The morning news., 1899-01-18

Of four stockades made OF unpainted
board. The space between each sur
rounding wall is paved with large, black
cobbleo stones, thrown loosely on the
ground. No nails or iron are used in the
construction of this temple, and none, eX-
cept one or two priests, and occasionally
a member of the. imperial family, is even
allowed to pass beyond the outer court.
The view through the door into the next
succeeding court is supposed to be hidden
from vulgar gaze by a white silk curtain
but a favoriug wind often fiutters il and
you can see through the courts to the
shrine beyond. This shrine is supposed 10
be the type of the prehistoric Japanese
hut and contains the mirror and sword
which the sun Goddess gave to her enid
the first japanese Emperor. one Of the
most famous men of younger japan, the
Viscount Mori, once japanese minister to
Washington and London, lost his nte
eleven years ago. at the hands of fanatc
for raising this white silk curtain with MS
walking stick. The present building IS
not remarkable for it's antiquity, as II
dates only from 1889. The teachings oil
Shintoism compel the destruction OF these
temples every twenty years, and prescrhpe
that they shall be rebuilt on exactly the
same lines, on an alternating site, next 10
where the last temple stood. rms re-
ueWdl, every twenty years, has SOiiN ~ -
long as history records. mile beyond
this shrine of Ise is one of exact counter
part and equally famous, which was de-
stroyed by fire the day after we visited
It, The Japanese of the lower class were
awfully frightened by this dreadful omen
from heaven, as they believed that some
great calamity is going to betan either
their Emperor or their country as there
are only three instances in all history that
either of these shrines has burned down,
and the other two distinctions were 1oi-
lowed by some disaster.
Down to 1869 Buddhism, which was in
troduced from China in the sixth century
Of our era, via Korea, has held the great
masses of the people and been the human
izing principle in Japan. The japanese
were never bothered about the theology
of Buddhism; in fact, the deep, metaphys-
ical theories of any religion are most re-
pugnant to their minds, and the strange
theology which has enVeloped the Budd-
hsm of Southern Asia was left out when
the religion entered Japan. AS long as II
promised them gorgeous ceremonies with
glittering affairs, magnificent temples and
priests clad in splendid robes, and adopt
ed in the Buddhist religion, the myriads
of deitiesy ranging from the god OF the
moon down through a pantheon of some
10000 minor ones. to the fox-god who
watches over the fields they were passive
ly content
With rare wisdom the Buddhist priests
accepted this company of deities and de-
scribed them as previous incarnations, or
manifestations of Buddha. Then they
taught the people gentleness of living and
to spare both human life and that of the
lower animals but the japanese have an
ingenious way of getting around this by
giving the slaughtered animals a fanci-
full name-venison becomes mountain
whale" in that way the appetite is sat
isfied and religious scruples vanish.
The numerous magnificent Buddhist
temples which make the city of Kyoto
the most attractive in Japan is a proof
of the power of Buddhism. The annual
revenue of one temple in Kyoto is over
million and a half yen and the c0rre-
spending magnificence o6 the tempe, with
its golden screens and elaborate ceilings,
its altars ablaze with lights, innumerable
braziers of incense, and above the al
tars, a gilded statue of Buddha, with its
calm face, promising the japanese, if they
enjoy their life and do as little harm
as possible to their neighbors, that they
will finally, when they die, be absorbed
into eternal Nirvana the endless uncon-
sciousness of pain. desire and joy.
Toxic is a good place to see popular
religion at its best. There is a temple in
the most populous part of the city. Kwan-
non Asakusa, dedicated TO the Goddess of
Mercy. This is the Coney Island of Toxic.
The temple is approached by an arcade a
quarter of a mile long. lined with shops
on each side, selling all manners of toys
and books, flaming Autographs of the
deeds of valor done by the japanese in
the war with China, a thousand and one
things of feminine adornment, hideous
copies of things made in Germany, and,
on the whole, a most debasing exhibition
of the degradation of japanese art.
Sunday. as il is generally observed as a
holiday. all the government offices and
banks being closed, and the soldiers let
out from the barracks, is great day
at Asakusa and one can only move slow
ly through the vast crowd. Passing
through this street of shops under an
enormous gate way, the visitor comes 10
a large enclosure. rising in the midst of
which is a huge wooden temple outside
the building are the usual fakirs always
found near any religious gathering, doing
a large trade, some selling tiny cups of
grain. to feed the pigeons, or small glass
globes containing five little gold fish with
many tails. Near by is an old woman dis
posjug of sparrows for two sen each. 1t
is supposed to be an act Of piety to buy
one and let the poor imprisoned bird free,
hut these eagacious sparrows know their
business: they fly away on happy wings
ont of sight of the philanthropist, who has
given them their liberty, though their abb
sence from their cage is only temporary,
as they find il a good thing to get back
into the cage. be well fed and let out
aoain This religious fraud appeals to the
ridiculous sense of the japanese
Going up the steps you enter the temple,
which is a great vauited hall. Children
are nlay,ng about, farmers from the coun-
nv gaming with open mouths at the won
dors of the place with its great gilded
Goddess OF Mercy, down to the flaming
chrome Autographs Of the japanese sol
dier in China single handed moving down
reoiments Of ceiestials. and even a picture
Of the Einel tower obtruded itself in one
corner. although It's companion picture,
the Ferris wheel, was conspicuous by its
absence.
The continual noise of the copper coins
thrown into the great open receptacle. the
ringing of the bell TO call attention OF the
deitv and clapping of hands and bowed
head with a few mumbled words of
nraver. constitute the whole act of de-
votion. except to go to one corner, where
there Is a black wooden statue completely