The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-05-07
ADDRESS BY REV.
HENRY LOOMS

Rev. Henry Loomis, head of the
American Bible Society in Japan who
was delayed in Honolulu by the Korea s
not sailing until five 0 clock yesterday
afternoon, was thus able to aecede to
the urgent request of the Woman's
Board of Missions of the Central Union
church and address a meeting of the
board on his work in Japan.
Mr.. LOomis went through the Civil
War obtaining his commission as a cap
tain before the war was over. Thirty
nine years ago, in 1870 he came to Ho-
nolulu for the first time and STAYED
here three months, the occasion being
the jubilee of the foreign board of
missions on the Island of Oahu, the
first member having landed here in
| 1920.
Soon after that Mr.. Loomis went to
| Japan and has been engaged in Bible
and missionary work there ever since.
His second daughter is now principal
| of the girls seminary of the Woman s
Board of Missions in Yokohama. while
his eldest daughter is dean of Sage
| College, the eoeducational college of
Cornell University. Another brilliant
member of the family is his nephew,
Jerome d. Green, who is secretary of
Harvard University.
In addressing the meeting of the
board yesterday afternoon Mr.. Loomis
| spoke, not so much of his own work
as head of the Bible society, but of
| the work that is being done among
the women of Japan and the wonderful
difference which Christianity has effect
ed in the status of Japanese women
since he has been in that country.
Mr.. Loomis said in part "When |
first went to Japan and / was seen
walking along the street with my wife,
we were the object of the most un-
disguised curiosity and surprise. In
| those days n woman was looked upon
as an inferior animal and as not hav-
ing any soul. But things are very
different now Owing to the work of
Christian women and the spread of the
| gospel, japanese women are being rec
Ognized and are taking their right place
in the community and in the household.
.''It has been to me matter of keen
interest and pleasure to watch the de.
velopment of the young japanese girls
under my daughters care in the semi
nary. There they are taught the true
l
| the great truths of the gospel through
out the country in their own homes -
| Mr.. Loomis then related several incl
dents to point out the extent of the
work which has been done and how
Christianity is now no longer scOffed at
and reviled but recognized everywhere
and has been adopted by many in high
places as well as among the common
people.
He told of a prominent japanese leg
islator who was converted to Christian
ity while representing his province in
the Diet. He was n brilliant speaker
and an able lawyer so that his friends
wished to have him elected president
of the Diet, but they feared that his
religion would prevent this. Great as
was the honor, he refused to recant and
this action pleased even his opponents
in the Diet so that he was elected al
most unanimously.
Mr.. Loomis also showed n sample of
n comfort bag which the Christian
Japanese women made for the soldiers
during the war with Russia. Sixty
thousand of these bags were given out
and Were highly priced by the soldiers
Each one contained Testament and
the speaker told of many incidents in
which the presence of the book in his
bag had been the means of converting
Il soldier
The board room of the Central Union
church was crowded with women mem
bers who were greatly pleased with the
lecture which was delivered in clear
easy tones and was all the more con
vincing for being entirely extempore.