The Virginia enterprise., 1907-06-14

c1uuitCs1uul, where entertainments are
given A lodging house is maintained
and tho missionary pays regular visits
to the Narships that may be in port
This mission, however, is largely for
the men of wars men. For the COM
mon man before the mast who is
ashore from the merchant vessels
that crowd this harbor there is only
the Salvation Army and it's rescue
work. Here, as in America, this or
ganization does splendid service, no
man being too TOW to be worthy of it's
kindly Offices.
When Hawaii Helped Japan.
Other signs of the presence of mis-
sion work here are to be seen on
many sides. In addition to the impos-
ing edifices of the Roman Catholic and
Protestant Episcopal churches, there
are number of native church build
lngs. The Oldest Of these has chapel
that was built nearly so years ago by
money sent from the native Chris
tiaEs of Hawaii for the help Of the
heather JAPANESE!
Up on the bluff, where most Euro
pean residents dwell, one would have
to shade his eyes to escape seeing the
large buildings of the mission schools.
Most impressive, perhaps, is Ferris
seminary, of the Dutch Reformed
church., although large institutions
are maintained, with literally equip
ped class rooms and big dormitories,
by the Presbyterians, Baptists and
Methodists. The Womens Missionary
Union runs a school for Bible women.
The Baptists have an important theo.
logical seminary. This educational
work of the missionaries is beyond
question creditable and success.
The schools are filled with girls from
all grades of Japanese homes, and the
quality of the work done is guaran.
teed by the government, which will
not permit the maintenance Gf an in.
efficient school. In addition to having
received an education most of the
graduates have become Christians.
What They Say Of Missionaries.
From the foregoing it is plain that
the sweeping statement that nothing
is to be seen of missionaries or their
work in Yokohama is without founda.
tiOn. Just what those best qualified to
speak think of the missionaries and
their work is another matter l have
been asking various types of Yokoha.
ma business men their opinion upon
! this point At the Yokohama United
club, which is the leading social or.
ganization of the city, l asked an Amer.
ican whom l chanced to meet what
| he thought of the missionaries. He
has been a resident here for 80 years,
and, l later learned, is not church.
going man himself. He is Missouri.
an, plain and outspoken, the type of
| man who says what Ire thinks. His
opinion was as follows: "Oh, I think
| the missionaries are all right OF
course, I believe that missions are a
business with them. 1t is their way
of making living. Some few of them
are OF no account, just aS there are
men in every other kind of business,
in Yokohama or anywhere else who
are of no account. Most Of them are
men of real ability. l never heard a
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 we'll as
the business men here One reason
that they do not 60 into society, l sup.
pose, is that they can't afford it. As
for their work, whatever one thinks
of religion, there is no denying that
their educational institutions are a
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 sanctimoni-
BUSINESS and offishness. They are in
clined to draw apart from the other
foreigners in the community. He and
others with whom I talked made an
exception in the case of Rev. DR.. J. l.,
Dearing, president of the Baptist
Theological Seminary upon the bluff.
who, it appears, mingles socially with
the leading European families and. I
take it, exercises considerable influ-
ence over young Americans as we'll as
over the Japanese.
Still another man said that his only
criticism 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 to be the bitterest
antagonist of missions, in the east.
himself formerly Unitarian mission
ary, g newspaper editor here. As
his objection was chiefly to Christian
ity itself I shall not quote him h1re.
Summing up a number of inter-
views: I would say that the mission.
ary is criticised most sweepingly 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 the
most casual observer many evidences
of long established, important and sue.
cessful missionary work in the citv
The simple fact that were it not for
the missionary, there wtLld be no
Christian services here for the Amer,.
can community is itself of considera.
BILE weight. TO the missionary's char.
acter not a whisper Of blame attaches.
He !7i Is g gentleman and a useful mem
berz Of the co:nmunitY as3ss