Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1921-12-29


4 tsaws, hoes, candy, dry goods, mus
lin, cheap pens, food, cakes, gold
fish, live turtles, tin turtles, vacuum
cups, tin tops, etc. There were
two theatricals on the grounds, two
| photographers stands, a place where
corks were shot, popgun like, at
| packages of tobacco, and one fellow
had machine spinning out candy
in filaments like spider web, which
looked like cotton when he gathered
a bunch of it together.
There was a vendor of some kind
of confectionery on the pavement at
the tori by the foot of the stairs
| which led into the grounds. / was
| by the tori and Mrs. James was be-
yond him next to the stairs and the
| people were so interested in a for
eign woman and her queer method
of dressing that I suppose they
didn't think to buy confectionery,
and the man came to me with his
! Japanese which suppose meant
that he would like for "Janey" to
change positions, SO she went across
the way to the other side where the
people would come in contact with
her as they entered, on the left, and
not as they were emerging, also on
their left
In the afternoon, our party en-
gagged in preaching on the grounds.
Well, let us go on with the preach
ing. We all preached, or nearly all.
Bixler, Herman Fox, McCaleb. .Hirat-
suka, Fujimori, Kogo Zone of his CO.
laborers,) Tsukamoto, and Jap
anese Methodist preacher from Sa-
wara. Bro. Rhodes has come out,
but don't know If he spoke. A
crowd gathered in circle about the
speaker and listened and listened
well. A few rods in front was
Buddhist priest standing on little
bench by plain table and preaching
In his pilgrim garb, the sleeves of
which tapered and finished with a
strip running down the back of his
hands and hooking over the middle
finger. About the same distance to
/ the left was a large concourse of
people gathered about some violin
lists who played and sang, and,
suppose. sold their numbers. Some
distance behind us was a group of
three men and painted woman of
rather small modesty who did some
thing, 1 don't know just what, but
they drew big crowds. Thus we
preached.
After while, some of the brethren
withdrew little distance and start
ed another meeting and for quite
awhile we kept two meetings going
simultaneously. Between preaching
efforts, we offered gospels for sale at
cost. We had one gospel in tract
\ form at three sen or two for five sen
and we had Matthew in diminutive
Bible style size in paper cover at ten
sen. I could say "sen sen" and "jin
sen" to the people and help dispose
of the stock. Bro. Yoko also helped
sell them, though the sale was not
brisk, for these people are not over
supplied with coin and they are
heather besides. One man bought
with the remark, Il am a Christian"
Though the probability is he belong
ed to sect" one is mighty glad to
find that much headway out of pag-
anism. 1t is estimated that 100000
people attended that festival, and
there may. not have been so on the
grounds who professed to believe in
and follow our Lord Jesus Christ in
any fashion. It may be that hosts
and hosts of this great throng which
came throwing its sen on the temple
porch, clapping it's hands and pray
Ing to no gods had never heard the
name of Christ before in all their
lives! suppose Mrs. james was the
most curious sight that many Of
them saw all day. Two young women
whom we saw at the Sawara meet
ing the night before were very at
tentive to "ok san" (wife) and a
good, motherly old lady who be-
lieves, was also kind to her. She was
busy at the door of the Sawara
chapel the night before giving san
dals to the corners, but we learned
she belongs to the Brethren church,
and attends at the Methodist chapel.
AS evening approached and we
were both tired, my wife and with
drew short space from the preach
ing place and sat down on knoll, to
be surrounded Immediately by a
curious crowd of youngsters, mainly
boys of the middle school, some Of
whom / had perhaps been preaching
to only short time before. While
addressing them, asked how many
could speak some English, but could
| get no show OF hands. AS they eager
| ly looked and listened we naturally
wanted to make some response, but
how were we to do it? We could
! sing English hymns, and so we did.
Maybe they caught some of the senti-
ment, for boys of the middle schools
| are taught English. There was a
little picture in the diminutive copy
| of Matthew we had for sale and l
could show them that and say,
Jesus" as he was represented there
with the children. Here are a few
words of English on the back cover
| (Which is their front side,) and as /
| point to these words one Of the lads
| pronounces the English and so "the
ice is broken" little and in a very
| feeble and lame way we deal with
the boys for awhile. Being told the
| gospels by Matthew were t'jis sem
! (ten sen or five cents), one of the
boys said what perhaps a multitude
Of other boys and some men have
previously said: Il have no money
So l gave him the book and wrote my
address in it which gives him a
chance to follow up his investigation
4 he shall choose to do so.
1t was several miles over to Bro
Fujimori's where we were going fol
khe night, and we started about