The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-09
Christianity in Japan.

Christianity in Japan.
-, Inc Japanese are the French of Western Asia.
Their vivacity and enterprise make them active.
ly aggressive. Their conversion will do much
toward the evangelizaton of Eastern Asia.
bishop Wiley, IN China and Japan" gives the
number and distribution of the missionaries in
Japan IN 1879 as follows: "T The American Re-
formed Church is at Yokohama with 5 mission.
aries. and at Nagasaki with |; the American
Board at okohama. Kobe, Ozaka and Kioto
with "A male and female missionaries: the
American Episcopal at Toxic and Ozaka with
missionaries and l bishop; the Methodist
Episcopal at Yokohama Hakodati, Nagasaki.
and II irosaki, with missionaries the Ameri
can Presbyterian at Yokohama and Toxic with
Is MISSIONARIES; the American Baptist at Yoko-
hama with missionaries the American Wo-
mans Union Mission at Yokohama with =
ladies; the Methodist Church of Canada AZ To.
klo, with missionaries the English Church
Mission at Toxic, Ozaka, Nagasaki Hakodati
and Nugata with 9 missionaries; the Evanpeli
cal Association of America at Toxic and Ozaka
with missionaries; the Scotch Presbyterians
at TOXIC, with missionaries; the Roman Cath
olics are at Toxic, Yokohama Hakodati Nnoata
Ozaka, Kobe, and Nagasaki, with 8 bishops 81
priests, and IL sisters of charity, all French
The Russian Greek Church has 6 missionaries
We thus have-Protestant missionaries. males
60, and unmarried ladies 81"
Secretary Ferris (says the Northern A1yocote)
6''No uS Oil oOSOuuJ Vi IDe 0rSt Japanese
meeting In 1872 the missionaries at Yokohama
united In observing the Week of Prayer. Some
Japanese students were present through curiosi-
ty or to please their teachers The book of Acts
was read In course and translated extemporane
ously into Japanese The meetings grew in in
terest, and We're continued until the end of Feb
ruary. After week or two the Japanese for
the first time in the history of the nation were
on their knees In Christian PRAYER meeting
entreatlng God, with the tears streaming over
their faces, that He would give His Spirit to
Japan as to the early Church and to the people
around the Apostles: Captains of men of war.
Engllsh and American, wrote of the scene:
out of u.s." WIZ i-0"i'
several weeks since we gave some account of
the october open air mass meeting at Toxic, but
this paragraph from another source well CON
trasts the progress made from the day of the
hrst prayer meeting In Yokohama in 1872 To
that OF the larger meeting at Toxic, in 1879.
Mrs. Bishop of the Methodist Church writes
1t was held In beautiful park on the 10Th
and 18th of October. The place of meeting was
almost under the shadow of five old temples
ana In full sound of their bells. 1t is estimated
that about four or five thousand people were
present; and more orderly or attentive an.
dlehce never saw. On our way to the meeting
we passed place where only ten vears ao00
were posted laws prohibiting the Christian re-
llgion' and only few steps from that yerv
PlaCe were posted notices OF the open air meeting
Isn't 1t wonderful There are glorious indica
lions that Christianity will surely prevail: that
the great plan will succeed even here; but God
and the workers only know how much patient
toll, perslstently carried on through wears and
years of the future, will yet be necessary be-
fore this Island Empire shall be won to Him
me battle Is by no means yet ended Pray
for the success of our poor efforts, that God NAV
make the very most of them, and souls be
saved"
1t is well to look on all sides. Those who
seek 10 substitute some form of modern science
or philosophy for the old heathenism of Japan
are not idle. Mill, Huxley, Spencer etc. are
beng taught by English speaking teachers and
there are not wanting those who predict that
this new old materiallsm " threatens both Rndd.
hsm and Christianity" Miss Bird studied the
condition OF the Protestant missions in Japan
with care and she writes of them lin her new
Voiume) with hearty sympathy; yet she is
not oVer-sanguIne respecting the immediate
harvest nor indeed are the missionaries them
selves inclined to exaggerate their success. In
hiteen years they had made at the time of her
visit, about 1000 converts, while the Greek
Church claimed 5000, and the Roman Catholics
no fewer than 10000 She adds in note that
IN ten months after her departure the number
OF Protestant Christians was increased by 500
surprising acceleration in the growth of the
Church, which needs to be accounted for
FerhaPs the explanation may be found in what
sue calls the practical sagacity with which the
Americans manage their missions" There are
hundreds of men and women near Kioto who
are practically Christians and Bible readers.
out nave never been baptized because the
missionaries require as preliminaries tests of
sincerity, that they should build their own
churches, support their own pastors and sustain
their own poor.-N. y Eoangeli8t