Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-10
JAPAN FACES FAMINE
Distress Throughout the Empire an - )
Must Come from Other P, ~
GOVERNMENT WILL MO- ,< REQUEST
In the Face of ST. in North it Will
Not Pc 6 Appeal.
LEPERs TO Be CONTROLLED BY THE NATION
Heretofore They Have All Been Permitted
to Roam at Will.
ANCESTOR WORSHIP STRENGTH OF EMPIRE
DesDtte Diversity of Religions Al
Japanese Venerate Their Ances-
tors, More Especially Those
of Royal House.

TOXIC, December 9.-(Special Caolegram
to The Bee.(--There is distress ana iau'ine
throughout japan, but the situation is not
so serious as has been painted IN the re-
ports sent broadcast throughout the world.
The resources of the country were drained
by the war with Russia and considerable
helm will have to come from outside the
empire If actual starvation is to be pre-
vented In the northern districts. Help has
already been received from Great Britain
and America and more has been promised.
No general request for help has been maoe
and none will be permitted by the Japa-
nese government.
In japan the number of lepers is second
only to India, and hitherto no regulations
for the control of them have existed Ihey
are allowed to wander in the streets ana
solicit aims. With the exception OF the
missionary effort which dealt with many
hundreds, they are unheeded and uncared
for In the coming session of the Diet
special laws will be introduced. The lepers
will be isolated and supported by the local
governments.
The Japanese have lost no time in coming
to such an agreement with the government
of Corea as has been rendered necessary
by the issue of the war 1t was the per-
sistent intrigues of Russia in Corea which
forced Japan to draw the sword. Ihe
J weakness, the corruption and the treachery
4 of the government of Seoul offered con-
stant and favorable field for the exercise
of the arts in which Russian diplomatists
| of a certain school excel, and the hardi-
| hood and ability with which they pursued
their ends constituted a perpetual menace,
| not only to the future development Of
Ton b,.t IN itq "A long their
proceedings were unchecked.
As to Ancestor worship.
! The recent visit of the emperor of Japan
! to the Temple of Ise to report to the
} FIRST imperial ancestor the successful ter
! mination of the war with Russia brings
! into prominence what must always be re-
/ garded as the strongest, and by other ma
tions probably the strangest. national force
4 mere I'm Japan Nnsest0r ofshlp. o.. more
correctly. the veneration OF ancestors is
little talked of in connection with Japan
and has recently been quite overshadowed
| by the discussion of bushido and it's effects.
, Bushido, wonderful as it's teachings and in
! fiuences have been is at best only a class
religion. or, more properly speaking. an
| ethical code. Ancestor worship is univer-
| sal. 1t may be said without any eXaggera-
ton that every Japanese-man woman and
child--is ancestor worshiper. This APP
plies TO the Christian convert we'll as the
| Buddhist deVotee. Ancestor worship, OF
more properly speaking, the veneration OF
| ancestors, is something independent of re.
ligion. 1t does not interfere with religion
and it cannot be affected by IT, 1t is worth
noting that here in the Orient the greatest
strides were made by the Jesuit fathers
in gaining converts and power after they
had declared that ancestor worship was
not a religion and therefore need not be
abandoned by the convert to Christianity
1t should be thoroughly understood thai
ancestor worship does not stop with the
veneration of the family ancestors That i:
but the first step, and there follows the
veneration of the clan deities and thc
highest of ALL the veueration of the i'm
perial ancestors, In this way there is
perfect form of religion for the develop
ment of the patriotism and loyalty of tn,
people as well as the morals of the home
The rites may differ slightly in the differ
ent plans. but the ideas are the same, anC
in every Japanese house there are shrine
or places devoted to ancestor worship. An
cestor worship did not even suffer a set
back during the days of the feudal system,
An ethical code might be Impossible o
comprehension by the ignorant classes un
der such a system, but every family DOS
sessed ancestors and could vcnerate them
With the Japanese each day contains som
minutes set apart for active veneration O
the imperial ancestors. This daily act O
loyalty has been continuously practiced TO
hundreds Of years. II is to this grea
force that the emperor appealed in his visi
to the temple Of the first imperial ancesto
at Iss.