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TWENTY FIVE YEARS
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OF THE C '
UNIVERSALIST JAPAN MISSION
BY.
REV. G. I. KEIRN, D.D.
SUPERINTENDENT OP
NIPPON DOJIN KIRISUTO KYOKWAL
* ; .V"* .">.,. ^ :: ' ::
- -. .
THE'frVE POINTS'* OF FELLOWSHIP
V-'-': /*. : '. : r.:i : ;'*.. OATE^**-. :: :
; 'NIPPON'' b5IN ; KIRISlfT'O ^
1. The Universal Fatherhood of God.
2. The Spiritual authority and Leadership of His Son,
Jesus Christ.
3. The Trustworthiness of the Bible as containing a
Revelation from God.
4. The certainty of Just Retribution.
5. The Final Harmony of Air Souls with God;
The religion we offer is wholly reasonable and pro-
foundly spiritual, combining these two elements in due
proportion and perfect harmony. Therefore, it supplies
the highest needs of the soul.
DIRECTORY
Central Universalist Church and. Sunday School; 5 Shichome,
lidamachi, Kojimachi-ku, Tokyo. (See last page of this cover).
Universalist Blackmer Honie for Girls, Blackmer Home Sunday
School, and Blackmer Home Kindergarten ; Miss C. M. Osborn,
Superintendent ; 50 Takata Oimatsucho, Koishikawa, Tokyo.
Akita Universalist Church and Sunday School. Rev. S. Midzuhira,
pastor; n Honcho, Hodono, Akita.
Shidzuoka Universalist Church and Sunday Schools ; Rev. S. Ito,
pastor; 43 Baba-cho, Shidzuoka. ;
Nagoya Universalist Church and Sunday School; Rev. N.
Nagano, pastor-; 2 Itchome, Higashikatamachi, .Higashi-ku,
Nagoya.
PREPARATION FOR THE MISSION.
A T the session of the Universalist General Conven-
tion held in 1882 the trustees called attention
to the subject of foreign Missions. They said, "The
time has come for onr church to look toward the
establishment of such a mission. Some of our people
are already desirous of making contributions to that
end." At the Massachusetts Convention held the
_*
previous month, Sept. 1882, Dr. Thayer had delivered
an address on foreign missions, which was received
with much enthusiasm, and was followed by a small
contribution, the first offering for that purpose in our
history. The next year the Trustees, in their report
to the Convention, referred to the subject and urged it
upon that body.
After this nothing more was done until 1886, when
it was noted that the feeling aroused three years before
had not died out, but because of the press of other
demands had been lulled into silence for a season. In
reality it had gone on increasing, as was indicated by
'the act of the Rhode Island Convention giving a
guarantee to contribute liberally when the hour for
action was at hand. At this Convention a committee
was appointed to consider the subject and report at the
next annual session. In the mean time, Dr. James H.
Chapin visited Japan, partially as a representative of
the Convention, to look over the field and ascertain, if
possible, the prospect for work by the Universalist
church in that country. He was convinced that Japan
offered a great opportunity and urged upon the Con-
vention that it enter oipori the work. At the' session
held in 1887, the committee appointed the proceeding
year reported that, " It is the present duty of the
Universalis.t church to engage -in foreign, missions, that
Japan offers the most inviting field for such work, and
that it is recommended that the Trustees proceed im-
mediately to raise funds, and when a sufficient amount
is raised, to . appoint the missionaries." The report
of the committee, which is. here abbreviated, was
unanimously adopted. At the session of the Convention
held in 1888 in the city of Chicago, three meetings in
as many different churches were devoted to the subject.
Dr. J. H. Chapin, who had previously been in Japan,
was one of the speakers. It now became the policy to
hold meetings in different parts of the country where
this was the leading subject. One such meeting was
held in Boston during the last week of May in 1889.
