Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-03-29
THE FIRST BAPTISMS IN JAPAN.
Shnto Priest and Christian Preacher Are Baptized Into the
Church by Elder Ileber J. Grant Prior to Ills De.
parime on his Visit Home

Great interest Is felt among the ma
jority Of the people OF Utah IN the miss
sion OF Apostle II. ], Grant and his
companions to Japan. The difficulties In
the way, considering the great differ
ence in the language, customs, religious
ideas, social regulations, etc, there, TO
those OF the American people, are much
more formidable than those that COM
front the missionaries In other parts OF
the world. II has been thought by some
that 1t would be impossible to
make any Roadway In that oriental
land. The following letter received by
Elder Grant from II letned and noted
writer and priest, indicates an opening
In the ranks thought to be imperyious
To all approaches. our readers VIII per-
celye the fact that II Is difficult Tor q
native OF Japan TO express himself IN
English according 10 It's rules OF COM
positlon, although he has been dlll-
gent student and Is supposed to UNDER
stand our Language pretty thoroughly
No. 80 Nakacho, ushlgome,
Tokyo, Feb. bth, 1902.
Rev IIcber ] Grant'
Dear Sir Believing IN your llberallty
20 listen TO Il cO-worker IN religion,
though with something OF different be-
lief, / beg 10 present my hearty graft
tude for your kindness Of coming over
TO such an insignificant island to bless
our brethren with sublime revelations
of Gods viii can little pretend to
know anything about your doctrine
but Il is long since that | have heard
Of your strong win IN carrying on phil
anthroplcaI works No embarrassment
could ever be 80 hard as to suppress
your religious ardour nor calamity
could be SO bitter as to deprive you OF
your unrelentlng spirit 1t Is no Won
der that you should have achieved such
a brilliant success as we see, In spread
ing the gospel OF your great saint, over
the greater part OF the country where
people are much prejudical against
poygamy.
have ever been impatient TO see you
working In our country For no less
than eight sects Of Buddhism as well
as Shintosm and Christianity In Japan
could, with innumerable priests under
their command, ever realize any im-
provement on our morality. Some one
NTH part Of every newspaper Is liter
ally filled with gambllngs. robberies,
murders, aduIteries, and all other kinds
of evils. The poor are heard crying for
aims and the weak are longing after
help all IN vain The rich and the pow
erful take no heed OF Them only indulg-
ing themselves In sinful pleasures.
Some priests take advantage OF such
social degradation TO raise as much
Indulgence" as they can. thus encour-
aging the rich though indirectly, to
commit sinful deeds, while others with
something OF holy nature keep them
selves aloft from chaos OF the actual So
ciety but doing nothing for the good OF
the world Thus the most lamentable
degradation OF our society Is neither
owing to the want OF healthful doctrine
Of religion. or institutions OF the kind,
but only owing 20 the utter absence Of
active mind, strong energy and Will, the
prominent Characteristic peculiar to
your works
was almost oyerjoyed when I heard
Of your arrival here, with happy pros
poets Of seeing a signal Improvement
made on our morality through your I'M
reenting efforts But, sorry TO say
have only learned that the other day
you made a journey to the northern
part Of the empire and are preparing for
your home way. II seems likely that
you have been informed Of this coun-
try as positively incurable, being 80
much rotten IN It's core, or as nation
whose prejudlces are altogether adj
verse. and whose social conditions
wholly unfayorable, TO your doctrine,
But |, limited as my experience Is, ven
turc TO say that your assumption Is
based upon false Information, / am In
good earnest TO believe that our coun-
try Is promised TO be one OF the most
nttest soils IN the world for the cultva-
ton Of healthy religion and high moral
It's, especially for your doctrine. 1t Is
not deplorable for our brethren only,
but also for you that you should ever
leave the country as you have iirst
found II. as a martyr
To tell the truth have once published
a book con the Religious Law" and
have established Life lnsurlng Conn
pany for the believers In intake Sect
(which has some 100000 believers here),
and as a reward for the merits, II such
can be go called, | was entered by the