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

ing 90 little of that thing which in our
western country is called "ozone" in the
atmosphere many of the missionaries to
japan are obliged to leave their work
and return to recuperate in their native
land. So it is no great wonder that your
missionary, who before had hardly seen
sick day in his life. after two years
work should be obliged, by order of his
physician, because he was unfit for work.
to return to his native land. Then be-
sides the climate there are the earth
quakes. They are very frequent and
sometimes severe. Sometimes there are
dozen in week; sometimes only one,
but they come by the score in years
time. We never knew when one was
coming. We never knew whether it was
going to shake the house down around
going to be passing tremor of the
earth. But again and again we are
routed from our beds at night, and
again and again we are obliged to leave
our work in the school-room, or even in
the church to seek safety out of doors
because OF these earthquakes; and they
do furnish difficulty in the way of
work there.
The General Opportunity.
But why do speak to you thus about
the difficulties of our work in Japan?
1t is because believe that our people
here at home should be taken into our
confidence and know just what we have
to contend with in japan in order to
carry on what we believe to be a great
work of the Universalist Church, and
to let them know what we have under
taken in that line, and it is because [
feel so sure that the opportunities are
80 great there that these difficulties,
great as they are, sink away into insign-
ificance before these opportunities which
are ours in Japan. In the first place our
opportunity lays in the fact that we are
Christians. AS most of you know, there
are two religions in Japan, to say moth
ing of Confucianism which has some fol-
lowers. The two religions are Shintoism
and Buddhism, but of these two religions
both of them are practically effete today.
And now there is a great opportunity
for the Christian nations to reach the
japanese mind and heart because they
are looking to the West for civilization,
and for a religion which will satisfy their
minds and their hearts; which will sat.
isfy their hungry souls. Many time
young men come to all our missionaries
in Japan, and they say, I'VE are inquir-
ers." They say "We know that we are
full of the superstitions of Shinto, or in
the superstitions of Buddhism. We have
outgrown these old religions and they
will satisfy our craving no longer.
There is our opportunity. There are
hundreds of young men. yea thousands
of young men in the City of Toxic alone
who are searching for a new religion to
take the place of the old religion which
they have put behind them. And it is
Joy, can assure you,-it is JOY for the
missionary to be able to tell them the
simple story OF the Gospel; to tell them
of our truth, of our Father, of Jesus
Christ who is chief among ten thousand
and altogether lovely. To say nothing
against their Buddhism, nothing against
their Shintoism, nothing against their
L~,.k 10 fol y
OF him who is the manifestation of the
Fathers glory. and the image of his rer-
son. 1t is a joy to stand before young
men who come to US in that eager frame
of mind and tell them the simple truth
which we, as Christians, have to give to
those darkened minds.
Our Special Opportunity.
But. brethren, there is a special OPP
portunity not alone in the fact that
we are Christians, but that we are Uni
versalist Christians. Far be it from me
to minimize the noble work of our breth
req of the evangelical churches. God
forbid that should say one word which
would detract from the great work which
they have done in these past years. They
are a noble band. They have worked
nobly and valiantly in this great work
of teaching Christianity to the Japanese
people, but the fact is they have to do
their work under disadvantage which
we do not have. Why, young men.-a
great many young men-come to us as
DIR. Perrin has told you-and they have
said to me, I'VE have been studying this
subject for some time We have attended
this church, or that church, and they
have told us about the Christian relig-
ion, and after they have told us about
the Christian religion then they have
told us about the Trinity, and they have
pointed to their creed" And you all
know how that is. You know very we'll
that the most liberal of the American
Boards has, until recently, refused to
send men as missionaries to Japan who
believed in the possibility of a second
probation. A Board like that cannot
have very liberal set Of men in that
country. So the Japanese say, "We
don't understand this. We are told that
we must accept creed and believe in
Christianity" And they say. 1--WE can