At the session of the General Convention held in
October of that year, pledges were called for, which, in
addition to what had already been raised, amounted to
$21,000. It was thought that $30,000 would be
necessary for the first five years. ' It was confidently
expected that the remainder would soon be raised. The
trustees were therefore instructed to begin definite
arrangements for opening the work. A committee was
appointed to select a leader. They unanimously agreed
to invite Rev* G. L. Perm, of Boston, to undertake this
work, ancLfound him willing to accept their invitation.
In January of 1890 a spirited canvas for the raising of
the remainder of the money was conducted under the
direction of this leader, which resulted in contributions
amounting to $60,000 instead, of^ $30,000, the sum
thought necessary. . The beginning, and the first five
years were assured. Mr. I. Wallace Ca'te, at that time
a student in Tufts Theological School, was selected as
the second member of the missionary body, and Miss
Margaret C. Schouler, a successful. teacher in the
Franklin School, Boston, was selected as the third
-member.. Such, in brief, is the history of the prepara-
tion for the beginning of the Universalist Mission in
.Japan.*
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSALIST JAPAN MISSION.
In "Our Word and Work For Missions," Rev.
G.L. Perin says, "The Universalist Mission settled in
Japan May 17, 1890." This must refer to the
.establishment of the missionary in his home, for there
are entries on the. treasurer's books . showing that the
missionaries arrived some time in April. In the
.absence of more definite details, we may accept the first
of May as marking the beginning. As has already
been stated, those coming in that little band were Rev.
G. L. Perin and family, Rev. I. W. Gate, and Miss M.
C. Schouler.
* The above facts are abreviated from a narative by- Eev. G. L.
'Demarest D.D. in " Our Word arid Work; For Missions." '-;:.
In the early days no records other than the treasurer^
book were kept of the doings of the mission as a bodyv
The first record of any business meeting was made a
year and a half after the arrival. Its date is Nov. 22>.
1892, and it begins, " The meetings of the teachers of
the Theological School have heretofore been held
irregularly and informally. It has been thought best
from this time forth to hold meetings regularly and to
keep the minutes in a book provided for that purpose/*
It will be observed that at this time the meetings were
not considered meetings of a mission board, but of
"The Faculty of The Theological School." Con-
sequently Miss Schouler, whose work was not in the
Theological School, was often absent from the meetings.
At the time of the first record, the faculty of the
school consisted of Rev. G. L. Perin and Rev. I. W.
Gate. Rev. C. E. Rice arrived Nov. 30, 1892 and was
thereafter a member of the faculty. On September 1,.
of the next year, Rev. H. Hoshino was added to the
number. Besides these there were Japanese who, from
time to titoe, gave courses of lectures. We find also
that Rev. Mr. Laurence, of the Unitarian Mission,
which was established in the autumn before the
Universalist, was engaged to 'lecture to the students.
The Theological School Faculty seems to have been the
only organization maintained until Dec. 19, 1895,
when the Mission Board was organized with Rev.
Edgar Leavitt as secretary and Rev. I. W. Gate as
treasurer. Rev. Mr. Leavitt had arrived during the
previous year. It may have been, in. part, to his in-
fluence that the Mission Board was organized. The
person at whose house the meeting was held presided.
Rev. I. W. Gate was assigned those duties which
naturally fall to a superintendent. By this time the
Theological School seems to be retiring into a sub-
ordinate place, and the Mission Board includes the
Theological School and all the work of the Mission.
The School still existed, but the demands of the church-
es already established became more and more pressing,
so that the need of new ministers was not so urgent.
In this respect the policy of the Mission has now
greatly changed from what it was in those days. We
have now no theological school, nor do we feel that
such an institution is indispensable. It is our plan,
-when a worthy candidate offers himself for our
ministry, to instruct him for a few months at the begin-
ning, in our distinctive teachings in systematic theology,
^,nd Biblical interpretation, then send him to one of
the more liberal theological schools of other denomina-
tions for his general training, and after graduation, to
call him back to our Central church for instruction in
denominational history and polity and in practical
work. After this he will be ready for his own special
field. The institutions of other denominations are so
:much better equipped for general work than we
possibly can be, that it seems unwise for us in our more
feeble way to try to duplicate their work. The greater
. part of a theological education is not doctrinal, .and is
undenominational. All missions are beginning to
learn that the duplication of unnecessary machinery is
unwise administration.
