The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-11-23


Christian, the old samurai had inter
posed no objection. With the broad
tolerance Of the esoteris Buddhist, to
whom all pure faiths are good, he had
allowed her to choose for herself. She
had grown to love the strangely new
and beautiful worship with it's sing
ing, its service in tongue that she
could understand, it's Bible filled with
marvellous stories of old heroes, and
with vivid imagery like that of the
kojiki, the Record of Ancient Mat
ters" or the Man-yoshu, the "Collec-
ton of a Myriad Leaves" over whose
archaic characters her father was al
ways porting.
For many days Haru had watched
the progress of the Chapel building.
The Cathedral was a good two miles
distant, but this was near her home;
here she would be able to attend more
than the weekly Sunday service. To-
night, as she looked at the cross shin
ing in the moonlight, she thought it
very beautiful. A tiny symbol like it,
made of white enamel, was hung on
a little chain about her neck. It had
been given her by the bishop the day
of her confirmation. She drew this
out and swung it about her finger
as she walked on.
In the Street-of- Prayer-to-the-Gods
were no huge and gloomy compounds.
It was a roadway of humber shops
and homes, bordered with mazes of
lantern fire, and lively with pedes.
TRANS. At a meager shop. pitifully
small. whose shoji were wide open,
Haru paused. A smoky oil lamp hung
from the ceiling and under its glow. a
knelt on the worn tatame. Be-
side her, on a pillow, lay newborn
baby, and she was soothing it's slum-
Der by softly beating a tiny drum close
to its ear. She nodded and smiled
TO Haru's salutation.
"Hai! Ojo-san," she said. go kigen
you! Deign augustly to enter"
Honorable thanks" responded
Haru, "but my father awaits my un-
worthy return. Domo! Aka-San des'ka?
So this is Miss Baby! 1shikichi will
nave a new comrade in this little Sis
,er."
"Poison not your serene mind with
of my uncomely last
sent one!" said the woman, pridefully
fitting the pillow so as to show the
Tiny, vacuous face. "Are not it's hands
legradedly we'll formed?"
Wonderfully beyond saying! The
father is still exaltedly ill.,"
ut is indeed so! l have not failed
to sprinkle the holy water over Jizo,
nor to present the straw sandals to the
of-the-Gate. Also l have
rubbed each day the breast of the
health-god; yet, O-Binzuru does not
harken. Doubtless it is because of
some sin committed by my husband
in a previous existence! l have not
knowledge of your Christian God; or
| would make my worthless sacrifices
also to Him."
"He heals the sick" said Haru,
"but He augustly loves not sacrifice
as He exaltedly did in olden times"
she hastily supplemented, recalling
certain readings from the Old Tesla
ment.
'The gods Of Nippon divinely change
not their habit returned the woman.
"Also my vile intellect can not COM
rehend why the foreigners God should
concern Himself with the
things of another land"
"The Christian Divinity" said Haru
els God of all lands and all peoples"
The other mused 1T passes in my
degraded mind that He, then, would
lack sublime all-sympathy for our
Kingdom of-Slender-Swords. You are
transcendently young, Ojo-San, but
am thirty-two, and l hold by the gods
of my ancestors"
"Honorably present my greetings to
your husband" Haru said, as she
bowed her adieu. MAY his exalted
person soon attain divine health! To-
morrow l will send another book for
him to read"
The woman watched her go, with
smile on her tired face-the Jap
anese smile that covers so many
things. She looked at the baby's face
on the pillow. praise Shaka," she
said aloud, there is millet yet for
another week. Then we must give up
the shop. Well can play the
samisen, and the gods are not dead!"
Behind her a diminutive figure had
lifted himself upright from f'ton.
He came forward from the gloom, his
single sleeping-robe trailing comically
and his great black eyes round and
serious. "Why must we give up the
chOn honorable mOther2"