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Show W the college MAN I ACHES THE HEATHEN ;es : U tlUAM T. ELLIS. wby Joseph B. Bowles.) "jfjapan, Nov. 26. Ex- gioiiary rocs about in- pilings to a "heathen' , .ch knows absolutely ' "5jhriBtianity is an inter- I m pm made plain; now, I mt le nm tno procedure is iff'' Tnis trH' t0 -a larR0 'where missionaries nnd , lunknown, with the In-JfifiMcll In-JfifiMcll by the way, was Skiing experience thus far plWapan. , features this particular 4tion was abnormal. It function with an exciir-us exciir-us hot springs of Ku-" Ku-" fcy of missionaries yho ir vacation in Karuiza- ' 'Jfsummer resort for for- ", Jmh. Tliere were eight )' missionaries, two Jap- J$r ovanpclists, nnd my- tfty which started early . :q the twentv-five mile I (fountains to kusatsu. It fife to pet this intimate "laries, for three days of ""?er. these conditions was the inwardness of a 7Uav that 3 did not i find 'IvAiallv different from any -..t educated young men. , js by the hundred,, made j?od horse' ' with one an-Phtogether an-Phtogether behaved like Wfon a lark. There was TKeacherly dignity in the .'aie first hour, to make a JTheir good nature- and Struck me as remarkable: ffthe first twenty miles T ijnary chase another up a ?at a dead run, for some af.that had been played, picture that I am drawing Wsomo pious folk over the nk that the missionary lever shedding tears over ijFpeoplo to whom he has Jmy pnrt I thought it emi-jna emi-jna creditable, and really for the fitness of the mis-C aty-Frve-Milo Tramp. l11 clergymen, were typical, all except two were under srican board was represont-iVPedley represont-iVPedley and B. S. Cobb; Methodist b- A. D. Berry, ta'nd C. S. Davison; and il?rosb3tcrian by Arthur P. I3H Beischaucr and J. E. .jffan ex-Cumbcrlaud Pres-;o'are Pres-;o'are the sons of mission-'Javed mission-'Javed in Japan practically "except wlien being edu-(jea- imp to Kusatsu was amid ltain scenery', j)ast the fa-S"51cano fa-S"51cano Asama, over the li where arc the imperial f one point across a long jidge made of telegraph "ugh small native villages Iture is carried on, until, 5How of Shiranc, another "Jthe sulphurous village of cached at 0 o'clock in ihe ffthe way many pilgrims ionic in jinrikishas, some Ifnrrunge'nient slung on a Shoulders of two coolies, I Tack saddles, often two rsc, one in a pannier-Uko ide. in the five runners from ed European hotel, who t various points along Jof the iourney, and denes de-nes from apparently dis-Bons dis-Bons that nil the native -If,. the iart. by an ex HJapanse speech and Sistence, four.n an cmi-actor.v cmi-actor.v Japrsneso iioiel, t" missionaries1 were at being quiio accustomed sleeping ou the fioor. ainative .teachers set out ffP-a religious service by hers and the Police. tndly paternalism of the e was oneonuiered. Im-jfff Im-jfff reaching their inn, the Sbeen ohligKl to register find ages and occupations, ame from, whither they yjftrid liow long thev in Vay. This is part of the .flhiplctc system whereby 'inartment xeops a record Wigner withhi the borders ge; Soon ih' Japanese ?ed to sav that the police, filling that the visitors Wpreaehine service in the Mad vised thr.i, it be very pie, lest there he trouble hj.eiement in I own. Later.. "Jjsecond message, couched wins, sugsestin.g that the field in tlie hotel, where L gentlemer. lodged, at Jyl'of the village, arranged. Shortly' after fhled bv the conventional w which rh i inn supplied, Srto ihe public square, Jja steaming pool whose pnics suggested the op-Wings op-Wings heavenly. In fact, is a good place for Bf.very xistcnci1 is based (the consequences of im-I im-I permnncnt population mt' persons, all living off gft'wlio number 'between IiO;" more than a score of kropeans. Tl:p?e hot suitor sui-tor centuries the most fa-Jji, fa-Jji, while efficacious in Ind gout, are more gencr-Mlthe gencr-Mlthe most lonlhsome skin I2far the largest number of rtKuBatsu as a penalty for Utheir parents' trunsgres grnl law. nd Bad Buddhists. ir,ed the peoi le on the !pthe bnths the next morn-?K morn-?K that the most appro-3le appro-3le for that community Oiriate, perhnp. for nolite-fo, nolite-fo, "Be sure 3 our skfn will yji Even yrt 1 cannot dc-jh dc-jh waB the sadder sight, J(t