Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-10
THE NEW JAPAN.

Social Life - Literature Houses and |
 Homes Tn Japan-Dr. William E.
 Grifds. l
 Rev. Dr. Griffs lectured yesterday after- noon to large and enthusiastic audience in the Marquand chapel, larger if possible than that at Thursdays lecture. Not only the university men, but many New Haven ladies and gentlemen were present. He is very interesting speaker and his lecture was as in- teresting as his manner of speaking. His subject was "Social Life in Japan" He spoke in brief as follows: The condition of man and nature in Japan is now as it has
 been in centuries past. There are no fences,
 no large farms. Little patches few feet
 square are irrigated. Rice land is worth five
 times as much as the ordinary. The houses are all grouped in villages, none standing alone. Most of the paths are footpatns. There is an idol wherever two roads meet and the red pagodas tower alott here and there. There are no chimneys and no high houses. The architecture is monotonous. In olden ! times the farmer was higher in social posi- tion than all others, but recent revolutions
 have raised up the merchant. Instead of the many classes, however, of the olden | time, to-day there is no man in Japan but that has his rights before the law.
 As for the house and home, the Japanese l are pre-eminsntly clean people. It is the practice to get under hot water at least once per day. Of necessity everything is done on I the floor. They are very polite people and the volumes and encyclopedias upon the subject of etiquette are amazing. The
 houses are extremely simple. The family is ! artificial, not being true blood line, but ! children. The children are taught
 etiquette at an earlier age than
 ours. They are taught self control and to be natural children. The preservation of the Chinese and the Japan csc has been the great reverence for the aged. There are cemeteries there in which over | ten thousand are buried from a single l earthquake. The aspects of nature have a | great influence upon the Japanese mind and Pantheism has been and always will be the 1 bane. They find gods everywhere. while | the idea of only one God is almost incom prehensible.
 The position of woman gives great hope. The standard literature of the language is written by women. She is of comparative ly high position. The old system of be- | trothal still exists. The young man does
 not have to walk up and face the cannons mouth and ask, "Will you have mel" All that
 is done by the parents. The young lady did
 not see her intended before marriage, but Christianity is teaching the young men to be
 brave. The wedding of old was the cere
 mony of drinking three cups of wine, but | now marriage is sclemnized either in the Christian way or by the laws of the West. Divorce in times past could be easily obtain ed. Many times divorce has been granted
 on the plea that the wife talked too much. Now the man must show good reason and give the divorced woman largs share of the property.
 The language has no delicate shades of ! meaning. The words are co1orless. In one
 sense a four-fold language has to be learned.
 In literature the principal work is the trans
 ference of thought from the West into Jap anese, though now they study their own hiss
 tory. The government is largely in the hands of Japanese students who have studied 1 abroad.
 In closing, Dr. Grifis said that the remedy for all the troubles in Japan is simple Chris I tianity and the simpler it can come the bet ter. He was thankful for the seminary in New Haven where theology is taught in a simple way and where students learn the foundations of faith and go forth to preach | simple loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. \ The third lecture will be given next Thurs \ day afternoon; the subject will be "Morals | and Religion; Development of Buddhism and the Spread of Christianity in Japan" ! Something Superior.
 1 Why use the old style of plaster when you ! can have superior wall by using Adamant Wall Plaster, which will not crack or crum- ' I1 s,- HJ.lI ]