Missionary alliance 1888.pdf - DSpace

96 INTER-SEMINARY MIS8IONA.UY ALLlANCE.Miscellaneous Addresses and Extracts.DR. GRIFFIR. There is no instinctive opposition to Christianity inJapan. It was because politics had been mingled with religion thattrouble arose. The revela.tion tha.t Christianity can live withoutmeddling with politics has changed their attitude.In my opinion, there will never be any real danger that Christianitywili be promulgated by edict as a State Religion. But all disabilitieswill soon bfo removed from it.The idea is prevalent in Japan that it must get itself in position tohe recognized by other nations on an equai footing. They are strainingevery nerve, not only to seem, but to be equal. Japan is different fromChinaj it is more sensitive and therefore easily improved. Japan has8. strong central government, aod is like a young athlete ready for actlOo,not a great boneless giant, as China might be called.The danger to Japan does not come through the government.Japan never will go too fast, because the mass of the people are inert.The pro6I'es8 manifested is by the two millions of Samurai the hereditarysocia.1 . class, .. which possesses a high degree of 'e U It' Iva t' 100.Thi nY-SIX mllhons of the people are still under the cootrol of theBuddhist priests.Here lies ~he danger. The Buddhist priests are men capable ofgetting and us~n~ all possible weapons for carrying on their system.They are. recelvlDg the best of training the world can give. Some ofth.em are 10 the Oxford schools. They will try to corrupt Ohristianity andWill s~cc~ed,. u~less. we aTe careful to put in an army of workers to teachChristlaDlty In Its Simplest and purest form. Pantheism is the greatenemy, and they need a Christianity which will hold up the r d­mental distinction between God and Nature most cl I If un aCh . ti . J ear y. yourls aOlze apa.n, you have, generally speaking, all Asia at your feet.~n. CLARK. The problem of missions in .Japan Is different fromthat In any '. . other part of the globe. There noth', ng IS. as k e d a f us exceptCbru~tlan teachers. Very little financial a,'d is reqUIre. . d I none8C h 001 of 600 only a few ask for aid ' They say' . "G' Ive us th e teachersan d we . . wUllook after the money ." Mr . Nees' Ima h 8,S recently been8011cIting 'b funds for schools. He obtained 40000 dI yen, an among thecon t rl utors were two of the leading officials in th Jt .41000 i e apanese Governmen.., was ra sed last ye'ar for the support of t h dschools.eac ers anBut the great want is men able to grapple with Buddhism, menable to command the respect and confidence of th e hi g h estcass. 1B ecause 0 f the great demand for educational kobUged to turn aBide from evangelistic work :oou r h' ,,:e t~ave b~enI g 1 IS ag81Dst•MISCELLANEOUS ADDRESSES AND EXTRACTS. 97our wish to do 80. For lack of men, we have eyeD brought forward ourwomen. Half a dozen are to-day doing the work of men. One womanalone is upholding Christianity in one province. She gathers from tlftyto 100, or even 500, women about her to listen to her words, and on theoutskirts will be found a large number of men.Rise upl young men! and take the world for Christ. May It be aburden on your hearts, especially Japan. It is now for Japan, if wecan double or treble our force. Otherwise we may have to wait fiftyor 100 year •.MR. KITCIIEN. I believe with Dr. Griffis that the danger to Christianitydoes Dot come from the probability of an imperial edict. Yetthere is danger that Christianity, through diplomacy, will be undulyfavored. The editor of the prinripal paper in JapaD has swung aroundin favor of Christianity, probably for political reasoos. The revision ofthe treaties was the thing long desired, and in a famous editoria.l, entitled,U The adoption af the Christian religion necessary," he takes theg round that Europe and America will probably refuse recognition untilJ span is Christianized.Now, e,~erywhere the call is for Uhristian teachers. No young manof ability can go without a position in Japan.The religious situation can be summed up about like this:40,000,000 peopie.20,000, perhaps 25,000, baptized Christians.100,000 favorable to Christianity.1,000,QOO easily accessible.20,000,000 occupy a neutral position.The rest bigoted Buddhists.300 Protestant religious teachers.A great need is foreign teachers of Christianity; buta greater needis a native ministry. Nati,'e theological schools should be estab1ishedand endowed. Before the close of the nineteenth century Japan willbe nominally Christian without the help of an edict. The whole currentis that way. Send men and money! Go as professors! Endow scholarshipsthat the brightest young Japanese may be sent to this country.There are not over 300 theological students in Japan. Where tire thereligious teachers to come from? The character of Christianity inJapan will depend on the Dative ministry more than on the foreignte8Chers.DR. D. C. GREENE, the oldest missionary in Japan of the A. B. C.F. M: I have seen all the aggressive work in Japan. I went in 1869and it was Dot until 1873 that anything like aggressive public Christianwork could be done. Then there were only about twenty who publiclyacknowledged themselves Christians, now there are 25,000. When