Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, December 16, 1894, Page 13

1, e ) iy (R THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SENDAY, DE JEMBER 16, 1894, 13 BUDDHA AND HIS TEMPLES Hundreds of Millions of Worshipers at Wonderfal 8lirines. REVIVAL OF THE FAITH IN JIHAN Millions of Money and Gratuitous Labor Expended on Gorgeous Churches and Statues—Christianity and the Missionaries. (Copyrighted, 1894, by Frank . Carpenter.) it will be a surprise to many to know that there is a strong Duddhist revival going on in the Japanese empire. The church has been stirred up by the invasion of the mis- alonaries, and within recent years Buddhist papers have been organized, and the Japanese press is full of articles about religions mat- ters. A movement was started some time ago for the establishment of a Buddhist theological course in the Imperial university at Tokio, and some of the priests would l'ke to make it the state religion. They even talk of sending missionaries to the United States and also to the Asiatic countries, including China and Corea and India. Last spring a famous Buddhist of Ceylon visited Japan and described the backward condition of the faith in India, whereupon some of the richest of the Buddhists took a famous image of Buddha, which was celebrated throughout Japan, and shipped it oft to India, in order that it might be put in the temple of Buddha Gaya, on the site where the founder of the religion had his great fight with the evil ones and conquered. This statue was 700 years old, and it was a work of fine art. One of the Buddhist archbishops of Japan went with it, and when he got there the high priest of the temple refused to let the image be put in. He had several thousand men about him, and he was ready to enforce his retusal with bloodshed. This matter has created great excitement among the Buddhists of Japan, and some of them insist that the Hindoo priest must be dismissed, and they want the government to take up the matter. The Buddhists intended the sending of the statue to be the beginning of a revival of Buddhism in India, and they will not prob- ably let the matter rest as it | GODS AND TEMPL It will be surprising to many to know the vast number of Buddhists there are in the world, It is, you know, the chief religion of Siam, Burmah, Japan, Corea, and it has millions of followers In China and India There are in Japan 72,000 Buddhist temple and in the city of Kioto, which is about as big as Washington, there are 3,600 temples which are devoted to this religion. Some of the most gorgeous temples of the world are the wonderful structures in which Buddha 38 worshipped at Bangkok in Siam, and I saw at Rangoon, in Burmah, the famous structure known as the Golden Pagoda, which is said to rest over several of the actual hairs which came from Buddha's head. It is a mountain of gold, or rather of brick and stone plastered over with gold leaf. It is built upon a mighty platform, and its base s about a quar- ter of a mile in circumferance, and these terraces of gold go upward in beli-like stories 0 a height greater than that of any church apire or any structure in this country, ex- cepting the Washington monument. it has a base of fourteen acres, and on its top there is a great golden umbrella, to the ribs of which jewels are hung. The whole of this vast structure is plated ‘with _gold as fine as any ever put into an Amerlcan tooth. It Is hundreds of years old and it has been plated again and again, and there are, undoubtedly, millions of metal mixed with the brick and plaster of which it 18 made. One king of Burmah vowed that he would give his weigth in gold to this monu- ment if Buddha would grant him something that he wanted. Buddha accepted the propo- sition. At least, his wish became true, and when he hopped on the imperial scales it is sald that he registered 170 pounds. The vow cost him just about $45,000 in gold leaf. Well, this great monument is now being regilded, and a small fortune is being put Into its restoration. I visited tha temples of China, which contained thousands of little gold Buddhas, and there is one at Nankin which 1 saw last spring In which there were 10,000 gods under one roof. Some of them were very small gods, but the priests told me that they actuaily numbered 10,000, and all were lated with gold leaf. During my stay in Bim some years;aga I visited one temple duvoted to Buddha, a part of which was carpeted with woven silver, and I found a very lively monastery in Corea in whicn there were hundreds of monks. Throughout the whole eastern world the finest of temples and the fattest of the priests are those of the Buddhist religion, and though the faith may be sleeping, it 15 by no means dead. 1 do not know whether it is due to thelr re- Tigion or not, but the Buddhists of the east are, in most respects, kind and gentle one toward another, The Japanese people are the soul of refinement. and you see many old faces which you would not object to having among your ancestral portraits. A great deal has been written