The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-12-09

ngtous Bodies-The Temple .,
Nara Wonderful B.li-a orea.
Deer Park-Nfkks. the Finest
Temple In Existenee Today
Form of Government
Correspondence of The Caucasian
Enterprise
Toxic. Japan. Nov. "a. 1909.
hev tried ter tell somethin' oy
the wonderful progress the Japan
ese hev made in the past ntty years
how they hev jumped from the posi-
ton or condition ov an ignorant race
oy people TO the very front ranks.
how they hev climbed from the bot
tom round ov the great ladder ov
international fame To a round not
far from the top--awl In about nifty
years. There liz a reason. The thirst
fer knowledge and the grim deter
mination TO gain hit. hez bin at the
bottom ov hit awl.
But there will be reaction. The
old sayin "a new broom sweeps
clean" can be applied TO things
other than brooms. Japan liz nov
intoxicated with success Her peo-
pie air ready ter believe that they
air greater than they are. and that
they air well nigh inyincible. Pos
sibly they will learn that they air
not so far ahead: that other nations
air greater. Possibly the smart little
rascals will learn in time. But the
chances air that hit will take a joIt,
jar. TO bring them back To the
point whar they will hev TO start
life anew.
Missionary work IL goin' forward
actively In Japan, which liz proof
that education liz not a failure Ia the
country. The Presbyterians hev three
boardin' schools for boys ard twelve
for girls; awlso a number oy primary
schools. The Baptists. Congregation
alists, and Methodists each hev a
number ov schools in connection with
the missionary work bein' done.
Some ov these schools air really col
leges. The japanese government
supports nearly thirty thousand
primary schools. attended by more
than Eve million pupils. In addition
TO primary schools the government
conducts about two hundred and six
ty high schools for advanced pupils
with an attendance ov erbout one
hundred thousand. With such q
start, awl accomplished in about
thirty years. who will say that Japan
liz not doin' wonders along educa-
tional lines? No wonder she heL
caught up with. even surpassed. some
ov the sleepy old countries ov earth.
Shintoism IL the leadin' religion in
Japan, though hit liz not religion
in the full sense. The Shintos wor-
ship neither God nor earthly idols:
they worship man. Hit liz a form
ov ancestor worship. and. az such,
hez commendable features. Some
people. even in the United States,
hardly ever speak oy their ancestors.
onless they were big bugs" With
the followers of Shintoism In Japan
hit IL different; they fairly worship
their ancestors. But hope they will
finally get over awl that-love their
ancestors an worship the great Crea-
tor ov mankind.
The Buddhist faith wuz introduced
In Japan by the Chinese some four
teen hundred years ergo. Hit
spread rapidly. hit IL sed. Fer
time hit ran ahead ov Shintoism.
But the japanese finally weakened
on idol worship and Shintoism got
In the lead again. But the Buddhists
air still very strong In Japan, prob
ably one-fourth ov her people bein'
In sympathy with that form ov reli-
gious superstition. IL not active vor-
shippers In the numerous temples still
to be found In every portion ov
Japan.
japanese cities. stands q Buddhist
temple said to hev bin built about
the year 700. This temple wuz
built ov the best ov stone and the
buildin' liz az good today az when fn-
ished. In the center ov this temple
liz an image ov Buddha. and on either
side the figure ov a soldier. There
liz awlso in this temple q God ov
War, to which the ancient japanese
were in the habit ov payin' their
vows, proof that the ancient Japan
ese were more or less warlike though
hit took them hundreds ov years TO
develop a real army and real fitin'
qualities.
Near the temple at Nara stands an
ugly image. which IL practically COW
cred with little paper wads- The
worshippers chew the paper wads
and throw them at the image. IL the
wads stick to the image the wor-
shippers air forgiven: IL they fall hit
means that the suppliant must re-
turn again and again until the wads
adhere. In the same temple IL q
great bell, one ov the largest In the
world. Hit IL thirteen feet high,
nine feet In diameter at the bottom.
and eight inches thick A tap on
this bell can be heard many miles.
the sound bein' clear and rich In
tone. A thousand years before our
great independence bell at Philadel-