St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-12-18
REV. II. KoZAKI,
President of the Doshisha,
Kyoto, Japan.

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President of the Doshisha,
Kyoto, Japan.
DEAR PRESIDENT KozAKI.-Your
communication signed in behalf Of
the trustees of the Doshisha, bearing
date April 80, 1896, and received
June 3rd, addressed to the pruden.
tial committee of the American
Board, was presented to the com
mittee, who, after careful considera.
ton, authorize the following reply,
which has been delayed owing to the
necessary absence of the secretary
from Boston.
1t is needless to state that this
Board and the churches in the United
States supporting the Board have
from the first taken a deep interest
in the cause Of Christ in Japan, and
especially III the Doshisha, which has
been aided by this Board in order to
advance the kingdom of our blessed
Lord in that empire. The large sums
OF money given for this purpose, the
great number of men and women
sent out, and the prominence ac-
corded in the religious press of our
denomination to Christian work in
Japan clearly show that. 1t must
be clear, too, that there has been no
other motive upon the part of the
Board or its constituency than to
hasten the day when Japan shall be-
come a Christian nation. Money
has been given, iteconsecrated, effort
put forth, not for the Board nor for
America, but for Japan.
Without farther explanatory state
ments, we will refer to the main
points OF your communication.
The missionary houses in Kyoto.
1t is only recently that the prudential
committee learned that the trustees
regarded these houses and land as
the exclusive property of the Doshi-
sha. The prudential committe did
not appropriate the money for the
purchase OF laud and the erection of
houses for any other purpose than to
furnish residences for its missionaries
in KyotO. In one case, at least, land
for one Of these houses was purchased
by the mission from the Doshisha.
At first this property was held in
the name of an individual Japanese,
and later in order to secure greater
safety, was transferred to the name
OF the trustees of the Doshisha. The
prudential committee did not con-
slider the status of the property any
different after the transfer than be-
fore, nor as differing in any way from
the status of property held for the
Board by individuals in various
parts of Japan, none OF whom ever
claimed that the property was a
gift. But few of the missionary
houses were built when the letteryou
quote of Mr., Neesima's (April, 1889
was written. This letter could not
have referred to unbullt houses and
unpurchased land. We understand
that it refers exclusively to the land
upon which the school buildings
stand, and to the land only The
missionaries continued to occupy,
care for and manage the houses, rent
such as were temporarily vacant,
and collect and use the rents, etc,
the same as before. 1t is only within
two or three years that we have had
any suggestion that the trustees OF
the DoshiSha laid claim to the abso-
lutte ownership and control OF this
property. The mission was as much
astouished as the prudential com.
mittee and have repeatedly made
protests against the exercise of such
prerogatives. The mission houses in
Kyoto are legally in the hands of the
trustees of the Doshisha, conse-
quently they have the legal right to
say what uses they will make of
them. We are gratihed to learn by
the action of the trustees reported in
your letter OF May 10 that you have
decided to permit the missionaries
of the Board to occupy these houses,
rec of rent, for term OthIteen years,
according to the regulations OF your
corporation. I'VE do not know
what the regulations are.) The
question is not one of money or rent,
but of Christian integrity. We be-
lieve that this act of the trustees, as
suring the prudential committee that
the missionaries, for the next fifteen
years, will be permitted to occupy
these mission houses, free of rent,
will meet the approval of the Chris