The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-06-20
We Welcome Them.

The Christian lntelligencer, the organ
of that highly respectable religious COM
munion, the Dutch Reformed Church,
make very interesting and suggestive
announcement 1t tells US that, "arous-
ed by the process of Christian missions
| the Buddhist priests of Japan are col
| lecting money to send missionaries of
| their respective beliefs to other lands.
We hope the contributions of faithful
Buddhists in that distant country will be
liberal, and that a competent corps of
japanese missionaries may be sent to the
United States. We are just now in great
need of religious invigoration, and per-
haps the advent of these apostles of
faith different from Christianity, and yet
in some respects very similar, may bring
an awakening which other influences
seem powerless to produce. Sir David
Wedderburn lately drew picture of So
ciety in Japan removed from civilized
influences, which was altogether delight
full. He depicted the people of the inte-
rior as remarkably polite and considerate
in their behavior, as gentle, kind, indus
trious, and honest. He even went SO far
as to say that Europeans who had lived
among them for years, when they re-
turned to "civilized" life, were disgusted
with the rudeness of the manners of
refinement of the Japanese.
1t may therefore prove great boon if
the Japanese should send missionaries to
this country. They may not, no matter
how fervent and pious they may be, in
duce any considerable number of Ameri-
cans to give up the Christian religion in
favor of Buddhism. 1t would hardly be
reasonable to expect that they should do
that. Yet they might teach our people
to practice far better than they do the
precepts of the religion so many of US
profess. If the heather Japanese, denied
the light which is in the possession of
every Sunday school child in our more
favored land, are yet able to partially reg
any genuine believer among us surely |
ought to be able, in the full effulgence of
the teachings of Christianity, to lead a |
life of piety and morality that would |
shine in comparison, as city set upon a |
hill.
But it is only fair that the Japanese |
should send US missionaries, and take up |
contributions for their support. We give |
many thousands of dollars every year to |
convert them to the Christian faith, and
keep up staff of missionaries Of different |
denominations in their country to show
them how far superior to Buddhism is
T..
nately. however. the Christians who visit
the japanese islands so behave them:
selves, in the majority of cases, that the
heathens are doubtful whether, after all,
the teachings of our missionaries are pro-
ductive of better results than those of
their own priests.
When the Buddhist missionaries land
in New York and begin their revivalistic
efforts, we hope they will strive to arouse
our morally sluggish community to
conception of the truth that Fraud in
whatsoever form it displays itself, wheth-
er it appears in politics or in business,
rots out the life of people. :
We give cordial welcome to the Budd-
hist missionaries from Japan, and wish
them all success in their benign efforts to
give life and reality to the morality of
the Golden Rule among our people, IN.
Y Sun