Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-07-31
HORACE ENSIGN
BACK FROM JAPAN
Salt Laker Returns Singing the
Praises OF the Land Of
The Mikade
WORK or the MISSIONARIES.
Have learned the Language aud Are
Quite Successful The War aud
lis Effects

Attrcd In u liRhl.i'ltlng KHAKI uni'
form ana lOoklnI not unlike n mill
tary oniou direct from the seat of
war Elder Horace y, Enslgt after four
years absonro M japan returned home
last night accompanied by Mrs, En-
Sign, who has been absent for period
Of three years The missionaries were
met at Portland by Ms, D. y, owen
ana Miss Hattie Whitney Of this city
both ~ whom returned with ,hom,
II was ON the 2ilh OF July, 1867, that
Elders llcbcr j, Grant Horace \, lin'
sign, Lewis A. Kesch ana Alma q,
Taylor lell this city us the FIRST rcgu-
larly appointed missionaries to Japan
They went for the purpose Of intro
duclng the Gospel TO that nation, ANA
while their path was besot with many
obstacles, they ovorcamo them one by
one and gradually made many lGiends,
who nro friendly 10 this day The ilrst
year WAS devoted principally TO uc.
curing the Japanese language, a DIM
cult task attended with very gratifying
roslts. Then they went out among the
people living with them eating jnp'
ancHe food and becoming acquainted
with their habits generally, During the
second year TonforcomenH appeared
aud these were schoolod IN the lang
uago by those who had already become
moro or less oonyerpant with Il. IN this
matter the missionaries helped each
other ana n WIS but u matter Of a CONF
parutiyoly short time unlil they were
able To do active missionary WORK and
zee the results of their labors among
the people AZ IL well known Elder
Grant returned Sept n 1908, when FL
der Ensign succeeded him ns president
~ The Japan mission, u position he held
untll released 90 return home when he
IN turn, was succeeded by Elder Tay.
lor who now rroeides,
MISSIONARIES SUCCESSFUL
Elder Ensign says the missionaries
have been ycry successful M making
friends and have oNertod every EFFORT ~
mako known their message among the
,.pcople, ON starting IN they found vast.
" more Indifference than prejudice and
this II was pretty difficult 20 cope with,
until tracts Wcro printed IN Japanese,
whom renewed interest seemed
TO make Itself manifest on every
hand Now with six tracts printed iG
japanese the Book NJ Mormon hair
translated IN the same language ana 90
Mormon" hymns set 10 music, The OUT
look for the, spread Of the Gospel Is
most encouraging inc work ON tho
Book of Mormon IN being done by Elder
Taylor white Elder Ensign translated
tho hymns from the English edition NJ
the I" y, =. psalmody
AMONG THE ABORldlNEs,
AZ - present there arc nine Elders
IN Japan and for the most part they
are doing effective work Tho Japanese
are slow to conndo IN new. found
friends, ana II requires an intelligent
system ~ education 10 convert them
TO the idea that YOU are sent out 10
do them good once ihoy know You
however, II " quite different While no
branches have yet been established In
that country, The missionaries are do
ing active work IN the llokklldo and
Sonda districts among tho ahoriglnes
Of Japan, ana no these people have rc'
NAMED firm 90 their convictions ana
have refused absolutely 20 parinko NJ
d
II IL believed good work viii be ac-
cOmplished among them Tho mission
aries are I'm good health, and those who
have been there Tor some time have ac.
qlrd Free use ~ the Japanese Ian.
gungr, enabling TIM 10 converse intcl-
llgcnlly with the natives they may
chance 20 meet
EFFECT or THE WAR
The war, says Elder EnNgn, has hnd
very little oifnot on the work nf tho
missionaries The japanese nv q rulo,
nro quite conservative, ana while they
Wow with admiration The achieve
mouts " their soldiers aud sailors nj
the front, they seldom become demon,
straliVo 10 the point of laying aside ana
forgetting everything else, indeed,
people living I'M Japan would hardly
know that the war was now on such
u quiet peaceful spirit exists there,
When a new victory In announced LAM
tern plradoH are arranged, but such are
carried on merely ns recognition Of
tho success attending their arms, aud
not In n spirit Of boastful arrogance.
LIKE TINE AMERICANS
The Japanese are very friendly io
the Americans and they are adopllng
American Ideas nv fast ~ possible
They have hgh regard for Commander
Perry who years agl sailed into the
Japanese hnrbor aud demanded nm
open port The force Of this dCclarA-
ton did not strike them at that time,
hut II has since proved blessing to
the country that they recognize 10 this
day Tho Americans do a great donl
OF business IN that land and arc look
cd lo for modern deus IN all lines ~
present practically all the machinery
used by the japanese comes from
America, whereas few years back
This trade was supplied by tircai Brit
ain, which had the 0rsl contracts for
furnishing apparatus for the Japanese
street railway AvAtem IN the mat
ter Of clothing the Japanese are fast
adopting American styles ana the M
pcrlal family hne ALREADY expressed lls
npproynl Of THIS departure,