decrepit old men in the jfloe larger companies of Avery f:u-t of tho purpose ilSBo ho. springs nro usod, il?r, Rt ,"at t,,c cxiHtontio MbabJo diseasos, both hero fat Japan, is not even re-i"eason re-i"eason for shame, would G the need fr.r some new gigs. Certainly Buddhism dy: I learned at Kusatsu fOnth i.s tho time for tho fraddhist nriesls who suffer alady mo-t common Iv 10 SpringH! Evidently practiced in Japan js jfn- Buddhism as preached if:- tfpr nd of tfan 1o-n-jj is the vwiere tbo Jencrs 152x1)0. sights snffiidens i-ox a lifetime, although the baths keep tho flesh of the victims in better condition than is common with lepers.' The lop-era, lop-era, several hundred ot them, of all ages, and maimed in every conceivable manner, are not at all quarantined, but wander freely about and engage in the normal occupations of the other townspeople, including shopkeeping. Tho Old and the New in Competition. But to return to the part' of missionary mis-sionary visitors in the center of tho village. The simple presence of so many foreigners, apparently in good health, attracted attention. When the older of the two Japanese preachers announced, an-nounced, holding aloft his lantern, that the foreigners "would speak and sing that night, heads began to appear on all sides. Then the missionaries, all of whom speak Japanese, gathered about their one hymn book and began to sing a Japanese translation of a familiar hymn. In the meantime the native evangelist was busily accosting individuals, indi-viduals, inviting them to the service and giving them tracts. Two hymns were sun" and tho announcement an-nouncement was repeated, and the procession pro-cession wended its way down near tho leper bath, with natives bringing up the rear. Another halt was made and Bronze Buddha Holding Baby With Bonnet. a similar proceduro was adopted; and again, further up the village, -a third stand was made. This was a short distance dis-tance beyond whore two. native storytellers story-tellers were entertaining largo crowds with sing-song recitals, after the- ancient an-cient custom. The missionaries considerately consid-erately moved to a distance before singing, lest, they should disturb these audiences, but they nevertheless got a considerable following from tho fringes of tho latter. At a slow paco, to ao-rommodiile ao-rommodiile the lame and tho halt, tho 1 crowd moved on to tho appointed meet- I ing place, having created u sensation 111 tho town. A Fresh Sensation For tho Jaded. Curiosity, and tho desire of tho blaso for a new sensation, was largely responsible re-sponsible for tho attentive company of about fifty Japanese which gathered when the, meeting opened. Outside tho room., which, in tho convenient fashion of the land, was enlarged bv removing two of the wallH, wn3 a border of wondering won-dering woman and children. Inside VCTt J10 ,nL,ru s,ttinS on their knees, according to the native code of politeness; polite-ness; after xhc introduciorv address, eae -of the im-iitDzs spoJLu 11 p and, -waLb profonndest apologies for the rudeness asked if tho men might not be so impolite im-polite as to sit crossleggcd, the more comfortable posture, since the' were most of them invalids. With many mutual? mu-tual? bowings to live in Japnu insures abundant exercise for the muscles of the back tho request was of course granted bv the missionaries, only half of whom, f noticed, know the art of sitting sit-ting on their knees; f found the ordeal of sitting crossleggcd for more than an hour quite severe enough. The meeting was the first Christian service ever held ;n that ancient community, com-munity, the official said, although I later learned that whon the JRcvs, T. M. McNair and E. li. Miller spent a vacation vaca-tion in Kusatsu a score of years ago, they also conducted Christian services. Naturally it was as interesting to me as to these Japancso who had never seen a missionary before. They were alert to note every word and actiou of the visitors. visit-ors. The opening was delayed somewhat some-what as. in the confusion of assembling, somebody had stolen the one Japauesc hymn book. It was returned the next morning, whether from tho effects of the preaching or because it was found unmarketable, did not appear After a hymn in