The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-29
GALL NONSENSE
Col. Cockerilrs Cables So Character
lied by DR.. Strong.

80 the American Board Condemns
u;s stories of Missionaries in Japan
Saws They are Educated Men and Do
ing Good Work.
Boston. October 2s.-Rev. DIR. E. E.
Strong. one of the secretaries of the
American board of commissioners for
foreign missions, and editor of the Mis-
sona1v Herald, said this morning that
the principal statements regarding the
inef.iciancy of the missionaries in Japan,
according to correspondence from Toxic,
publishedgthis morning, We're nonsense. -
While tbe communication from Col
John A. Cockerill does not touch directly
upon any of the American boards men,
If referred to quite a number OF men who
ara known to DIR. Strong, and he.com-
mended their workEhlghy.
Some of the missionaries were referred
to as having lived in Japan long time,
and vet had not acquired even CONVEX
sational mastery of the language, and
among these were mentioned DR.. Gulick.
In regard to this DIR. Strong said,
nMr. Guliok is doctor OF philosophy,
and in some abstruse teachings on lines
NOT directly missionary, has received
| the communication of some of the masters
| Of science of the world. He is a bri liant,
| talented man, and one OF great value IN
| his particular line of labor.
Continuing, DR.. Strong said, 1t ISM
| necessary for all she workers to know
the language, which is very difficult one
| to master. In many of the institutions
| il is required that only English be spok-
en- and taught in that way, and it ism
necessary for the teachers to know the
language. There is today a lack of men
of this sort in the institutions there, as
the Japanese themselves admit.
| "In regard to the assertion that the
houses of the missionaries are the nnes'
| in Toxic. l think the statements is de-
| cidedly misleading Western men find il
practically impossible to live in japanese
| houses. The houses have no partitions
| Init screens There is no protection from
| the cold: there are no cellars. In order
to do their work we have to build houses
specially for the missionaries. They are
cheap houses from our standpoint, cost
ing not more than $500. 10 Japanese these
may seem expensive houses, perhaps, but
we would hardly call $500 house expen-
sive.
refuse to associate with the hum blel
class the masses from among which they
make converts is Enthusiastically false.
You can make exactly the same complaint
of the churches here in America There
area great many thatsdo not associate
with the humber classes. The mission
aries of Japan do not assooiae with thu
humber class, and personally, the Japa
nese are very fond of the American mis-
sionaries.
owe have always desired and expected
that the work will go more and more
into the hands of the japanese. The dis
tinctive policy OF the American board has
always been to establish self-supporting,
self propagating churches wherever we
work, and we aim to withdraw as soon
as such churches are we'll established,
s9The period of entire independence fol-
Japan in these matters will come much
earlier than in ordinary cases. Whether
it has already come, is the question.
They are remarkable people. In view
of this state of affairs, the American
board has sent special deputation to
look into the matter, and this deputation
is now in Japan to consider thoroughly
every point We hardly expect them back
to America until the first of the year. = i