The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-08-12
RESPONDER NOE.
The Proposed Mission to Japan
BALTIMORE, August 9th, 1885.

BALTIMORE, August 9th, 1850.
MeSSrs. EditorS,-I have read in your
paper, received to-day, the letter from
our brother, Rev. Mr.. Wardlaw, in re-
gard to the proposed mission of our
Church to Japan, and also your comments
onsthe matter. Will you kindly allow
me to submit some remarks in the case
L. Mr.. Wardlaw is right in saying that
our Church ought to have more men in
northern Brazil. AS a matter of fact,
whenever a man in our Church has
wished to go to Brazil as missionary,
the Executive Committee has done its
utmost to send him there. Last year
the Committee added to the force in
northern Brazil, Mr.. and Mrs. Gauss and
Mr.. Porter, besides returning Mr.. and
Mrs. Smith, and DR.. and Mrs. Butler to
that field This year, only one man has
offered to go to Brazil, Mr. Thompson.
He is under appointment to go there, as
the Church has been informed.
3. Two men, Mr.. McAlpine and Mr..
Grinnan, offered to 60 to China. After
wards Mr.. Grinnan, on learning that a
mission to Japan was under considera-
ton, wrote to the Committee expressing
an earnest wish to go to this field. Mr..
McAlpine was drawn towards China by
a strong bond. He is the brother of our
beloved missionary in Soochow, Mrs.
DuBose. He was informed that the
Committee, in determining the place of
his work, would have great regard to his
own preference. He replied that, after
considering the situation, he believed it
to be his duty to go to Japan. So, nobly
waving his personal inclinations, he
offered to be pioneer in the proposed
Japan missions. In this way, two men
have been appointed to Japan.
g. The question, where it is best to
put the strongest missionary force and
do the most missionary work, is not to be
decided by comparisons of population.
When the Apostle Paul was leading about
his little band of missionary workers the
population of Athens was probably as
great as the population of Corinth; yet
Paul concentrated his force on Corinth,
and gave fifty times as much work to that
place as he gave to Athens. In the mis-
sion work, as in a great campaign, there
are opportunities to be seized, there are
advantages to be pressed. In Japan the
Church sees before her such an opportun-
ity, such an advantage as she has never
known before. In Brazil the most hope.
full worker does not expect that the Ro-
man Catholic Church will pass away. In
Japan every worker is sure that Budd-
hism and Shintoism will pass away, and
that before long. In Brazil the question
is, how many can we change from false
Christianity to true Christianity. In
Japan all are changing; the question sim.
ply is, what will they change to? In
Brazil missionary counts himself as do
ing well if, when he breaches, he has an
audience of one OF two hundred In ia
pan there are witnessed again and again
assemblies of two thousand and three
thousand, and sometimes four and five
thousand, who listen to the gospel preach.
ed. No such opportunity has the Church
ever before seen. What will the Church
do2
4. 1t has been the deep conviction Of
the writer that at this time large mission
ary reinforcements should be thrown into
Japan And for the past year he has
felt himself bound to urge that our
Church should send out help. That there
is nothing peculiar OF biased in these
views may be easily shown. Out Of many
testimonies that are at hand, here are
two. Rev. o. H. Gulick, missionary
of the American Board, a man born on
mission ground, and ripe with the expe-
rience of many years in mission service,
writes from Japan