English, sung from memory, and an introductory address and prayer by the native preacher who, by the way, recently refused an increase in tho ton-dollar-n-month salary which a Pennsylvania church pays him, because lie said the work elsewhere needed tho money more than he Mir. Hail spoke in Japanese, Tliero was a vein of humor in his address, which abounded in illustrations, and caused the audience to utter the Japanese equivalent for "Hear! hear!" Throughout tho meeting, strangely enough, tho addresses and their telling points were applaudod lr- hand-clapping. Mr. Davidson followed in a familiar, colloquial talk, illustrated by quotations of Japauesc poetry and proverbs, which brought quick response. Then Mr. Pedley interpreted for ono of tho other men of the party. Mr. Podlcy is ono of the missionaries in Japnn noted for his mastery of a language which no foreigner for-eigner ever acquires complctelv, although al-though the Japanese have said that certain cer-tain missionaries use better Jnpnnoso than do the natives themselves. The ease and smoothness with widen the Jajijjnage was employed t t His Inability in Getting at Those Who Havo Never Before Heard His Be-licriou Be-licriou Presented A Scone in a Famous Fa-mous Leper Colony Hot Sulphur Baths For Those Who Have Strayed From the Straight and Narrow Path Missionaries Who Tramped Twenty-Five Miles a Day and Preached at Night. In the Hot Sulphur Baths at Kusatsu. by the speakers on this occasion was a marvel to me, and also, I thought, to the Japanese hearers. Most foreigners in Japan acquire only enough ot the languago to enable them to instruct their servants. After the address the men reached forth eagerly for the Japanese Japa-nese tracts and Scripture portions that were given away, the policeman who had been deputized to attend the meeting meet-ing being a delighted recipient of one. Several persons tarried to talk with the preachers. Swimming in a Volcano. Despite the lateness of the hour to which this meeting had been prolonged, the party was astir alniOBt at daybreak, and on a tour of tho town watching the bathors. Whoever will may sec these, for the Japanese know nothing of the American interpretation of modesty. Then an early start was made for Shibu, more than twenty miles distant, by way of Shirane, an active volcano 7500 feet high. This tramp is enough to test the religion of anybod', even a missionary, for it is entirely over mountains, and the road is superlatively bad, tliojigh the scenery is superlatively beautiful, rivaling Colorado's best. Shiranc is a tall gray peak amidst a-. scene of desolation, caused hy the eruption erup-tion of 1SS2, which blasted the trees for miles around, ho that now they stand like gray, gaunt skeletons haunting a field of death. The crater .is most satisfactory satis-factory to visit, in that one may do-scend do-scend its depths and play with the echoes which dwell in its walls or dig sulphur from the bottomless pit. Since the smaller eruption of 1902 the crater which is llino yards long, contains two large lakes. One is of hydrochloric acid, and when diluted and sweetened makes lemonade, as tho missionaries found. The other lake is filled with boiling, hissing, steaming sulphur. These young missionaries were not content with drinking from the lemonado lake; they even went swimming in it! ' ' Tho Polite Police The faithful Japanese preacher had omitted the climb up Shirane, and so he reached Shibu. another village famous for its milder baths, ahead of the main party of sun-burned and foot-sore missionaries, mis-sionaries, who arrived at sundown, to find the town expectant of a meeting, all the preparations for which had been made. Several rooms on the first floor of the native inn where the visitors spent, tho night wero thrown into one, making room for upwards of 100 persons per-sons seated, while manv more could stand outside or sit in the house across the alley, so nigh is neighbor to neighbor neigh-bor in the old Japanese- villages. Word came from the police that should this meeting place be too small for the foreigners' purpose, tho police themselves would provide a larger room. But some 200 men, women and children crowded around when the service began, and listened to the new teachings