When our missionaries began their work, one of the
first things to do was to select a Japanese name for our
church. This was not so easy a task as might, at first,
be supposed; there being no Japanese equivalent for
the word Universalist. The term, " Uchu Shinkyo,"
or Universe Church, was adopted. Generally this was
understood to mean pantheism. Other and various
misunderstandings were associated with it. After
about ten years it was decided that the name was so
misleading that it should be dropped and the original
English name taken in its stead. But the term
Universalist meant absolutely nothing to the Japanese ;
besides it was difficult for them to pronounce. Finally
in 1909, a committee consisting of all our Japanese
ministers recommended the adoption of the name,
" Nippon Dojin Kirisuto Ivyokai," or the Japanese
Church of Impartial Love. This name was first
suggested by the late Rev. Y. Mashino, and will stand
as a monument to his scholarship and devotion to our
work. It met with great favor at once. As an ex-
ample of this : a certain man was one day passing the
church and saw the name. The next Sunday he
brought his children to our Sunday School saying that,
if we had such a name as this, and it truly represented
our church, he wanted to place his children in our
school. This will probably remain the name by which
we are -known in Japan so long as we have a church.
Throughout the entire history of the Mission one of
the most difficult problems of administration has been
to bring the ministers and churches to a realizing sense
of responsibility for their work. The ministers seemed
to feel that they were working for the Mission Board
and not for their people. "When they wanted anything,
it was much easier to ask the Board for it than it was
to ask their churches. The laity did not, therefore,
feel that it was their work. Various methods of over-
coming this difficulty have been tried. For some years
previous to 1900 an assessment Was made upon each
church, which was supposed to be in proportion to the
membership, and to be collected by the pastors. This
was agreed to by 'all; but it was 'found that, in some
cases, rather than ask his people for money the minister
would pay the monthly assessment out of his own small
salary. On April 4, of the above named year, the
following vote was passed. " It is recommended that
each church begin a building fund, and that those
churches adopting this recommendation, and sending an
amount for this purpose equal to the previous assess-
ment, be released from said assessment. The Mission
Board further agrees to add an equal amount yen, for
yen, to the amount sent by each church, and to put the
whole at interest for the benefit of a building fund for
the church sending it." As all the churches were
eagerly calling for buildings, it was supposed that this
liberal offer would be gladly accepted by them. In this
3
the Board was doomed to disappointment. Only a part
of the churches paid any attention to this offer.
Nothing further was undertaken until Oct. 12, 1912,
when the above regulations having fallen into disuse,
it was voted to increase each minister's salary as much
as his church would pay him regularly each month,
and hereafter to do all business directly with the
officers of the church and not with the minister. This
plan has met with greater success than any other, and
gives some promise of being a temporary solution of the
problem.
At a meeting held Feb. 17, 1896, in Miss Osborn's
residence No. 4 Daimachi, Koishikawa, Tokyo, Miss
Osborn presented a proposition to establish a girl's
home. The proposition was approved, and it was voted
that she might use the surplus of mission funds, about
forty yen per month, for this purpose. She also
reported that there were three girls now ready to enter
and it was confidently expected that more would apply
soon. Though one of the three girls had for some time
been living with Miss Osborn, this was the first official
beginning of what is now known as The 'Blackmer
Universalist Girl's Home. When Miss Osborn was on
her next furlough in America, she saw Mr. Lucian
Blackmer, of St. Louis Mo, who then was, and con-
tinued to the end of his life to be, an ardent supporter
of the Mission. On hearing from her the needs of the
Home, he was moved to give money sufficient to buy
land and erect a building for its use. In. recognition
9
of this generous gift ifre Home bears his name. The
land for the present building was purchased at 50
Takata, Oimatsu-cho, Koishikawa-ku, Tokyo. The
land was bought in May 1902 and the building
erected during the Summer of 1903. Prior to the
completion of the new building the Home had been
located in Miss Osborn's residence from the time of its
founding in 1896. Though English and music are
taught, this is not a school, neither is it a rescue home
as some have erroneously supposed. It is simply a
Christian home where girls may live under its helpful
influence while attending school. It is estimated that
at least one hundred and ten girls have had residence of
different duration in the Home since its founding. A
Sunday School has been conducted since 1908, which
draws children from the surrounding neighborhood.
