The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-11

In temple at Kobe, Japan, there are
images of 10000 gods; each image holds
in its hands. or bears on Its head,
smaller images of yet six other gods.
Each god typifies some attribute which
must be cultivated, according to the
Shinto system.
In the islands of the inland sea of
Japan the natives, fishermen and peas
ants generally are devoted to the wor-
ship of this host Of divinities, and
Capt. Luke Washington Bickel has I'M
dertaken the work of displacing all
these venerable fiotions and supplant-
ing them in the affections of the peo-
pie by imparting to them a knowledge
Of the God Of Christianity.
1t is a large order that Capt. Bickel
has taken, but he looks the sort of
man that would not be daunted by the
size of any enterprise. He was at the
Merchants yesterday, with his wife
and child, stopping a day for rest on
his journey from London, England, to
Kobe, Japan. He is a sea captain, not
a minister, but he is going to carry
the Christian creed into practically IN
known countries, to people who have
not only never heard of Christianity
but who have never even seen Euro
pean. He goes out for the American
Baptist union.
Capt. Bickel's mission is unique. He
will go into the inland sea in a gospel
ship that will be built for the pur-
pose. In the territory that has been
assigned him there are thousands OF
islands very thickly populated. The
people are said to be peaceful, cleamy
and Industrious. The field is said to
be an excellent one for missionary
work
The one difficulty in the way has
been lack of means for reaching them
Of
chant vessels contributed $4,000 to the
American Baptist union to be used In
the construction of a ship that might
be used for the purpose of exploiting
thJ gospel in these remote islands.
Capt. Dickel, who has been in the
English merchant marine nearly all his
life, though he is an American by birth
was offered the charge of the mission
and accepted it. He has been engaged
in missionary work among the sailors
in London for some few years. His
father is the Rev. P. w. Bckel, well
known to people familiar with the
work of the American Baptist society
and his brother was formerly engaged
IN newspaper work in Minneapolis.
MY plans are all definitely made
said Capt. Bickel to a G o b e report
er. II have plans for a schooner-rig-
ged vessel of about sixty tons burden
She will be built at Kobe, and there
will make my headquarters. The YES
sci Will not be built to carry cargo, and
there will be no commercial side to the
enterprise. Missionaries who are also
traders have not been successful. The
schooner will be arranged only for res
adential purpose, so far as the interior
IS concerned. She will be stoutly built
for she will see some rough voyaging ]
will take with me an assistant native
missionary, but will have no white as
Sistant except my wife.
THE work among the islanders will
be absolutely new, and my movements
will be guided altogether by circum-
stances when l get to the inland sea
] am provided with charts and all other
aids to navigation, but will, of course
have to depend on native pilots fol-
some time.
1T will probably take a year to built
the ship and outfit. 1 do not know
anything of the Japanese language
and will devote myself to acquiring E
knowledge of it while I am buildins
the ship. What my period of service
will be I don't know. 1t will depend
on the success l meet with 1t is like
ly to be lifelong, though, for the peopl,
among whom [ am going are very
numerous and they have never ever
heard of Christianity"
Capt. Bickel will leave for the ives
on the overland train today.