The Ekalaka eagle., 1915-09-17
; Religious Work !

Close by the houses Of parliament in
Tokyo, within which members were
discussing the question Of China there
recently stood big tent. fronted and
thanked by many bright colored Japa-
nese banners. Through the flaps came
the sound Of a mans voice. pleasant,
resonant and powerful. The voice was
exhorting the audience to come to God
and be saved.
The correspondent of a newspaper
on his way to the diet stopped at the
entrance OF the tent A little group Of
smiling, welcoming Japanese were
there.
"Who is that man speaking?" was
asked.
why, don't you know?" came the an
swer. 'That's Kimura, the Billy Sun.
day of Japan
AT the same moment the notes Of
christian hymn sung in chorus filed
the great tent and, bursting without,
caused hundreds Of persons to stop,
listen and inquire. They were inform.
ed that it was all part of the great
christian evangelistic movement now
under way throughout Japan and that
selmatsu kimura, the young revival
1st OF Japan, friend and student Of
Dwight l.. Moody, was conducting the
Tokyo meetings.
The picture was much the same as
American revivalist meetings, with the
added interest lent by the rich colored.
flowing kimono. the black hair Of the
Japanese women, the occasional clatter
OF the wooden shoe and the many
hued Japanese decorations.
The music ceased; then Japanese
with regular, handsome features, me.
dium in height, rather stockily built.
dressed in European clothes, stepped
forward from his coworkers on the
platform and began to talk in Japa-
nese. He began quietly, but soon his
voice rose and his face changed as,
becoming impassioned, he discoursed
eagerly upon the theme Of salvation.
Leaning forward and shooting out a
clinched fist before him. the evangelist
cried to the men: You students of To-
kyo, sitting there on your Webster die
tionaries, you think you are fine and
mighty indeed. You think how much
better you are than other people. But,
! ask, have you found the love of Je-
sus Christie
Then, turning to the young women.
he shouted: You with your pretty XII
monos and pretty faces, think you per-
haps, that you are saved by these
things alone? Prepare yourselves ere
| it is too late. Come into the kingdom
/ Of Jesus Christ and be saved" Then
: he went on hammering away at the
different sections of his audience, ges-
| ticulating violently at times, moving
, nervously back and forth upon the
: platform, jumping up and down.
crouching to his knees, and especially
using his wonderful black eyes and his
expressive face to bring home the
thought he was trying to communi-
cate.
Suddenly he swung his right arm
upward toward Il sign which rested
above the platform and read it both in
Japanese and English.
Christ for the citizens Of Tokyo!
The citizens of Tokyo for Christi
''Hearken to the words, my brothers.
Hearken to the words, my brothers
and sisters. My aim is to convert to
Christianity every one Of the 6O,OOO,OOO
souls in Japan today. believe in sud
den conversions. Come here now and
give me your hand rs an emblem that
you have accepted the faith"
A number Of persons walked up to
the revivalist and accepted Christian
ity. Then there was more music, and
the correspondent was introduced to
the Sankey Of the Tokyo revivalist
movement. He Is called "Vio' Sakai
because he loves the violin, and as
Sankey was singer for Moody so Sakaf
is the player for Kimura.
Seimatsu kimura. who is known by
his American. friends as Henry Kimu-
IA. was born III Japan about forty
years ago.
II was the son of wine seller he
said, "and when l was a boy Of six
teen was converted to the gospel Of
| Christ