132 
Japan and the Japanese, 
cratic class. The officials wearing swords, the richly robed 
priests, and the strips of white paper, all combine to prove 
this. These strips are called gohei^ and are supposed to be 
prayers borne upon the wind. They are seen hanging in 
front of every Shinto temple, to signify the prayers of the 
faithful. Bells are also greatly used in Shinto worship \ 
indeed, the Japanese as a people are much given to the 
use of large and beautiful bells upon every occasion. These 
senseless ceremonies evince the terror and the dark super- 
stition of the people at the idea of what may be after death. 
To them, truly, death must be a terrible ^*leap in the dark." 
How dark and gloomy must be such existence ! Not 
only is there ^all comfort and little enjoyment in such life, 
but the great beyond, which to the Christian is " a heaven 
of joy and love," is shrouded in terrible darkness. The 
more educated Japanese, who know not God, are, although 
more civilized and cultivated, quite as ignorant of the true 
way of salvation. In this respect they too are benighted, 
fallen, and deceived, seeking peace of mind by means of 
senseless idol-worship. 
