The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-04-30
FROM MANY LANDS
miss Jennie Hunt.)

An eminent church man lately re-
turned from the Orient, says
aTo every door of missionary cp-
portuaity now open in the far East,
Japan holds the key. Shewilb deter
mine whether we shall sweep through
open portals to victory or face again
closed doors and press for centuries
against opposing forces. The King
dom of Christ is advancing with won
derful rapidity and influence through
all the Orient. So also the authority
and influence of Japan are advancing,
and she will be the determining fac
tor tho moral and spiritual progress
Of Asia. If Japan remains pagan,
Asia win be Pagan. If japan is
Christianized Asia will be evangelical
within the century. As Japan goes,
SO goes the Orient The character
istic vivacity, viror and persistence
Of the Japanese shot through and
| through with the spirit Of Christ, viii
make them the greatest eyangelistic
agency that have ever been turned
loose upon the millions of the Orient.
Japan is the most awakened, the
most advanced, aggressive, self-con-
scious, self confident and purposeful
nation Of the East. Its government
| is the best organized, best equipped,
and most efficient. In the power of
self-protection and self-propulsion
she is far in the lead. With mag
nifcently trained army and an alto
gether modern and efficient navy, she
takes frot rank with the nations Of
the earth as a military power. In
| imperialism and militarisin she has
ut-Germanied Germany. She is
really more determined upon conquest
and master than is her teacher Of
mili5arism and her example of mod
ern Imperialism.
"For prestige and world influence
Japan is in the Orient what the Unit
cd States is in the sisterhood Of the
Americas. In political ambition, how
ever, she is quite unlike America.
Japan's policies of territorial eXpan-
sion are pronounced. Her purpose to
dominate the far East is unquestion-
able. Anyone who has breathed the
atmosphere of Imperialism and mill
tarism in Japan win not doubt for a
moment her ability to conquer by
| force Of arms every nation OF the
Eastern group. Anyone who is. ac-
ouainted with her policy in Korea
win not doubt for moment that eX-
tensive aggression in the East by UNI
christian Japan will set back the
Kingdom of Christ in Asia for one
hundred years.
"On the other hand, any one who
knows the Japanese, will admit that,
if Japan is Christianized and her ma
tional policies are nodded according
ly, the whole Orient win immediate
ly feel her dominant influence and
readily respond to her presentation
of Christianity.
at is true that the diffusive infiu-
ences of Christianity in Japan have
been tremendous during the last gen
Grafton. The impact of Christian
civilization and the influence of the
Christian missionary and his message
have shaken Japan from her old
foundations and brought her into the
light of a new day, but Japan is not
yet Christianized. Her millions are
yet untouched. The work has only
begun. We have scarcely touched
the fringes. AS she goes forth to
master Oriental nations, she goes
without Christ, without His influence
dominant in any sphere of her life.
She goes forth selfish, ambitious,
without sufficient moral foundation,
| and wholly without spiritual ideals
except as they have been born III the
souls Of a few great leaders who are
not able as yet to dominate the
thought and life of the nation.
an the future evangelization of
China what will the dominance Of Ja-
pans influence mean as things now
| stand? This is a question that stirs
the heart to its depths. The answer
startles man who knows the east
ern situation. If Korea is an illus
tration of Japan's policy, then her
| threatened dominance in China will be
calamity. If it means that in Chi
ma Japan will misunderstood and mis-
interpret Christian men and Chris
tia influences, as she has in Korea,
then her presence and influence will
set back for century the wheels of
Christian progress in that great land
of sober, earnest men.
"All this means that the war in
Europe, which has apparently set
free the hand of Japan to reach out
after her ambitions in the East, brings
new challenge to the Church Of God
in America to look, and that speedily,
to her responsibility for evangeliz-
ing Japan. We never faced greater
opportunity nor a more urgent re-
sponsibility than the obligation Of
Christian America to take Japan by
the hand and in the love of Christ
lead her into the full light of the Cos
pel."