Fanaticism.

Outbreak of Religious Mania in New Guinea.

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, Dec. 3.

A WAVE of fanaticism, which may be broadly described as “religious mania,” is spreading from one end of the Territory to the other.

Some time ago, a native “Messiah” and his apostles appeared in the Aitape district, to be followed later by a some what similar case in New Ireland. Now word has been received that two rival “prophets” have arisen in the Buka dis trict and their teachings have caused considerable unrest amongst natives.

Old native customs, long held sacred, have been discarded by the followers of one of the “prophets,” who claims that during a state of coma (which actually happened twenty years ago) he visited Heaven and received instructions from St. Peter. He urges natives of the Roman Catholic faith, amongst other things, to attend church regularly, cease their old native dances, rid themselves of native money, and to insist on higher wages and the levying of tolls on the white re sidents for the use of roads and bridges.

For three months these teachings have been promulgated amongst the natives by chiefs and mission teachers, yet only recently was there any indication of them being observed by either the Ad ministration or the Missions. This but shows how reticent the native can be in these matters.

Another “prophet,” who claims the ability to converse with the sun and moon, predicts a tidal wave, the arrival in the near future of big steamers bring ing cargoes of foodstuffs, motor cars and pinnaces, the extinction of the white race; and he threatens dire sufferings to those converts of a different faith.

The Administration official at Buka (Mr. K. C. McMullen) has the outbreak well in hand and is to be congratulated on the prompt manner in which he handled the case.