The Dickinson press., 1891-05-09
A GRAVEYARD DANCE
GHosTLY CEREMONY WITNESSED IN
A JAPANESE CEMETERY.

ously Decorated with Garlands and
Tempting yiands.
DR.. G. II. Cotton Salter, who for many
years was United States consul in Japan
and afterward entered tho Chinese gov
eminent service, gazed thoughtfully into
the glowing embers in the CRATE and
after a short pause told the following
tale:
The many stories published about
Indian ghost dances and the Messiah
| craze remind me of one of the most re-
markable incidents l have ever witnessed
during my long career in the Orient,
and I am sure there are but few Amer
cans or Europeans who have had the
opportunity to see the sights of which l
am going to tell.
The native religion of the Japanese is,
as you know, Buddhism, and there is no
creed which is us full of superstition.
Some of the ancient beliefs OF the Bud
dhists arc calculated to brighten the faith
full aud wildly portray the horrible pun
ishment that awaits the sinful man after
fnecloses his earthly career, while others,
with charming simplicity. show that the
greatest aim of tho Hindoo religion is
the release from existence.
The doctrine Of the transmigration of
souls and q hope for n better fate in a
future Life are the principal foundations
upon which Buddhism rests. Nagasaki,
where I resided for many years, was
famed for the splendid festivals in honor
of Buddah, OF Gautama, the founder of
the religion. Owing to the work Of
missionaries and the consequent spread
Of Christianity in Japan, many of the
religious fetes are no longer publicly OBJ
served, and the n of which 1 am about
to speak had its last grand celebrations in
1885, just before I left Nagasaki.
DECORATED GRAvEYARDs.
1t is called the Matsidri and was held
during the last week in August or the
first, week in September, continuing four
days. These days were set aside for the
reception Of the spirits of the.dead, who,
according to a legendary belief, return
once a year to their old homes. For
many weeks previous to the festival
preparations had been In progress. The
houses of the believers had all been care
fully swept, cleaned and polished, and
the homo affairs, which are to be found
in every native house, had been redeco-
rated and refurnished. The interior of
all the buildings had been profusely
adorned with flowers, the streets had
been repaired and the whole city was
clothed in holiday attire.
On tie morning of the first day the
dead wv ereceived with much ceremony
in the graveyard, which is in a beautiful
grove. Each mound was profusely dec
grated with lighted lanterns and gar
lands Of many colored paper globes hung
from tree to tree. On the top of every
grave food of the daintiest kind was
spreads in a temptingmanner andinquan-
titles sufficient to appease the appetites
Of an army of the hungriest kind Of
ghosts. On mats spread about the
graves sat all the living descendants of
the person who had been buried in that
particular spot. Not a single tomb was
neglected. If in the course of years the
family of any one Of the silent sleepers
had completely died out his grave had
been embellished and supplied by stran-
gers.
The spiritswere supposed to arrive and
departby water from tho sea, and for
four days and nights the living commune
with their dead and were with them in
spirit. The souls of the departed we're
supposed to hover around the tombs like
substantial visible beings, and they were
treated with every ~attentiond due to sacred
| and distinguished visitors from the other
world.
The night of the second day was de-
voted to a grand terpsichorean entertain-
reut or spirit. dance, and the graveyard
was Transformed for once Into a ball
room, where .ghostly'dancHs were sup
posedto-hold-syelry.
A SPLENDID s10Hr.
Thesscenes made q strong and ever
lasingfsimression on me. The night
waslperfcct, ,thesmoon ,wasatits fulland
fhesairwas fragrant.with the perfumes
of4thnusands Of flowers. Myriads of
lights were aickering on the hillsides
Which:surround.the city, and b e-co1ored
htErnsswayed gently to and fro, keep
ingtime: Ito the chimes of the silyery
bells in the temple tower, which fur
nished the music for the mystic enter
tai1ment. Around an artificial lake in
the.center of the graveyard the people
kuelt1in silent devotion, worshiping on
the. shrine of Buddha, whose emblem,
the-1otus flower, rose from the middle of
thelake.
Everyone Of. the four days and nights
brought,new surprises and ceremonies,
many of the latter being held in the
teuupla,4the doors.of which were closed
and guarded against the entrance Of
iufde1s. On the iastnight-or the night
of..uights, as twas Called grand pro-
cessionfnished.th festival. Thepeople
marchedin paradettosescort their spirit
vis~itosto.the water front, where-they
wererto'depart.
,Boatmen carried on their shoulders a
gigantic craft;built.of+ wood and straw,
inrwhich the dead were supposed to be
seated, and which waste convey them
back to spirit land and fto Ohata, the
graatfather beyundsthesea. This boat,
which is called sFukuy, was a master
piece of japanese carpentry. It was
n~inety:feet 1ong-and,h had a.stately mast
with a huge saifwhiehtbore in. native
characters theimuiption, "Naidinama-
wiidiIs" a word which is symbolic of
Gautama's greatness.
Thisshoat, ,artisically. and richly deco
rated, was launched with much cere.
mmy.after the lastspintfhad been en-
Maeedsand, fguratimay.as speaking, had
taken his seatson board. It was then
pushed. out into the sea, and drifting
EwaYewas finally ca1iedaut of sight by
fhetide. Andsso endedfhelastfestiva
msMatsidn: ever held pub1ic3ySin Ma
gasaki, and the2mostspaendid religious
mehation.1 ever witneased.-San Fran
sDeeC6ronicle=
Electric Light in the Holy Land.
A decided sensation has been caused
in Jerusalem by the introduction of cleo.
ttic light into anew and fourishing -four
mill lately started there. The building
in which the light has been introduced is
poor RI tho cuppoco1 cifo IF Co1vorv op1