MOURNERS AND RELIGIOUS FAITHS. 207

“The Japanese do not seem to object ‘to all these differing styles
of religion. They like many temples, and they fancy festival days.
There’s a celebration at Sinagawa in honor of the god, Tengon. The
priests take the shrine of the idol into the water, but the fishermen
are accustomed to gather and generally obtain possession of Tengon,
and away they go, giving the god an excursion by water.”

“Doctor,” asked Uncle Nat, “do we find God in Buddhism ?”

“No, sir; not as I understand it.”

“Do we find it in Shinto?”

“No, sir.”

“Do we find it in Confucianism?”

“¢No, sir.”

“That settles the case of each one of these systems then.”

“She situation of tne people of Japan is one to interest every
man who thinks below the surface of things,” said the doctor. -“ They
have begun to accept foreign ideas, and are throwing aside their old
notions. Their religion may go too, and what have we to offer in
its place? A new and better influence must come into play, to move
upon, steady and guide them. Then, certain Japanese qualities need
overhauling. They are not as pure a people as they might be—a
thing, I believe, that some of their leading men are regretting, and
are trying to put away from the people. And there is not, also,
that truth-telling we would like to see in a nation. But Japan will
improve, and it has already begun to improve.

“Now, let the gospel of Christ come in to do its great
work. The gospel was once offered, but not in a pure form. It
was misunderstood, condemned and exiled. You remember I spoke
of the persecution of Roman Catholics, and although. the bloody
work has been supposed to have been so thorough, yet I am told
there were many survivors, and that at the time of the late advent