The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-19

three principal Methodist churches,
that is the Northern and Southern
branches OF the Methodist Episcopal
church in the United States and the
Methodist Church Of Canada caused a
union Of all their churches in Japan.
This was consummated last May and
the Methodist church Of Japan is now
an Independent and autonomous body
under the guidance Of Bishop Honda,
the first japanese Methodist bishop.
All these movements toward church
union have had a very encouraging eI-
feet and many japanese Christians
| look forward to the early union Of all
the leading Protestant bodies under the
name of the Protestant Church or
Japan. While the Protestant churches
show no more mem bers than does the
Roman Catholic, and but twice as
many as the Greek Catholic, the Pro-
testant influence is regarded as being
predominant in Japan. This is largely
due TO the fact that the American Pro-
| testants were the first missionaries TO
come into the country after it was
opened, and 10 the fact that the Ameri-
can missions have a large influence
among the non-Christian and semi
| Christian japanese people on account
4
medical work which has been done
without regard to profession Of the
/ Christian faith by the recipients Of the
! benefits.
| The Roman Catholic propaganda has
| been carried on largely by French mis-
| sionaries and has been wonderfully
| successful, the real work not being be-
| gun until 1872, or fifteen years after
/ the opening of the American Protestant
missions. Of course the japanese
Catholics have no notion of an indie
pendent church such as is possessed by
their Protestant brethren, as they must
recognize the power of the Vatican
The Russo-Greek Catholic church
was really the first Christian church TO
come into Japan after the exclusion.
Commodore Perry's expedition in 1853
brought with it preacher who endeaNs
ored 10 reach the japanese, but without
success. Two years later the Russian
government established q consulate at
Hakodate. In 1860 young priest
named Ivan came to take charge or
the consulate church. This same priest,
now the venerable Archbishop Nicolai |
of Toxic. has ever since led the mis-
sionary movement for his branch Of |
Christianity iii Japan. While his jap |
/
politans of the Orthodox church as SUI
preme in ecclesiastical power, there is |
but one foreign priest besides the /
Archbishop and there are thirty Eight /
ordained japanese priests besides 164 |
evangelists.
Undoubtedly the Christian church in |
Japan has a greater influence in the /
country today than the statistics Of |
mem bership indicate, but it is also true /
that many japanese who profess ad-
herence TO Christianity are still largely
influenced by ancient, practices and
thought, and the influence of Shinto
with it's ancestor worship is mighty in
the japanese mind. Notwithstanding
this fact, there are thousands of earn
est and devoted Japanese Christians
who are firm in the belief that there is
no other hope for the future of Japan
than the acceptance of the religion of
the LowIy NaZarene.
Eminent japanese who do not profess /
Christianity agree that the work done
in Japan by the missionaries has been
Of great benefit to the japanese people.
and has brought them nearer to a
of the ideal of the Brother
hood of Man. The japanese has re-
ceived from the American Protestant
y y /
ed to equip him TO keep step with the
progress of modern times. The mis-
gave him education. gave him
medical attention-nbefore the adoption
Of Occidental medical science by the
instructed him in the
ways of the outside world, whether
the particular japanese who received
these things did or did not accept the
religion preached by the missionaries.
he was always grateful and always
considerate. The missionaries and the
japanese live together on terms Of such
close fellowship that neither viii per-
nit criticism of the other as class.
II is interesting a a historical study
to look into the early Christianity Of
Japan. In 1919. more than 250 years ago,
that prince of missionaries, St. Fran
cis Xavier and his companion Kasper
arrived in Japan. They came on the
advice of a Japanese refugee whom
they had met al the Portuguese colony
Of Goa in India. They preached the
faith with all the fervor of that great
age of missions and with such success
that within forty years there were /
300 900 Christians in the land. just
twice as many as have been gained in
the last forty years. The daimyos or
reudaI lords of one portion of the coun-
try espoused Christianity and it be-
came the popular religion among the
higher classes of Central Japan.
But the Jesuits could not refrain from
with politics, for a separation
between the spheres Of Church and
State was wholly inComprehensible 10
Europeans of that epoch. Their activ-
~ IN political affairs became so great
hat the ruling Shotgun, who was the
irst Of the Tokugawa family whose
asst depOsed scion is still living. began
o suspect them. The Protestant Dutch
raiders who had obtained Slight adj
7antage with the government did not
all II embrace the opportunity 10 deal
blow TO their rivals, hated both be-
.ause they were Catholics and because
hey were Portuguese. They told the !
Shotgun that the Jesuits had plotted
o overthrow the government and at s
ach Japan TO the dominion Of Rome.
That Infatuated the Shotgun and he !
began 70 prosecute the Christians and 5