Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-31

birthday marked the beginning of the
greatest epoch in the history of Japan.
This child was Shimeta Neesima the
son of man of the samurai class.
one of the aristocrats of old Japan. a
retainer of a great prince he was
born to high privileges. and the joy
of his parents at the coming of an
heir was unbounded. -
Japan at this time was entirely pa
gan Her gates were closed to for.
eigners, and signboards throughout the
empire bore DEGREES against Christian.
ity Reading the Bible WAS one of the
three crimes punishable with crucifx-
ion
The Neesimas were idolaters. AMI
they taught their little son to worship
the array of ugly images which adorn-
ed their home. But Shimeta was a lad
of keen intellect and sturdy common
sense. He soon began to lose faith I'D
gods of wood and stone and after he
was sixteen would no longer join in
the family worship. One day in the IL
brary of friend he had found an
abridged copy of the Bible printed in
Chinese characters. From that time
his great desire was to learn more of
the God who was worshiped in the
west. He had begun also to realize
: the benighted state of his country in
other things than in religion. The Wis
! it of Commodore Perry had opened
/ his eyes to the wonders of western
/ civilization, and his young heart was
: stirred with longing to serve his coun-
/ try i'll some better way than his sword
! bearing ancestors had done He had
! history of the United States, printed,
| like his little Bible, i'll Chinese, and
! this he studied assiduously.
With great difficulty he obtained
| from his parents permission to go to
| Hakodate, an open port, where he
! hoped To find an English or American
teacher who would unfold to him the
world of learning of which he had had
! but a glimpse. Arriving at Hakodate,
! he was doomed 10 disappointment No
teacher was there Then he deter
mined to make his way to America
The rigid laws against emigration were
still in force. and the undertaking was
! fraught with danger. But finally be
! succeeded in making his escape and
boarded at night an American schoon
er bound for Shanghai. The japanese
officials searched the vessel the next
morning, but the captain hid Shimeta
i'll his cabin.
At Shanghai he was forced to wait
for many days until the captain of tho
Wild Rover, Boston ship offered Il
let him work his passage to America
While in Shanghai he had obtained
his first great desire. an English Bible
for which he had traded one OF hi.
| swords. The kind hearted captain o.
the Wild Rover became interested il
the boy, dressed him in American
clothes and taught him English Th,
Wild Rover spent several months il
trading: at oriental ports. and it WA
not until year had passed that Sni
meta landed in Boston. Much OF TIL
time during tho long VOYAGE Shimet;
lad spent in reading his English Bible
1t so happened that the Wild Rove
belonged TO AlpheUs Hardy. one of III,
ilSiShdht pilftSS vi boSlon anu
famous philanthropist. When he wa:
a young man, studying at Andover
Mr.. Hardy's ambition had been to Ell
ter the ministry, His health hat
failed. and he was forced to leave
school. What he could not become :
minister was Il cross which almos
broke his spirit until il was shown I,
him that he could serve Christ i'll othel