The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-08-20
PROSPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY In
JAPAN.

JAPAN.
In a very entertaining and instructive book
entitled Japan in Transition published by
Harper & Brothers and written by Mr..
Stafford Raneome, who has been living IN
Japan several years. there is no more inter-
esting article than that devoted to the posi-
ton and prospects of Christianity in that
country. Shintoism, which consists in the
worshiping of ones ancestors, is the religion
Of Japan if that can be called a religion.
Because of this, Christian missionaries In
Japan have never been prosecuted. A very
intelligent people. not only tolerant. but
with a disposition to avoid hurting peoples
feelings. II would seem that Japan present.
ed to Christianity the fairest field for an
abundant harvest in the world. Yet, the
writer says. Christianity has no hold in
Japan. The intelligent people are not ignor-
ant of the doctrines of Christianity. nor do
they combat them. They simply ignore the
Christian religion.
1t was not always so, since, centuries ago,
before Japan shut itself in from the rest
of the world, Dutch missionaries preached
I'll ~ ~ 0oRdAASSN' ~
and the education of those missionaries led
the Japanese to believe that the Christian
religion was better than their own, and
many thousands embraced it. Subsequently
Spanish and French missionaries appeared,
and at once Papistry and Professionalism
were pitted against each other. and the Bit
ter dissensions of the sections of one re-
VCi0n ch0nk tho fotfh nf Tho Tanonooo in
Christianity and led to the exclusion of all
foreigners. When, after the lapse of many
years, the foreigner was once more admitted
to treaty ports under stringent restrictions,
the missionary followed in the wake of the
business man and did much excellent work.
He established schools, which were readily
filled with pupils because the natives were
eager to learn everything that the foreigner
was willing to teach them. On the face of
it 1t looked as If Christianity was making
progress, but 1t proved that a desire to learn
the English language was mistaken for a
rush to Christianity. While in the schools
the japanese raised no objection to being
called Christians, but when they left school
they left also their Christianity. Now that
E<uSlSu 10 taught LII JdpducSc SCuOciS lNc
foreign schools in which Christianity is
taught find it difficult to get pupils. and
many have been abandoned.
The chief reason of the failure Of the
Christian religion to get a hold in Japan is
that it's people have never had an oppor-
tunity to see the best side Of Christianity.
To use the language of the writer. 'enor-
mons crIpnS Of 1nnnaz ~ ic frrro hoxya hnor
squandered by well-meaning people to
Christianize the country. but, unfortunate
ly. the work has been intrusted largely to
men who are utterly unqualified. either by
education, training or mode of life, for
dealing with the subject" He goes on to
say that 1.-The conviction that the interests
Of Christianity are being misused by the
missionaries is so strong that many of the
leading Protestant foreigners maintain that
the Roman Catholics are the only body of
workers who are effecting real progress in
the conversion of the Japanese The rep
resentatives Of the various shades of
Professionalism do not agree about their re-
spective methods and the details of their
faith. The local foreign papers in Japan
'teem with rancorous letters from one mis-
sionary to another. The air is thick with
childish and vituperative pamphlets, which
can have but one result-the lessening of
the chances of Christianity in a foreign
country" says the writer. And yet he says
that there are nearly two thousand paid
foreign missionaries in Japan, many of
them well paid. and many of them operate
a successful IN connection with
their religious work. We are told that the
American missionaries IN Japan are so
strong a body that they have a consider
able voice as to who shall hold Office in the
United States legation, with the result that
they give the official representative a lot
of unnecessary trouble.
1t seems that the leading cause of failure
is that a large part of the missionaries,
however we'll meaning and jealous, are men
Of small caliber. who cannot, like Paul. be
made all things to all men," Such men
cannot win the respect of a people as in
t~elligent as the japanese for their ability
and learning, hence their failure. 1t is the
same at home; the men selected for mission
work in the dark spots in our large cities
but too frequently those of the smallest
ability. The able men are kept in the large
churches, which are filled with men and
women Of zeal. If those who direct re-
ligious affairs would select the eloquent
preachers for the benighted sections of
cities, and have them preach in large halls,
would not better results be obtained?
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