The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-01-20
Japan and the Japanese.

The Christian Observer publishes some in
teresting extracts from Mr. Helms letter to
Rev. T. 4. Converse, fellow student at Union
Theological Seminary, and who expects to join
our Missionaries now in China, during the
coming summer We hope our Christian
brethren all over our Southern Church are
remembering these dear young brethren in
their daily prayers While thanksgiving arises
from every heart for their prosperous voyage
and safe arrival let our offerings also flow into
the treasury of the Lord, and our requests
in their behalf "be made known unto Cod"
"We have had delightful voyage across
the Pacific, and now being within few hours
OF our destination, can say, that with Is
days trip, we do not know what storm at
sea is Thus the Lord has been to us sun
and shield
I'VE reached Yokohama the morning of the
29th of October We spent some thirty six
hours on shore Here we received our first
impression of Japan and the japanese, also
of missionary life. We called on Dr. Hepburn
in the morning, and found him an intelligent
gentleman, past middle age. He is Medical
Missionary, and has chapel and dspensary
in one building Both we're built by the Mer
chants, and the latter is sustained by them
The building and sustaining of these in thi,
way speak we'll for the energy and standing Of
DIR. HI. After taking Tiffen moon meal at
the Hotel, we took stroll with Rev. Mr.. Cor
mes, young missionary of four months resi-
dence. In this we saw Japanese houses, peo.
pie, farms and temples.
During our rambles we visited Buddhist
temple. 1t was sight to move the heart o!
any Christian. Not only was idolatry here,
but even this was Of degraded character.
There was not even reverence toward their
gods. In the temple yard are theatres and
shops, and we saw professional story teller
with large crowd around him, while only
here and there was worshipper The Budd
hist Temples and Sintoo Mieyas pronounced
Meyas) are very similar We returned to
DR.. Ii. s for tea, impressed with the degrade
ton of the heather, and the feeling-(in a
very weak degree, | fear, )-of Paul, as he was
moved when he saw the people Of Athens
wholly given up to idolatry. AS it was
the usual evening for praper meeting, we spent
most delightful season with Mr. Thompson,
Mr.. Cornes and DR.. Hepburn, and Surgeon
OF the U. S. Navy, and Mrs. Hepburn, and
Mrs. Cornes, all the Presbyterians in the isl
dUl. 1ND Ouc hUUWS Clc Iull SWcclHcsS vi IUc
communion Of saints till they have enjoyed it
in heather country. The next morning We
took breakfast with DR.. H., and were present
his domestics, who numbered five.
The Japanese have volcanic country, with
frequent shocks of earthquake-one severe one
having occurred four days previous to our ar
rival. But though mountainous, it supports a
Ia har
mates from II 200 600 to &c, 000,000 The
Government statistics say the latter but vari
Gus causes combine to render this very uncer
tain. They are the finest agriculturists in the
world. With rude instruments they have
terraced their mountains often to the summit
and the vallies and hills irrigated and planted
in rice, look like vast garden of flowers in
the Spring.
As to climate, Japan is excellent. Much
rain this season. But they have in the South,
ice only a twentieth of an inch thick, snow for a
few hours, &C., and fine water. Further north
is cooler. But here the missionaries, exhaust
ed by the heat of China. come to recruit their
health The field is an inriting one, and | ieel
quite an interest in the people. May God
send them many laborers. We reached Kobe,
Sunday, and, as our steamer was unloading,
we accompanied Rev. j. II. Ballagh and Capt.
Hubbard, of the King Philip, and his wife and
daughter, to the gunboat Monocacy, where
Capt. Carter. of the Tennessee, was engaged in
conducting morning services-an example wor
thy OF imitation by other Christian officers.
After pleasant hour we went aboard the r.
Philip, had few songs-crossed over to our
vessel. took Tiffen, and went ashore to visit a
Sintoo Miya. Sintooism is the original reli-
gion of Japan Their temples are called Miyas.
blouse of God. Buddhist houses are called
temples The Sintoo worshipper asked how
many gods he has, says, only 1000, 000 They
have no idols. Their temples contain mir
ror, emblem of conscience, which, uncared for,
becomes dimned-and Paper, the name for
which being the same as that for God, they
suppose the Deity resides in this. In the side
Miyas at Kobe we saw white Horse, artifi
cial, which the gods are supposed to ride ::
this they worship. They also had artificial
foxes in another, which they worship for good
crops. Alcock says the Devil is worshipped
under this image. But this I doubt The
Sintoo religion exalts the Mikado, as a rep
resentative of God, higher than Romanism
does the Pope Hence, there has been great
revival of Sintooism during the summer, un
der the auspices of the Mikado. Professions
we're in the street all day. On the other hand,
Buddhism is discountenanced 1t came into
the country about 1000 years ago, and, like