The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-18
GOD In THE ORIENT
DIR. STANLEY TELLS OF DIvINE
FOOTPRINTS IN THE EAST.
of the japanese
Made Possible by "a single Chris
tian Missionary.

Rev. DIR. Stanley, who has spent many
years in Japan as a missionary, addressed
the congregation of the First Presbyterian
Church last night, as he did the Seventh
Presbyterian Church in the morning, on the
topic, Gods Footprints in the Orient.
The speaker, who is yet on the sunny side
of the prime of life, showed much enthusi-
asm in his theme. 1t is marvellous, he said,
that Japan, which twenty-seven years 8
had a semi-barbarous people should now be
able to take a place in the comfy of Chris
tian civilized nations. There was then no
newspaper published in that country, but
now in it's capital there are III publications
and seventeen political papers. The chill
dren are required to go to school thirty
two weeks out of the year and 80 per cent.
of the people can read and write. The per
cent. in the United States who can read and
write is 81, so that the elements of erudi-
ton are more generally acquired in Japan
than in America. The speaker pointed out
that this is all the more strange, since the
Japanese people for 2,4W years had been
pagan and had made very little progress.
But their achievements have been such that
they are able in seven months to conquer
the Chinese people numbering 400. 600, COO, and
are now within attacking distance of the
capital of that empire. Picking, and have
the Chinese people suing for peace at their
feet.
The lecturer traced the hand of the Chris
tan God in all this, saying that Phillips
Brooks, who was always a bishop" had at
one time said: God wastes no history"
DR.. Stanley said that the world is in two
parts, about 40 to 42O millions protesting
the name of Christ and having more or less
knowledge of the Bible. This constitutes
about a third of the human race and the
at1ar fu-n I;r3r he sol ~ nm 4nr nrd
are hungering for the bread of life. He
argued that the duty is clearly
ing knowledge of the divine word to these
multitudeS as a matter of love to the
Savior of mankind, and also as a matter of
gratitude for what has been done for the
beneficiaries of Christian salvation. He
pointed out that 1,500 years ago Wales,
which now may boast of being the country
of highest Christian development, was a
nation of idolators and they would still
have been as they were then, if some , one
same gospel, he said. saved the Anglo
Saxon race a hundred years later. and
religion from the hands Of Charles. the
Great. The battle of Hastings. was an
people, when William, the Conquerer, SUBJ
dued England and impressed the Christian
religion upon It; Another step was taken in
ten, and yet another when the Mayfiower
landed. 1t was a gift by English Christians
of 81, 500 that enabled the Presbyterians to
found Princeton University. The East has
been sending, the speaker said. its help TO
the West.
The lecturer then went into history more
recent and not SO well known. He related
that a tall and handsome youth. in Troy,
in 1888 and heard a letter read from some
friends in Boston. The youth had just
graduated from a polytechnic, school and
him in law. The letter said that a printing
office was about to be opened in Canton
for missionary work and that it was be-
lieved the youth was the one to take charge
of it, he having. technical knowledge Of
he consented at once and his father ex-
claimed: so hath your mothers covenent
"How is that?' asked the son.
And then, continued the speaker, the
years old. his mother had taken him to
a log church where she heard an appeal
for help to support some missionary work;
could give nothing of substance, but she
wrote on a piece of paper and dropped
1t read II give my two boys The son
went to Canton. He had lived there ten
s ssh1N e~cKReedH on Tp't the coast q in 1913 and We're
about to be beheaded by their Chinese
captors.. He begged for their lives. saying
learned the Japanese language and they
stayed with him ten years. 1t was then
making his demand upon Japan for admis-
sion to their ports. 1t was the sacred. songs
of this American, SAID the speaker, IN the
Japanese language learned from the rescued
sailors that led the Japanese to listen and
their ports. Japan, he said, was thus
opened to the world by the gospel, but
China has been opened by shot and shell.
This youth was Rev. s.. Wells Williams,
later for many years professor of Oriental
Languages in Yale College. 1t was his
knowledge of the Japanese language
that made the Burlingame treaty
possible, and he learned that by saving
the lives of shipwrecked sailors. In this,
said the speaker, one may see the foot
nrint Of God