Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-12-01
Ally FOR TIRE TULSA SUNDAY WORLD


In al' lhc large temples Among these
prayers found I'm temples, written on
paIcr or long strips OF wood and post
ed or nailed on the walls, are many,
plodging those uttcring them To UNI
usual ana amusing conditions For
instance, II is quite usual to find
among the written prayers vows Of
abstention from liquor or some kind
Of food, or from certain practices
during a fixed period An inyostiEa-
ton carried out az ono Of the promi-
nent temples disclosed attitudes Of
mind in which SO much mental reser-
yation was concealed behind tricky
expression, that 1t amounted 10 fraud,
Most of the prayers were concerned
with abstcntion from liquor, Some
were resolved TO be total ana uncQuiv-
ocal abstainers, while others wero
somewhat doubtful as their petitions
showed.
There was one very prudent man
who swore before the deity that he
would never again drink sake at his
own expense. This fellow of course has
his prototype everywhere in America
and as he had just returned from
there some anxiety was aroused, lest
he add TO the disgusting spectacle OF
drunkenness that inenable form Of
mcaness, whereby the foreign sot il
enabled 10 remain drunk the year
around al the expense Of others.
II was another mans resolution
never TO again take another drop of
liquor at home. thus rcseVing the
privilege of imbiding as much as he
pleased outside Of his own house. A
crafty chap. A third solcmnly de-
clared that he would abstain from
beer, mirin, sake and wine for
period Of five years. This man cum
Lingly omitted to include shochu In
the list of contrabrand so that If the
worst came to the worst, he would
sti'l have something to slake his thirst
and eXhilirate him during the pro-
posed term Of abstention. A fourth
man was more explicit and 10 the
point. As a genuine connoisseur Of
rice water" he declared himself as
thoroughly convinced Of the futility
of total absention, so he wrote in his
prayer that he would stop drinking
entirely, except for one 20 Of sake
just before going to bed. He had no
doubt the gods understood the virtue
of a nightcap, so he felt 1t was un-
necessary to present them with argu-
mehts in favor of a thing so manifest,
These VOWS, it should be rememb-
cred, were registered at the largest
the highest places before
which petition can be made--the su-
! RENE court as it were of all the
gods. There are an infinite variety Of
other temples and shrines, but to con
tinue the simi!e, they decrease in
power and capacity somewhat after
the manner of American courts, il
we begin with the highest at Wash
ington and go downward until we
come to the justice Of the peace in
country district. All over Japen,
standing before temples and shrines,
and often alone by the roadside far
out in the country, one sees huge
stone representations of some Japan
ese deity. These are usually upon a
pedestal, exposed on three sides to a
view, obtained by looking through a
high iron fence, from six to zen feet
away from the figure They repre-
sent deities who are capable of grant
ing certain wishes. The method pur-
sued in applying to them for a re-
quest, is for the devotee to write it
upon a certain kind of paper, roll it
up in the shape Of a pellet, after