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Show VILLAGE OF MADMEN. THB ONLY V LLACE WHERE ALL ARC INSANE. ThU Awfal riM U la I..d-rht a4 Its In-ekhltsaes Art C at 4 Ttpopa' A "I ipoiT Is rPaJ te U Taa- I Indo-Chlna has the only Tillage of mid men in the world. This village, I which la called Rtn-Keune, Is compoa-: compoa-: ed of some 1 0 families, is highly or-: or-: ganiied as a community, is Industriously Industri-ously prosperous and pays yearly a 1 goodly tribute to France. Yet It has cot a sln;'e sane InhaMtanL Admission to Paa-Keune Is, it mal be confessed, a trying affair. No mere ( victims of melancholia or "shatten-J I nerves" or hypochondria or any of the similar ailments faj.hlonMe In the opposite quarter of the world are : granted a dwelling plate In this lao! I exclusive of towns. To enter It one must be downright ' mad or. as the nntives call It a "pl-pop." "pl-pop." The conception of Insanity pr-valling pr-valling In this part of the world la cot that of a disease, but of a "possession." "posses-sion." Therefore. If an Inhabitant ol this region, as Is frequently tba cas displays hallucinations or conducts 1 himself In a fashion cot ronsbtenl j with Indo-Chinese etiquette his neigh-I neigh-I bors take It upon themselves to deter, mine whether any malign spirit possess pos-sess him In other words, whether hs Is a "plpop." I'hl? Is tbe way it U , done: i The unfortunate person, whether It j be man, woman or child w ho has f; II- en under suspicion of "possession" li mad the subject of a ceremony on ths , banks of the River Namngume, par-, par-, ticlpated In by hundreds of persons gathered from all the country foi i miles about The victim's bands ani feet ere first bound by the native I priest, who is master of ceremo- nles. Absolutely helpless from this time on. the supposed rranlar. In spite of his cries and struggles. Is cast Into the river. It is firmly believed by the natives na-tives that supernatural attendee thea reveal the victim's true state. If he Is I genuinely "plpop" he sinks to the bot-I bot-I torn of the river and stavs th"re until he Is rescued, revived and formally committed to the famous vllla-e of madmen. On the other --nd. if he It not "possessed" he ris 'S again I ke an ordinary drowning person to the top cf the river, where he Is more easily re s- ucd end then set free. f.,,..,vj. rn s. ,y la, world has so severe and dangerous lnltla'lon as this. Yet so conscientiously conscien-tiously Is it peTforrned snd so carefully care-fully are the half-drowned victims watched and rescued that the Immersion, Immer-sion, It is said, never proves fatal. Nor has the Justice of the performance ever been curstionej. So generally topsy-turvy are the conditions In the Uot. thst portions of Indo-C'hlna through which the Namngume river flows, that only acknowledged ac-knowledged manlaes live In any sort of social relation with each other The majority of the people .-ad a seill-tary seill-tary life, living at mol In groups cf twos and three. Ilan-Keune, with its 3"0 families. Is therefore, the n ewt d nsely populate! spot In the country. Is Inhabitants cultivate to their hearts' delight the Idlosynrraslea which have served to commit them. They not only live peaceably, but fall In love, marry and have childre n, who In most ra-es. are even nore ee-e-entrlr than their parents. par-ents. Nclxidy ever rove-i or Is "discharge "dis-charge 1." They remain "pl;iei;" It the end of their days Philadelphia Time a. |