The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-20

-. women Tor that purpose R3t "k
hes. cables. nearly t#fFt
diameter and several haa3E's
oug SeUI kras ip q room aila8s7t
:, a.. safars. enc others h2N8uE tsF1
s.4trav~a - ar. J4faH* fHae1
p~sH. themselves 8pau th"ar h3 aa}
arrange Il stth great
go.v ~ psety-What 3 strong @EF
Gee n these myriad st1nd- ~ MA
gt~I btark AMI gray
Al ~ tine Eltdhi% f.mrt~ s.a
AIfhtu Nz33"l IEs(v~0Es
through Gorgeous gate Which
.rasfs ~farpI3 Ntth thr 1wfa'tA 81
p" ~htofo Eafe Tn" Fn3aH5t E8
has s.1f r~-~-fnhlifg p tsmuie reo'
4ft - afryp ar1annsHf-t win 3WfHa
birds and fantastic fga1es
wood. A. ~ H-tustrsfseu - fhe ~fn
erStftion 40 br found arnang IN" -
norant. the f~rl3a~1rR 3H. fent
gy.n. An American NJ Fret-
erlck ~ Horne aho lives ~ Yoke
Rama. ana vho has outIt up e afE'
importing business in American ma
hIu.rt. mas & haud@ou. new NHru"
modelled after 5 Buddhis temple n
one gabl. E- put : devil head. IT.
-.rvautS of tne man living next door
Threatened 10 leave because thr t*Ntt
.ookr,i over into that yard Bur they
Nsrs Qlieted when IN" %neighbtf pui
tWo brass tsuuuu D0 h4S Iattt and
pointed Them ~ the devils head
The story seems loo absurd to beiirtt.
out NE were shown the when
sc called al Mr EiorTlt's.
but Buddhism IS la~inE us hel@
upon the japanese its temples uyv not
croNdel rs they once Nrrt r.fn
monies 10 not interest ana IT'S bach
ings do not satisfy the new genera
ton. Christianity van aup-aI more
ANA more to th. educated element af
,h- JapaueS. population. Already
favor IS taking The place OF liberation.
a. liberation thirty years ago sup
planted persecution.
The Catholics. who have been the
pioneers OF the cross in So many lands
brought Christianity 10 Japan through
Portuguese missionaries about
tile middle Of the siNte"nth
century. The success of the
JesuitS was So pronounced that
in 80 wears they estimated their
converts IT 10000. In fact. the al-
10 Christianity became - uu-
Imerous and 50 influential tina The Sho-
gun H~ideNoshi, began Lea fear FOR his
temporal power ana having absolute
authority. he expelled The foreigners.
closed the ports and established the
policy Of non-intercourse with other
nations policy which was followed
.until 1853. When the country was.
again opened 10 Christian m~issionarie~
~, was found chat some 10. 600 men and
women We're still WorShipipg accord
ing to the forms Of the catholic church
although for two ami a half centuries
there had been no communication he
tween them and the church outside.
Even after the opening IF the country.
To foreign commence there WAS some
persecution Of Christians ana several
thousand were Imprisoned. But in 1883
the prisoners We're set at liberty and
the cXileS allowed to return; since that
time there has been absolute religion
reed0m and many men prominent in
official life have been devoted Chris
tians. The most noted OF these native
Christians was Mr.. kataoka. who was
-four times chosen speaker q. the popu
lar branch OF the japanese Congress
or diet. He was an elder in the Pres
byterian church and when IL was sug-l
geSted hat it Would -dvance his po-
liticaI chances to resign his eldership.
he replied that if compelled to choose
between them he would rather be an
oider than speaker.
The Catholic population of Japan
numbered $4,000 III 1903, ut the last
port the Protestant COMMITMENTS
numbered nearly 81. 900. There are
among the natives az ordained min
listers. 500 unordained ministers and
helpers and 1S6 theological students.
! met a number Of Japanese Christmas
and was profoundly impressed by their /
earnestness n devotion. There is a
large Y. NJ, {. A.. at Fokio and a
Slidli'I one Ill fNNoio. at ~NpSDShlfU3 Z
! found q Woman'S Christian ASsocia-
ton. While ! have met American
missionaries everywhere, ] have tried
to gather Information from Japanese
sources as Well and have been gratifiei
to find such cordial co-oneIatiGU be
tween foreign and native Christians.
A physician in the navy introduced
himself and volunteered the informa-
ton that one American woman had
undertaken the establishment 81
Christian clubs al the various naval 4
stations and within five years had
gathered together more than 500
m"mbers. He said that sin met With
opposition from the authorities III
first, but now had their hearty sup
port. The war with Russia. white
r~etarding the work Of the Greot J
church among the Japanese. has been
utilized by other denominations 10
reach a large number of sailors With
Bibles and pamphlets.
Japan needs the Christian religion:
a nation must haye some religion and
she has outgrown Buddhism. The
ideals presented BY these two ev~-
TENS are in many respects diametcaIlv
oppose to each other. one looks for
ward. the other backward: one re-
CARDS life as a blessing To be cnfoved
and an opportunity to Be improved
the other sees in It only evil from
which escape should 10 sought. on.
crowns this life with Immortality. the
othef adds To 2 gloomy existence the
darker night Of humiliation. one or
lefS latin as he inspiration to nob!c