The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-09
Kyoto, March 7, 1909.

kyOtG, March Z. 1909.
am told that the Japanese Budd-
hists are about to build a temple in
Seattle. 1t Will Rave a huge sitting
statue Of Buddha as an object of wor-
ship and all the up-to-date chara
teristics of q modern church. The
HuGdhists have begun to send their
missionaries to but' county They
have stations in the Hawaiian Islands,
Sa.1 Francisco; Los Angeles and Bos-
ton. and, understand q Japanese
priest is to be sent to work in Phila-
delphia. They AVE organized several
sunday schools in Japan. and some
Of the, sects are nov using the Sab
bath rs. their faVorfte preaching day.
They have established some young
mons associations on the PLAN of our
Y. NJ. &. As, ard they are educat-
ing their priests. They have found
Cd schools for this and have
so-caiied universities in which some
thing like 5000 students are in at
tendance. Their schools are along
liberal lines, and ara by no means
confined to the Buddhist doctrines.
They study all religions, and in some
school the Bible is used as a text
book. They occasionally have our
missionaries to lecture for them, and
there are Christians among their
teachers. The BudGiists here have
pcentlN sent priests to Thibet to bring
back the secrets of the religion from
that country. There were three who
went. and only ore has returned, the
others having beer. murdered by the
TibetdnS-
Millions for Buddhism.
indeed. no ore can stay long in
japan and look Gpor the native relig-
,ous rs entirely dead. These people
are naturally religious and they
spend enormous Sums in support OF
their faith. There L. great libera1ity
IF thought among the upper classes,
but the masses are temple worship
ers and every house has it's shrine.
There are in ALI Japan, I venture,
more places of worship than in the
United States. liz all Our denomina-
tons we have jest g. little more than
200, 900 church organizations, and
these include Catholics and Protest
ants MonrovianS ard and
also the forty-seveE Chinese Budd-
hist. and the nfre Japanese Buddhist
and Shinto establishments. Here there
are 195, 900 ShriceS alone ana more
than 10000 temples. There are more
than 1000 temples IN this city Of
Kyoto, and some Of them are far more
grand and more costly than any
church Of the United States. Our
National Library. which is perhaps
the finest building OF Its kin in the
world, cost just &c. 900. 900. The Hi
yashi HongWanjt Temple Of Kyoto
cost 81 5000, 900, ard It VAS about ele-
ven years in building. IT covers about
as much ground aS tie Capitol al
Washington and Its great audience
room takes $50 yards OF mating to
carpet it.
The temple is an immense building
with a ridge roof, which slopes down
ward in the shape. of a bow, over
hanging the walls The roof is upheld
by mighty beams n the interior Is
a mass Of carvicg. The walls are
.x- 80 e11xli~0 C~roar,0 31nnn which
lse paintings by old Japanese mast
ers, and the cetiicgs are Of richly
painted panels frar,ed in lacquer
with brass lanterrs- each as large as
a hogshead, hanging from them
During a recent visit to the temple
saw 1000 men. women and children
sitting on their bare heels listening
to q bald-headed priest reading a ser
mon, and as hey went out l saw
each Of them throw one OF two coins
into the great nncreT ches1 "nlci
stands there always. ready for cOntr1-
buttons. This temple he an income
Of about 5000, 066 g year, and a cele-
bration- which it had q feW years ago
in honor of the death OF n OF It,
patriarchs. cost almost q million. A
one time. the tempte NEEDED a loan o,
$4,000 for a term Of SIX months. ane
il is sale that ore OF the Japanese
banks advanced the money taking the
key of the contribution box for Sc
cnt4ty. It the ecd OF every week the
bank sent an ofEcta! to the temple
and he had back al: Of that money
including the interest upon it, Ions
before the note vas due.
Gave Their: Hair to Ruddha.
Buddhism as a religion has little
esteem for women. One Of the sect!
has "a saying that the sins Of an,
good woman are greater. than thost
OF the +thousand Worsx-men who hav,
ever lived. Nevertheless, Buddhism
- -. ~ -..ftt IfE --trxa~