about the young girls of Japan. The old women are fo me quite as charming, and I have seen old couples whose ray balr and wrinkles shono with the eauty of the kindly souls within them. JAPAN'S NEW BUDDHIST TEMPLE. Perhaps the finest angd costliest church that 18 being erected in the world today is the Higashi Hongwanji temple, which is now being bullt in Kioto. It has been a long time under construction, but it is rapidly ap- proaching completion, and when it is finished it will have cost, all told, something like $8,000,000. Think of that! Eight million dollars for a church! I don't believe we have one in the United States that has cost as much, and I know we have none that have been built in such a curious way. A large part of it has been the work of charity. The carpenters, the carvers and other artists have come from all parts of the country and have worked a certain number of weeks for the temple for nothing. It has been about fifteen years in building, and when I first saw it six years ago there were forty acres of sheds about it, in which hundreds of car- penters were cutting up great logs, which had been Imported from the nd of Formosa, into boards hundreds of carvers were turn- Ing other logs into real works of fine art. Everything was done by hand, and immense beams, such as would be a load for a team of Norman hor: were belng carried up on to the top of the structure by women and men. A road ut fifteen feet wide had been upon a scaffolding, making an inclined running clear to the roof of the structure, and a hundred or so men would catch hold “of one of (hese logs and carry It up on their backs. There was then, and there s still, an immen:e scaffolding about the temple made of thousands of poles tied together with ropes, and these poles were of all sizes, from that of a fishing rod up to a telegraph pole. They looked very insecure to me, but I was told that they were perfectly e, and all of the ecaffolding used by the Japanese Is made in this way. Think of buildng a structure costing millions of dollars without rricks or machinery of any kind, and you can know what these Japanese are doing there. Thelr temple will last for ages, and there are temples In Japan which are many eenturies old. ROPES OF HUMAN HAIR. When 1 visited this temple six years ago the logs were belng dragged about from one place to another with great cables of hrown- dsh black, In which here and there you could see threads of white. The ropes looked very ourious te me, and I asked what they were. I was told that they were made of tis hair of women who had cut off their locks and yon them for this purpose as an offering to nddha. I was shown a vast amount of s rope, and 200,000 women cut off their of is Here silky locks of t maiden were braided into the silvery strands of the cld woman, and a section of the rop: showed ends of iron gray, snow white, and jet black. Fome of the cubles were as big arounl as your leg, and there were other ropes no fthicker than a clothes line. These ropes now been all collected together. They wragped up in great coils on the portico and they will e kept as cne of its treasures. Not long ago & section of the nw was sent to tho Na- tiopal Museum at Washington, and it may now be seer In one of the cases of that in- stiution. SOME FAMOUS BUDDHAS. 1 found other new temples building in dif- ferent parts of Japan, and 1 saw magnificent statues of Buddha being made here and there. At Kobe 1 saw one which had just been com- pleted, and which could not have cost much less than $100,000. 1t is just outside of the temple of Nofukuji, and ‘it is an immense bronze image as tall as a four-story house and_eighty-five feet in diameter about the waist. 1t is %o tall that if you stood on its shoulders you could bar:ly reach to the top of its ears, and the length of the face Is eight and one-half feet ch of its eyes is a yard wide and its thumbs are two feet In clrcumference, or almost twic: the clrcumfer- ence of a telegraph pole, I ludge. The god sits with his legs crossed, like a Turk, and its lap covers as much space as a good-sized parfor. This god sits on a massive pedestal, at the back of which Is a door, and there Is a little temple inside of it. It Is a wonder- fully beautiful statue, and it is‘only one of thousands that may be found throughout the empire. TWO GIANTS IN BRONZE. Japan has, in_fact, the biggest Buddhas of the world. There is one in a park at Nara, not far from the old capital, Kioto, which is the largest. I traveled twenty- five miles in going from Kioto to Nara, and I spent a day in this center of Japanese Buddhism. The statue is in a temple, which is as tall as any New York flat, and you have to take your shoes off before you can &0 insido of it. It is on a pedestal, and there are dozens of gold gods all about’ it. Some of these gods are eighteen feet high, but they look like pygmies beside the great im- age which sits, with (s legs crossed and his right hand uplifted, among them. There is a little fence around it, and it was im- possible for me to make my