The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-08
LECTURES ON JAPAN
REV. sAKA kTDARA SPEAKS AT ST.
 JOHNS.
Graduate of southern University Ap- Peals for Chrlstianl1iag of Pee pie of the F1OtSery
 Kfngdoua

Rev. Saka Kidara, a native Japanese who has just completed the course of Divinity at the University of the South, at Sewanee, Tenn, and Is on his way home to Japan to do mission ary work among his own people, lee tured yesterday afternoon at St. Johns Epescipal church to a large audience on the conditions existing in Japan from Christian standpoint.
 Mr ktdara came to America about seven years ago and entered the Uni versity of Sewannee to take the di- vinfty course and prepare for the min- istry of the Episcopal church The work which he- has accomplished has been nothing short of phenomenal Sew en years ago he did not speak a word from the divinity department of the University of Sewanee and has taken the degree of master of arts at the Columbia University of New York
 The lecture delivered yesterday was interesting because of the fact that the speaker Is young man, a typical Japanese, the son of a priest of tenn pie at Tokio and now Christian, edu- cated and fully equipped in every re- spect to return to his. native land as missionary to his own people.
 The idea of the lecture yesterday was to increase the interest of the Chris ttan people in the conditions of Japan that beautiful little Kingdom where
 
 ners and customs seem to have taken strong hold, but where gods of stone and wood are still worshiped by the people. The soul of the speaker seemed to yearn for that if ahis people
 Tt seems strange that 1 should stand here and talk to you he said. Strange that l should come here and appeal to you for sympathy for the conditions existing in the far East Eight years ago I was assistant priest in my fath- CTS temple at Tokio, offering sacrifice to the Unknown God wnom the Jan anese are worshipinS today, and stranger still that for all have been, and Tor all have gone through with, stand here before you not only a Christian, but a minister of Christ"
 Possibly the most interesting part of the lecture was the short sketch of the people of Japan, from the earliest his- tory of the country to tne present. or the four classe of people who have con- tributed to the making of the nation. of the first, or the original people; of the coming of the children of the Hit ites more than 4,000 years ago; of the later invasion of the Tartar race-that lighting people from whom the Japanese of gaoday get their fighting qualities. and of the later coming of the Mon golian race.
 Of the many peculiaE customs, char asteristiCs, superstitions and religious beliefs of the natives of Japan the lecturer talked interestingly. To the bA A&AC LlAlllSS the nature WOF- ship which Is prevalent In the island is traced. When that people came to Japan they found a country so alto gether lovely with ks picturesque mountains, trees, rivers, flowers, are CTS, more than one thousand volcanoes in eruption, and everywhere the most beautiful flowers, they thought that the land must have been especially created by God and until this day Ja- pan is considered by ner people as Divine, and everything in nature. mountains, trees, rivers, towers, are worshipped And not alone do these people worship their country, but to the Mlkado, their ruler they attribute divinity and accordingly give to him the worship that the Christian gives to God. To the native Japanese, the Mikado is DiVine-he is god and when ne passes in his carriage along the streets, men and women bow down and worship, and those in their homes close the doors and windows for they consider him too sacred to look upon even the carriage in which he rides is too sacred to be lookeS at
 peculiar characteristic of the peo- pie of the Flowery kingcom, as shown by the speaker, is their great loyalty to their country and everything pertain ing to their country. Patriotism is the great virtue of the people of Japan. They will at any time give their lives Tor eirner their country or their Mi kado. There are no individual per opudtltlts m Jhpdn-Only d part of the great personality of the cOuntry-or the Mikado. This fact. ne said, wa brought out in the bravery shown av the Japanese soidieFS in the recent war with Russia.
 He told many interesting stories of the bravery of the Jspaness. showing that in no instance do they tEh; for their own lives. but for that of the Mikado-for their country. Another peculiar characteristic of the people k their ancestor worship. They believe that the spirits of the departed have the greatest influence on the affairs of the day and that 1t is always by the spirit of the ancestors and the virtue of the Mikado that they are conquer ors, believing that the spirits of the ancestors fight side by side with the soldiers. He spoke in conclusion of the absurdity of many or the customs from the Christian standpoint, and asked the question, What are we go- Ing to do? What are we going to do with a country which has made such glorious progress along lines of com merce, industries and education and