The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-12-09
BILKINS IN JAPAN.
fContinued from Page ~

phia was forged, seven or eight hun
dred years before America wuz dis
covered, this great bell wuz calm
the worshippers ov Buddha together
in Japan.
At Nara awlso stands an immense
bronze image of Buddha. Hit IL
about fifty feet high and az hit rep
resents Buddha in a sitting position,
(seated on a lotus f1ower) hit liz a
huge figure. Such figure, made ov
bronze, must hev cost vast sum Ov
money, or would if made in our day.
The great stone lanterns so common
in Japan, air numerous at an about
Nara l did not count them, but wuZ
told that there air about twenty
nine hundred ov these lanterns in
that locality alone. Hit required a
vast amount ov work to build them.
Each ov the Buddhist temples IL
guarded by pair ov bronze or stone
lions, one bein' placed on each side
ov the main entrance to the temple.
Near Nara you will see two immense
bronze lions that represent the af-
firmative and the negative. The one
that says yes" IL GRIMM an hez
an open countenance. The other hez
hiz mouth tightly closed and looks
very angry. The man or men who
chiseled them out ov bronze, more
than thousand years ago, evident
ly knew their business.
At Nara liz a beautiful park con-
tainin' seven hundred sacred
deer" They air thoroughly tame and
Will eat from your hand. This IL
doubtless the largest collection ov
deer to be found in the world. This
liz another evidence ov the zeal ov
the worshippers ov Buddha in Japan.
Probably the most splendid temple
in Japan, or in the world, since Sol
onions temple at Jerusalem wuz de-
stroyed, liz the Nikko. Hit IL located
in rugged mountain portion ov ia
pan and the wild scenery and the
rushin' mountain streams add much
to the wonderful buildin' itself. A
wide road or avenue, shaded with
beautiful trees and twenty-five miles
long, leads up through the noun
tains to this splendid temple. The
trip there will well repay the travel
ers for hiz time and trouble, for the
views air splendid. But hit IL when
you stand before the magnificent
buildin' that you begin to form some
idea ov the rare treat you air about
to enjoy. Onless you hev the power
ov speech that belonged to Cicero or
Patrick Henry you cannot begin to
describe the temple. therefore, l will
not be able to do hit justice. The
Shintoists an the Buddhists worship
together in this temple, hit bein' a
government buildin' public proper
ty," az we would say in the United
States. Nikko wuz built about three
hundred years ago. The Japanese
hev a peculiar way ov expressin'
themselves at times and to show you
how proud they air ov this temple
they hev common, a universal ex-
preston: You cannot say 'Yekko'
beautifully until you hev seen
Nikko."
Hit IL related that one man, a very
poor one, planted the rows ov trees
along the sides ov the avenue lead
ing to Nikko. He wuz not able to
contribute in cash hiz portion ov the
tax bein' raised to build the temple
an offered to select and plant the
trees If the government would de-
fray hiz actual Hvin' expenses durin'
the time hit would require, chargin'
nothin' for the labor. Hit must hev
taken long time to plant a row ov
trees along either side ov a road
twenty-five miles long. But the trees
air there to show for themselves:
great trees, now three hundred years
old and kept healthy and beautiful
by Japanese energy and skill. In
America we hev men who will and