The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-09-07
CHINESE HAVE SIXTY-TWO AND
JAPANESE TWELVE TEN
Piles IN AMERICA.
THE HINDUS ARE REPRESENTED

Communistic Societies Are Disap
pearing.
WASHINGTON, d. C.-ReligiouS
freedom in the United States shell
tiers under its tolerant and ample
folds thousands of representatives OF
the so-called heather beliefs, in ad-
dition to more than 200 various sects
of christianity, according to census
bureau statistics dealing with the re-
ligious life of the country. Among
the former are Buddhists, Confucian-
lists and Bahaists who are engaged
in an organized way in the spread
of their doctrine in this country.
a The data forming the basis of the
volume in question was gathered in
1906. It is now in proof, but there
is no assurance as to when it will
be given to the public. In addition
to statistics of the various denomina-
lions the work will present a brief
history of each; also the pertinent
facts regarding their doctrine and
polict. The compilation is the work
of Dr. Edwin NJ Bliss
Up to the time Of the investigation
there had been no effort to effect
any organization for the promotion
of Confucianism, but the text tells
of a society of the Chinese sage's
followers which was organized in
New York city in 1907 among the
Monaghan students in Columbia
university. Contending that Budd
hism is only a system of ethics they
undertook to demonstrate that Con-
fucianism was real religion, and so
a regular system Of services was es-
tablished by a we'll defined organi-
cation.
The organized followers of Budd-
hism are Chinese and Japanese.
Their churches, known officially as
temples by the irreverent are re-
ferred to as joss houses. There are
81 Chinese and ~ Japanese temples
in this country, the former being dis
tributed over twelve, the latter over
three states. California shelters all
but three of the Japanese and more
than half of the Chinese houses.
About 40 which went down under
the San Francisco cataclysm had re-
manned in ruins to the time of the
enumeration.
New York boosted fifteen of the
Chinese temples, the remainder be-
ing. scattered over ten states, mostly
in the west The Chinese Buddhists
have only one priest in this country,
and conduct no recognized system of
worship.
There is no record of member
ship they have no sermon; keep no
Sabbath and have no religious SER
vice. The only use for their temples
are as places at which individual de-
voices may consult their patron
saints Three deities are recognized
in the American temples. The god
Kuan, a mighty due of the ancient
Han dynasty; the goddess of fortune
and the goddess of mercy.
The Acknowledgements Buddhists
are of the progressive Shin Shiu
sect, which is missionary in charac-
ter, discard the asCetic practices of
the more austere Buddhists of Asia
allow the priests to marry and have
no ban on meat or other food The
societies are we'll organized, each
having a priest. General headquar-
tiers are in San Francisco, and they
have both journals and schools de-
voted to the propagation of the
faith. In 1906 their membership in
this country was 2,387, of which IT'S
were females
There is no Sh'noism, an explain
alton of which is found in the fact
that this religion attaches itself too
closely to the person of the Japanese
emperor
In a way the Hindu religion is rep
resented by the Vendanta society,
with organizations in New York,
Pittsburg, San Francisco and Los
Angeles. 1t was organized by some
Hindu teachers who came here in
1898 to the Worlds Fair. Its name
comes from an ancient Hindu phil
osophY, meaning "the end of all wis
dom" 1t is nonsectarian, seeking to
harmonic all religious systems.
Oriental philosophers are taught by
the Theosophists, have four bodies
with 2,236 members in the United
States
While Bahaism, strictly speaking,
is nonchristian and foreign, it's fol-
lowers are native and not necessarily
unchristian, This is a comparatively
new sect, growing out of the teach
ings of Persian leader of the mid
die of the last century, named Ali
Mohammed. He claimed to be the
forerunner Of him whom God would
manifest" and called himself Bah"
or the Gate" Later came BAHIA
Ulla, who claimed to be the one
whose coming had been foretold, and