The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-23

logical seminary This educational
work of the missionaries is beyond
question creditahle and success. The
schools are filed with girls from all
grades of japanese homes, and the
quality of the work done is guaranteed
by the government, which Will not per
mlt the maintenance Of an inefficient
school In addition TO having received
an education most of the graduates
have become Christians
Another missionary agency here.
which floats it's sign upon one of the
main streets. is the branch Of the
American Bible society, managed by
Bgy. Henry LOOMS. which supplies
Bibles IN japanese and English To half
Of Japan. as well as Bibles in other
tongues 10 this Polyglot population,
While looking into the missionary
work here. [ was invited TO attend a
prayer meeting of printers, all Japa-
nese, IN an Independent publishing
house, which is run by a native firm
and is in no sense 8 missionary or
ganlzation. That would seem to be a
little further advanced than some
printing Offices ! know on the other
side of the Pacific!
What They Say Of Missionaries.
From the foregoing il is plain that
the sweeping statement that nothing
Is TO he seen Of missionaries o. their
work In Yokohama is without founda-
tion. Just what those best qualified 10
sreak think of tho missionaries and
their work is another matter | have
been asking various types of Yokohama
business men their opinion upon this
point. At the Yokohama United club.
which is the leading sociul organization
OF the city, ] asked an American whom
l chanced 20 meet what he thought
Of the missionaries. He has been =
resident here for thirty years. and ]
later learned is not church going
man himself He is Il Missouriau. plain
and outsDokcn. the type Of man
who says what he thinks. Els opinion
was as follows: con, | think the mis-
sionaries arc all right. OF course. ! bc.
heve that missions are business
with them. 1t is their wav of making
a living. Some few of them arc of
no account, lust IS there are men in
every other KIND of business. in Yoko-
hama or anywhere else, who are of no
account. Most of them arc men of real
ability. | nevc? heard Il whisper against
the morality of any Of them. You
Will hear some people say that they
are rich, but that is all nonsense.
They do not live as well as the business
men here. One reason that they do not
go into society. / suppose, is that they
can + afford IT. As for their work
whatever one thinks of religion. there
is no denying that their educational in
stItutlons arc success.
Another man SAID that the only def
mite criticism he had TO make, or
had heard made of the missionaries, was
against their tendency to sanctimon-
BUSINESS and oftishncss. They are in.
chucd tO draw apart from the other |
foreigners in the community, He and |
others with whom talked made an eN-
ception In the case Of Rev. DR. J. T.. !
bearing. president of the Baptis; Tbeo.
logical seminary upon the bluff who. it |
appears, miDgles socially with the lead |
ing European families and. I take il. |
exercises considerable influence over |
young Americans as well as over the |
Japanese.
Still another man said that his only
was that while the mission
aries worked during most of the year
they had longer vacations than any
other white men in the East, The
man who is said 10 be the bitterest
antagonist ot missions. in the East,
himself formerly a Unitarian mission.
AIRY, is newspaper editor here, As his
objection was chiefly to Christianity it,
self ] shall not quote him here.
Summing up n number Of interviews,
! would say that the missionary is
most swcepjngly by those who
know practically nothing of Yokohama
outside of It's foreign hotels, and who
are not near enough TO the native
life to be aware of the large number Of
Japanese Christians in the city There
is manifest to tine most casual observer
many evidences of long established, i'm
porlant and successful missionary
work in the city. The simple fact that
were ii not for the missionary, there
would be no Christian services here
for the American community Is itself of
consid cradle weight. TO the mission
ary's character not a whisper of blame
attaches He rs gentleman and use
full member of the community
Notice.