The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-04-03
WHY not7 Because 1T Uould

japan only seven years ago to launch
our first missionary enterprise. We
did it with enthusiasm. We did it
with courage. We enlisted the inter
est of our laymen in this enterprise
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
They gave their money for it.
~ 1t 'UOuld, therefore, 1 affirm,
be dishonorable to them to abandon
the mission now. All that we have
accomplished thus far would soon be
practically lost. The peoples money
would be practically wasted. They
have right to expect better things
of us. If there were anything in the
local situation in the Mission Field
itself to justify retreat, that would be
different. But there is absolutely
nothing. The mission itself is as
hopeful as it ever was. 1t has justi-
fed itself by its success.
~ II would be dishonOrable to
the missionaries. They have left
their friends and their homes with
the conviction that they had church
behind them. They believed in the
Universalist General Convention and
the Universalist people who sent them
across the sea upon this Christian
mission. What shall they think of
such a church and people who shall
stand idly by, watch their sacrifices
and their successes for few years,
and then for the want of a few paltry
thousands, weakly give up the enter
prise and recall victorious army, de-
feated by it's own frightened friends,
who have not even shifted the battle,
and have scarcely made sacrifice to
keep it in the field?
g. 1t aUould be dishonorable to
the japanese Christians. The mis-
sionaries have done everything to in
spire their converts, their native
teachers and preachers with conf
dence and hope. They have led
them to believe, because they them
selves believed, that the Universalist
Church of America was in earnest
They have encouraged them to plan,
to build, to organize. They have not
planned for day nor year. They
have planned for many years. 1t has
seemed certain to them that they
were to have a Universalist Church
in Japan, and that in the develop
ment of that church they should for
reasonable length of time have the
loyal support of the home church.
What would they think of our prom
Uses, our professions, if we weakly re-
treat now? Do we owe them nothing?
We have inspired their confidence.
Do we mean to justify it? We have
virtually made them promises. Do
we mean to keep them?
Why not retreat from Japan
Because 1t aUould impure oar rep1t0-
tion as church. OF course, it never
helps ones reputation to deal dis
honorably. But besides that we
should make ourselves ridiculous in
the eyes of the Christian world. We
may fiatter ourselves that we under
took great thing when we launched
the japan Mission. We did not.
Assuming that we have even little
Christian zeal for the spread of our
truth and the conversion of the world,
we undertook simple thing; per-
fectly reasonable thing. No mission
ary in the field of any church would
think of declaring that we had under
taken to do more than our fair share.
On the assumption of little faith
and conservation, we undertook
simple, reasonable and easy thing
that any church of our means might
gladly launch and carry on for years
without complaint. And yet we, the
Universalist Church, after seven brief
years, seem ready to put ourselves in
the pusillanimous attitude before the
Christian world of laying down this
burden, voluntarily assumed, not be-
cause it is too heavy, but apparently
because it is little heavy, and we
are not in the mood for bearing any
burden at all! And yet we want to
rank as a Christian church, Where
is our courage9 Where is our apos-
tolic spirit2 Where is our consecra-
tion7 What do we think of our
selves? What will the Christian
world think of usi What does God
think of uss
Why not retreat! Because aCe
are needed there. There is every
reason for our being there today that
there was seven years ago. Presum-
ably we entered that field to cooper
ate with the other Protestant missions
in the glorious work of bearing the