The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1905-07-01
CHRISTIAN WORK AMONG
JAPANESE SOLDIERS
Interesting Letter From Rev. R. {. McAlpins,
Formerly Of This City.
To The Free Lance.

To The Free Lance.
Ii the scope of our review should in
clude the whole work not only that M
this empire. but also acrOssin Manchuria,
a great volume would be- written; and IL
| would tell of an immense amount ol
work of the most direct and dearnest kind,
and oi results the issue Oi which eternity
will be needed TO measure. But as per-
sOnal experiences are usually mOW inter-
esting than broad genelalities, some ac-
count of our work here in THIS city Is tine
most that will now be- attempted.
The work was begun last year while
We were still in America, and il was
proving a decided succcss. On appointed
/ days public services were held IN the
barracks, the soldiers being drawn mp M
parade order 10 hear the addresses, and
10 those troops starting Tor the front we
were allowed 10 give as much Christian
literature as their scant baggage could
make room for. But this was too good
To last in this stronghold OF Buddhism;
the priest, hearing of our work, made de-
mand lor the same privilege, with the re-
suit that everybody was then refused Tor
lack of time 10 give "A hearing 10 ALL
Later ON the fighting began at the
front. and after each battle the poor
wounded boys came pouring back FOR
care and good nursing. Good care they
get too, for the nation seems TO think
nothing too good for these sufferers.
The temporary hospitals, although
only plain plank structures, vet ara large
and airy, with plenty OF sunshine and
scrupulOus cleanliness. For instance the
twenty five wards OF Hospital No. ! Just
near rs. are arranged round three sides
of a great square. and to travel round
the covered plankwalk connecting these
wards involves a journey Of more than
hall mile. And anywhere along that
hall mile. the floor is as clean ~ your
dinner table. Microbes have no chance
at all; every handage is snowy white; NO
detail is neglected which will make for
the comfort and recovery OF these poor
mangled soldiers There are now i've Oi
these great hospitals in our city. with
accommodation iOr many thousand
men.
As soon as the first of these was
opened. application was again made for
permission 10 hold Christian seryicrsand
again it was granted for a while. such
permission has been continued in Tokyo.
Tor instance. 10 this day. and with in
creasing acceptableness have the service
been held. But Nagoya has iorcenturles
been one of the great centers of Buddhism.
and even today it, grasp seems 50 strong
that the officials are rather wary OF III
curing its dispeasure So presently we
wen. politely informed that IL was not
convenient lust then To have the services.
when il did suit. they would notify Us.
! &C.. with the result OF course that such
notice hasn arrived yet That was the
strictly polite Oriental way of telling Us
20 git.
However il was still our privilege. a.
of everybody. to visit individuals ia the
ward. and SO long as We didn't get into
the way of the workers We We're at
liberty to stay a. long as We liked and
could talk 10 any who chose to listen.
Adopting this line OF work. we parceled
out the hospitals and and wards among
the different workers, and thus tried To
reach each one OF the many thousands
with distribution Oi tracts and gospels,
as well as with personal conversation
with all who opened the way Tor 49,.
In this way an immense amount Of
Christian literature has been placed IN
the hands of men who never before heard
OF it. but who are now certain to read II
during this time OF enforced leisure.
Another quite recent plan OF work is
with Christian hymns. Several of us
combined our tract-iunds and printed
10 600 copies OF few of our most easily
learned hymns. in the form OF handy
little booklet. Then group OF Ms. with
violin and baby-Organ, went into the
recreation room oi the hospital and
began 10 sing these hymns with the few
soldier BOYS who happened to be- there.
Others came limping, hObbling. crawling,
any way their remnants OF legs would
bring them. till the room was packed
with men. and also the windows as well.
One OF the hymns is set TO the tune OF
Marching through Georgia with
which lively air the men fell in love at
once. and every time since they have
demanded that song above all Others.
As the ideas expressed in tie hymns
were perfectly new to the men, 1t was
entirely in order TO explain them--and
what better texts did we need for
| L
limited to a few minutes each. but Oppor-
tunitv came for several OF them, and the
men seemed as much interested in them
as in the hymns. That first meeting was
such signal success that we at once
Amounted a day and hour for another,
since when we have been going regularly,
taking quite party TO make strong
lead against those hundreds Ofuntrained
voices (you know a japanese cOngrega-
ton is quite capable OF singing tune
straight thrO on single note; also we
needed several takers TO change about
in giving the little sermons, thus guard
ing against mOnotony. Presently we
took TO asking those interested to wait
aiterYard and ask questions; and now
each Of Us usually il surrounded by
knot of interested listeners az soon as the
service of song is ended. To these we
talk freely, giving them tracts and
Scriptures, or visiting them in their
wards some other day, as seems best.
Usually these poor fellows are found to
be from farming and fishing villages, or
outlying regions where the gospel has
never yet been. with the result that they
know absolutely nothing Of God and His
truth. For instance recently one OF them
brought list Of ten questions written
down. the first one being. "IiOw many
wears did it take God to become all-wise
and almighty? as tho God We're simply
a specially great one among the 5000
myriad gods" OF their ancient herO-diyin-
tiles. This seems like a very uphill work,
but to I've allowed TO come in contact
with such men under these special circum-
stances. and to sweep away thecobwebs
of age from their benumbed mines, is
great privilege. What tremendous
influence it may have upon the advance
ment of the Kingdom Of God in this land
no human mind can measure.
R L. McAIpine.
Nagoya, Japan.