Japan

while adopting the science and inventions studied for many years in Enrope, is attracted, not _ by our creeds but only by our philosophy. She is indifferent to Christianity, but appreciates Darwin and Herbert Spencer, She is not to be schooled by those whom she regards as le advanced in thought than herself; but she is ready to absorb all new ideas that _ commend themselves as useful to her statesmen and soldiers—Ep.] 5 _ When Francis Xavier reached Japan in 1550 a.c. (see Venn's _ life of Xavier) he was plied with such questions as this: “If we __ have souls, have they power of utterance: will they return to this f world and tell us all things—what they saw, and what we should _ do?” But out of nine religious sects Xavier found only one that _ denied the immortality of the soul. All alike bad deeply meditated 4 about the future, but they had learned from Buddha, and from _ Confucius, to regard such speculations as “vain and unprofitable.” _ The Rev. Father Venn says: “It is strange to find Xavier rejoicing _ over his prospects in Japan because all told him he would find the _ Japanese willing to accept and obey Reason” (p. 168). It was Faith not Reason that he required. “A convert told him that, if he trusted _ to Reason, the people from king to commoner would cling to the new _ prophet (Christ): for all follow Reason.” But he could only offer them rites, symbols, pictures of saints, cro es, virgins and babes, which some accepted as charms.