Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-27
THEIRS HAPPYLOT
COLONEL cockERILL TELLS or THE
MISSIONARIES IN JAPAN.
Suggests Greater Care In Selection of Suit
sbIs Persons by Naval Mon.
Eyangsiizstion In slow Figures Show
Ing tho Progress Made.

sbIs Persons -DisIiksd by Naval Mon.
Evangsiization IL slow Figures Show
Ing tho Progress Made.
have letter from n gentleman In
Hartford requesting mo 20 give some In
quiry 10 missionary work In Japan and
write my opinion thereon. ! can only say
that tho missionary has my sympathy.
From the time bc hands his half rate
steamship ticket 20 the contumclious pur-
ser In San Francisco TO tho day hc returns
to the people who send him abroad 10 tell
OF his bardsbips his lot Is not happy one.
The people on the steamer regard him as
nuisance, tho people whom he seeks 10
rescue frequently despise him and derido
him, and the men Of the United States
warships sent to protect him actually hate
him
When he IL assaulted and mobbed, after
the manner Of tho prophets Of old, the
hcatbcn Of the strange lands, as well as his
own, seem delighted. This IL largely due
to the fact that too often poorly equipped,
tactless and bigoted men, who attend too
severely 10 the business Of other people, are
sent upon these missions. The men, and
women, too, have frequently an exagger-
ated sense Of their Importance, and are
prone 10 attach too much significance 10
petty signs Of hostility on the part of the
natives TO whom they are accredited.
Last winter, for instance, while the
cruiser Charleston was at Chefu, China, n
loud outcry was sent down from some mis-
sionaries located some miles In the in
terior. 1t was bitter weather, but the
Charleston was ordered to go up the river
to their relief. The river was filed with
ice The ships navigator had no chart or
soundings, and no pilot was allowed. The
Charleston slowly fought her way up that
frozen, tortuous steam until the sanctu-
ary OF the missionaries was reached. A
half dozen or so OF them were fioated down
to Chefu, and after remaining there for q
couple Of days they quietly returned to
their homes. No cause for apprehension
existed In the first place. The memory Of
the misery and the hardships Of that win
ter trip still abides with the officers and
men Of the Charleston and woe botido the
man who proposes on that craft to take up
q collection to further gospel spread in
China.
However, these people are likely to bo
prejudiced. OF course all the stories which
can be raked up and told TO the discredit
of the missionaries are carefully garnered
and peddled about. Said one of our sailors
to me recently: whenever you find a
small town in China or Korea you can bet
that the best house I'm the place Is inhabit-
cd by a missionary They always look
after their own comfort"
Whether 1t be profitable to keep up for
eign missions rather than benevolent and
religious educational institutions at home
is question for good people alone to an
swer. The missionaries certainly do great
good here. Their schools are excellent !;
their orphans homes, benevolent institu-
tions and missions are well maintained
and they greatly aid the spread of foreign
influence. Wherever they arc established
they Introduce languages, order, temper
ance, cleanliness and an aspiration for bot
ter things. That they are much imposed
upon by hypocrites and pretenders is but
natural, but upon tho whole they are
grandly useful to the cause of that civili-
zation which we all maintain is destined
to encircle the globe. Whether the Chris
tianized japanese are better people than
those who cling to their ancient faiths I
am not prepared to say. The opinion of
many observant foreigners who come in
contact with them is that they are not SO
good and trustworthy as the original ar
ticle of citizen-that Is for Japan. The
field of labor open to the missionaries of
every sect Is that Of temperance and NOR
ality, and In this they all strive with non
sectarian spirit. The results are necessari-
ly good and are, think may safely say
almost sufficient to justify the large out
lay made annually upon the missions.
What have written here Is not written
in a censorious or unkind spirit. Without
thorough investigation have given few
facts which have come to me, and which
may convey slight idea Of the unpleas-
ant things that our missionaries have to
contend with. If had any suggestion to
make to the good people at home 1t would
be that they use greater care in the seiec
ton of missionaries and that they make
the question Of temperament, education,
broad mindedness and general character
paramount to zeal and mere familiarity
with the Scriptures.
AS for the actual work done by the mis-
sionaries in Japan during the year, it may
be recorded that by permission Of the gov
ernment they gave to every soldier who
went to the late war q copy Of the Bible
In Japanese; they sent a number of Chris
tian evangelists with the troops to the seat
of war; they have organized in Tokyo a
society composed entirely Of Japanese
Christians to carry on educational work In
Korea on Christian lines; they have built
ten churches In Yesso and have 584 con-
verts; they have opened an industrial
school in Hakodate for the training of
Aino children, and one boy has been grad
uated already and sent to Kushiro as q
teacher.
A district 1000 square miles In extent
on the east side OF the island Of Yesso has
been placed in charge OF the Rev. DIR. Mar
shall Long, who now has 407 baptized
Amos under his ministration. So much
for the practicalities.
1t may be added that missionary work
was begun In Yesso 90 years ago. As only
5S4 believers can be mustered today IL will
BIO seen that the work of evangeization
has been slow and somewhat discourag-
ing. The spirit Of the missionary In this
quarter may bc gathered from n recent ar
ticle from tho pen of Bishop Corfe of