The Portland daily press., 1895-08-10

Churches In the Island Kingdom-In-
teresting Report of Rev. James ii.
| Pettee.
Boston Aug. 9.-The American Board
Rev. James Fl. Pettee of Okayama.
Japan, advance sheets of a report which
covers "A Chapter of Mission History in
Modern Japan +" a sketch for the period
since the beginning of modern missions
in Japan in 1869.
The document covers the history of the
Kumiai churches in their affiliated work.
| A la1ge edition will be imported
Complete copies will be placed in the
hands of the commission at Japan, which
is to sail from San Frapcisco Sept. 12,
and which is to consist of Rev. James L.
Barton, d. D., secretary of the foreign
department. of the Board; Hon. w. p.
Ellison, member of the prudential COM
mite; Rev. James G. johnson, D. D.,
of Chicago, and Rev. A. H. Bradford,
D. D., of Montclair, N. J.
| Mr.. Pettee states that great changes are
about taking place and that an end has
been reached of what may be termed the
first full period of foreign missionary
service for Japan. This is in varying de-
grees the conviction of large number of
the mission circle. Foreign help will be
needed and welcomed for many years to
come
The old time idea of foreign missionary
service with extra territorial jurisdiction,
accountability to foreign boards and the
insistence on foreign methods of thought
and activity will prove less and less ac-
ceptable and profitable.
The principle of n-interference with
self-regulating and self-supporting native
institution will restrict more and more
the scope of missionary service, and con-
tinually raise the question of the further
from abroad to sustain and develop ma
tive institutions.
The Kumiai church of Japan is now of
age (literally so in one of it's members),
and, stimulated by the growing self-con-
seriousness of the nation, is more and
ulOI6 Ieettly W diSSlull6 large ISSpOHSlUll-
tiles in the regeneration of Japan.
|. |. The opening of the Japan mission ap-
pears to have been first suggested by DR..
Neesima, then a student in Amherst COL
Iege in the summer of 1868. Rev. d. G.
Greene and wife were the first Congrega
tional missionaries. Mr.. Greene was a
graduate of Andover Seminary, and
sailed Nov. 4, 1869, for Kobe.
The government was openly hostile to
Christianity, and during the years 1868
and 1869 several thousands of Roman
Catholic Christians had been taken from
their homes near Nagasaki and were still
closely confined in companies of few
hundred each in different provinces.
Shortly after the arrival March 3, 1871,
of Mr.. and Mrs. O. H. EGulick there was
a renewal of
HOSTILITY AGAINST CHRISTIAN
ITY,
yet little anxiety was felt.
However, one night a messenger
brought the sad intelligence that Ichikawa
Yeinosuke, Mr.. Gulick's language
teacher, and his wife had been arrested
by order of the danjodai, the detective
bureau of the central government.
For a long time every effort to ascer-
tain their place of confinement proved
unavailing, but it was eventually learned
that they were taken to the MILO castle in
Kyoto and that Ichikawa died there Nov.
25, 1872 His wife was soon afterward re-
leased and became one of the original
members of the Kobe church.
She is now living in Tokyo, and is
mem Der of the Reinanzaka chucrh
Hon. G. E. DeLong, at that time the
u. S. minister, did all in his power to
induce the au thorities to release Ichikawa,
and the negotiations had an important
bearing upon the great question of re-
ligious liberty-indeed they may be said
to have been the occasion of the repeal of
the laws against Christianity
On Feb. "a, 1878, the famous edict was
issued which led to the withdrawal of the
proclamations against Christianity which
for more than 25o years had been posted
in every town and hamlet throughout
Japan.
Public preaching was begun almost
Immediately after the appearance of the
edict The Osaka church was organi zed
May "a, 1874, and is now "of age. "
Medical WORK was begun in connection
with the foreign hospital in Kobe and
afterwards with the prefectural hospital.
AS soon as touring became possible
both DR.. Berry, who is now in the
United States, and DIR. Taylor travelled
extensively.
Though the history of the Congrega-
tional mission dates from 1859 the history
of modern missions in Japan has for it's
starting point the year 1859.
Unfriendly critics of the work speak of
the 30 and more Christian sects warning
against one another on Japanese soil, but
this picture exists only in the imagina-
tion Of the critics.
The number of churches which by any
stretch of language can be called com
petitive does not exceed 10.
Such large success in the work of con-
solidation is greatly to the credit of the
missionary body and indicates deter