The Warwickshire Herald. — 1895-03-14 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

JAPANESE ARMY CHAPLAINS.  The Times special correspondent with the Southern Japanese Army, writing on board the Tokio Meru, under date January 19th, says: I have just had a visit from two Japanese priests, who wish to make known that Japan is now, for the first time in history, sending non-combatant military chaplains with the armies in the field. There are previous records of priests taking part in warlike operations, but not purely as priests until now. Twenty-one Buddhist clergymen have been appointed by the Metropolitan, at the request of the Government, to go to the front and perform the rites of the Church for dead and dying. Some of them will go overland to the First Army, but the apportionment is not yet known. Their principal duty will be to pray, for the souls of the departed, and attend to burial services; they will also hold special services in the Chinese Buddhist temples when possible. They regard China as the country through which the religion reached Japan from India, but also as a country that has fallen lamentably from the lofty ideals of Buddhism; and, consequently, they have some idea of a work of reformation when their military duties leave time. These reverend gentlemen expressed great interest in the clerical system of the British Army and Navy, the garrison chaplains, the warship's "sky pilots "—a term which quite took their fancy when explained—and a few such incidents as Rorke's Drift, and the loss of the Kent. This new departure of the Japanese, they stated, was no imitation of the English custom, but was dictated by a natural feeling of sympathy for men who died in the field, far beyond the reach ot their friends and relatives; the burial of the dead and the care of souls after death are very important matters in Japan, as in other countries. The dead are sometimes buried, sometimes creTated. My two visitors asked about the progress of cremation in England, and seemed to have a very fair idea of the causes operating against it. The younger of these two, Mr. Sasaki, has taken up the question of female education. Seven years ago he started a girls' school in Hakodate with 40 or 50 pupils, and now he has 500. Be is on the best of terms with the foreign missionaries there, and often visits their school. His temple is called the Ru-to In, and his school the Ksho, or "Prosperity" Girls School of Hakodate. Like may Japanese, he has fully realised the necessity of properly educating girls, to be the wives and mothers of the people. The senior, Mr. Illidzuno, is from the Bayoku In, Nagoya. Be was a schoolfellow of Mr. Kato, who has been appointed within the last few days to the Japanese Legation in London. Like Mr. Sasaki, he belongs to the Shoda sect of Buddhists. They, are strict vegetarians, and live frugally on the small fees for death-cerenionies, hc. They have an appreciative remembrance of 5.1 Edwin Arnold, who visited many temples and priests before writing the "Light of Asia." Besides these two,there are on the Tokio Meru four priests of the Shin sect; the other 15 have gone blether ships. Ordinarily they dress in silk of clerical cut, het without following any rule denoting sect or rank, their ceremonial robes are, of douree, distinctive and prescribed. On arrival in Kinehau they intend to hold a apecial service for the whole army, after which they will he .ief'silel for the front.  A mysterious occurrence was reported on Monday at Belfast by the captain of the cross-channel steamer Hare. It appears that While the vessel was proceeding to Belfast from Glasgow on Sunday morning, and when about mid-channel, a man and woman named Dorman and Bl'Larnon (steerage passengers) came on deck, and a few minutes later the woman disappeared over the vessel's side. Dorman's version of the affair is that the woman committed suicide. The police axe investigating the 9CCUITOIIG3.  An old and infirm Sister of Mercy, who lived alone In the Rue Valetta, Paris, has been found dead in her room. The body presented a horrible sight, the flesh of the face and hands having been completely eaten away by rats. The loathsome animals were so gorged that they refused to move when the corpse was discovered, and had to be killed before it could be taken away. Thomas Wilkinson, accountant and estate agent, shd member of the Town Council, has been committed for trial on a charge of forgery. The prisoner was secretary of several building societies, and it is alleged that he forged signatures of members to cheques of one of the societies, which is now in Liquidation. The warrant was issued for the alleged forgery of a cheque for over £4OO. The prisoner Was auditor to several companies.  The next-door neighbour.—"Just finished painting your fence, eh ? Why don't you put a sign on it to warn people?" The householder: '"Sh ! If I did, every passer-by would want to feel the paint to see if the sign spoke the truth. It'll have a chance to dry now."  Fair subscriber: "The Woman's Page' in your paper hasn't appeared for a week." Editor: "I have dropped it." "You have ? Why?" "Becau,e my wife Insisted on trying all the cooking recipes, and adopting all the foolish suggestions to be foun'l in it; that's why."  The announcement "In re a solicitor, ex pat* the Incorporatei Law Society" appeared five times on the Law Courts paper on Saturday. John Charles Clack, a solicitor, was convicted at the Old Bailey of getting a cheque for £2BO by false pretences, and is now doing 18 months' sentence. Struck off the rolls.—A Sunderland publican named Bowden gave a mortgage for £350 to John Brewis, solicitor; £156 was paid off the mortgage, according to the finding of the committee of the Law Society, but the solicitor deposited the deeds with someone else as security for £350, and the publican bad to pay £350 to get them back. Struck off the rolls.—Hugh Brown, late of Denton, now of Blackpool, was struck off on a charge of misappropriating money received for his employer, also a solicitor, and for clients. —The case of John Graham Haynes, of Harrington-street, Liverpool, was misappropriation of money given him to pay off a mortgage of £200; and it was alleged against Robert Henry Lacey, of Nottingham, solicitor, that he had applied to his own uses £ll 158. handed him as costs in filing a petition in bankruptcy. These also were struck off.