The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-11
ROUNDABOUT IN JAPAN
BY BISHOP E. E. Hoss

Even in the smaller towns or cities, they generally manage 10 keep things In admirable order. Once in a while, 1 however, in the more popuous centers, 1 especially in TulSio, tht mob rises and l defes them. During the excitement that l followed the making of the treating with Rusgia the toushs of the capital l toek possession of things for two whole da*s and managed matters to suit l theaselycs. A spectator of those scenes ltells how he saw men and boys fish l Ing in the moat that surrounds tf e 1 imperial palace as if to testify their contempt for the restrictions of or garized authority. But such an incl Idert was trifling when compared with l the rude violence that found express siop in many ways Tho Japanese are | the Celts Of the Orient. and when their blood is un there is nothing that can restrain their madness. TolSio resem- bles Paris at thousand points.
 To get birds-eye view of Kobe l tramDed many miles one August aft ernoon in company with Professor Ha- den to the top of Mayasan. the loftiest of the mountains In the rear of the city. Our way led us up long and narrow gorge, down which there tum-
 les T iclea and pretty stream. On the lower Hanks of the mountain nearly all tho trees have been cut away but l higher up there are fine stretches of l forest, Including many noble crypto- menias and camphor trees. Human hab- itations are very few, for the Japanese are q gregarious people and prefer to live in the crowded city and it's subur- | 1an villages below. But here and there at turns in our path little tea houses are open for the patronage of the pill grtns to the temple on the summit. At one point there is a waterfall perhaps 30 feet high, and hard by it little 1 nm aS a m m neath the fall was a solitary wor- shipper, a woman naked to the waist her long hair falling loose about her body, clappng her hands, and repeat ing, at first slowly, and then with al most frantic energy a formula that of course, l could not comprehend. Some burden was on her heart and she was appealing ae best she knew how to the Unseen Power that controls our des- tinies.
 No feeling above one of ritv stirred ir my heart at the pathetic sight, and 1 could not help wondering whether the Almighty Father whom Chrsrians wor- ship through His Son did noi hear the earnest but misguided petitions of this benighted woman: for there's wide l ness in His mercy like the wideness Of t'e sea-" I have said above that there | Is temple on the summit Of the noun l tain. This temple is known 10 foreignera | as the Moon temple, but reallyahas no connection with the moon being dedi- ;:ated to Maya Bunin. tha mother oe | Huddha. It stands on a broad stone | platform, and Is reached at last by a long l succession of stone steps, at least 200 in rumber. To visit it at any time is con '''deled a very meritorious work Going up we met not a few persons coming down. one of whom was an outcast wom- an Carrying one baby strapped to her lack and leaoing another by the hand l Tho seventh day of the seventh moon
 is the great ann lal festival nere Most of the pilgrims at that tine and there are literally tens of thousands of them ascend at night, their long lines of lant- srns making very pretty ght as they Ieiimb the winding path. Those who | .scend on that day are believed to obtain s much merit as if they had ascended l lS,000 times under ordinary circumstances
 The temple treasury, a stout tox in front the main building, receives large con t'1butions from the faithful. When we | cached a landing just a little below
 he highest level, we were-o at least I was-pretty much out of breath. So we
 aused to drink a cup of tea and eat somo tempting peaches before trying the stone stairway. At last we found our ,elves on top, and then turned to get the outlook It is glorious almost beyond compare. Before us lay the gorge which we had so laboriously aseended and then the city sweeping in a great semi-circle around the bay, and then ,he bay itseir
 immering in the evening sun, and cov- cred with hundreds of vessels, and on he farther side of the bay, half concealed fy veil of purplish mist q range of nils shutting in the distal horizon IT any one of my readers feels inclined to ask whether it was worth while for a fFEY4 A1aRR ~r rather stiff knees, to make such climb fer the sake Of such a prospect, I can enly say that he does no understand the significance of moral values. But I will rot deny that going down, lark having overta0en us and the road being some what hard to find, made me wonder when I should want another such expnri- enee. If l ever lose all interest in such matters I shall conclude that the time nas come for me to give way to some younger man.
 The only other temple that I visited while in Kobe was the Nopokuzi, and I went there, not to see the temple but to have look at the Diabutsu or great image of the Buddha, that stands H. the enclosure. There are two other 'uch images in Japan, one at Kamak- ura and one at Nara, dating respect lively from 1250 and 750 A. D. The peculiarity of the one at Kobe Is that 1t Is modern, owing its existence to
 ne zeal Of local paper manufacturer named Nanto Shobei, and having been erected 1T 1891. In sitting posture it is AS feet high and S5 around the waist; length of the face, Sh feet; diameter of the lap, 25 feet; circumference of thumb, 2 feet; eye, 3 feet; ear, 6 feet
 nese k feet mouth, 22 feet. As to It's artistic merits, I do not, pretend to have any Judgment, but it's magnitude
 E most impressive. Speaking of the older ima@c at Kamakura, competent critic says; "It stands alone among Japanese works of art, statue solid set and rnonlded in colossal calm. No other gives such an impression of maj esty or so truly symbolizes the cen tral Idea Of Bu6dhism-the spiritual peace which comes of perfected knowl- edge and the subjugation of all pas sion." Mls be so. The artists have eyes to SC" things that escape the obser- walton of common men. What swas ti hiking about while looked upon the colossal lido! was the fact that Budd- hisrl, which 25 years ago was supG 'osed bv raanv to he approaching its ead in Japan. should have life enough left 10 produce such a work. The same reflection came to me again and again az travelled through the empire. One ot the last things to die is an ancient religion and Japanese Buddhism. vast ly modified in this uttermost east from it's original form, is so far from be-