The Detroit times., 1916-09-16
Missionary Tells How
Province Was Evan
gelized
PAID PUBLICITY
HIS BIGGEST AID
Many Inquiries Follow
Innovation In
Far East
~ THE RELIGIOUS RAMBLER.

~ The RELIGIOUS RAMBLER.
The most remarkable instance o.
the use OF paid publicity Ia religious
work Is 10 De found in Japan, and
not IN any OF the American cities
which have used display advertise
n.snts of the church. For three
years The Rev DR.. Albertus Peters
OF Oita, japan, missionary
Of the Dutch Reformed church, has
been systematically using paid space
IN the native press OF his province
20 carry the Christian message 10 a
public which, for the most part. Is
utterly ignorant of the most ele-
mental facts OF the Christian re-
ligion. DR.. Peters has kept care
full record Of the expense and re-
sults Of this work, and he sets the
story forth In the September issue
Of The Missionary Review Of the
World" CT New York, the first issue
Of this famoas magazine under It's
new management, Robert Z. speer
being president of the company and
Delavon L. Pierson being editor.
DR.. Pieters modesty prevents him
oolf from telling the whole story OF
pajd publicity on the mission field.
g Il has spread especially thruout
japan and China. Ten years ago, In
Japan. I heard DR.. Pietcrs expound
ne principles of publicity in the
form Of paid advertisements TO a
company Of missionaries. and now
the method 10 becoming a recog-
Missed evangeliziEg agency. We
shall one day hear OF American Civ
ors paying for all the gospel adver
l1aing In the newspapers Of a giver
section OF the non-Christian world
even az we now are used TO their
saying for q new school or hospital
and for the salary Of a missionary or
Uf Q native worker.
a not q few respects the church.
o. on the mission field are more
progressive than In the homeland
Being unhampered by tradition, this
= easy and natural for them. The
missionaries have taken 10 the pub
Mcfty plan, because II does the very
thing they have gone abroad TO do
carries their story 10 the greatest
number Of persons. Relatively, mis-
ol0naries are so few, and heather
are 90 many, that the task OF reach
ing the latter by word of mouth be
eomes practically impossible.
~The thing TO be remembered.
Doys Or. Pieters, rs, that In tho
vast majority of the village commu
mites thus reached It IL not a chofcs
between this method and some 9th
g, but this or nothing"
The one factor that makes feast
bic this publicity method In mis-
aions In the recent rapid multipiica
ton Of daily newspapers in Japsr
end China. Japan 10 even more
devotsdly addicted to the newspaper
habit than Ia America Even the
coolies and the farmers read the
daily papers. some Of which have
etrculations commensurate with thu
circulation OF the most popular
0atlies In America In China. Their,
asU now hundreds of daily newspa
Ders, where, 10 years ago. there
were none These have become the
Instruments OF all the new popular
movements in the east. Since prac
tically everybody reads or hears the
Newspaper. with an OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
due TO the newness Of the expert.
euce, the missiopary's opportunity
Wa patent. Here was a new door
into the mind OF the east.
Oita province. Japan. contains. ap-
Fortunately, a million souls. II has
been rather famously authoritarian
having only one adult Christian com
municant 70 every three thousand OF
the population. whereas the proper
ton In Japan as whole s. one IN
eight hundred. Outside Of the limit
Cd Christian circle. even the sim
plest historical facts concerninl
Christianity were unknown. How
meet these unfavorAble conditions
DIR. Peters tells the story
First, we obtained space in ID,
secular press at advertising rates
and printed brief articles on the -
sentials OF the Christian religion. Al
Invitation II given to apply for fire.
literature. When applications com
In they are carefully recorded on
card index. and = small package o
tracts. including annotated sele,
tons from the New Testament.
scnt TO The applicant, with lette
encouraging him to read them wit
care. His nsme II also placed o.
the mailing iist, and he Is informe
that he will receive certain Chri,
usn monthly magazine, frce q
chargc. for six months After
month has elapsed another lette
n sent him. with fresh psckag