Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-26
"A MISSIONARIES SERMON.
Events I'm the History Of Japan
for Twenty ears.

At the Christian Church week
ago last night. Mr.. George T. Smith,
missionary to Japan, spoke as follows: !:
In the events that make up the his
tory of Japan within the past twenty
years, at least two points in the beau
tiful prophesy to be found in the
forty-second chapter of Isaiah are
fulfilled: .'The isles and the inhabi-
tants thereof have heard and sung a
new song unto the Lord,' and "God
has led the blind by way they
knew not Of" Although Japan is
uearer to us than any other Oriental
nation, yet lis people are largely un-
known to Americans. 1t is believed
that better knowledge Of it's customs,
it's religion and the wonderful growth
it has made will enlist the religious
world in its behalf.
Yokohama, it's chief seaport, is about
fve thousand miles westward from
San Francisco. With territory en-
bracing one hundred and forty six
thousand square miles, Japan has a
population Of thirty-six millions. 1t
has, for the most part, barren and
sandy soil; its people are short-lived.
Though they are ingenious, the com
forts and conveniences of life are
scarce. The beds are pallets, there
are no chairs. and the food, mainly oil
boiled rice, is eaten without knives
and forks. Chop sticks take the
place of spoons. The race is distin.
guished for many vices and few
virtues. Among the virtues may
be named kind-heartedness, po-
liteness and affection for friends.
Lying, theft and unchastity are
prevalent vices. The marriage re.
tation is not considered very bind.
ing. Especially is the obligation ol
the husband to fidelity disregarded.
The hand of God seems to have closed
the doors of bis nation for twelve hun.
dred years, and thus the world il
taught that there is no power in idols
TO redeem men from corruption. Here
Buddhism had full sway for centuries,
and when at last all TIE gates were
thrown sopen for the admission
Of light from the sun Of righteous
ness, the people we're found in
gross darkness. Our ancestors in
England dwelling beneath the
oaks and clothed in the skins of wild
beasts, eating berries and acorns and
savage in their manners, heard the
law of the Lord, turned from their
sins and have bequeathed to us the
highest civilization on earth. The
Japanese, however, only festered in
che meshes of religion that encour-
aged vice and inspired the people
with no lofty hopes and led to no pro-
lection OF the home and the sacred
duties Of life. In climatic conditions
and in many other material points
Japan is not unlike England and
Scotland, yet the Anglo-Sax9n sends
forth to-day the power that is uplifting
the world, while Japan is ready to
take hold OF our hands to be lifted in
the providence of God out of degra-
dnti0n whose horrors defy description.
It is undeniable that Jesus is the up
lifting power Of the centuries. God
teaches this most emphatically when
che two nations are put side by side.
Though lacking in perseverance and
stability, the Japanese are fully equal
by nature to the English. But their
edete social. national and individual
life Is laid at our feet, and they ac-
knowledge the utter inefiiciency Of
idolatry to elevate their people. Rom
anism at one time held sway in this
island, but II never gave to the perish.
ing and famishing people the word ol
{ifo. No Catholic translated the word
n God for thew people. History pro.
nfninoG kha failure 70 nava fha world