The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-01-12


nary charities are lost sight of in the
excitement caused by the war; Pa
triotism makes heavy demands upon
the resources of the people and calls
for great sacrifices. "When nations
life's at hazard, there's no time to
think of men,"
The present emergency, however,
is recognized both by Christians and
Buddhists as affording good oppor
tunity for work among the soldiers.
The headquarters of the Govern
ment at present are at Hiroshima,
large town in the Southern part of
the Empire. In that place are gath
cred thousands of soldiers who are
looking forward to active service.
Their state of mind is doubtless such
as to make religious subjects not alto
gether unwelcome. At any rate Bud
dhists and Christians are busy
preaching and distributing tracts. 1t
is regarded by some as good op-
portunity to test the working value OF
the two religions.
The War and the Missions.
In spite of the fact that the war alb
serbs much of the attention of the
people, do not see that the condi-
tions for Christian work are less fa-
vorable than they have been for the
past two or three years. Indeed there
is evidence to show that with the
proper methods the people can be
reached as easily now as before the
war. From the older outposts, in
deed, no distinct gains are reported,
but this lack of progress is largely
due to conditions which existed pre-
vious to the war. But reports from
other quarters are decidedly encour-
aging. Our Evangelist at Nagoya
writes that on recen. rainy Sunday
fourteen persons gathered to hear
about Christianity. Nagoya was op-
ened in July last, but the number of
hearers was quite equal to that of any
other place in our field at the regular
service. l should not have expected
greater results in the same time pre-
vious to the war. Another evangelist
reports the largest audience he has
ever seen assembled at his station.
What peculiar methods, if any, were
employed, to gather these hearers |
do not know, but it suggests the
thought that if proper methods are
employed no evangelist need preach
to an empty house. The fact is that
the war acts no more as bar to
Christian evangelization than any of
the more common worldly interests.
Moreover, if Christianity is not able
successfully to meet this emergency,
what claim has it upon the attention
of the people? There is much talk
about the hindrances to Christian
work in Japan. 1t is true there are
hindrances. But not the least of all
is the lack of abb ity on the part of
preachers an | teachers to show the
adaptability of Christianity to the
needs of the people. Christianity
has little or no value as practical
every day religion unless it can be
made to enter into every day life. If
the relation which religion bears to
the living topics of the day is proper
y set forth there will be no lack of
hearers. When the hearts of the peo-
pie are all on fire with the living issues
of the day, they can not be induced
to listen to the exposition of creeds
and theologies. When men are cry
ing for bread it is useless to throw
them theological stones. Would any
one ask dying man, even though
the rankest of sinners, to repeat
the Westminster Catechism or
any other creed known to Christen-
dom? Creeis are well enough as in
tellectual statements of faith, but as
food for the soul, dry, dry as dust
Creeds are like platforms, good things
to stand on, but burdensome when
constantly carried about. Their
proper place is under foot. The mis-
take is often made in Japan of lay
ing too much emphasis upon the
forms into which Christianity has
been crystallized in Western coun-
tries. A creed which carries theology
to four decimal places is not fitted
for Japan. Christianity must be given
in round numbers and the computa-
tions in decimal fractions must be
left to the Japanese. The great care
of the missionary should be expended
upon the fundamentals and the rela-
ton of those fundamentals to actual
life.
DIR. Greenes Testimony.
Rev. D. G. Greene, ID, who has
been in Japan twenty five years, long