Show TURNING BUDDHISTS tho various christian denominations of europe and america have taken pains to send their missionaries abroad to convert the hea then but of late years these attempts have been almost total failures the christian missionaries have been rendered almost impotent through their vices and insincerity they generally go to foreign lands from europe or this country with but a doubtful faith in their own religious views which they have the audacity to attempt to impose upon the credulity of the natives of the south sea islands india china and other heathen lands but as a remark able illustration of the way in which tho world is drifting away from christianity the times of calcutta records one of the now common incidents of a young christian english lady of good filmily and high accomplishments becoming a convert to the buddhist religion on april oth ultimo an imposing ceremony took place at the Widy odya buddhist college in colombo by which this young and accomplished lady well known in bombay formally became ft professed follower of lord buddha not long ago a clergyman from england rev C W leadbeater took the five precepts in the presence of the high priest sum angala this time it was miss mary flynn alio accepted the faith that is now becoming fashionable among the enlightened classes in tho west it was a curious sight to sec an english young lady dressed in an elegant robe of black bilk sitting in the midst of a crowd of robed buddhist priests and repeating the bansil the ceremony be gan by the high priest examining the fair candidate as to the reasons that led her to desire to accept buddhism as her feitli to which miss flynn answered that after haying studied the various religious systems of the world she found the esoteric philosophy as being most in accordance with her own reason and common fonse other questions having been gatis facto rily answered by herthe ln gh priest administered to her the five precepts which miss feynn prom ased to observe the ceremony ended by alio chanting 0 ratana sutta by all the priests present besides the largo number of pricita pric sta there were present at the temple where tho ceremony took place many of the most prominent buddhists of co lombo tho captain and several of ficera of the screw steamer cibir of the maritimes Mari times and several european passengers that had arrived by that vessel it is safe to say that miss feynn had investigated of borni oni aro sro or in her honesty of heart sho would have embraced the faith of the saints but tho fact that she accepted buddhism in preference to christianity tho religion in which ehe was horn is only one of ten thou sand examples of the impotency and declining power and approaching downfall of tho degenerative religion of the christian |