before having had their share of this world's pleasures. The privations enjoined upon them are not very many; true they may only have one meal a day and are forbidden the use of beef, pork and chickens-still the prohibition to have more than four wives does not point to a very austere mode of life!

To all outward appearances the padandas have not much influence in worldly matters. This is naturally circumscribed in public, owing to the distinctions of caste, but it is impossible to estimate in how far they bring it to bear in private and there is no doubt, that even in state affairs their influence may be said to be unlimited amongst a people who look upon them as invested with supernatural powers and holding in their hands the destiny of man.

As a rule the Hindu priest is good-natured and tolerant like the doctrine he inculcates; he is the veriest stranger to ambition, for which he usually lacks the energy. Is this perhaps a result of his early student life and his late preferment?

Whatever view may be taken of the position, science owes a debt of gratitude to these men; they it is who have made us acquainted with the condition of the Javanese previous to the introduction of Mohammedism; and they are even now the sole guardians of the ancient literature; we must apply to them for information concerning the Kawi language; and it is they who are still the interpreters of the ancient Hindu laws and institutions, which they have faithfully transmitted from generation to generation.

Their influence over the people is undeniably great and it is a wise policy always to bear this fact in mind!

In addition to the Brahminical priest, there is usually a "pamangkoe" attached to the temples. They are chosen from amongst the people and we shall hear of them later on when describing the mode of government existing in the dessas. Their position towards the gods is a very humble one and in the dessa chronicles they are simply referred to as "djoero sapoehs" (sweeper) of Ida Batara.

Although their daily duties simply consist in sweeping out the temple and keeping watch over the sacred buildings, still the people of the dessa see in a man so intimately associated with sacred things a person of undoubted importance and he is surrounded by a certain amount of reverence even in his every day acts disconnected with his services in the temple and he exercises considerable influence over the inhabitants of his dessa. The pamangkoe shows the utmost indifference for all the gods outside his own dessa, nor does he care for the manner of this outside worship.

As a proof of the strong bond between their religion and their daily life, we will describe how they celebrate a great festival both in the dessa temple and in the home temple.

It is the festival of "Galoengan" or New Year, which recurs every six months, each month consisting of five weeks, making in all about 210 days.

The Javanese and the Malays content themselves with paying visits to their friends and acquaintances on this day, but not so the Balinese; they are only too glad to seize the opportunity of celebrating the opening of the New Year by seasonable festivities. As is customary amongst Christians, so do the Balinese likewise try to arrange their affairs so as to

spend the last few days of the old year in the circle of their families-another proof of their love of home-and these days are employed in great preparations for the approaching festival. Every day has its fixed task: on one day the fresh picked fruits are put into barrels, on another the yeast is prepared, on a third the sweetmeats are made in all sorts of quaint shapes and lastly-this always on

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But New Year's day is before all things a religious festival and here once more every effort is put forth to soothe "the gods and the wicked spirits". According to the teaching of their priests the Balinese ought always on New Year's day to make a pilgrimage to the sacred mountain of "Gunong Agong", in order to return thanks to the gods for the benefits received during the course of the year. As however it would prove a matter of very great difficulty in most cases, a way out of it has been found. A tall bamboo cane, called "pèndjor" is stuck in the ground in front of every homestead and on it is fastened a long piece

of white calico, cut in shape of a home temple; this flag, waving in the air, is saluting the gods of Gunong Agong in the name of the inhabitants and telling them, that although unable to bring their offerings in person, they will not fail in their duties to the family temple and offerings in the shape of "kepengs" are placed on the top of the bamboo cane or "pèndjòr", as they call it.

"After all these preparations", says van Eijck, "Galoengan" has

dawned.

"At an early hour every one is up and doing. Towards 8 a.m. the entire family, all dressed in their Sunday best, the girls decorated with rings and flowers, the little boys with their father's krisses, proceed to the home temple to place the prepared meats, with the fruit and flowers on the altars. Then follows a sort of silent ceremony, though not always peaceful and the moment is anxiously awaited when the gods shall signify their acceptance of the offerings.

"Everything is then packed up again and carried home and further preparations are made for the banquet. The busy housewife hastens to collect the least ripe fruit, the most faded flowers, the least sought after sweetmeats from the different dishes and platters and entrusts these to her daughters to distribute amongst the various implements, such as the ploughs, the looms, the rice block, etc., as offerings to the evil spirits, so as to give them no cause for jealousy on this day of Galoengan". To guard themselves from harm, all the members of the household sprinkle themselves at intervals during the day with "toja tirta", which they have bought from the padanda for a few pence.

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"Meanwhile, no matter how enticing may be the 'tjéleng', or how appetizing the sweetmeats, the hour for the feast has not yet struck. After the celebrations in the private temples, it is obligatory for every one to go to the public temple as well."

On the whole the ceremonial here is much the same as that in the private temples; when it is over, the women, before proceeding to their homes, visit the graves of their deceased relatives, where they place cooked rice, flowers and fruit.

This visit leads us up to the subject of the second temple, which is either in or close to every dessa next to the common burying-place, and this temple is called "poera dalem" or "temple of death". The arrangements here are in most respects similar to those of the dessatemples; the chief divinity here is Durga, the wife of the evil Kala and the head of the Boetas or Rakshas. She is the authoress of all the ills that befall mankind, she rules over the dark powers and her worship is one of mystery; those desirous of learning the art of sorcery (nglèjak) have recourse to her and in addition to their numerous offerings they spend many nights in the temple of death.

She it is who receives the souls of the dead and delivers them over to the judges appointed to decide whether their lives upon earth were such as to entitle them to a place in heaven or whether they are to be doomed to hell.