The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-22
AMONG JAPANESE
Superintendent Gulick's
Annual Report.
To Hawaiian Board on Missionary
Work Among the Japanese In
These Islands.

WORK AMONG THE JAPANESE
Report of Rev. o. H. Gulick. super
intendent:
HAWAII
Rev. and Mrs. S. T. Uyeda, pastor
Hilo; Mr.. and Mrs. d. Sasakura, Pa
paikou; Mr.. and Mrs. S. Sokabe. Homo
mu: Mr.. and Mrs. S. Kanda, Kohala.
Rev. VI. Tsuii, Paia and Hamakuapo
ko; Mr.. and Mrs G. Tanaka, Spreck.
elsville; Mr.. G. Egami Waihee an(
Waikiki.
Mr.. and Mrs. T. Okumura and Mr.
K. 1shida, Honolulu; Mr. NJ Jingu
Eva.
KAUAI
Mr. X. Takimoto, Lihue: Mr.. and
Mrs. S. MOhara, Makaweli.
The continuous and rapid growth OF
the Japanese community in these ISL
ands is a matter of the utmost mo-
ment to the political and social future
of this country. To the Christian, the
statesman and the philanthropist, the
question of highest Importance is, what
can be done to bring this interesting
and eager people up to worthy and
elevated standards of thinking and of
living. That the people or the race
who fill the land will eventually pos
SeSS it, is a fact which none who be-
lieve in the upward progress of hui
mainly can dispute.
There are now about 10000 Japan
csc in these Islands. If the relative
proportion of men and women which
the census of 1896 gave, is still main
tanned, then of the 10000 about 80, 900
are men, and 5000 are women There
are now not less than a thousand Jap
anese children born in the land who
are of age to attend school. and there
is an increase of a thousand children
year.
1t is expected that within the next
six months, eight or ten thousand
more Japanese will be brought in as
labOrers upon the many expanding and
newly projected sugar plantations. The
vital Importance of Well-directed eff
fort to up-lift and Christianize these
thriving and swarming thousands who
have been welcomed to these shores
that they might render profitable and
fertile the once barren wastes and
grassy fields of these Islands, every in
telligent lover of the race must real
iZe. That many of the conditions that
the Japanese in this land are
most favorable for evangeliStic and
work among them can
easily be shown. While life as Ia
borer on the sugar plantation is not a
holiday picnic, and while the planta-
ton laborers lack the home comforts
that a large part of them have known,
yet on most plantations they meet
with degree OF humane and just
treatment that reveals to them the
heart of Christianity. \ term Of three
years service suffices for them to be
gin to see and realize some Of the
hopeful conditions OF life in a Chris
tan land. A few days since the Wri-
ter met with an unsophisticated young
man from the northern part of Japan,
who desired to profess his faith in
Christ. Being asked what first led him
to think of Christianity he replied that
a Shinto priest (kannushD in his ma
tive city said to him, Nov as you go
to Hawaii the best thing will be for
you there to join the Christians" The
deep significance of such advice from
such a source can be best appreciated
by those who have known in past
years the dark bigotry of the priests
of that cult.
AS a people we cannot, and do not,
pride ourselves on having attained to
the heights of the Golden Rule laid
down by the Master, but, that the lives
of the whole people of these Islands
have been Influenced in some degree
by the great Teacher, is certain. Mr..
Okabe, four years since the enlightened
pastor of the Honolulu Japanese
Church, one most truly said that
mot a japanese lands on the shores
of these Islands who is not thereby
raised to a higher plane of thought
and life"
The number of evangelists in our
field today is twelve, while last year
we had ten. One of the former num-
Der, Mr.. S. Minekishi, with his wife
and child left last October for Japan
while three new and valuable helpers
have joined our ranks; namely, Rev.
M. Tsuji, who reached his field in
Paia last July, and Mr.. G. Tanaka, who
entered upon work at Spreckelsville
last December, and Mr.. X. Ishida, who
arrived this May, and is still in Ho-
nolulu. Five or six more men could
llHu Id Sc dIu uOpSlul WI ~ la luS
Islands, but we are in special need of
two more men to occupy large and
waiting fields. Showing the solidity
of the interests of Christian work
throughout the world it may be shown
that our failure to find suitable men
enough in Japan to man this most
hopeful and interesting field, is due
mostly to the unhappy mismanage-
ment and consequent failure of the Do
shisha Theological School to fit and
equip evangelists, as in former years.
1t is a cause for thankfulness that we
may now hope that the troubles of the
Doshisha are reaching such solution
that in coming years the stream of
men fitted for gospel work may again
begin to flow from that once able in
stitution towards this needy mission
airy field.
During the month of April Rev. M.
l.. Gordon, DID,, of Japan, stopping
over while en- route to the fatherland.