own measure- ments, but the priests told me that it is fifty-threa feet in height, and that it is made of bronze plates, wifich are so cast that they look like one solid mass. This Buddha s more than 1,000 years old or, at least, the material of which it is com- posed has ' been worshiped at Nara for that time. It was originally made of gold and copper, about 750 A. D., but the temple containing it has been burned again and again, and it has been each time remelted ana “emade. The other great Buddha Is that at Kama- kura, Whch has been written about by nearly every traveler who has gone to Japan. It is another immense image. It is not so tall by six feet as that of Nara, and all trav- clers so far have spoken of Its wonderful beauty and the peaceful content thown in its features. I went out to see it and looked for the peace, but I couldn’t find it. I sat and gazed and studied, but its face was sad rather than joyous, and it looked like that of a man whose life has been marked with sorrow rather than pleasure, and with doubt rather than faith. 1 venture the sculptor who made it dd not believe in the religion which he was trying to personify, or won- dered at the time if, after all, he was not mistaken. CHURCH INCOMES. Some of these Buddhist temples have enor- mous incomes. There is one right near the new temple I have described which takes in about $200,000 a year, and this church has frequently raised in one year from $500,000 to $1,000,000. It s known as the Nishi Hong- wandi temple, and it.is a wonder in the rich- ness of its interior decoration. It has hun- dreds of rooms walled with gold leaf, and it contains hundreds of screens painted by the old Japanese masters. A famous left- handed artist of Japan, Jingoro, did most of the carving within it, and it is ceiled in some places with black and gold lacquer, and its trimmings ard of wonderfully carved brass. It has a bell almost as big as a small seaside cottage, and this Is rung by a big log of wood, which s hung outside of the bell to a rope, and can be pulled back so that it will sirike the bell on the rebound, It has one audience room which takes nearly 1,000 yards of matting to cover it, and the brass lanterns which hang from the great rafters of this room are each as big as a hogshead. This church is one of the most liberal of the Buddhists, and during a talk which I had with the priest I found that his views were very much the same as those of Unitarian Christianity. He was not in favor of mo- nopolizing the religions of Japan, and sald there was room enough for both the Chris- tlans and “Buddhists to work. He spoke English fluently, and he told me that he had lived for two years in England. He was very much depressed as to the religious state of Japan, and sald that the better classes were largely infidels or agnostics, and many of thcse who pretended to be Buddhists had no working faith in them. I found him broad-minded in every respect, and one thing which he said surprised me. This was that his sect of Buddhists did not believe that Nirvana meant a state of soul annihilation, but that it meant only the an- nihilation of all that was bad and of the continuance and growth cf all that was good in man. He told me, however, that only a few Buddhists were as liberal as he was, and from what I eaw in other parts of the empire I am sure he was correct. QUEER TEMPLES. I could fiil this paper with the curious things found about the Buddhist temples. There aro little wooden gods for bables' diseases, around which children’s bibs are tied, and there are other gods which are supposed to help bables in tecthing. There are some which are good for the stomach- ache, and others which will cure sore eyes. some of the temples there are sacred nies which you may feed with holy beans 1 cont a plate and gain religious credit ereby. These are, I think, however, more nnected with the Shinto temples, and, by e way, there is one famous white horse at e temple of Ise which is supposed to be gifted with supernatural- powers. According to the storles current in Japan, he has a good deal to do with the warlike matters of the emplre, and after the Satsuma rebellion he disappeared and did not come back for three dpys. His return on the third day was, so the Japanese papers state, considered very prnphellc of the’success of the emperor's cpuse. During the present struggle with hina he disappeared again, and after ten days returned, looking fresh’ and well. The prophets of Japan state that this indicated Japan's victories over China, and that the hostilities would last three times as long as the Satsuma rebellion, ] CHRISTIANITY IN JAPAN. ! There is no part of the east where the mis- sjonaries do more work than in Japan, and lFuy have, as I said, stirred the Buddhists i DS al t c t ! ihto action. Many of the Japanese do not lke the idea that thefr country should be fleld for missionary labors, and some of the jeople think that such mission work as is one should be done by native pastors. Not ong ago the question of forelgn missions me up in