coming from the 

 Greek word meaning initiate. Their purpose 

 was not only to render worship, but to instruct 

 the people in religious observances and by mys- 

 tic dramas to preserve the traditions connected 

 with the divinity. In some of the mysteries 

 only a limited number of priests took part; 

 others were participated in by many people. 



The greatest of all the Greek mysteries were 

 the Eleusinian, celebrated in honor of Demeter 

 and her daughter Persephone. Others were the 

 Dionysian, devoted to the worship of Dionysus, 

 or Bacchus, in the nature of wild orgies, which 

 later became so corrupt that they were pro- 

 hibited; the Samothracian, celebrated in Samo- 

 thrace, especially, in honor of the Cabeiri, or 

 great gods; and the Orphic, connected with the 

 cult of Dionysus and practiced by private sects 

 claiming to possess secret knowledge of the 

 means to win happiness after death. 



Even to-day no one knows for a certainty the 

 real meaning behind the different mysteries. 



Such knowledge as we possess of the rites has 

 been gathered mainly from vases and inscrip- 

 tions unearthed in excavating the ruins of an- 

 cient cities. 



MYSTERY PLAY, one of the earliest of 

 medieval dramas, usually a representation of 

 scriptural scenes and incidents. Often, how- 

 ever, the name is used interchangeably with 

 that of the miracle play, which was, strictly 

 speaking, a dramatic spectacle founded on the 

 lives of the saints. In its beginnings th<> mys- 

 tery was little related to the older drama, for 

 it grew up in the Church and was used by the 

 clergy as a means of instruction and as a 

 method of impressing the attendants on the 

 services. Some special scene from the Bible 

 would be chosen and presented by the clergy 

 in the Church; thus, at Easter the resurrection 

 might be rudely shown, at Christmas the jour- 

 neying of the magi, the wondering shepherds 

 and the worship of the Babe in the manger. 



In the course of time, these plays became 

 more and more dramatic and passed out of the 

 hands of the clergy, usually to the various 

 trade guilds. The streets or public squares 

 were the scenes of the performances, which 

 were given on movable stages. Sometimes very 

 elaborate series were worked out, which in- 

 cluded almost the whole Scripture narrative 

 and required a number of days for their per- 

 formance. Thus, certain cycles survive which 

 consist of 32, 42 and 48 plays respectively. 



The dates during which mystery plays were 

 popular are not, of course, sharply defined. 

 The earliest and crudest, perhaps, took place as 

 early as the beginning of the eleventh century, 

 while the last mystery of which there is posi- 

 tive record was performed in 1580, after the 

 regular drama had obtained a firm foothold. 

 The Passion Play, given every ten years at 

 Oberammergau, is closely related to the old 

 mystery plays. 



MYSTICISM, mis' tisiz'm, a term which in- 

 cludes various ideas of worship, philosophy and 

 religion. It attempts to define the tendency 

 in human nature to seek soul satisfaction and 

 supreme happiness in things spiritual, where 

 the material fails to satisfy, and it endeavors 

 to account for the exalted, ecstatic state of 

 those far advanced in spiritual life, who feel at 

 one with the Deity. The term is carelessly 

 used as the opposite to rationalism, but mys- 

 ticism is often coupled with great adminis- 

 trative power; some of the greatest men and 

 women of all ages have been mystics. See 

 RATIONALISM. 



