The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-06-13

tiVes. He has money, and the orient
knows we'll the art of fattening on
such. Up in TOXIC l met a couple OF
American sailors who explained their
presence there with the remark,
There is nothing doing in Yokohama
for man unless he is drinking hard"
For the sailors comfort the Ameri
can Seamen's Friend society main
tains a mission in Yokohama, which
attempts to care for the diversified
needs of Jack ashore. There is a
reading room, game room and an
auditorium, where entertainments are
given. A lodging house is maintained
and the missionary pays regular visits
to the warships 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 its rescue
work. Here, as in America, this Or
ganization does splendid service, no
man being too low 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 a number of native church build
ings. The oldest of these has a chapel
that was built nearly so years ago by
money sent from the native Chris
tians 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,
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 a 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 of 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
ton. 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, | asked an Amer
ican whom l CHANGED to meet what
he thought of the missionaries. He
has been a resident here for 80 years
and, | later learned, is not church
going man himself. He is a. Missouri
an, plain and outspoken, the type OF
man who says what he thinks His
opinion was as follows: ooh, | think
the missionaries are all right Oh
course, | believe that missions are 6
business with them 1t is their way
of making living Some few of then
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 6
whisper against the morality of any
of them. You will hear some people
say that they are rich, but that is al
nonsense. They do not live as we'll as
the business men here. One reason
that they do not go into society, sup
pose, is that they can't afford it. AS
| for their work, whatever one thinks
of religion, there is no denying thai
their educational institutions are &
] success"
Another man said that the only def
mite criticism he had to make, or haC
heard made of the missionaries, wa!
against their tendency to sanctimoni
BUSINESS and offishness. They are in
clined to draw apart from the othel
foreigners in the community. He ant
others with whom | talked made al
exception in the case of Rev. DR.. j. l.
Theological Seminary upon the bluff
who, it appears, mingles socially will
the leading European families and,
take it, exercises considerable infiu
ence over young Americans as well a!
over the Japanese.
Still another man said that his onl,
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. Th'
man who is said to be the bitteres
antagonist of missions, in the east
himself formerly Unitarian mission
ary, 5 a newspaper editor here. Al
his objection was chiefly to Christian
ity itself shall not quote him here
Summing up a number of inter
views, would say that the mission
ary is criticised most sweepingly b,
those who know practically nothing
| "
hotels, and who are not near enough
to the native life to be aware of tht
large number of Japanese Christians
in the city, There is manifest to tht
most casual observer many evidences
!. Of long established, important and sue
cessful missionary work in the city
The simple fact that were it not fo
the missionary, there would be nj
Christian services here for the Ameri