Middletown transcript., 1883-12-14
Missionary Meeting.

At the Middletown NJ. f. Church on
Mondey evening Miss M. A. Spencer,
returned missionary from Japan, talked to
a large audience about missionary work in
far-away Toxic. She gave much informa-
ton in pleasant way about the manners
and customs Of the Japanese people and
told enthusiastically of the spread of
Christianity in the field where she has
been laboring. About eleven years ago
the first Christian baptism took place in
Toxic and now there are in that city
eleven Christian churches and more than
fifteen hundred Christians. Miss Spencer
is connected with the principal Methodist
missionary school in Toxic. 1t is school
for girls. Pupils are taken for three
months on trial, and if at the end of that
time they are found to be bright and
apt scholars, an agreement is entered into
between the school and the parents of the
pupils by which the parents bind them
selves to allow their children to remain at
the school during term Of eleven years.
If child be removed before the expiration
of the time specified in the contract, the
parents are bound by the agreement to
pay sum OF money about sufficient to
cover the expense of the child's tuition.
Miss Spencer said that only in three instan-
ces had children been taken away from
the school with which she has been con
nected, and that in each of these cases the
penalty money had been promptly paid
by the parents. The pupils are instructed
in japanese, Chinese and English. After
graduating they are required to give two
years of service in the mission schools as
teachers. Miss Spencer is in manner
modest and unassuming. She tells the
story of missionary work in Japan in a
plain, simple and agreeable way and i'm
parts to the attentive listener much valu-
able information about Japan and the
Japanese. During the course Of her re-
marks on Monday evening she showed a
number of japanese curiosities, including
an idol, girls shoe, a doll in full
Japanese costume, and pair Of sandals
which she said were sold usually at a
price equivalent to about two cents in our
money. At the close of her address, Miss
Spencer sung two selections in Japanese.
The music seemed very agreeable to the
ear, but the words were almost as unin-
telligable as some of the songs one hears
served up in language said to be plain
United States without trimmings. We
have heard many singers sing in English
when we would have enjoyed their sing
ing inst as much, and understood the
the drift of the song just as we'll, if they
had sung it in Japanese. The samples o.
japanese melody given by Miss Spencer
seemed to be very sweet, and to greatly
please the audience. No doubt many who
heard these songs went home humming
them and are still humming them occa
sionally-when nobody is listening. Tht
writer is humming little himself, but h'
would not like to be overheard singing il
| Japanese,-at least not by any person wht
had a pistol, or club, or other weapon o
) defense. Miss Spencer was accompanied
| by Mrs. f. B. Stevens, corresponding
secretary of the Wilmington Branch o
the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society
who made some remarks about financia
l matters.
- Joseph G. Jolls has returned to Mid
a dletown from Philadelphia to accept
/ clerkship with Isaac Jones & Co.