DEMONIACAL POSSESSION IN CHINA.
By Isaac T. Headland
Professor in Peking University. A CURIOUS instance of what our Chinese pastor believes to be demoniacal possession happened, not long since, less than a square from where the writer is now sitting. The mother of a Christian teacher in the Girls’ High School has been repeatedly “possessed with the spirit of a young girl.” At the time of which we write, the report was brought to our native pastor, and he was asked to go and cast out the “devil.” When he arrived at the teacher’s house, he found that the person possessed was an old woman; but that she was talking with the voice of a young girl. This is the first fact. Second, she claimed to know, and by her conversation gave evidence that she did know, much about the Christian religion. Third, she refused to believe in Christ as the Saviour, and often tried to make it unpleasant for her son, who for several years has been a Christian, and is a graduate of the Presbyterian College at Teng Chou Fu. Fourth, she had used this phenomena as a means of livelihood for many years past, and claimed herself to be possessed of the spirit of a young girl, and when she talked, talked not as herself (the old woman), but as the spirit (the young girl). The pastor ordered the spirit to come out. The spirit refused point blank at first. Several persons were gathered around, many of whom were students. The pastor prayed, and once more ordered the spirit to depart. It made excuses that it had nowhere else to go. He told it it must go, and it promised to go gradually. “I won’t, I won’t, I won’t,” said the spirit, in the voice of a young girl. “Then if you won’t, we must put you out.” “You can’t put me out. How will you put me out?” With this he ordered the bystanders to bring paper, which he rolled up as sticks of incense, and, lighting them, he ordered some one to seize the old woman and hold her while he blew the smoke of the burning paper into her face until she almost choked. Finally she promised to leave if he stopped (still in the voice of a girl). He stopped, and again she began to make excuses, and ask to be allowed to leave gradually. On his refusal, and when he began at once to light his paper again, she began to cry, “Don’t smoke me again,” and say that they were all so crowded around that she could not get out. He paid no attention to her cries, but smoked her again; and in a short time she cried out, and left the old woman, who fell back in a helpless way, and in a few moments came to herself and began to talk in her natural tones, and the spirit was gone. On the following Sunday she was taken on profession of faith, and has had no further attacks. These are simply facts. We make no comments as to the interpretation of them. They are not uncommon in China.—Independent.