Parliament, and It was argued om one standpoint that the missionaries ought to be tolerated because they brought a reat deal of money into the country. It was tated in the papers at that time hat there were 060 forelgn missionaries n Japan, and they averaged at least $100 per month, making a total of 365,000 per month spent by the missionaries. It will thus be seen that the l:hrl-uun churches annually spend in Japan at least $780,000 a year, and these expecd- |tures, the native papers thought, ought to be encouraged. They stated that there were 40,000 Christians among the Japanese, and that there were 1,200 Japanese pastors. ‘There are Japanese who t%ink that their peo- ple are destined to introduce Christianity into China and Corea, and some favor the absorption and combination of the three re- ligions of Buddhism, Confuclanism and Chris- tianity. The missionaries in Japan are, in reality, d a great deal of earnest work. The fleld is divided up among the Catholics and the different Protestant sects, and there is in addition a mission of the Greek ohurch which has 1,700 baptized converts, and which was established by the Russi . The Catholics have three bishops, sixty- seven missionar'es and about 40,000 members. ‘The Protestants, unlike thcse of other coun- tries, wirk, to a large extent, together, and they have good schools and good colleges. The Doshisha university, which exists at Kioto, in western Japan, is one of the finest institutions of the far east. Among s pro- fessors are men who would do credit to Harvard, and it now includes a girls' school, a school of sclence and a tralning school for nurses. There are a number of native re- liglous clubs, and the Young Men's Chirstian ass.clation has a flourishing organization in Japan, and there is also & Young Woman's Temperance union. The Red Cross soclety has besn doing a great deal during the pres- ent war, golng to the fleld and taking care of both Japanese and Chinese. el 4, C:qu: You may hunt the in all departments, the the prices have been erous. SANTA CLAUS HEADQUARTERS from center to circumference, nowhére will you find an equal stock of pleasing Christmas remembrances. Make somebody’s heart glad this Christmas with a useful present. 20 PER CENT DISCOUNT. OFF ALL DRESS GOODS town over, dhd Moreover, men who make singularly gen- b4 L 2 &g L 4 _ h THE MORSE DRY G00DS CO 16TH AND FARNAM. Price Reductions Monday. BUY A Usefu 1, Sensible, Serviceable PRESENT THIS YEAR. See our modern Santa Clauses at 10 a. m. 2:30 p. m. and 7:30 p. m. FIVE OF THEM. OFF } SANTA has been given than ever for the term. o3 our Holiday goods in the strictest sense of Scattered all over the house are thousands of things pretty and use- ful, sensible and serviceable, CLAUS HEADQUARTERS Our holiday preparations are on a scale hitherto unattempted. Our time to larger preparation Christmas trade. 20 PER CENT. DISCOUNT OFF ALL SILKS AND VELVETS ART SILVERED GOODS A large line of these beautiful and inexpen- sive novelties, which make usetul and ser- viceable Christmas presents — such things as Glove Boxes, Trinket Trays, Trinket Boxes, king Sets. Fancy Basket: Perfume Bottles, Photo Frames, And 100 other articles TISSUE P APER NOVELTIES All varieties of flow- ers, plain and hand painted, fancy boxes for gloves, handker- chief boxes, fancy trinket boxes, photo frames, and many other things, all made of paper tissue. CARPETS and DRA- PERIES No such stock as ours is being shown in Omaha. We stand head and shoulders above them all. It’s not carpets now, so much as the little draperiesand curtains, rugs and the like that you want to think of— Carpet man says-- Why wouldn’t a nice Bissel carpet sweeper make a nice Christmas present? Why don’t you buy a pair of portieres for your wife’s Christmas present? How about two pairs of lace curtains for your parlor? —Less than cost. 5 Did you see those $7.00 curtains that we are selling at $3.80?7— You should. Did you ever see our[ line of screens? We'll sell you anything in thisline atlower prices tlf}an youeverdreamed Ol BOOKS A line of books such as you seldom see are to be found at our book counters. A, B. C. books, Nur- sery rhymes, Picture books and the like for the smallest ones; then there are booklets-- Books in words of one syllable, and many in- teresting works for the larger children. For the grown folks--well its a regular mine of information (our book store). A line of cloth back novels others get 30c for, you buy here at 1ic. A’ much finer line of commonly sold at 50c, The new Astor library, volumes in it from every author of note, 'finely bound, 50c; they're worth 7 THE BROWNIES’ CHRISTMAS In our north 18th Street window we’ve built a log cabin, such as our former presi- dents of the United States used: to be born in.