The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-24

In Stafford Ransome's new book on
Japan entitled Japan in Transition -
there is no more interesting chapter
IMAM that which treats of the position
and prospects of Christianity in that
country. Assuming that it is a desirable
thlng to endeavor to force Christianity
on the japanese, the author takes what
seems an unprejudiced survey of the
question, which is one that cannot he
indlnerent to city like Worcester that
contributes generously to the cause of
foreign missions.
II Mr.. Ransome is to be relied upon.
Christianity is making but slight head
way ana is now suffering from the re-
actlon against foreigners and foreign
things -
When the Dutch began to preach
Christianity in Japan, centuries ago the
people of the country readily became
converted, but with the advent of Span
iarus and French, the two great divis-
ions of the Christian church were nit
TED against each other, and the bitter
hostilities INDUCED in by both sides
shook the faith of the Japanese in
constantly; and in the abrupt manner
Whlch TO the present day characterfzes
many OF her political actions, japan
determined to have no more Christian
ity. When, after the lapse of years, the
treaty ports were opened, the mission
airy Followed in the wake of the business
man and did much excellent work,
mere is a want of conviction among
the Japanese about religion of anv form
says Mr. Ransome, and he warns Eng
nsh-speaking Christians against sup
posing that the Japanese who go to
S ~ schools necessarily become
Chrlstlans. The average Japanese has
a highly developed desire TO avoid
hurting peoples feelings, and. as an ef-
rect of this, when he went to a mission
school to learn English without paying
Tor 1t. he raised no objection to being
called Christian for the time being
he FELL in with this practice, from very
much the same motive as that which
prompts even a free-thinker to take off
MS nat when. he enters a sacred edifice.
1t was the right thing to do, and he did
It. But when the pupil left school he left
ms Christianity, with his school books,
pehind him, as a matter of course.
One may safely say that not one Jan
aneser in every 100000 is a Christian.
continues Mr. Ransome. But missionary
statistics show very different state of
aHalrS, and unless the good faith of the
missionaries be called into question. it
must be assumed that the missionaries
are misled into supposing that il a
Japanese does not combat the princi
pies of Christianity he must necessarily
be Christian. To the lower class Jan
anese the form of baptism as a rule
means nothing beyond the fact that
they are going through an unnecessary
ceremony to satisfy the fad of a for
eigner, who had perhaps been kind or
who might some day be of service. Now
that English and other modern subjects
can be taught in Japanese schools or
in foreign schools where Christianitv
has no place, the missionaries find II
increasingly hard to get pupils. Conse--
quently, in spite of the fact that hun
dreds of thousands of dollars have been
spent on buildings with the idea of
utilizing them in the propagation of the
gospel many of these institutions are
either nearly empty or they have been
converted practically into secular
schools
But TO Mr.. Ransomes mind the most
important reason why the Japanese
have not embraced Christianity is be-
cause they have never had a chance
to see the best side of it. While money
has been squandered by we'll meaning
people to Christianize the country. this
work has unfortunately been intrusted
largely to men who are utterly unuual-
flied either by education, training or
mode of life, for dealing with the sub
ject. A good deal of the time of the
Protestant missionaries is absorbed by
degrading squabbles about the details
of their faith, and representatives of