The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-07-05
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able fact that Japan is suffering ter
ribly from materialism. There is one
remedy, one only remedy, that of re-
ligion. The Japanese Government
seems to have grasped this essential
idea.
The Japanese Minister of the In
terror, M. Tokonami, who has visited
Europe and America, was struck by
the power which religion Yields in
the West, and by the absence of this
spiritual factor in Japan. To remedy
this, he formed the idea of convoking
at Toxic meeting of SO Bones, Is
Shintoists, and ministers of the
Christian religion with the object of
establishing some sort of co-opera-
ton between the religions which they
represented so as to stimulate the
moral sense of the people.
This reunion aroused criticisms
widely different, not only in Japan,
but also in Europe. However, the in
teresting point is that it was at this
meeting that the Christian religion
was given official recognition for the
first time by those who hold the reins
of government. This recognition was
so sincere that the authorities invited
the Bishop of the diocese of Osaka
to send representative to the funeral
of the Emperor at Kioto. Some
saw in this official act the desire to
make religion an instrument of gov
eminent. Others, more correctly, saw
in it sincere avowal that there can
not be law and order without religion.
At the meeting referred to above,
the Minister of the Interior himself
opened the proceedings, and the reso-
lutions adopted were the following
Firstly: "The three religions (Budd-
hist, Shintoist and Christian) should,
each in it's own sphere, use all it's en-
deavors to safeguard the Imperial au-
thority and the morals of the nation
Secondly: "The delegates beg the I'm.
perial Government to use it's author
ity to stop the perpetual struggle
waged between politics and educa
ton, and thus help to safeguard the
destinies of the nation" What was
the outcome of this conference? II
one looks for direct and visible re-
suit, it is hard to find But the indi
rect result of the conference was one
of the utmost Importance. The meet
| ing gave public recognition to the
paramount Importance of religion in
the matter of education. Up to this
the Government had looked upon re
! ligion as a superstition which in no
way helped to the creation or main
tenance of good social morality.
The initiative thus taken in high
quarters gives hope that religion will
henceforth be treated with more re-
gard. The Japanese people were i'm
pressed with the attitude taken by
their ministry, and they are beginning
to respect Catholicism. This was
very noticeable during the illness and
death of their Emperor. On the 26th
of July a Mass was celebrated in the
Cathedral at Toxic for the recovery
of the Sovereign's health. All the
newspapers in Toxic reported this in
most eulogistic terms. Another in
stance: at Miyazu the priest had
posted a notice on the church door a
permission to everybody to enter and
pray for the recovery of the Emper-
or. Among the first to come was the
mayor of the place, and his example
was followed by many others coming
in groups to perform their devotions
and PROSTATE themselves in the tenn
pie of 'the true God"
All this points to one conclusion,
namely, that the Catholic Church,
thanks to the untiring devotedness of
her missionaries, has glorious fu-
ture before her in Japan.