—It’s a typical repro- duction of the genuine old fashioned houses— The old fireplace, the crude furnishings, and furniture are¢ all there and you’ll smile to see a myriad of Brownies capering aroundin un- disputed posession of the premises. — They can be seen daily, (ex- cept Sunday)from now until Christmas, Mornings at 10 o’clock, afternoons at 2:80,and evenings at 7:30. U. S. MAIL Arrangements have been made by us with c. standard publicatiol 1ling at 2 2 —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— lplete. Postmaster Clarkson for a stamp and pack- age weighing depart- ment, Come in and have your packages weighed-we’ll sell you the necessary stamps and mail it for you.— Mail will be called for by special wagondaily at 11 A. M. and 8 P. M. We hope to save our patrons much annoy- ance by establishing this department. BOYS' CLOTHING. The boys, the coming men, can be supplied with a most acceptable Christmas present from our clothing de- partment. At Christ- mas time, more than at any other season of the year, your boy likes to be dressed up --why not buy him A choice cassimere double breasted su cl will fit him perfectly and we: e Little Captain suit, nobby—made to wearJdouble knee and seat, $1.00 in value, tle Governor—is of fine material— sewed with linen thread, reinforced and gzcnullfully trimmed; it's a $.00 suit for .98, GENTS’ FURNISHINGS, You can find an end- less variety of things in this stock suitable for a gentleman’s pres- ent--a few suggestions: A pair of silk embroidered suspenders— a new tle—a teck, four-in-hand scarf or any other style that i{s made you will find here—a choice linen or silk handkerchief— or a muffler for these cold mornings that are coming. There are many more things that could be mentioned, but there are other things to talk about. HANDKERCHIEFS, The holiday line is very large and com- Ladies’ hemstitched and col= ored border handker- ones for both ladies and gentlemen from 28c up. A real lace plain,| chiefs from Bec up; silk| handkerchief makes a very desirable present, and we are offering a line of them at less than wholesale prices, RIBBONS. We've taken special pains to have our line of ribbons very com- plete for the holidays. So many things that you are making for Christmas have to be finished and trimmed with ribbon. Weshow all grades, widths and all colors, from baby ribbon up to the wid=- est ones you canimag= ine, GLOVES. Here’s the most es- sential thing in a woman’s toilet. A new line of fancy shades for street and evening wear have just been received in the celebrated “Rey- nier,” which you all know so well--5 but= ton up to shoulder lengths. We are offer- ing at especially low prices a line of blacks, tans and browns, in a regular $1.B0 grade, as long as they last at 77c per pair, Full line of sizes, CANDY. This new departure has been a big success for us. We never dreamed of selling so much candy as leaves ocr counters daily. Choice, pure, unadul= terated sweets are what the people want, andthat'sthe only kind we keep. Don’t keep it long, however—we sell it. Pound box cholcest ci Pound box assorted c Butterscotch wafers, Taffy, fresh dail e Choice mixture 3 Be sure ybu eat ONLY Moses Candy. Winding up Our HOLIDAY Finest Display of Toys, Toy Depart;nent IT MUST BE DONE THIS WEEK. Deepest Cuts in Toys Ever made in Omaha will be made in this store to-morrow and all of noxt week, Come ia and see the Dolls, Games, Booklets Plush Goods, Celluloid Goods, Albums, Smoking, Shaving and Toilet Sets, Sleds, Wagons, Christmas and New Year’s Cards. PRESENTS Useful, ornamental and appropriate for every age and condition of man, woman or child at prices that suit the times and purse. SUIT THE TIMES AND PURSE. COOPERATIVE HOME BUILDING Review of the Work of the Convention of the Nebraska 8tate League, ADDRESSES BY EXPERIENCED MEN Important Suggestions Regarding Amend- ments to the Luw—Various Reforms Urged to Stimulato the Work— Summary of the Proceedings, In attendance, enthusiasm and scope of topics considered, the third annual meeting of the Nebraska State League of Local Loan and Building Associations is voted the best yet]| held at the state capital. A number of able addresses were delivered, covering the princl- pal features of assoclation work, and spirited debates followed on various important ques- tions. The discussions took a wide range, and the principal features of co-operative home bullding were debated by men experienced in the work. The state banking board was repra- sented by Hon. Eugene Moore, state auditor, and Mr. R. H. Townley, clerk of the board. Both gentlemen delivered short addresses on the administration of the law, pointing to the fact that its enforcement has materially strengthened co-operative effort in public con- fidence. The following delegates were present: Equitable of Fremont, A. Truesdale, A. Gib- son; Conservative of Omaha, C. Rylander, George T. Gilmcre; Omaha of Omaha, T. J. Fitzmorrls, E. E. Bryson; Mutual of Omaha, William N. Naon, George Helmrod; Mutual of Stromsburg, Alex Scott; Ainsworth of Alns- worth, H. O. Paine; Nebraska of Omaha, James W. Carr, D. R. Ennis; Schuyler of Schuyler, M. S. Weaver, Charles T. Towle; Columbus of Columbus, C. J. Phelps, W. M. Cornelius; Livingston of Plattsmouth, H. R. Gering, D. B. Smith; Equitable of Grand Island, C. W. Brininger; Nel:on