with an attention that could not be surpassed in a Fifth avenue church. The same speakers took part, although with different differ-ent addresses. A considerable circle of young men, mostly students, gathered about Mr. Hail after the meeting for further conversation. At. this service a native Christian woman, who had moved into the village from another town, took a delighted part. One of the American Bible society's colporteurs was also present, and, in general, Shibu seemed somewhat more familiar with Christianity Chris-tianity than did Kusatsu, although thcro are no Christ inu services held there. Whcro Religion Is Cheap. The next morning the Americans, who were quite accustomed to creating a stir by their appearance in native villages, went to Nagano, where is one of tho most celebrated Buddhist temples in Japan, dating back to (570 A. D.. although al-though tho oldest portion of the present structure is only six centuries old. Tho high priestess of this temple is an aunt of the Emperor. The temple area is crowded with statues and buildings of absorbing interest. 1 noticed one bronze Buddha of heroic sizo holding a baby, and some devoteo had put a modern bonnet of cheap calico on the latter's head! On several occasions I "have seen images thus incongruously adorned. Thousands of devout pilgrims visit this temple, and the Emperor himself has a sumptuous suite oC apartments j therein, although the Shintoists claim him as one of their number. In fact, ho has rather impartial' v patronized both faiths; and thousand-? of his subjects sub-jects do likewise. Ordinary pilgrims to the temple are kept outside tho wire screen before the altar, but tho missionaries, by tho application of the silver key wllich unlocl.s doors tho world over, were omitted to a closer view and a complete inspection. They were even taken down through the absolutely dark underground passage where the kej's of paradise may be found, attached to a huge pualock. And assuredly those young Americans found them, and rattled them loudly enough for all the celestial doorkeepers doorkeep-ers to hear. This trip in the dark is supposed to purge tho soul of sin, though, paradoxically enough, the priest who was our guick' warned us that if we had any evil in our hearts when we entered we would come out changed into dogs, wine1, is the common com-mon belief. Of course this party emerged barking and growling like curs with tin enns to their tails. It must not be infered that the missionaries mis-sionaries wero disrespectful to the temple or its worshipers. They moved about, uncovered and unshod, and were genuinely interested in the bewildering explanations of who's who in this sect of Buddhism. Among the more than 30.000 ancoctrnl tablets placed in one apartment, 1 noticed one that was surmounted by the Harvard Har-vard 11. As souvenirs or tins trip I have a written token from tho high priest that I have performed an early morning morn-ing devotion at a certain shrine, and have received absolution from him in person although, as a matter of fact, it was nearly noon when we were in 'the temple, and 1 never saw the high priest. I bought, tne document from a priest in tho temple office for one and a half cents. Similarl3 1 have a brass charm from the imperial high priestess (whom I did not meet, I am sorry to say), guaranteeing protection to my body from every kind of harm, and all for the surn of S cents. Religion Re-ligion comes cheap in Japan. 1 saw priests emptying the money boxes which stand before ach shrine, and later stringing the coins together. These are all of copper, and of the lowest denominations, two sen, one sen, half sen, rin and half rin. The last two are the commonest and arc worth respectively, one-twentieth and one-fortieth of an American cent. These are now seldom used in commerce, and are called "temple money." Tho sen is worth one-half cent. Tho elaborate and costly Buddhist temple and its ritual and priests was in sharp contrnst with the impoverished impover-ished simple services which these 1111-uniformcd 1111-uniformcd missionaries had been holding; hold-ing; but tho latter had a confidence and a vitality which made one foreseo the possibility of the overthrow of Buddhism by the plain gospel of tho Nazarenc. |