addressed. In social intercourse, flattering words are bridegroom, where, af

often used, while the

speaker urges his

un

Un

worthiness of favors.
Schools of etiquette for
girls abound. Polygamy
is not practiced, and
widows can marry.
like the Chinese custom,
compression of the feet is
not practiced, and the
females enjoy greater free-
dom than in almost any
other Asiatic nation. The
habit of shaving the hair
and dyeing the teeth
exists to some extent.
Ladies, in walking out,
use parasols, but are not
veiled. Smoking tobacco
is universal, even the
women indulging in the
practice, but snuffing,
chewing, and the use of
opium are unknown.
Fashions in dres are vary-
ing, changes frequent,
equaling those of other
nations. The education
of girls begins by in-
struction in needlework,
music and housework,
modeled after New Eng-
land institutions. There
are also high schools for
the more advanced and
older girls.

The women of Japan,
though taught to be

EMPEROR OF JAPAN.

"silent and quiet," are entitled to our consideration from
the fact that there have been eleven empresses during
the various dynasties, some of them of great learning and
influence. Still, there are customs tending to lower
their position in society. Such is the seclusion of child-
hood of the "box" girls, so called, till the age of six-
teen-not allowed even then to attend a party nor have
any acquaintance with young men-no courting allowed,
as the match is made by their parents or guardians;
and the woman, when married, never walking by the

side f

earth into the grave. seven to one hundred person, during which the grave.

The food of the po better classes have lea to use milk and butter floor at their meals, square, and made of Chopsticks are alway

Visiting

ous to foreigners, all the sentences of the visitor being interspersed with low bows. Tea is commonly offered to guests.

In the article of dress, the universal style is full and flowing, the sleeves being enormously large, sometimes even reaching to the ground. Pockets are placed on the inside of them, but money is carried on the breast. Coats of arms are worked on the sleeves.

Carelessness, jollity and mirth are noted traits of the Japanese. Chatterboxes, story-tellers and acrobats ply their respective trades. Theatres begin their performances in the morning and continue to 10 P. M. Yet with all this love of amusement and excitement, their poetry is sad and melancholy.

by sease. I here

tween all these idolatrous manists."

New Year's

Rev. Mr. Harris of the R Being much interested in the New Year's holiday, a taking place in Japan, and the present observance may I have dotted down a few days before the happy New in front of the houses. In placed by the pines, and E

The northern part of Japan, an area equal to Scotland, on which are hung emblem

twenty years ago was a wilderness, inhabited by the Ainos, a tall race of savages, going barefoot, notwithstanding the extreme winter cold, having no education and no comfortable dwellings, but living almost as rudely as the bears with whom they often fought and from whom they thought they were descended. To that wild and almost unknown region no missionary has ever penetrated.

In the year 552 A. D., Buddhist mission.

aries with books, images and pictures arrived in Japan, and soon succeeded in establishing Buddhism as the leading religion of the country. At the present time about threefourths of the people are believers in that faith. In giving an account of India, China and Siam we have presented the leading characteristics of Buddhism.

A native of Japan writes as follows of its systems of religion: "There are three systems of religion in Japan: Buddhism, or the system of Gautama, popular among the lower classes; Shintoism, whose list of deities amounts to 8,000,000, and Confucianism, an ethical form, known but little in that country. The temples of their gods. are imposing structures, the offerings of money, rice, cakes, &c., being numerous; but the Buddhist priests do not believe what they teach, and the houses of worship

uary, many jugglers, acro a man wearing the mas house performing, for a f performances greatly a people.

Calling, as a matter o morning of the New Yea him, by a young lady oranges, plums, and pers to take any of these del friends are pressed to dr count for the strange ac callers whom I met late the New Year for a few mochi, a glutinous rice p

at a t

other top easonaty

The Jap on having

e, drive

I sit at the

til the SE the morti first of ns, headed rom house! Jance. T n and po

early on placed be on which

s not expect

that int

This mar

the Japa

Com the first
ily indulge

ade by stear
after it bec
at the m

ink, or, if the loser is a young lady, to administer a few the inner curve up. light taps.