of Nelson, E. D. Brown; Bohemian of Omaha, K. W. Equitable of Seward, G. A. Mer- riam; Ashland of Ashland, W. B. Clark; Bankers of Omaha, Funkhouser. WORK OF THE LEAGUE. In his annual address President Phelps reviewed the work of the year and pre- sented strong reasons why every assoclation In the state should unite with the league. Despite its limited membership he claimed that the work done by the organization has been beneficlal to a large degree. By the well directed efforts of the league every forelgn association which refused o comply with the law was excluded from the state. While they flourished their robberles dis- credited local organizations, for those not versed ln the plans of loan and building as- soclations were not in position to distinguish between the true and the false. The I fattened off the reputation established by the genuine, and the peculations of the fraudu- lent created unifust suspicion against and hampered the work of the legitimate local association. Today the state is free from their baneful influence and the benefits of genuine co-operative home building associa- tions are recognized and appreciated gen- erally. Mr. Phelps urged careful Investigation and study of the various plans in vogue, and whilf he did not advocate any cne in par- ticular, he contended that the old crude plans should be abandoned for those which experience has shown to have attained com- parative perfection. But success under any system depends on the zeal and activity and intelligent care of directors. It s not encugh that the secretary has mastered the plan which he follows. ~ Every director should be- come thoroughly informed in the plan of his own and other asscelations. In this way crude methcds will be improved upon and perfected. The necessity for amending the state law was recognized by Mr. Phelps, and he recommended active efforts to that end. Legislation he thought should be obtained that would enable Nebraska associations to adopt some of the provisions in the more prosperous assoclations existing in other states. Assoclations should have tho right to borrow a limited amount, proportioned to its socurely invested capital, for the purpose of making loans or paying for withdrawals. In conclusion President Phelps said: *The state league, its work and the progress co-operative home building has made in this state, has received much encouragement, and a large mass of Informition has been dis- seminated through the ' wolumns of one of our metropolitan newspapers—The Omaha Bee —entitling its management to the gratitude of all who are Interested In the great work of upbuilding one of tlie ‘grandest enterprises of this age of enterprisa, (And I should feel that I had neglected a duty did I not accord this light tribute for the substantial service s0_generously rendered!" “The Advisability of ilssuing Pald Up Stock on the Maturity of a,Series” was the sub- ject of a paper by Mr. Arthur Truesdale cf Fremont. Mr. Truesddlé'is secretary of the Equitable association of- that city. soclaticn is about to rpatyre its first series, ccnsequently the question of retalning the money of shareholders Who do not wish to withdraw bas been a.jyital . one to the directory, Mr. Truesdale.sald that the Is- suance of paid up stogk in exchange for matured certificates wolld bring to the as- sistance of assoclatiofis’' the mony and the friendship of of feople n-t heretofore identified with bullding gnd loan assoclations. The stock should be subject to withdrawal at any time the finances of the association For instance, if the demand for s 1s nct equal to the supply the associa- tion can reduce its supply by calling in pald up stock. Mr. Truesdale's idea is that every well regulated assoclation should have at all times a reasonable amount of available funds on hand. It would furnish the neces- sary elasticity In assoclation finances. As many assoclations are approaching the maturity of the first series they will have this problem to solve. First series, it should be understood, are generally large and re- quire quite a sum to cancel them at maturity. Few assoclations adopt the sinking fund plan and are obliged to birrow or issue certificates of Indebtedness to meet their obli- gations. The issuance of paid up stock would obylate the difficulty, Members bolding cer- tificates of matured stogk who desre further investment could exchange them f:r paid up stock, while tho sale of the latter would furnish an abundance of means to piy the matured certificates of those desiring to with- draw. Thus the assets of the asscclation would not suffer a sudden decrease und its usefulness would be cirrespondingly in- creased. Mr. Truesdale said the objections to paid up stock were not very serious. The one objection of moment was the possibility of capitalists securing control, t: the detri- ment of genuine ci-operation and home build- ing. He did not subscribe to the objection, ‘“for we all hope some day t> b2 such, at least to have a competence or - a good comfortable house.”” The issue of pald