The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-11-23

in the universal supremacy of good over
evil, to say to our inquirers, mo, God is
your Father. and he will see to it that
your father and your mother who had
no chance in this life to know him and
his goodness shall have it in the other
Oh, it's Joy to tell them that; to tell
them that where these things are taught
they are not the essentials OF Christian
ity; they do not represent the simple
truth as it was given to the world by
Jesus Christ. 1t is wonderful to watch
their faces when we tell them that. To
see them light up. To see how eager
they are to study more into this truth
that we have to give. And then we have
the literature. We have the tracts which
have been translated, And we have
books on Universalism, several of them,
which have been translated largely
through the generosity of DR.. Dodge, of
New Jersey, and which we give them to
read and then to come again. And they
always do come again. Almost always
they come again, and with the reading
and teaching we can convert them into
good Universalists. So that I say that
our opportunity is great because we are
liberal. Because we have truth; we
have doctrine; we have faith for
which we have to make no apology.
We have no mysteries; but we have a
sound reasonableness in our faith which
appeals to the reason of the Japanese,
and which wins him almost at once to
the thought which we desire to carry to
the Japanese nation. There are forty
millions of people in japan. Forty mil
lions of people who are practically to day
without any religion. Forty millions of
people who will not accept orthodoxy as
it is being taught in Japan to-day. Forty
millions OF people who are waiting for
the Universalist Church to carry to them
the Gospel of our Lord and Master,
Jesus Christ Are we equal to it? Are
we ready? Yes, the Universalist Church
is committed to the Japanese Universal.
list mission work. The Universalist
Church has put its shoulder to the
wheel, and it should stand there. The
Universalist Church has put its hand to
the pillow and it will not look back.
Organization of the Mission.
So much, in general, for our opportun-
tiles in Japan. Now briefly let me tell
you what l think in a specific way is
our opportunity in Japan. have made
here a rough sketch of the Japanese
Empire, at least of the large islands. |
have made here, as you will notice, at
several points, blue or black dots which
represent the stations where we have
our missions. and these represented in
red, the large cities. and these here lin
dicatipg) the places that are waiting for
us to establish depots in. Now | want
to say that just now the emphasis which
we are putting upon our work is in or
ganization and concentration. We are
trying to so organize our affairs, our
Universalist Church in Japan, 30 that
our mission work may obtain firm foot
hold with the Japanese people, and
among our Japanese adherents. Now
you have been told something of the
plan of organic alton which we have ad-
opted. 1t is plan which we thick is
very superior. One which we think is
admirably adapted to meet the demands
of the situation. viz: organization and
concentration. Here is the city of Tokyo
where my pointer rests. and which is the
very center of our work. From this
point radiate all the channels of our
work. Here is situated our theological
school. This school makes great differ
ence in our work. It makes a great diff
ference with our work to have theolog-
ical school simply because it is found to
be necessary that the Japanese them
selves shall carry to their brethren the
essentials of Universalism in their own
way. and in their own language, so it is
our preference to teach them in the
theological school. When l left there
we're twelve students in the school.
Several have graduated since l left, and
several have entered at the beginning of
the fall term. Our theological school is
made up of these students, and besides
the japanese professors, we have three
of our own missionaries which we have
sent.
| would like to spend more time tell
ing you about this school, but | want to
go on and tell you of our two girls
schools which are in successful operation
in Japan. The enc which was referred
to by DR.. Dodge this afternoon. at Shiz-
ouki, here at this point, and the other
girls school is at Tokyo. the headquart
ers of the mission. Here at Toxic we
have established kindergarten, or nor
NAL kindergarten, the idea being to take
the little girls off the street and to place
them under Miss Osborne, who is our
lady missionary. as you know, for train
ing under her special care, she teaching,
not alone these little girls, but also
teaching or training others to become
teachers themselves. Miss Osborne
teaches these little girls not only Chris.
tianity but other branches. ard those
who are finally graduated as teachers go