The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-10-19

need is principle which shall turn
their gaze upward and fill them with
a longing for something better, not
only for themselves but for humanity
at large.
To awaken the soul powers OF the
Japanese women, to rake off the ashes
which have stiHed aspiration for SO
many centuries, to fan into flame
their desires for something better;
can Christian teaching bring this
about That the oriental philosophy
is a philosophy of stagnation is now
a commonplace. That the western
philosophy has been the philosophy
of progress history shows. What
Christianity with its upward look, its
high moral standards, its demands
for richer spiritual life has done in
the West it can do in Japan, is now
doing in Japan. There is something
in Christianity which compels him
who studies it to think on high
themes; something which sharpens
the conscience and leads to self ques-
tionings. There is something in it
which thoroughly transforms and
purifes the life on which it takes
hold. 1t is doing this for the Japan
csc women.
There is a phase of this work how
ever, which often fills the heart of the
Christian worker with sadness and
tempts him to question the wisdom
of his labors. The kindling of de-
votion for the church and for Christ
in the heart of a girl often brings
wretchedness into her life by the OPP
position which she experiences from
relatives and friends. Many pathet-
ic instances might be given of sor-
rows which haye come in this way.
Our own work has not been free from
such experiences. A peculiarly touch
ing instance comes to mind. One
sweet faced girl, through the girls
school, became interested in the
church and was induced to become
member Not long after, having
reached the manageable age, she
was compelled by her nearest rela-
tives to marry against her will. Be-
ing no longer free she was compelled
to absent herself from both school
and church. Hardly more than twice
since then has her face been seen
within the church, but several times
she has written to her teacher de-
claring that she is still faithful to her
Christian vows. This makes our
hearts ache but it also brings com
pensating thought, that this girl has
found something SO precious in her
Christian experience that even oppo-
sition and suffering cannot make her
forget it. Many people ask: "Why
disturb the tranquility and quiet of
the lives of the women? Why intro
duce into their lives disturbing ele-
ment which must in many cases work
hardship" There would of course
be no justification of such course if
nothing but hardship came of it, if it
did not bring something better than
they had known before. But this
must be thought of,-all growth is &C
companied by struggle. No great
advances are made without the break
ing of old ties and the forming of
new ones. The process of passing
from sound sleep to state of wake
fulness is more or less painful. Re-
ligious transitions always bring ca
lamity. But when the pain is past
and the profit and loss are reckoned
up, the balance is almost sure to be
found on the side of good.
When, therefore, hardships come
into the lives of Japanese women by
their acceptance of Christianity, our
comfort is that they are gaining by
the struggle something better than
they have known before. Moreover,
this must be borne in mind, that it is
not the fault of Christianity, but the
fault of public sentiment which has
not been educated up to the proper
level.
Christianity has much to do for
women through the power which it
exerts over the men. 1t has yet to
overcome the old idea of the intel
lectual inferiority of woman. The
reluctance with which it is being "a
bandonedeven among professedCh
tians is shown in one of our japanese
preachers, who in the usual way APP
piled to a friend to suggest some
young lady who should be suitable
wife for him. But he objected to the
one suggested on the ground that
she was a Christian! This of course
means that being Christian she now