The Blackmer Home Kindergarten was established
about eight years ago, with a capacity for forty pupils.
In 1912 this capacity was doubled and was filled at
ones. The teachers of the Blackmer Home Kinder-
garten are usually selected from the girls o the Home
who have been trained for this work. As is indicated
'by its name, the Kindergarten is an organic part of the
Home, and is on the grounds of that institution. A
Sunday School lesson is taught the pupils each Saturday.
The Universalisfc Mission has done its full part in
-education. Almost from the beginning a Girl's School
was conducted in the Tokyo church building under the
supervision of Miss Schouler. :She was assisted by
zo
Miss Taini Imai, now ' Mrs. Satoh, who is well known?
in our church both in America and Japan. This school
continued under varied forms, almost without break
until 1908, when it was thought best to close it. A
similar school was carried on in Shidzuoka almost from
the beginning of our work there. While it was suc-
cessful in point of numbers, it was never successful
from the missionary point of view, and was closed after
about ten years 'of existence. At present there is in
connection with our Shidzuoka church, a successful
night school for boys, which was established Sept. 13,
1903. A primary school was for several years con-
ducted in our Tokyo building. It was closed in 1899'
on account of restrictions imposed by the government
on the teaching of religion in private schools. A
successful English night school was begun in the Tokyo
church in Sept. 1896, and continued for five years.
Besides this Dr. Gate taught English in Waseda
University, Miss Osborn for some years in the Woman's
University, and Eev. Mr. Lobdell has taught the same
subject in the schools of Shidzuoka. The Mission
Board has now changed its policy with regard to
teaching English in the schools. Once, if the educated
classes were to be reached, it must be done in this
indirect way. Now we have more opportunities for
direct missionary work than we can possibly use.
Therefore we consider it best to rely less upon indirect
work through schools, and devote ourselves more
exclusively to direct missionary endeavor.
II
In twenty five years there have been eight mission-
aries who, for a greater or lesser time, have been con-
nected with the Mission. Of these, three are now dead.
Eev. I. W. Gate, Miss Margaret C. Schouler and Kev.
Edgar Leavitt. Mrs. Perin has also died. Sometimes
the writer has been unable to ascertain from the
records the time of arrival and departure of mission-
aries. As nearly as can be determined, the following
is correct. Rev. G. L. Perin served from the beginning
until some time in 1894. Miss Margaret C. Schouler
came in the beginning, and remained until 1893 when
she returned on account of ill health. Rev. I. W. Gate
served from the beginning until Sept. 9, 1897 when he
returned because of failing health. He remained in
American until Sept. of 1901 when, in response to an
urgent request he returned to Japan to take up the
work which Rev. G. I. Keirn was obliged to lay down
on account of the severe illness of Mrs. Keirn. Rev.
Mr. Gate remained in the field as long as his strength
would permit. In the Spring of 1908 he went to a
sanitarium in Kobe hoping to obtain relief from a long
and severe illness; but in this he, his family and
friends were disappointed. It was soon seen that he
could not remain longer in Japan. Consequently, on
May first, with his wife and children and a faithful
friend, he sailed for America, but did. not live to land.
