EEPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1914. 73 



monks, and saints {arhats). The elaborate ritual of Buddhism is 

 illustrated by a large number of musical instruments from China, 

 wooden and ornamental lacquered drums from Japan, temple lan- 

 terns, cruses, candlesticks, censers, rosaries, prayer wheels, etc. Of 

 the several models of Buddhist temples may be mentioned that of 

 the Wat Chang pagoda, the most magnificent edifice at Bangkok, 

 Siam, a gift of the Marquis Visuddha, minister of Siam to England, 

 which occupies a special case. The sacred literature of Buddhism 

 is represented by the Siamese edition of the Triyitaha^ presented by 

 the King of Siam. 



A collection illustrating some of the rites and ceremonies of the 

 Parsees or Zoroastrians in India is exhibited in a special case. It 

 comprises a nickel-plated brass set of the utensils 'for keeping up the 

 perpetual sacred fire, offering trays, religious costumes, sprigs of the 

 sacred haoma plant, and a fine wooden model of the Tower of Silence 

 on which the Parsees lay out their dead. Shintoism, the primitive 

 national religion of Japan, is represented by a collection of shrines 

 and their contents, as the go-hei., mirrors, saki cups, two engraved 

 swords in scabbards of cloisonne and lacquer, masks, and votive 

 tablets. 



One Kensington case contains a Korean sorcerer's outfit; another, 

 a collection of amulets, ranging from some that were used by the 

 ancient Egyptians to such as have been found among the Negroes in 

 this country; and, a third, a collection of oriental manuscripts (Ko- 

 ran, a Samaritan Pentateuch, and parts of the Ethiopic Scriptures) 

 belonging to the S. S. Howland collection. 



A series of photogravures and prints arranged on either side of the 

 high altar in the center gallery supplements and completes the relig- 

 ious exhibit on the gallery. 



In the rotunda two colossal wooden images of Vishnu and Buddha, 

 both from Ceylon, attract the attention of the visitor. The rotunda 

 also contains the splendid S. S. Howland collection of Buddhist re- 

 ligious art, already mentioned. Assembled by Mr. Howland during 

 his travels abroad, which extended from Iceland to Burma, most of 

 the objects were obtained by him from their original possessors. 

 Among its contents are a considerable number of Buddha images in 

 teakwood, bronze, and alabaster, gilded and incrusted with colored 

 stones ; several lacquered shrines containing figures of Buddha and 

 attendants; figures of Buddhist saints {arhats) and monks, orna- 

 mental begging bowls ; two superb bronze temple lamps of open fret- 

 work, about 4 feet in height, from Tibet; a sacred book written on 

 palm leaves; a howdah, or saddle, of the sacred white elephant; the 

 cabinet of the King of Burma, of carved open Avoodwork, gilded and 

 inlaid with pieces of glass ; and some Chinese and Japanese lacquered 

 and porcelain figures. 