These are made in many
Very often they put fine

Many of the boys fly kites.
different shapes and colors.
glass, or even a knife, on the string of the kite with the
object of cutting the string of another kite. To the
foreigner, characteristic recreations intended to give
pleasure are very interesting.

An Idol Festival in Japan.

BY TOYOHACHI GOTO.

The month of August has come. The heat is intolerable. You go out in the street and hear nothing but the rattlings of the drums and the bustlings of the wheels. "Bonchi," says a girl. "Let us go and see." There are no horse-carriages, for in Japan the streets are so narrow that

they will have

to crackle the

protuding
down

eaves

before they
can make their
way. Off, then,
you go in a

man power
cart. "Stop!"

exclaims a pc

tire of yore. Gallop, archery is past. The

Clappings, clapping can it be? A tall eve mirror among its br stately march.

Mills, tenths of a c

lice. You cannot go farther. It is yet three or four squares
to the temple. You see confusion on every hand. Stores,
with a big charcoal fire-box in the middle of each room,
are opened for the accommodation of the visitors. There
comes a procession, the first band of music!

Zhong, zhong! You see the players with pipes, fifes,
and steel sticks. Such a jargon! The fifes are subdued
and the drums are doleful. You would like neither
drums nor fifes. What do you think of the steel sticks
three feet long? They tie tufted silken cords to one end
of the sticks and drag them along by means of these
cords on the ground. The steel sticks are small in di-
ameter. You can imagine what sort of tremulous noise
they make. Their dress? Long robes, antique hoods,
wooden shoes! The robes are generally black, hanging
loosely down from the shoulder to the feet. Hoods some-
what like the hats with no rims. Some of them look so
churlish and shabby! Well, this band goes stately on.
Here comes the second part. Gallop, gallop!

frews

Pal

there. If they happe gods. Clappings, the

The last of the pro huge drum, bigger tha Ten or twelve persons naked youths carry it

ber of them are enlis The framework in wh timbers. This drum i gers back and forth, b of police are unheede cares. Amid hurrahs wave their tall, red, fo forth, way up from the carriers. Slowly the the curious thousands This is the model fête

The Relig Shintoism is a religi only in Japan. From by Rev. R. S. Maclay,

philosophy, have never entirely lost their identity, and,
with varying degrees of potency, have continued even to
the present time to influence the thought and character
of the Japanese. The term is derived from the Japan-
ese Shinto, a word which sinologues will at once recog-
nize as of Chinese origin,
being composed of Shin,
or Sin, as it is sometimes
pronounced, signifying
god, gods, divine; and To,
meaning a way, doctrine,
teaching, etc. The pure
Japanese term to indicate
the religious ideas and
practices, to which we
have just referred, is Kai-
mon michi, signifying the
doctrine or doctrines of
god or gods.

To the inquiry, What is Shintoism? it is not easy, for the reasons already briefly indicated, to give a perfectly satisfactory reply. The question, like most other questions, is more readily asked than answered. We may, perhaps, as well state at the outset that, an examination of the Shinto literature discloses the fact that Shintoism has no moral code, enunciates no clearly drawn distinction between right and wrong, presents no authoritative statement or illustration of the principles of morality, and does not, in fact, enter seriously upon the discussion of any eth

bodying the tenets of Shint

"I. Adoration or preserv blem of purity, and the in Purity of soul, heart, and b former, by obedience to the

ical subjects. And yet were we to infer from the preceding statements that the Japanese are wholly destitute of virtue; that they are utterly defective in what may be termed the moral faculty; that they are entirely indifferent to moral distinctions; and are incapable of appreciating the force of moral considerations, the inferences would be misleading and erroneous.

Sun-goddess, Amaterasu heaven to reduce to or at that time dwelt on the presented the mirror to "Look upon this mirror house and on the same i it as if you were worship