Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1921-10-06


Ilwater for use in case of fire. On
II each side of the pavement are stacks
of buckets, three in place, for fire
purposes, but they are protected
/ from the sun by a board sloping up
each side and the apex is covered
\ with a small beam like a. coping. Be-
sides the electric lighting, there are
stone lanterns" along this walk,
but it is ever so much easier to say
"stone lanterns than it is to make
you acquainted with what they real
ly are. Perhaps if the writer knew
better himself he could tell you
more, but here we go anyhow. They
are columns of stone with a section
or capital at the top followed out SO
a candle could be set in if desired.
These are commonly seen on each
side of the walk leading up to tenn
pie and about the monument shops
of the cities. There are many build
| ings on the grounds; numerous
stands where souvenirs, cakes, and
I the Ike are sold; and as we are leav-
ing the grounds we see an elaborate
and rather expensive sign of "Jin
Tam" some kind of medicine, the
most widely advertised in the land.
| Well, we can't see everything
everywhere, so let us go on to the
temple. Straight forward on the
pavement between the rows of tanks,
buckets. images, and lanterns, we
move till we come to wide stone
stair way with a railing. in the mid
die. You go up on the left instead
of keeping to the right" as all gooG
| drivers do in America. Had it ever
occurred to you that Americans are
different in their rule of the road
from others, that is from some
others? If l mistake not, the French
use the left side of the road. In part
of Canada that has been the rule,
and it's surely the rule here. Street
cars pass on the left and sometimes
there are policemen telling the Pc
destrians to keep to the left on the
street. But now that we are up the
stone steps, we are not in the temple.
This first building is practically a
gate to the temple which is farther
back toward the hill 1t is a good
J sized structure with gables and tiled
roof. AS usual. there is an image or
idol on eacn side of you as you pass
through this place, and sometimes
these Mo (demons) are very ugly in
deed.
Behind this gateway Tes an arti-
fetal pool spanned by bridge which
leads straight on toward the temple
But some Of you want to look at the
gold fish-big fellows foot or more
in length, SO we pause. Yes, and
there that rock pile or whatever il
is rising from the water is just alive
with turtles. But we have looked
too long, for we see the water is
filthy and dead birds and fish are
floating III it. Let us. go on. The
temple is higher up on the hillside
and we must climb more steps They
hear to fhe left and all about in the
slope which is rather steep. we see
monuments with inscriptions. Some
Of them are large irregular slabs ot
some kind, and others are dressed tC
regular shapes Here is a peculiar
thine which (you can see after your
attention is called to it, is a monu-
mpnt in the shape of big SWORD
pointing skyward You VIII see
others before you leave the grounds
We will stop right here at the
front entrance of the temple anC
stand aside while we quietly watcI
the pilgrims and observe their wor
ship. Christians and professed Chris
tians may forget their pocketbooks
or may keep them tightly closed
when they go to church, but heather.
ism does not overlook the money
question. A conspicuous object
about places of prayer is the contri
button box. Now you are thinking
about a little velvet lined basket. OF
somebody's hat, or vanished boz
on the end of a handle which some
one is solemnly passing through the
meeting house at the close of the SER
|.v1ce. but that's not a heather contri-
button box. No. by no means The
receptacle for gifts here at Narita is
an unpainted box about four feet
high, perhaps as wide as that, and
estimated at eighteen feet in length
with bars across the top. 1t is not
supposable that one so large is
needed in order to accommodate the
amount contributed in any single
day, but we can see convenience in
its favor, at least, for these worship
pers,7 who stand before it and toss
their small gifts at it, The common
copper coin here is the sen, larger
than our cent { the old ones resemb-
ling our old time coppersl and hav-
ing value of about a half cent II
any devotee of Buddhism or Shin
toism has used a larger coin in my
presence, it has been unobserved. UI
the stairs they come and pause here
before the great box on the front
side of the temple. Gently they
clap their hands two or three times
and putting the palms together they
bow the head and worship. With
some, it seems the merest formality
for they do it so quickly that it seems
more than NOUS feeling. but others
are in the attitude of prayer for a
longer time and this man is speaking
aloud. A seasoned missionary saws
he is expressing thanks for some
thing or for various things.
You want to know what that noise
means and what is going on inside
By stepping up the wall here at the
end of the box, we can look inside
and see that many are sitting on the
floor. and we hear a confusion oi
sounds-human voices, the sound O.
a drum. whistles 90. What are
they doing? By going around to the
left where the side of the temple i.
open. we can look in and see better
At the middle of the temple and to
ward the rear wall is an altar anc
holy fire" (the "holy water il
away down on the grounds towart
int entrance) is flaming nicely TIL,