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Show Japanese Temples Held N In Great Reverence Remarkable Prayers Offered to the Deities Tliat Are Supposed to Inhabit Them-Avenues of Magnificent Trees Stand as Sentinels in the Approaches, (Special Correspondence.) , f JAPANESE landscape Is distinguished by tho torll which Invariably belongs to 1L Wooded hills and waterfalls, overlooking miles of tllo valley, and shaded roads fringed with wayside way-side flowers, appeal moro strikingly to travelers than In other lands, because nature, having none too much room, ' was forced to compress her matorlal. But unlike the scenery, tho torll is pecullnr to Japan; and when ono bo-comos bo-comos accustomed to It, a view seems strangely Incomplete without It. Ono learns early that tho two wooden uprights up-rights nnd crossbnr of tho original do-slgn do-slgn wero built to provldo a roosting plnco for tho sacred fowl. With the addition of an extra crossbar It looks at first as If that uso would bo suitable suit-able for it now. Having como to expect ex-pect It, tho visitor sees In Its slmplo outline a certain chnrm nnd Is converted con-verted beforo long to tho belief that In dealing with naturo as well as art, whntover Japancso tnsto touches It usually adorns. Tho torll marks always al-ways tho approach to a place of worship. wor-ship. It points to tho humble shrine as well ns to tho spacious temple of tho Shinto faith. In the busy, narrow nar-row thoroughfares, along tho seashore, sea-shore, or river bank, In the fields where tho back of labor is bent, on mountain paths, and In the depths of tho woods, It la tho unfailing sign of a tomplo boyond. Our local guldo told us at Nlkko, tho tourist Mecca, a story of crypto-merlns, crypto-merlns, as we passed between tho ranks of those stately sontfoels. Thero wo woro entreated to tako a long look at their towering height, for tho troea had not thrived olsowhoro In Japan. At Nlkko they have formed an avenue ave-nue moro than twonty miles long, for 300 years. Wo found a Blmllar display dis-play of them off tho Tokaldo, tho highway high-way to Toklo, near tho sacred mountain moun-tain of Fuji. Now, quite a Journey turther south, wo saw that wo had not bidden them farewell, tho new guldo explaining that cuttings had been transplanted in various places. The Nlkko story was that when the Japanese put up the telegraph poles they wero so proud of them that they were unwilling that anything In the shape of a tree should overtop them. of that , temple) Elsewhnro wo had seen thaf animal so IhM-vned that he could barely thrust his head through tho bars and protrudo his lips for tho beans which? visiters fed Into a flattened flat-tened trough, Thb animal hero was free, and hail boon! taught to pay for his food by' nodding his head In thanks, taking a turn or two around tho stall as visitors said "omawarl" to him; and at t motion from tho girls then feeding :lm, who apparently had called at tho stall often enough to get well acquainted, ho would hold his aVln9&9i1 ft i&mWStXwmmil "&" S&? JoaV fir WRfllWPSHI BHHHHHHHHHHHHHHBBO ! f fjs i iJs52r.TjMttVft' vf -t &H TSSt'toEDHK e H GEl'9BSSSSBSS1 Suwa-O-Torll. mouth sldownys, lightly closod below but with nn nporturo nbovo Into which a handful of beans could bo easily emptied. Protection for tho Sun Goddess, tho central deity nt every Shinto temple. Is furnished by two dogs ot granlto or bronze, stnndlug nt the Iramedlato approach to tho temple. Thoro can bo no doubt why they nro thero, for tho art of tho sculptor hns been taxed to throw Into their attitudes nnd expressions ex-pressions so much ferocity thnt disturbing dis-turbing spirits would bo bold, Indeed, to dnro molest their charge They sit on guard, but this does not botrny a heedless wntch, for their arching backs, upcurled tails, and their bulging bulg-ing necks, fortify well their shaggy heads. Ono of them has Its Jaws opon, revealing a capacious and ravenous rav-enous mouth; tho fangs of tho other project from Its clenched jaws; and tho eyes of both challcngo the most riotous approach, and speak for tho gloating pleasure with which thoy await tho time whon they may crunch and dovour. Thero wero dovotces at tho temple porch, bowing to tho round mirror within, which represents tho bouI of Amatcrasu, tho presiding goddess, and calling attention to their petitions by tugging at a rope which dangled over tho entrance, nnd to the upper end of which was attached a metallic globe, resembling nn exaggerated sleigh-bell. Tho prayers that accompanied this demonstration wero brief and silent, as though the deity petitioned understood under-stood what was wanted, and utterance might thus be as well spared. Lest they should not bo overlooked, how-over, how-over, when they wont away each devotee de-votee tied in a conspicuous place, some of them to tho legs of the dogs, a slip of paper containing the wishes In writing. In this proceeding nothing Typical Pagoda and Bell Temple. In their zeal for tho now civilization they proceeded energetically to out down tho oryptomorlas, and did not desist until a vigorous protest from the foreign press nt Yokohama led tho lmporlal authorities to ordor them to stop. Tho destruction ot theso trees would bo specially unfortunato, since thoy stand almost alono as ox-ftnplos ox-ftnplos of extraordinary growth In this laud of little things. Oft tho lantornca pathway to tho tcmplo wo stopped In froat of a box stall Ie which stood tho &acred horBo may bo taken for granted. Tho papor must be tied by holding tho onds bo-tweon bo-tweon tho thumb nnd llttlo finger of each hand, taking pains not to allow the other lingers to touch clthor it or tho object to which It Is to bo fastened. fas-tened. If thnt should bo successfully dono, tho dovotoo feels assured tat tho prayer will bo answered favorably. |