The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Sheet 70

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

Chinese Making Idols.

Opportunities for expansion in this direction are
not wanting. The larger cities in the North have
a colored population far exceeding that of the cities
in the South. * * ®

A pupil in the seventh grade of Ebenezer Lu-
theran School, Sheboygan, Wis., in a letter to the
Rev. J. W. Fuller, gives us the following interesting
glimpse of her school-work: “We are at present
studying about our missionaries and their work.
I should appreciate it very much if you would tell
me about your work.... I am interested in mis-
sions. This might rouse up my interest still more
and urge me to do all I can. My aim is: Help the
missions as much as possible.” Wx. H. G.

‘“‘Their Idols Are Silver and Gold,
the Work of Men’s Hands.’’
Ps. 115, 4.

Twice a year the novices of the great Buddhist
monastery at Hanyang, near the city of Hankow,
Hupeh Province, China, are ordained to the priest-
hood. Since this is quite an event and of
more than ordinary interest, owing to the
manner of ordination and the hundreds of
‘candidates to be ordained, one of our Lu-
theran missionaries, with others, set out to
view the ceremony. The missionary thought
that in this way he might become the better
acquainted with Buddhism, and he also
hoped that opportunity might he offered him
to preach Christ Crucified in the very strong-
hold of His enemies.

The missionary was informed that twelve
o'clock midnight was the appointed hour for
the ordination ceremony to take place; but
he and his companions started out before
dark for the monastery in order that they
' might be present while the preparations for
‘the solemn ceremony were going on. The

abbot received the foreign visitors in a
friendly manner.

Be it said, in passing, that Buddhism is
utterly at variance with Christianity, since
it denies Christ’s atonement for man’s sin
and teaches that perfection can be attained
by man through his own efforts. Thus
Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is
claimed to have attained to Nirvana, a state
of extinction, which is the Buddhist heaven,
by his own efforts and merits. The Bud-
dhist believes in doing good to all living
creation, be it man or animal. In Chinese towns,
fish are offered for sale in the markets, which
Chinese buy to take home and put in tanks or ponds
till they have grown large enough to be used for
food. Now, Buddhist priests will buy these little
fishes and then set them free, so that they may not
be killed and used for food. Once a missionary’s
child caught a large bug in a Buddhist temple and
showed it to its parent. When a zealous priest saw
this, he hastily came up, gently took the bug away
from the child, and, even more gently, set it free
by permitting it to hop through the open window.
While showing such extreme kindness to animals on
the one hand, Buddhist priests are not known to
show special kindness to their destitute or suffering
fellow-men. This only by the way.

When we entered the monastery, we found much
activity before the huge statues of Buddha. There
was a continuous din of bells and drums, beaten by
priests, and: much chanting. The large hall was
lighted by many altar candles, and the air was thick
with the smoke of incense. There was much loud
talking and jesting as the many guests were bidden

Tneense Coils, Idols, Kneeling Pads, and Contribution Box

in a Buddhist Temple.