Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1895-01-25
FROrl JAPAN.
YoNEzAwA, JAPAN, |
January 2, 1894.

|
ter / promised You before leaving
my native land.
l have been in Japan just three
months to-day and am beginning tc
feel very much at home. | can
eat with chopsticks though
handle them somewhat awkwardly,
and have learned to make quite
hearty meal of japanese food: that
is one thing we must learn to do,
for we are very often invited to
their homes to dinner or supper
and if we call just for a few mo-
ments they always bring us some
thing to eat; hey are very kind
hearted hospitable people and il
we refuse to eat they feel very
much troubled for they feel that
we think it is not good enough.
am enjoying the scenery of my
home among the mountains at this
wri ing. They are all covered
with snow and look very beauti-
full. The first snow fell December /,
and since then has showed about
every other day, though it is not
very cold, and the snow soon melts
here in the valley. We seldom
need fire in our rooms in the after
noon, or have not up to the
present time.
l will try to give you brief out
line of the work in this place. My
appointment here was principal of
the Girls school in this place, and
| have charge of all the English
classes besides my study of the
language which / find is not at all
easy to learn. Aside from this |
assist in the various meetings
through my interpreter-Otake o
Sci San.
On Monday evenings we have a
children's meeting in the city and
occasionally a few older people
come in to hear about salvation.
On Tuesday afternoon another
children'S meeting is held in a lit
tie village about five miles from
here. In these children's meet
ings we teach them the L rd's
Prayer, Ten Commandments and
Scripture texts and give them a
Bible lesson using a picture for
illustration. On Wednesday night
is our regular prayer meeting and
Thursday night woman's class
m eting is held at the home Of the
members. This meeting is under
the direct supervision of our native
Bible woman, but we are all called
upon by turns to lead the meeting.
On Friday night we have our
own prayer meeting in the school
for our boarding pupils. On Satur-
day we rest and get ready for the
Sabbath which is the busiest day
in all the week. At half past
eight Sunday morning we leave the
home with our girls and teachers
walking two and two. AS we pro-
ceed toward the church, many of
our day pupils wait to join us, so
by the ime he church is reached
we have quite little procession
We always invite the little street
waits to join the throng. The
school is conducted much | Ike our
'unday schools at home, though
hen new pupils enter they are
5mewhat disorderly at first, nav
,2g never been in Sunday school or
my other religious meeting they
ire apt to "speak out in m citing"
even in the midst of prayer, but
after explaining to them couple
of times that It's not polite to talk
aloud during prayers, they become
more quiet, for if there is one thing
IA japanese prides himself on more
than another it is in being polite.
After Sunday school comes the
regular preaching service which !
find rather tedious lot being able
to understand sigle word of the
language find this one of my
greatest trials. To be deprived OF
church privilege, for l have
heard but one English sermo
since l stepped on japanese soil,
and will not hear another till our
conference in july.
After dinner Sunday we have
Sunday school here in the school,
and our girls go out in the streets
and bring in children they find at
play. Immediately after this |
have the girls class meeting, then