The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-02-15


his duty, find himself compelled to
endure what he would prefer to avoid,
as we'll as voluntarily subject himself
to Inconvenience which he might
escape. But the Inconvenience to
which he submits, either voluntarily
or involuntarily, are nothing COM
pared with the sufferings of the
Apostle Paul, or even of those who
labor in less favorable lands at the
present day. 1t is only when we
compare our experiences here with
the comforts of home life that they
seem to involve something like sacri-
fee. 1t is because "our tender spir-
its flee the rude grasp" of what were
the common comforts of our fathers
that we groan at comparative tribes.
1t is only because we have known
luxury that simplicity sometimes
seems hard to bear.
In the present sketch l shall have
occasion to refer to some experiences
which are of the nature indicated
above. But 1 do not refer to them
because 1 wish to make a parade of
the sacrifices involved in missionary
work, for indeed they are scarcely
more than commonplaces to me, but
because l desire to present to our
home friends as clear and vivid a
picture as possible of the conditions
under which we labor.
The journey which I am about to
describe occupied the space of eigh
teen days and required for the round
trip seven hundred and twelve miles
of railway travel. The farthermost
point reached was Osaka, three hun
dred and fifty-six miles southwest of
Tokyo. The intervening outposts,
Shidzuoka and Nagoya divide the
distance into three nearly equal parts.
Two considerations led me to break
the journey both ways into two I'M
equal parts, stopping first at Shidzu
Okla, next at Osaka and last of all at
Nagoya on the return trip. These
considerations were: first, the exceed
ing slow rate of travel in this country
and second, the want of comfortable
sleeping accommodations on the cars.
The rate of travel is less than twenty
miles an hour, A continuous journey
from Tokyo to Osaka practically
breaks up one night. But there are
no sleeping cars in Japan. The cars
are made after the English pattern.
If there are only few passengers
one may extend himself upon the
seat, but in that case he should
have an abundance of blankets, for
winter nights are chill. If the pas
sengers are many one must be con-
tent to sit with his feet on top of the
stove. This is not so bad as it
sounds for the stove is only small
tank of hot water with an overcoat
made of carpeting upon it. The cars
contain from two to four of these
stoves according to the size of the
cars. They are changed every few
hours. They are very good in warm
weather. It is impossible to read by
lamplight simply because the light
is insufficient. The lamp is very
primitive affair which probably COM
bines the greatest possible safety
with the least possible light. 1t is
removable, being let down into the
car from the outside. AS a device
for giving light it is complete fail
ure.
Shidzuoka was my first stopping
place. The name of this town has
become familiar to those interested
in our work, as, outside of Tokyo, it
is the oldest of the outposts. 1t is a
city of forty thousand inhabitants,
situated on a small plain near the
sea on one side and the mountains
on the other. The mountains are
not very high, but they are pictur
esque as they rise abruptly from the
plain, and though steep, in many
cases are terraced even to the sum-
NIT for farming purposes. Consider
able tea is raised in this vicinity.
The principal manufacture is lacquer
ware.
Most of the larger cities in Japan
boast of hotel according to foreign
style where the foreign traveller may
procure in a more or less modified
form the ordinary hotel comforts.
Shidzuoka, however, being a COM
paratively small city little frequented
by foreigners is lacking in this re-
gard. Good hotels on the Japanese
plan are always to be found and it is
our custom generally to seek shelter
in a hotel of this kind, though in do
ing so we not seldom upset the whole
domestic economy of the house, es-
pecially if foreign visitors happen to