New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-23
TO INVESTIGATE JAPAN MISSIONS.
A DEPvTAT1ON TO START IN A FEW WEEKS FOR
THE LAND OF THE MIKADO-DIsQUIETING
REPORTS REGARDING THE TREAT
MENT OF CHRISTIANS.


In few weeks a deputatlon consisting OF officers
OF the American Board OF Commissioners for For.
egn Missions and others appointed by the Board for
the purpose, will sail for Japan with full authority
10 examine into the condition OF the missions which
that organization has maintained there for many
years. DisQuiet!ng reports OF the OF affairs
existing In Japan )ng the native Christians with
relation to the missionaries missions and schools
OF the American Board have been prevalent for the
last two or three years and have recently been the
cause Of much anxiety the friends OF missionary
work In that country. In consequence. the work
there has suffered extent and. 1t "a as
serted vii continue to suffer until the elements OF
dlscord which have arisen. either real fancied.
have been allayed
1t is with the view Of obtaining the exact facts
In the case and in order that the officers of the
American Board may be correctly advised 10 the
nature Of the situation in Japan. that I; has been
decided to send deputauon to Institute a thorough
inquiry The deputatlon consists OF william p.
Ellison. OF the Prudential. Committee the Rev. DR..
James L. Barton. Of the foreign secretaries
OF the Board: the Rev. DR.. James G. Johnson.
pastor OF the New England Congregational Church.
Chicago. and the Rev DR.. A. H. Bradford. Of Mont
clair. ". j.
The difficulty existing among the japanese Christ
ians with relation the missionaries has arisen
from various causes. as It was explained by a
prominent minister yesterday. the chief being
the Independent feeling among the former which
has prompted 4 desire 10 get rid or the latter ana
ITO the machine alone" In instance. quoted
IN recen, report the Board. all the mission
aries in the Kumamoto station had their passports
returned to them and tod vacate the houses
the Board had built for them. For than
year. the report continues. There has been trouble
between the missionaries and the principal OF the
boys school in Kumamoto Our missionaries were
located there the earnest request OF the Christ
ans. and houses erected for them there, just
! in other stations Since Kumamoto Is not an open
port, foreigners cannot live there without being In
the employ OF the japanese. nor can they no.d any
real estate In the name OF japanese. our
missionaries were emo.Oyed In a Christian school
and hands and lands were held by the officers
of the school The present princpa. OF the scnool
has become very pronounced in his l!beral views.
widely differing from the missionaries Co-opera-
ton IN work gradually became more and more
difficult. At the same time. the cry against for
private names was loudly raised throughout the
country. that japanese wac held such property
everywhere naturally desired to be relieved from
the odum OF helping foreigners to evade the
treaty obligations. To make a Ions story short. the
principal claimed that the MISSIONARIES dwellings
had been erected TO all the school, that they be-
.ongei not only legally bur morally 10 the school
FOR It's purposes. and not for missionaries 10 live in
while doing missionary work He requested our
mission last recall all its teachers. ami when
this was refused he returned them their passports.
presence In Kumamoto. Having no japanese en-
poyer. the missionaries were compelled ny Jaw %
withdraw TO tho open ports OF Nagasaki aud
OsSlr.'