up stock, however, should reserve to the board of directors the right to cancel them on short notice, The number should be limited to ten to each person, and the value t: $200 cach. The cash dividend should not exceed the net earnings and the amount of the issue should be limited to a safe ratio of the assets. Mr. Truesdale's paper provoked a liyely discussion. The fact that the state law does n°t authorize paid up stock was referred to as an iosuperable obstacle and that the state banking board had ruled against such issue. Mr. Truesdale replied that assocla- tions were to his knowledge now Issuing paid up stock, holding certificates of anthority from the bauking board. Mr. Townley, clerk of the board, denied that the board had authorized such stock. 1f any was being issued it was without sanction and if proof was furnished that such was the case he was authorized to say it would be promptly stopped. The result of the debate was the adoption of the following: Resolved, That it is the sense of the State League of Loan and Building associa- tlons that the issuing of paid up stock, with a limited rate of dividend or interest, to shareholders whose Installment stock has matured by payments and dividends, is not inc nsistent with the objects of building and loan asscclations. AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW. The question of amending the building and loan law, recommended by State Auditor Moore, was not acted upon further than to refer it to the executive committee, Mr. Moore stated in his remarks that several lmprovements might be made, particularly ons doing away with the premium In loans. The prewfum system is now regarded as one of the *“has beens,” baving been dis- pensed with by leading assoclations through- out the country. The most important recommendations with regard to amending the law were made by Mr. Josiah E. Boyer, president of the Mutual assoclation of Day- ton, O, in a letter to President Phelps, The Mutual s the largest and most prosperous assoclation in the United States, and this fact lends much welght to the opinions of its president. Mr. Boyer says: “Your law is a pretty good one, but a few amend- ments would improve it. First. You should allow the board of directors to establish the premium that an association desires to loan at and have no competitive bidding among mem- bers for pieference on loans. In that way the association would establish a uniform premium or rate of (nterest to all borrowers, which is very satisfactory. Second. Asso- clations should be called savings and loan assoclations instead of bulldisg and loan assoclations. Third. Let a member with- draw his money at any time and not compel him to stay in the assoclation three months, and let the by-laws of each assoclation say how many days' notice should be given. In the assoclation should have the privi- of paylng on demand all withdrawals if the money is in the treasury; if wot, then notice should be filed and pay the with- drawals in the order in which they are filed, Fourth, All the money in the treasury should b2 at the command of the withdrawing mem- bers, and only make loans when you have a sufplus of funds, if the depositor is entitled o the money first. The cancellation of shares of stock for delinquency should be done without charging any fine."” Mr. Boyer pointed out that Nebraska as- sociations gencrally follow the old serial plan, by which all holders of a given series go in and go out together. That plan he discarded twenty years ago and adopted what is known as the Dayton plan—practically a co-operative savings bank. Results prove the wisdom of the change. The assoclation has $900,000 in paid up stock, 8,000 members, $2,000,000 of assets, and divided $56,000 in dividends on the 1st of last July. ~ Fines and penaities of all kinds were done away with, and mem- bers allowed the utmost freedom in deposit- ing and withdrawing, Mr. T. J. Fitzmorris of Omaha read a paper on “The Duties and Responsibilities of Directors.” The severe test of pinchivg times which associations as well as all other lines of business are undergoing, conveys, be thought, a forceful lesson. In the years of high values and rapid transfers of prop- erty, loans were made at very narrow mar- gins. Now, with values down to bed-rock, directors are confronted with burdensome evidence of mistaken management. As a rule greater care is now exercised by off- cers, But there Is much room for improye- ment. The responsibility of directors i3 greater vthan s generally supposed. Ac- cording to, the report of the state banking board for the year 1893, there were eighty- four associdtions in Nebraska, with assets aggregating (33,663,096, This is an average of $43,489 Lo each assoclation. Dividing the assets among the estimated number of share- holders, 10,000, the average interest of each person was $365. This Is a large sum, rep- resenting very often the total possessions of & shareholder in cash or its equivalent, the concrete evidence of thrift and self- denial. More than that, it represents