The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-20
ID TURN ATTENTION
 ID RURAL JAPAN
Movement Launched for SO-
 cial Betterment
INTERESTING NATIVES
Establishing Public Parks and Play grOunds-Disappointed At Claim to Divinity Made At Corona
 ton of Jap Emperor

Tol1io, February 9.-(Corresponden of the Associated Press.)-The Feder- ated Missions of Japan at their recent annual conference decided upon launch ing a widespread movement for the evangelization and social betterment of rural communities in Japan. It was re- solved that every missionary should take 1t upon himself to begin work in at least one new village this year.
 One of the reports to the conference pointed out the progress being made in industrial welfare in Japan. There was an encouraging increase in the number of wealthy native leaders. who were interesting themselves in such re- forms. In Osaka a public spirited man had given $50O,000 for city building for the benefit of the working classes, another man donated s2,500,0O0 for a hospital and laboratory for the study and treatment of tuberculosis and some Is private sanatoriums, in addition to government institutions, were now en- gagged in fighting the disease.
 MORE PUBLIC PARKS
 There was an increasing interest in the establishment of public parks and playgrounds The Life Boat society, whose 77,000 members had saved 22,OOO people from drowning and had prevent ed the loss of millions of dollars in shipping, was commended. Also there was a new factory law, which had several excellent features, but in this matter there was still need of further reform.
 Referring to farm life, the report ex- pressed the belief that the Japanese farms were altogether too small and that they were worked too fully by hand labor. Not more than one among six farmers had a horse. The indebted ness of peasant proprietors averaged $50 per family. The system of ab- sentee landlordism was believed to be undesirable, because it admitted of per nicious practices among heartless agents.
 The Rev. Cooper Robinson, a mem Der of the Canadian Episcopal mission at Nagoya, discussed at the conference the "superhuman, if not divine" claims that were made much of in regard to the Emperor at the recent coronation.
 s"That the congratulations of the confer ence should have been presented to the Emperor was but right and fitting said Dr. Rebinscn, "but at the same time is it not true that amid all the pleasure and interest we may have felt in con- rection with the coronation ceremonies there 0 was certain amount of disap- pointment felt and an anxiety awakened in the hearts of many of Gods people, both Japanese and foreign?
 STRONGER THAN HOPED
 Have we not felt that the claims to something, if not divine at least super human, expressed in regard to His im- narioI fact md hO r1nt a little clearer and stronger than we hoped would have been put forth in this twentieth century, and are there not grounds to fear that these claims and the attitude of mind that seems widely tc have accepted them constitute a him drance to the evangelization of Japan which hitherto many have not supposed to eXist''
 Dr. Robinson declared that as a result of the war religion would be delivered from the bondage of German theology" He said that bondage was both intel lectual and theological and he asserted that both British and American scholars have for sometime been gradually brought under it. He expressed the fear that many persons in Japan have been brought into bondage to Germany in many de- partments-military, educational theolog- ical-and declared that the time had ar rived to take stand against this bond age which seemed Ito pose as the very godhead of liberty" He added: And V here should the needed revolt against the bondage referred to commence if not with his missionaries, who ought to be, and I believe are still, regarded by the best of Japanese as their leaders in spiritual matters
 pr. A. Oltmans of TolSio, representa- tive of the Dutch Reformed Church of America, and one of the veteran mis- sionaries of Japan, was chosen the leader of the conference for 1916. Dr. A. D. Berry, the Methodist Episcopal Church of America, was elected vice president, and pr. D. R. Mckenzie of the Methodist church of Canada, secretary.