PRAYING BY ELECTRICITY.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8513, 5 August 1921, Page 5 (Supplement)

PRAYING BY ELECTRICITY.

Motor driven prayers are now a feature of Simla, India, remarks a correspondent. This came to pass when engineers wanted to harness the mountain streams up to dynamos to supply light and power for Simla. The Buddhist priests objected. It seems that for centuries they had repeated their endless prayers until they grew weary, and one ingenious worshipper invented wheels on which were tacked pieces of paper with prayers written on them. If these wheels were kept continually in motion the prayers were just as effective, argued the lazy priesis, as if they were verbally repeated. The power for these prayer mills was obtained from the mountain streams. And now unbelieving foreigners propose to divert that water power for commercial purposes. The priests incited the people against the engineers and for a time it looked as if the project to provide Simla with electricity must be given up. Then the tactful but firm British Government took action. The power companies were given authority to proceed. They must agree, however, to supply all the prayer wheels with electric motors. Simla now prays by electric power.