The Detroit times., 1916-06-13
The Japanese Billy Sunday.
6Y DR.. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1915. by Frank Crane)

of war are followed by periods of relgi-
Gus revival. Already there are indica-
tions that deeper interest in matters of
the spirit is stirring in all parts of the
world, rs the horrid pillow of war subsoils
the life of nations.
One of the most striking instances Of
this is found among the Unconditional and
cynical Japanese. One naturally thinks
OF these fatahstic orientals as the last
persons to enter into camapign of re-
ligious excitement.
But reports made to the recent gen.
eral conference of the Methodist Church.
borne out by similar news from other de-
nominations, indicate that a peculiarly
strong wave of evangelism is taking
place in Japan.
One of the leading preachers there Ia
called the Japanese Billy Sunday, from
the resemblance of his methods to those
of the famous American evangelist. His
name is Kimura.
He is holding meetings that are at
tended by the same kind of surging
crowds Billy Sunday draws. At these
often a hundred or more penitents "hit
the trail" in one night.
Willard Price in recent article de-
scribes Kimura and his work, and points
out that such a phenomenon is unpar-
aleled in the history of Christianity in
Japan.
Sometimes they call Kimura "Halelu-
jah KIM" and 1--WE cannot deny what
that name might imply"
After a successful career as an evan
gelist in his own country he spent ten
months in the United States, carefully
studying the work of Billy Sunday. He
stayed with him, watching all the details
of his procedure, at morning, noon, and
night services, at Denver, Des Moines,
and Philadelphia. Then in April he
went back to his native field with head
full of new ideas.
He does not slavishly follow the Amer
lean "spell-binder," however,, although he
has learned much from him in arranging
the business and organization end of the
great art of crowd handling. And while
his delivery is dramatic and acrobatic,"
he never descends to the coarser Ian
guage Of his American prototype.
AS he expresses it himself referring
to his modified adoption of Sundayism,
when eat stewed cherries don't have
to eat the stones. | put them at the
side Of my plate and say nothing about
them"
The religious awakening in Japan, I'M
der Kimura and others, does not stand
alone. The whole Orient seems astir.
Never was such progress, such amazing
success, related in the history of Chris
tan missions.
In Hingwa City, for example. in China,
such masses flock to the services that
three meetings a day are held in one
building, and no one is allowed to attend
more than one Of them.
1t took over fifty years to make the
first thousand converts in China. Re-
Gently a larger number was enrolled at a
single meeting in one city.
The story of India surpasses all. Over
I5O. 900 applicants for baptism are reg
istered upon the waiting list, as they
cannot be received into the churches I'M
I'll there are more teachers to give them
the needed instruction. Whole villages
and whole districts are turning in mass
to Christianity The Christian popula-
ton of India is increasing at the rate of
700 month, or 10000 year.
Like reports come from other coun-
tries. There can be little doubt that the
"wars and rumors of wars" of this day
are forcing the soul of man back to its