The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-18
PRAYER SYMBOLS IN NEW YORK.
\ Puzzling Discovery Made by Jap
anes. Traveller in This City.

\ Puzziing Discovery Made by Jap
y anese Traveller In This City.
i Some Of the travellers who wander
der the face OF the earth and return to
America to write their Impressions Of
foreign countries from n point Of view
peculiarly their own turn out informa-
ton about those countries that must
seem TO the residents thereof weird and
! unwholesome. II IL ever meets their
Nyes. On the other hand the foreign
press sometimes gets even by printing
Impressions OF America from it's trav-
ellcd correspondents. New York Is, of
course. the Mecca Of these gentlemen
and their observations of the metropo-
lis which occasionally drift back here,
Nnake interesting reading. ON this or
Ner IN an excerpt from Japanese
] 1,wspaper. "a translation OF which was
NeCently sent 90 n gentleman In this
Nty IN "a letter from an American resi-
dlut in japan. The writer OF the news
~lApcr article In describing the religious
ceremonials ~ the Americans, wrote
thus:
zone 81 the strange sights / noted
Ia New York and saw in no other part
~ the country was the prevalence of
the paper or cardboard prayers hung
upon the doors and windows OF DWELL
ings These are all in one form and
are not unuruamental. They seem to
Dc used by all classes. but are more
common In the crowded districts where
the poor live. hundreds under a single
roof than In the higher class streets
have even seen them on store fronts.
sometimes they remain only a few
hours; sometimes for days. There ap-
pears TO be no rule regulating the time
% display. Each OF the prayers is a
crimson square with n singular, grace
ful. and rather complicated character.
made up Of curves In the middle OF the
card This character Us OF pure white.
From what 1 could learn IL has some
deep religious and mysterious signifi-
canoe. Its presence. however, has no
restraining effect on those In the vicini-
~. I have often observed crowd OF
drunken brawlers shouting and scuf-
Hing about the entrance TO a drinking
place upon which shone the brilliant
colors Of the prayer symbol. Neverthe-
less l was much impressed by the wide
spread religious feeling evinced by the
number II these placards. the more so
. as ] had heard IL said that the Ameri-
cans. and New Workers in particular,
were inclined to be OF an irreligious
tendency. When I questioned people
about the nature Of the prayers they
.
ally This I set down 20 the character
istic retiCenCe Of the American upon all
spiritual matters. l believe, however
that the placdrds are prayers for ex-
: emptiOn from disease and IN fortune"
. The American I'm Japan. who IL some
thing Of n Japanese scholar. sat down
whom he encountered this article in the
newspaper, read Il through carefully
l twice and thought deeply and power
, tully without coming TO a satisfactory
conclusion. BE had himself been IN
New York within "a few months and h,
remembered nothing that answered tn,
description 81 the japanese traveller
some time later ne CHANGED To- be at
public dinner where one OF the guests
was distinguished traveller who, hi
was Informed, was about to prepare 9
! book ON America. There was his man
I, the American decided at once, and
when he fell into conversation with hin
he found the surmise was correct.
D AS soon as l. got an opening" the
n American writes In his letter. n opened
l. up on him and told him how the artI.
? Gle In the paper had brought back thu
true New York atmosphere TO me. Their
4 ! asked him about the paper prayers
q told him that they were a new develop
y ment since ia been back, and IL IN,
d saloons had got religion I wanted e
know what the brand was Well, n,
r. tried 20 explain Just what the thing
. looked Ike. but l couldn't get n clue
. Finally, 7 asked him " he could draw
= pattern OF the thing. AZ that he re
7 mcmbcred that h. had a copy OF tn
design iu his notebook at his home an,
suid he'd De very glad 90 reproduce 1
< and send u 20 me. IN couple OF day
y % came. and u didn't take me but on
~ short glimpse % recognize a..
r What DO you think that intelligen
- Jap had run afoul Off Why. one q
those II. II. signs In nourishy mono
J. gram style that the house owners han
10 out ~ the windows at home TO motif
" the authorities when they have pape
Ir and refuse 90 be removed Prayer sym
o bols. Widespread religious feelinl
wouldn't that Jar you of your kopj,
4. Yet, you know. when you come To thin
n ~ a. these signs DO look mystic an
h. symbolic enough TO be taken for aimos
~ anything. I didn't tell his travellin
A Nibs his little miscue: u was too goo
he only hope that ne makes a chapter
the thing In his book and puts I'm an 1