The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-10-13

ing. Indeed there are very feW VINO
have not dared to brave the mon
ster's sulphurous breath to get a
glimpse at its burning crater.
There is much to please the eye in
Japan, but to one who has been ac
customed to the bird music which
thrills and pulses through the air of
a New England summer day. there is
a void in nature here. The silence of
field and forest is painful. There is
one bird to be heard in Karuizawa
fairly entitled to praise as song
bird. This is the uguisas, sometimes
called the Japanese nightingale; but
scarcely deserving the name, unless
the term is meant to indicate the SUI
periority of this bird over all others
in Japan. 1t has two or three notes of
great sweetness and richness, but
when it ventures beyond these it falls
into monotonous and uninteresting
performance with but two tones, gen.
orally alternating between the two.
Besides this songster the lover of
bird music must depend upon the
chirp of swallow, the cawing of
crow, the screech of a hawk or the
brazen cluck of pheasant. Even our
most commonplace warblers would
be welcome here. There is nothing
to take the place of the homely song
of the robin redbreast, the breezy
vocal gymnastics of the common
sparrow, the oyerfowing, bubbling
strains of the bobolink, the liquid
notes of the Baltimore oriole and last,
sweetest, richest and most delightful
of all, the silvery cascade song of the
wood thrush. And as for that bird
symphony of the woods, which even
the poorest man may hear at four
o'clock on any mild summer morning
in New England, and a hundred
other places for aught know, with.
out money and without price, from
the tuning of the first violin till the
whole grand chorus bursts upon the
ear,-for that one can only sigh and
sigh; he will never hear it in Japan.
Karuizawa is pre-eminently sum-
mer resort for missionaries. There
are indeed many others, some of
whom enter missionary community
with mental reservations and while
here gently but firmly draw the line.
With SO large company of mission
aries it is not surprising that the re-
igious needs of the community, both
foreign and Japanese, are duly cared
for. For this purpose building is
rented which serves as a chapel, and
there the usual English services are
held. This building is known as the
Gymnasium Church" The name is
only distantly connected with it's
history. IN former years division
of the japanese army was stationed
in Karuizawa for the summer. The
officers needed amusement and this
building was erected for billiard
hall. 1t is easy to discern here a con-
hict between stern fact and propriety,
which resulted in softening down
"Billiard Hall Church." to "Gymnas-
ium Church" Like most compro-
misses it is quite misleading.
1t scarcely needs to be said that the
community is orthodox and there are
few communities so orthodox as an
orthodox missionary community.
Universalists are tolerated, not fellow
shipped here. have been here four
summers, DIR. Perrin two and Mr.. Rice
one and part of another, and the com
mittee of arrangements has not once
had the grace to ask one of us to con-
duct a service. 1t has become the
established custom now to hold
Missionary Conference some time
during the summer. We take the
same active part in this as in the Or
dinary services,-that is. we pay our
tax and get what we can from meet
ings so thoroughly tinctured with
orthodoxy. AS the conference pa
pers not unfrequently deal with prac-
tical mission questions, it is generally
possible to gain something to help us
in our work.
But Karuizawa has its amusements
also. Besides the ordinary picnic
parties and mountain excursions,
there is generally one musical and
literary entertainment, which affords
amusement for at least those who
take part. But the grand amusement
of all is lawn tennis. confess to a
great love for this game, and l am
heartily glad that denominational
lines are not drawn across the tennis
court. In this one regard at least e
are admitted on an equality with the
rest of the community, and we appre-