The Portland daily press., 1895-08-10

In the closing years of the last decade,
however, there was such drawing to-
gether of the kumiai churches and those
of the Presbyterian order as seemed to
open the way for the consolidation OF
forces This movement also failed, be-
cause the mass of the church members
were not sufficiently alive to the evils at
tendant upon competitive organizations
to make sacrifices in behalf of the con-
templated union.
The translation of the New Testament
was finished early in November 1879.
The following statistics relate to the
missionaries:
Total membership from beginning
(Noy. 80, 1869 until April l, 1865, 125
Deaths,
Withdrawals, sc
Deaths since withdrawal, 2
Present membership, 81
Members on the field April p, 1885, II
Corresponding membership from be
ginning, II
Present corresponding membership
II ii. e., employes),
Employees from beginning unGil
April /, 1885, II
Deaths Of employees,
| Ef0Seub employees,
The mission has lost through resigna
tion, death, etc., II members, or about 80
per cent. of it's entire membership. The
death rate has been only 4 per cent. The
marriage rate has been II per cent. 81
members have married. AT no time since
1887 and 1888 has the number on the field
been SO small as now-69, yet the actual
membership still continues within four OF
the high water mark of 1890
Joseph Hardy Neesima, LII. D., took
his middle name from Hon. Alpheus
Hardy of Boston, who was his benefac-
tor. The fact that on the anniversary of
his death memorial services have been
held every year in different parts OF
Japan, shows how he is esteemed and
loved by many of his fellow couptrymen.
His country remembers him with graft
tude and pride The city in which he
lived numbers the schools which he
founded, and even his grave on it's
eastern hills, among its famous historic
places. The
FOREIGN MISSIONARY FORCE
consists now of 27 families, 81 single
women, and of one unmarried man and
one unmarried woman employed by the
mission.
Three families and seven single women
are on furlough in America, while one
family is stationed in the Hawaiian
Islands for work among the Japanese
immigrants there. Seven of the 90 men
missionaries and 90 of the single women
are engaged in educational work, but
most of these give at the same time more
or less of their strength to direct evan
gelistic service. Until the new treaties
come in force every missionary residing
permanently in an interior town must be
in the employ of some Japanese; hence
the large proportion engaged in school
work.
| Among the Japanese forces the lam
guage teachers stand in one respect near
est to the missionaries Their number is
reported as 60. showing that only few of
the wives dispense with is indispensable
companion of the missionary.
There is a total of ~ foreign mis-
sionary families, 81 single women, 2 en-
ployed by the mission, cooperating with
IA pastors, acting pastors and evan
gelists, 81 Bible women and ia teachers
The foreign missionary force may be
considered sufficient for the work in
| hand.
The work is falling more and more into
the hands of the Japanese, but their
strength must be for some time longer
supplemented by that of the missionary
A withdrawal from the work must be
! considered as belonging to the future
4 Members Of the mission have resided, for
purposes of work, in I5 different cities
scattered throughout the empire Osaka
| is now in the midst of an industrial and
social revolution growing out of the intro
duction of the modern: n:manufacturing sys-
| tenn.
The city is surrounded by belt of fac
tories, which turn out large variety of
goods for the home trade, and also for ex-
port to sChina, Corea and other countries.
Many Of the factories are little more than
rough sheds, yet, even in these, an aston
ishing amount of work is accomplished
On the other hand, the buildings and
equipments of some of the large mills
would compare favorably with those
manufacturing cities in America These
factories attract large numbers of opera
tives from the country districts, and are
giving rise to some of the social changes
such as have attended the development of
manufactures in the west.
| In 1872 the American board commen-
ced work in Osaka, having been preceded
| in 1869 by the American Episcopal mis-
sion. In addition to these two societies,
the American Presbyterians, Cumber-
| land Presbyterians, Southern Methodists,
American Baptists, Evangelical associa-
tion of North America, and the English
church missionary society now have resi-
dent missionaries.
There are nearly 80 Protestant churches,
with membership of about 5000, of
whom two thirds reside in the city. The
Roman Catholics have 700 adherents, and
| the Russo Greek church about 200.
In the city Of Okayama proper there are
eight public S0hOOla with o1nO te+,,don+e,