The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-10-01
A VISITOR OF
DISTINCTION
Rev. Dr.. De Forest OF Japan
Will Be Here for Ten
Days.

The Tenyo Maru today brings to Ho-
noluu man of unusual note and of
wide service. Among the hosts of mis-
sionaries from Great Britain and Amer
;ea who dot the vast continent of
Asia. three stand forth with marked
( Areeminenee as men of statesmanlike
bower and influence. One of these is
NV lfhe Englishman Timothy Richard of
I ,6Sbina. the other two are Americans, Rob-
VERT Hume of India and John Hyde De
Forest of Japan. DR.. De Forest, who,
with his wife, is scheduled to reach
this city this morning and to remain
here ten days, went to Japan more than
thirty years ago. He soon forged to
the front as a master of that very diff
fcult language, and before many years
found himself in wide demand in Chris
tian circles as public speaker. His
early triulnphs were won in addressing
hostile or semi-antagonistic crowds of
japanese gathered in great mass meet
ings to hear about the hated and de-
spised foreign religion. Here he was
facile prineeps. 1t is a dangerous
thing for strangers to try to be witty
IN the language of the Sunrise King
dom, but DIR. De Forest is such born
humOrist that his thought in any
tongue he could use would take a form
irresistibly appealing to the love of
pure fun in his auditors. With this |
rare power he never failed to whip |
into silent subsection any bowling mob |
he ever tackled. Besides his public |
speaking he found time for putting |
out series of booklets. which sold all |
over the Empire and won very wide
N reading. Yale University, his alma
mater, recognized his splendid work by
comforting upon him the degree of Doc
tor of Divinity before he had been out
of college twenty years, an unusual
honor
In process of time great internation-
al questions came to the front in ia
pan, first in Importance during the
eighties and early nineties being that
of extraterritoriality. This moved DIR.
De Forest deeply and brought from him
splendid utterances on behalf of the
rights of Japan, which added much to
his popularity. Next followed the war
with China and called from him Sc
Ties of public addresses in various
parts of the Empire that opened en-
tirely new doors to his influence Him
self Civil War veteran he found him
self especially welcomed by officers,
soldiers and sailors of Japan's army
and navy. After the peace, Dr. De
Forest began to arrange striking pro-
grams in which visitors of information.
al prominence and higher japanese of
feials took part in Sendai, the leading
city north of Toxic, where his home
is. These drew the attention of the
Government leaders to him and result
ed in friendships with the highest in
the land. The purpose in all this work
was not only to make Christianity bet
ter known, but also TO cement the ties
which bind Japan to America.
When the Russian war opened. Dr.
De Forest was the one American in the {
Empire who could render the largest |
; international service in keeping his
countTymen in touch with the real
spirit of the, Japanese. He did his
work nobly, and as a result the Gov 1
eminent chose him from the entire mis-
sionary body to go to Manehuria dur 1
ing the war on a special journey of I
inquiry into prevailing conditions. As
guest of the army, with letters from t
the highest officeholders in the Empire,
his trip was a triumph. He returned
to take up his missionary work quies> +
ly, but with vastly enlarged influence.
During the past year DR.. De Forest V
has been in America, and there the h
same campaign of platform work has I
been forced upon him. He and Dr. t
Arthur Smith of China are perhaps the h
two foremost missionary speakers of
America. They always command
crowded houses. Last year Captain
Hobson's violent attacks upon Japan,
with their misstatements and appeals ;,
to war passions, summoned DR.. De 7
Forest into the arena, and his drubbing :,
of the young lingo viii not soon be I
forgotten. Latterly he has been in y
close communication with a number of s,
the leading universities of the East in .,
promoting large undertaking whose :,
object shall be a closer union of the 7,
college men of the Far East and of T
America in the interests of fuller mu-
tuaI understanding. While in this city
it is hoped that DR.. De Forest may be
heard several times. He has been in ST
vited by the cabinet of Central Union tt
church to address mass meeting there H
Sunday evening, and it is hoped 4 -
VIII consent. $50 - So Z