He died on board the S.S. Minnesota, May 11, 1908,
two days before reaching the more invigorating climate
which he was seeking. He literally gave his life for
the mission and was faithful to the last. Had he gone
to America sooner, he might have been saved, but he
felt the work holding him. He served with exceptional
wisdom and won a very large place in the hearts of all
the Japanese who knew him. Rev. C. E. Rice came
on Nov. 30, 1892 and closed his work early in the
Spring of 1899. Rev. Edgar Leavitt came Dec. 25,
1894 and remained until April 1900.
The remaining named persons are at present con-
nected with the Mission. Miss C. M. Osborn came
January 1895 ; Rev. N. L. Lobdell, Sept. 13, 1905;
Miss M. A. Hathaway, May 20, 1905. Rev..G. I.
Keirn has had two engagements. His first arrival was
April 12, 1899. He returned, for reasons already
stated, Nov. 9, 1901. It was at this time not his
intention ever again to return to Japan, but, on the
death of Rev. Mr. Gate, he received a request to take
up the work again, which he did arriving on the same
- day of the same month on which he first arrived ten
years before, April 12, 1909.
It will be seen that our missionaries have been sorely
afflicted with ill health, but not more than other
missionaries. It requires good health and a strong
constitution to enable foreigners to endure hard work
in this depressing climate. Since this is a history of
the Mission and not of the missionaries, it is not
necessary to say any thing further about the work of
each. Suffice it is to say that all have made mistakes,
and all have been faithful to duty as they have seen it.
At present we have four Japanese ministers in our
fellowship. They are Rev. H. Hoshino, Rev. N.
Nagano, Rev. S. Ito, and Rev. S. Midzuhira. Mr. O.
Matsuo has for five years been lay preacher and inter-
preter at the Central church and is still available for
any services which he can render when in Tokyo.
Rev. Mr. Midzuhira was the last to receive fellow-
ship. He came to us from the Methodist Church in
Dec. 1909, and was immediately made pastor of the
AMta church. This church is far from the center of
administration, and was not originally of our seeking.
It appears that some years ago, one of the officials of
the province read some of our literature, and im-
mediately became enthusiastic for our faith. Being a
man of position and influence, he drew about him a
company of believers who organized themselves into a
church of thirty members, and sought our fellowship.
This was declined because the Mission felt itself unable,,
at so great a distance, to give it the attention every
church needs to insure its success. Finally, after
repeated solicitations, the church was admitted, and the
late Rev. Y. Mashino, of Tokyo, made non-resident
pastor. In the Autumn of 1909, the superintendent
visited the AMta church, and brought back a request
that Rev. S. Midzuhira, who had made application to
enter our ministry, and who at one time had been a
worker in the Akita church, be made their pastor. Mr.
Midzuhira then lived in Tokyo. The request was
granted, and he began his pastorate Jan. 1, 1910-
14
Soon the man who organized the church died, and a
series of misfortunes befell them. The present church
is almost entirely a new creation since Mr. Midzuhira
began his work.
Rev. S. Ito entered our Theological school from the
Unitarian school in 1895. During his course of
study, and for some time after graduation, he worked
in the Tameike church, Tokyo. Bte was assigned
the Shidzuoka pastorate June 1, 1899, which position
lie still holds. One of the most successful features
of his work is the Shidzuoka Night School. He saw
the necessity of this for shop boys who had not had the
advantage of an education. The school was organized
Sept. 13, 1903, and has been doing good work ever
since. Mr. Ito has been its head and one of its
teachers from the beginning. The course of study is that
of the common school with English and a few studies
selected from the high school course. Mr. Lobdell also
teaches in the school and lectures once each week on
Christianity. The Shidzuoka church was the first
outpost established by our Mission. It was opened Mar.
1, 1891, a little less than a year after the landing
of the first missionaries. The pastors have been the
Revs. Sagara, Akashi, Fujito, and Ito. Reference
has already been made to a Girl's School conducted
in connection with this church in its early history.
