Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-28
MISSIONARY MEMORIES.

Mrs. Lang's letter this week brings to
my mind some of the experiences that
] had in Japan. and right along the
same line of. thought is little memo
randum book of mine that L came across
last week while hunting for a Japanese
song book, or really for Methodist
hymnal in the Japanese language.
This little memorandum was a sort
of record OF my work at Hatsukaiischi
a village nine miles from the school
! | used TO eat breakfast Sunday morn
! ing at five and walked about half a
mile to the railroad station. ] crossed
a river and paid two cents to the ferry
man. You know Japan, China and Korea
have a coin that is worth a twentieth
of a cent, and ten Of those make piece
of money worth a half cent This half
cent piece is OF copper and the Japanese
name is Sen then the five-sen piece
! is of pewter. the ten and twenty-five
sen pieces as well as the fifty-sen peces
are made OF silver and are the size of
small silver pieces we have. But the
copper money was used as much as
nickelS are used over. here. l used to
see. the boy delivering express, and his
bag for change was about the size or
q twelve-pOund flour sack, it was made
| by a strap over hiss shoulder 1t was
pretty, heavy. though the amount was
mot much / paid the ferryman in cop
per. then went on to the station ana
! nave waited as long as an hour and
half for the train. The nine miles cost
me fifteen cents for the round trip
There was one christian family down
there and their home was the first place
| that we used for our services. Mr. Nalto
Twas tax collector and the family We're
all nice. He could not take as active
a part in the services as his vile ana
daughter, but if he.had not been THOR
oughlv i'm sym pathY with the work we
could not have used his house.
| Sunday school opened at ten a. m,
| inst Eve hours after. We left home, ana
| r cant remember ever getting there De-
| fore 9: and some times we have peeh
| later 1t has taken air hour TO loaa oI
| work with the engine at dlherent STOPS
and there were several stops IN the
nine miles between the station nearest
the Hiroshima school and Hatsukallchl'
The first Sunday morning there We're
| Fifteen present The room opened flSht
! on the street and the side next the
! street opened like the piazzas 40 mere
! THEW walls are made in sections IKE
| doors, tit in grooves and are taken our
| every morning. The people on the
| street would stop. and listen aWhlie'
some PASS on, others climb up IN the
room and listen through the services.
That first Sunday we SANG some
| christian songs that had been put In the
Japanese language, told them ABOUT ." :
| Worship of the one true God, maker Oh
All things, and of his love for us
In the midst of the services, every
one of the children were called away,
| but gradually most Of them sllppeu
back The people asked all SUI u VI
questions and seemed very much III
terested and their subsequent attendance
nroved that we did wise thlns Whell
we opened work down there
We had no money, tine chuHch Over
here is so stingy that in. many instances
the hands of the missionary are tledApS
a lack of. funds We took big squares
of paper and. printed the songs III DE
GOA ra cters and hung them against tn
wall so that all the people could learn
the words and sing with us. we also
6xed the Lords Prayer the Ten Com
nandments and the Apostles Creeu Una
wav The Berean picture roll we got
from America was used the hfst quarter
in the Sunday schools i'm Hiroslma ana
that meant three times each sunday.
Then we used it in a Sunday scnool tniO
had been longer established IMAM the
Hatsukaiichi Sunday school they had 10
be taught the fundamentals.
At ~ o'clock a train of cars was sup
posed to pass on its way to HIROSHIMA
and wnen the weather was bad we USED
to go to the station and wait for It, but
on pretty days we walked half way anu
rested until the train. came along.
have walked the nine miles before the
train would pass us. Those were olesseo
sundays. | shall never forget some CT
tbe neonIe I learned to know, or the les
sons we learned together
Faithful yours.
LIZZIE O. THOMAS.