Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-29
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR HOUR
Conducted by Grace Livingston Hill-Lutz.
For inday, July 80, 1905.

Conducted by Grace Livingston Hill-Lutz
For Inday, July 80. 1905
Topic: "MissiCu Us Japan" Micah W. 4, r., 10
2 But thou, bethlehem Ephrata, though
thou be little among the thousands oil
Judah. yet out of thee shall come forth
unto me that is ODE ruler in Israel, whose
going forth have been from old from ever
lasting.
4 And He snail stand and feed in the
strength of the Lord. in the majesty of the
name of the Lord His God; and they shall
abide: for now shall He be great unto the
ends of the earth.
. Thus saith the Lord; though they be
quiet and likewise many, yet thus shall
they be cut down when He shall pass
through. Though 1 have afflicted thee no
more
Is. For now will I break his yoke from
off thee and will burst thy bonds In sun
der.
The Lesson.
Well may we stand back and wonder over
what God hath wrought in little Japan,
Compare its present with forty or fifty
years ago, when opposition was great and
unbelief was everywhere prevalent. So late
as 1876 one missionary tells of a baptized
Japanese who confessed to him that he
missionary's cleverness in making it APP
pear in his preaching that he believed what
ne said. Then when his friend was con-
Verted ana became evangelist he could
not help laughing aloud when he noticed,
as ne thought, the same thing in him. But
nnaIIy CHRIST triumphed over his suspicious,
and now he not only believed himself but
he believed that men believed
10 the mfssionary's eyes the hand of the
Lord is plainly seen in the war which is
now IN progress between Japan and Russia
Tor IL has made a wide open and effectual
door for work among the japanese soldiers
IL Is marvellous to read of the willingness
nay, even eagerness. of these brave Japa-
nese soldiers to hear 'the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
One of the missionaries In Tokyo writes
about the work in the hospitals there:
We have at present such wonderful OPP
portunites to work in hospitals where the
SICK, wounded and COnValescent soldiers
are. Just near me in the Toyama Hospital
those about well, or nearly so, are kept
There are more than 1900 there and Miss
Wirick and l go every Friday afternoon to
sing and talk and give tracts We meet
more than a thousand each time we go
They were given an organ by the Mitsu
firm and that is carried into an immense
dining hall. The men pile up tables and
benches so that their heads reach amphi-
thea ter style, from ceiling TO floor and
some boys lie and sit al the organ. We
print hymns on mimeograph and give
them out to each one, and sing them over
till they catch the tune. They join in till the
very rafters ring. Then the meaning is ex-
planned and we sing it again. We usually
take hymn from the Fukuin Shoka. They
are very colloquial and have a swing about
them and are war hymns in spirit. Today
l asked them if they had brought the
hymn we gave them last Friday, and one
said. Yes, we have brought it / said
Where are the papers? We want to sing
It. Take it out and the fellow said, II
fe IL, hrof, ~ CT, ri<
you begin And they proved their assertion
with 600 voices singing the hymn to the
tune Marching Through Georgia The
hymn will be sung in Manchuria when they
go back, and God can use 1t to their con-
version. After we sing about hour we
give out tracts and talk to them. The
Prodigal Son is a favorite tract which
they ask for. Some of the soldiers come
out with us TO the very gate, telling US OF
their families and mothers and friends. We
nearly always meet some who are Chris
tians."
1t is said that It is almost impossible to
supply the demand for Testaments which
comes from the Japanese soldiers. Some
of the Christian soldiers say: I'VE haven't
had a Testament since we entered the
army and We are hungry for a whole
Testament.
one soldier wrote to missionary to say
how grateful he was for the war, for had
he not been in 1t he would not, perhaps
nave met the good people who told him
for the first time of his Heavenly Father,
and he saws: Il wish to know more of
Him | wish you 10 make me good. Please
tell me the name. of some good books to
learn about Him and where to get them.
l am praying in my room every day and
wish to lea about this religion as soon
possible
We people at home who give our small
tithrs, aE1 attend the missionary meetings
and sometimes pray for Japan, that
Christs kingdom may come in the hearts
of its people. hardly realize what good some
of our little" helps are doing, We need
all to see a picture that is being sent out
in a little leafiet by one of our missionary
boards. 1t represents a building In the
background of evident foreign archltec-
ture Judging from the peculiar futed tiled
roof and piled in front more than hun
dred large dry goods boxes, each one filled
with what? Why, comfort bags. the little
bags of buttons and thread and needles,
and tape and the Ike, with a gospel and
q bit of tract in each-ten thousand COM
fort bags each containing a gospel, packed
and ready TO go to the Japanese soldiers.
When you that picture, with few
native missionaries standing nearby and
the team waiting to be loaded to start the
message on it's way. you can but feel that
you have accomplished some little thing
with just making a pretty comfort bag.
Fifty thousand soldiers are in the field. and
as they are killed and wounded others take
their places Ten thousand comfort bags
will not reach all. There is room for you
TO make more and to perhaps send some
little message to the poor soul who needs
your comfort. VIII you do 1t the more will
ingly after having studied this topic and
realized how eager are these men for the
message OF lfe?
The Red Cross ladies have been ordered
out in one of the resting places of the SOL
d.ers to give the officers soup and tea while
they are eating their lunch, and wave them
a salute when the trains pull out again
When the Sendai division arrived the Chris
tian women asked permission to do for the
common soldiers what the Red Cross womer
had been doing for the officers. The work
presently grew too heavy for the few, and a
ladies' volunteer society was formed. Day
after day, no matter whaW the weather
these faithful women are on hand, waiting
upon the tables, mending rips in uniforms
sewing on missing buttons, and, In short
being a bit of comfort to the soldiers. A
Bible woman is at the head of this move
ment and 1t is said she possesses great
faithfulness and tact. When the men have
finished eating and stand alb Jut the fire;
smoking they will listen earnestly to al
that is said to them and take gratefully
the little tracts given them.
An officer of the Imperial Guards, pass