﻿2 
  H. 
  A. 
  Newton 
  — 
  The 
  Worship 
  of 
  Meteorites. 
  

  

  What 
  would 
  we 
  not 
  give 
  if 
  this 
  fragment 
  could 
  be 
  endowed 
  

   with 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  repeating 
  to 
  us 
  its 
  experieuce, 
  — 
  chapters 
  in 
  

   the 
  history 
  of 
  that 
  people 
  ? 
  But 
  nearly 
  all 
  that 
  we 
  can 
  say 
  is 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  among 
  objects 
  held 
  by 
  them 
  in 
  peculiar 
  

   esteem, 
  and 
  used 
  by 
  them 
  in 
  some 
  serious, 
  probably 
  religious 
  

   ceremony. 
  

  

  f* 
  There 
  was 
  formerly, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  know 
  there 
  is 
  still, 
  in 
  

   the 
  collection 
  of 
  meteorites 
  in 
  Munich, 
  a 
  stone 
  that 
  weighs 
  

   about 
  a 
  pound. 
  It 
  fell 
  in 
  1853 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  north 
  of 
  Zanzibar 
  

   on 
  the 
  East 
  African 
  coast, 
  and 
  was 
  seen 
  and 
  picked 
  up 
  by 
  some 
  

   shepherd 
  boys. 
  The 
  German 
  missionaries 
  tried 
  to 
  buy 
  it, 
  but 
  

   the 
  neighboring 
  Wanikas, 
  because 
  it 
  fell 
  from 
  heaven, 
  took 
  it 
  to 
  

   be 
  a 
  god. 
  They 
  secured 
  possession 
  of 
  it, 
  anointed 
  it 
  with 
  oil, 
  

   clothed 
  it 
  with 
  apparel, 
  ornamented 
  it 
  with 
  pearls, 
  and 
  built 
  

   for 
  it 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  temple 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  proper 
  divine 
  honors. 
  The 
  

   agents 
  of 
  the 
  missionaries 
  were 
  not 
  allowed 
  even 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  

   stone, 
  far 
  less 
  could 
  they 
  purchase 
  the 
  Wanika's 
  tutelar 
  deity. 
  

   Neither 
  entreaties, 
  nor 
  arguments, 
  nor 
  offers 
  of 
  the 
  missionaries, 
  

   nor 
  of 
  the 
  officials 
  were 
  of 
  any 
  avail. 
  But 
  when 
  three 
  years 
  

   later 
  the 
  wild 
  nomad 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  Masai 
  came 
  down 
  upon 
  the 
  

   Wanikas, 
  burned 
  their 
  village, 
  and 
  killed 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   them, 
  the 
  Wanikas 
  thought 
  very 
  differently 
  of 
  the 
  stone's 
  pro- 
  

   tecting 
  power. 
  In 
  fact 
  they 
  lost 
  all 
  respect 
  for 
  it. 
  A 
  famine 
  

   having 
  meanwhile 
  arisen, 
  the 
  elders 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  quite 
  

   ready 
  to 
  exchange 
  their 
  palladium 
  for 
  the 
  silver 
  dollars 
  of 
  the 
  

   missionaries. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  Buddha 
  legends 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  two 
  merchants 
  who 
  

   offered 
  food 
  to 
  the 
  Buddha, 
  which 
  was 
  accepted, 
  and 
  in 
  conse- 
  

   quence 
  of 
  their 
  request 
  for 
  some 
  memorial 
  of 
  him 
  the 
  Buddha 
  

   gave 
  them 
  a 
  hair 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  his 
  nails, 
  and 
  told 
  them 
  

   that 
  hereafter 
  a 
  stone 
  should 
  fall 
  from 
  heaven 
  near 
  the 
  place 
  

   where 
  they 
  lived, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  erect 
  a 
  pagoda 
  and 
  

   worship 
  these 
  relics 
  as 
  though 
  they 
  were 
  Buddha 
  himself. 
  

  

  The 
  nations 
  of 
  India 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  specially 
  superstitious 
  

   about 
  stones 
  fallen 
  from 
  the 
  skies. 
  In 
  1620 
  an 
  aerolite 
  fell 
  

   near 
  Jullunder, 
  and 
  the 
  king 
  sent 
  for 
  a 
  man 
  well 
  known 
  for 
  

   the 
  excellent 
  sword 
  blades 
  that 
  he 
  made, 
  and 
  ordered 
  him 
  to 
  

   work 
  the 
  lump 
  into 
  a 
  sword, 
  a 
  dagger 
  and 
  a 
  knife. 
  The 
  mass, 
  

   however, 
  would 
  not 
  stand 
  the 
  hammer, 
  but 
  crumbled 
  in 
  pieces. 
  

   By 
  mixture 
  with 
  iron 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  the 
  required 
  weapons 
  were 
  

   made. 
  

  

  In 
  1867 
  a 
  shower 
  of 
  stones 
  fell, 
  some 
  forty 
  in 
  number, 
  at 
  

   Saonlod. 
  The 
  terrified 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  village, 
  seeing 
  in 
  

   them 
  the 
  instruments 
  of 
  vengeance 
  of 
  an 
  offended 
  .deity, 
  set 
  

   about 
  gathering 
  all 
  they 
  could 
  find, 
  and 
  having 
  pounded 
  them 
  

   into 
  pieces 
  they 
  scattered 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  winds. 
  

  

  In 
  1870 
  a 
  meteorite 
  fell 
  at 
  Nidigullam, 
  and 
  the 
  Hindoos 
  at 
  

  

  