AQ M. W. Harrington— Weather making. 
after, it is said that many Indians béheved in the white man’s 
Great Spirit and presented themselves to the priests for baptism 
(Alice Elliot Keeler). 
A somewhat similar story is told of Peru by Acosta. It ap- 
pears that the Santa Cruz Indians became Christians because of 
the success of a renegade soldier in making rain. This soldier, 
seeing the native Indians “ In a great extremity for water, and 
that to procure rain they used many superstitious ceremonies, 
according to their usual manner,” said to them that if they 
would do as he said they toad presently have rain, which 
they willinely offered to perform. ‘‘ Then the soldier made a 
ereat cross, which he placed on a high and eminent place, com- 
manding them to worship it and to demand water, which they 
did. A wonderful thing to see, there presently fell such an 
abundance of rain, as the Indians took so great devotion to the 
holy cross as they fled unto it in all their necessities, and obtained 
all they demanded, so as they broke down their idols.” * 
The quotation from Acosta indicates the attitude of the In- 
dians of middle latitudes on this subject. This attitude, as is 
well known to those familiar with the Latin-American countries, 
is preserved unchanged among their descendants. Interesting 
illustrations of it can be picked up any day even as far north 
as Arizona and New Mexico, and every traveller in Latin-America 
has several at his disposal. As.the quintessence of them all I 
present a clipping from the New York Tribune to which my at- 
tention was called by Dr T. C. Mendenhall. Se non é vero é ben 
trovato. The extract runs as follows 
In the department of Castaflas there had been no rain for nearly a 
year, and the people were brought to such a pass that they were actually 
dying of thirst, to say nothing of the total destruction of all crops and 
other agricultural industries. 
“El Pueblo Catélico,’’ of New San Salgadon prints a number of reso- 
lutions promulgated by the principal alcalde of the town and department 
of Castafias. They are as follows: 
‘Considering that the Supreme Creator has not behaved well in this 
province, as in the whole of last year only one shower of rain fell; that 
in this summer, notwithstanding all the processions, pr ayers and praises, 
it has not rained at all, and consequently the crops of Castafias, on which 
depend the prosperity of the whole department, are entirely ruined, it 
is decreed: 
‘‘Article 1. If within the peremptory period of eight days from the 
'* Op. cit., vol. ii, p. 524. 
