The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-06-29
Shall Japan Become a Christian
COumtrX2


The Japan Mall translates the following
rather remarkable article from the ''Jiii
Shimpo:"
To man who has no desire for the So
ciety of his fellows, the only alternative is
to retire from the world altogether, and to
bury himself in some remote retreat. II
he elects to remain among other men he
cannot avoid the obligations Of society;
that is to say, he must conform to the Gus
toms which obtain among those with whom
he is brought in contact. If he means to
enjoy the privileges and the benefits con-
ferred on him by human companionship
he must adapt himself to the prevailing
habits, manners and usaSes.
Religion, manners and customs consti-
tute the garments of a nation, the first, in
fact, being in our eyes a part Of the others.
Setting aside the Chinese and Indians as
herHiits, who have chosen to place them
selves in the position of a man who has re-
tired from association with his fellow-men,
we have to deal with the other coun tries
which may be taken to cons titute the soci-
ETY. of the world. And, speaking of that
part of their national raimeAt which con-
sists Of religion, we have to ask what is the
prevailing color worn? 1t is a Lue known
Christianity. Let US suppose that
Christianity can be described in the terms
employed in everyday hfe and we will find
it convenient to call it blue, and to refer to
Buddhism as russell brown, and we then
arrive at the proposition that, while the
former is the fashionable color, favored BY
society, the latter is worn only by the man
who shuns the fellowship of others. It
would Of course be unprof table to discuss
which is the better color; brown might
strike disinterested observer as at once
portance of q blue coat TO one who wished
to move in society must not be lost sight Of
Only a short time ago, the writer had
conversation with an Englishman, who told
him that though the Egyptian massacre of
last spring, and the recent proceedings of
French in reference to China, might appear
cruel to the public, still, in one sense, the
responsible military leaders were not to
blame in the matter, the true cause of the
seeming cruelty being that the European
soldiers hold the life of an Oriental very
than of putting an end to plant or insect
existence. This singularly unfeeling mood
is due to the fact of the religious ere d pro
fessed by the Europeans being different
from that held by their opponents. 1t does
seem highly irrational to condemn others on
/ the ground of their bsing heather, but there
does not appear to be any help for this un-
| happy state of matters. Que can only ex-
press ones sorrow for, and sympathy with,
the Orientals.
The foregoing, however, does not imme-
diately refer to the subject of our discussion,
| though what we have described must in
evitably enter largely into the nature of
the relations that exist between countries.
| The position of treaty revision is not that
Europeans firmly and determinedly object
to meet our wishes, but rather that they
view the matter with the utmost indifer-
| ence and prefer not to interest themselves
in it. No consideration as to our military
| strength, OIL our national resources, enters
| into the question, and yet things have
| not received a serious coIoTing by the veto
| of either Gladstone Ferry. Somehow,
the relations between the japanese and for
! eign nations are not on the most intimate
| footing; to use common phrase, we are in
accessible. To become accessible we must
first change our professed belief and wear a
| religious dress, uniform with others. We
mean. by professed belief, what profess
| to believe apart from the question of what
may be our true doctrine. It would be
| sufficient to make it publicly known that
Japan is Christian country.
As some of our readers may have opinions
| at variance with our own views, we may
here deal with what we may suppose will
| be their objections. 1t will be convenient
| to divide these opponents of our views into
two classes, unbelievers and Buddhists.
The mind of an unbeliever is light and
cold, and being so, he ought to adopt what
ever religion is popularity respected To
| destroy shelves for ancestral tablets or to
break cross is too pronounced an action to
pass unnoticed, nor is it a polite way Of
| dealing with society to declare ones own
disbelief in the existence of a God. How
many persons are there among the upper
| and middle classes in European countries,
| who truly believe in religion2 Most OF
them, preferring to be amongst the majority
| in respect to all forms of social observance,
| receive baptism and send their families to
| church. To send daughters of a marriage
able age to the church is prudent mode
of displaying one of their accomplishments
| in the singing which forms part of the SER
vice. For many centuries numbers of Chi
| nese scholars in Japan, who repose the
| most unquestioning confidence in the doc
| trine of Confucius, have observed Buddhist
/ rites. The attack on religion attempted by
such men as Tsmagaki Suika and Nakai
Sekizen was unsound and unbecOming the
time. Their imperfect conception of the
| general tendency of the world is apparent.
Is it not, we ask, then, very expedient, for
the present, to make Chris tianity one of our
| professed beliefs, whatever may be our in
dividual faith? Now we have to deal with
| the Buddhists. They are divided into two
smaller classes, called Shinso and Zenke.
There are many other subdivisions, but a
consideration of these two will serve. The
doctrine of Zenke described by some ex-
tra-religious, seems to be very lofty and
profound in principle. 1t is the philoso-
ply of the West. From philosophical
standpoint religion is an obscure thing; in