the accumulated confidence of the shareholders in the integrity of the board of directors A director should eequire a thorough knowl- edge of the rules and regulations of the assoclation, the amount and character of its business, weekly or monthly, ard the way and means calculated (0 increase its us fulness. In an institutiop wherein ail mem- bers have. a common mterest, anything savoring of favoritism should be avoided The character of security offered for a loan should be carefully examined. The possi- bility of the security reverting to the associ- ation should be kept o view, and diligent inquiry made as to whether {he margin is sufficlent to cover the latter contingency. The standing of the applicant, his income and his credit should be inguired into, Ti mount and proportion of expenses (o cipts should be zealoust; watched. No mat- ter how much rellance a direetory may place in the secretary, It is the duty of the board to check the books at stated fotervals, ex- amine the accounts of individual members, and gompare the books of the sworetary and treasurer. Thus the board acquires a thorough knowledge of the business, and that grasp of affairs which frequent per- sonal examiuation gives, Such a system In- fuses the secretary with greater confidence in his work, and establishes practical co-opera- tion among the officers. THE LAW OF FORECLOSURE, The address of Mr. J. W. Carr of Omaba on the law of foreclosure, as applicable to local aud foreign bullding assoclations, was very Instructive, comprehending as it did the general and specific rules lald down by Nebraska courts on the question. Mr. Carr urged greater care on the part of directors in the matter of instituting foreclosure suits, and particularly in the pleadings. They should also assist in setting up every available defense while defending clients who have been induced to execute mortgages to foreign associations under their deceptive methods. Foreign associations are not pro- tected by the laws of Nebraska. They are amenable to the laws of our state relating to usury, and the courts have so held. Ne- braska associations have no great dificulty in securing foreclosure decrees when care is exercised in the pleadings, and it is shown that the association dealt fairly and honestly. with the borrowers, Dhe plea of usury which is invariably raised by defendants In fore- closure cases was referred to by Mr. Carr, and a case recently decided by Commissioner Irvine of the supreme court was cited to show that while the plea Is effective against assoclations organized In other states, local associations are, by inference, entitled to the exemptions granted by law., The case re- ferred, was that of Randall, plaintiff in error, against the National Building, Loan and Pro- tective union of Minneapolis, now known as the Ploncer Savings and Loan company. In paseing upon the case, Judge Irvine said; ““In the first place it must be remembered that this association is a forelgn corporation, and is not entitled to the protection which our elatutes afford or attempt to afford to such corporations in this state. The events wero prior to the amendment of the law referred to in 1891, and the assoclation Las not a tempted to comply with the provisions of the amendatory law in regard to foreign corporas tions.” Judge Irvine also held that the pay- ments upon stock made by the borrower cannot In equity be forefeited, and must be applied pro tanio upon the loan, thus treat- ing the subscription o the payment upon the stock and the negotiation of and carry- ing of the loan as one and the same trans- action. In beginning foreclosure suits Mr, arr advised that, in addition to the usual rments as to the incorporation, the ex- ecuting, delivery, recording, ete., of the bond and mortg together with the conditions theerof, the assoclation set out specifically the act under which tfie association is or- ganized, the provisions of the articles of fn- corporaton and bylaws, the assignment of the shares as collateral, the non-maturity theerof, the right of cancellation of the same, the amount of dues, fines and interest pad thereon, the amouni unpaid and the period over which they have been allowed to remaln unpaid, This latter enables the borrower and the court to see at a glance whether or not proper credits have been given. Mr. Brimmyer of Grand Island and Mr. G, M. Nattinger of Omaha, both experfenced secretaries, read papers on technical detalls of assoclation business. The officers of the state league for the ensuing year are as follows: President, C, J. Phelps of Schuyler; first vice president, Q. M. Nattinger, Omana, second vice pre dent, Arthur Truesdale, Fremont; third vice president, H. O. Paine, Ainsworth; secretary and treasurer, E. E. Bryson, Omaha. The officers coustitute the executive committee, Opinton. Town Toples he tragedian,'” the danseuse, with some concern, have lost his head.” *“No," rejoined the maitre de ballet, his glance resting upon the cabbage in the middle of the stage, “I am sure It was thrown on from the audlence,”