Rev. N. Nagano has been in our ministry longer
-than any one now in active;: service. He entered the
Theological School in. 1893. During his student
days lie preached at Hoden. After graduation he
went to Sendai where he worked about eight years,
when the church, never having been successful, was
closed. Mr. Nagano was removed to Nagoya to
take the place pf Rev. S. Akashi, then in our;
ministry, and who was transferred to Tokyo. There
is no record -of the starting of the-Nagoya Church.
It is mentioned in the minutes of Feb. 19, 1894, as,
.at that time, wanting an organ; therefore it was
probably started at some time in 1893. It is
interesting to note that in 1891, when Dr. Perm
.first went to Nagoya to lecture, the large audience
which met him in one of the public halls of the
city, soon turned itself into an angry mob, threaten-
ing the life of the foreigner and his interpreter, who
had come there with a new religion. The police
were called in, and under their protection, Dr.
Perin hastened to his hotel, and out of the city. It
is easy to imagine that he breathed more easily
when he was twenty miles away on his road to
Tokyo. Nagoya is an especially strong Buddhist
centre, and this was before the days when the
country was open to travel. We have had a church
here for more than twenty years, and there is no
place where our missionaries are now better received
than in Nagoya. This shows the change of senti-
-ment which has taken place, not only in Jsagoya,
-but throughout the entire country. On Feb. 3,
,1906, .. it was voted to build a small chapel in
16
Nagoya. The building now occupied by the church-
was erected on rented land soon after this date.
Rev. H. Hoshino was one of the first Japanese to
enter our ministry. His name occurs on our records-
as a theological student as early as Nov. 22, 1892.
He soon became pastor of the Tokyo Central Church,
and a little later, one of the teachers in the Theo~
logical School. He won distinction as an able and 1
conscientious interpreter of the sermons of the mis-
sionaries. For the past ten years he has been a
teacher of English in the schools of Tokyo.
The land for the Central Church in Tokyo was-
purchased in September of the first year of our
work. A church building was begun October 1,
and dedicated on Christmas day of that eventful
year, 1890. This building served the purposes of
the church for twelve or thirteen years when it was
replaced by the present brick structure. There are-
no records of the transactions of the Mission from
May 1902 to September 1905. It was during tmV
period, probably in 1903, that the present church
building was erected. The Sunday School rooms
over the Library building adjoining the church, are
a still later addition of which there is 110 record.
Mr. H. Yoshimura was the first interpreter for our
missionaries when they began preaching in Tokyo.
Then came the pastorate of Rev. H. Hoshino, after
that, that of Rev. S. Akashi from Jan. 1906 to
Jan. 1909. In April of the latter year, Rev. G. I..
Keirn, on his second arrival in Japan, assumed the
pastorate of the -Central Church as a part of his
duties as superintendent. This church has made
more progress towards selfsuppor,t than >any other.
It ?now has an able body of men as its Official
Board who conduct ithe ibusiness in a business-like
way.
It has ntit been the plan >of this -sketch torgiveithe
names of those who have been, but are not now in
our fellowship, except as ithe fullness of the narrative
has required it. Among these might be especially
mentioned Mr. K. iSatoh, who was ordained an
America, and worked in connection with :the Central
Church and its schools, but who never held a pasto-
rate. To go farther would be to make the list too long.
The erection of the Library .Building is also a
part of the -history of the Central Church sas well as
of the Mission in general. In 189S a large shipment
of books for use in the Theological School :and for
general reading was received. For the want of a
suitable building in which to jplace tthein, they re-
mained in the boxes in which they came. Agitation
for a new fireproof building was begun in .January
1894. Sufficient progress was made to begin ithe
work during the summer of rthe following year. W&
read that -on Nov. 18, 1895, the Board met in the
new: Library Building. The raising .of the funds
and the construction of the building was under the
supervision .of Rev. Mr. Gate. This building is
18
joined to the main church, and .is now used for the
library and for the office of the superintendent.
At some time during the first four years of the
mission, the date is not known, a Japanese Conven-
tion was formed, and an elaborate constitution
published. This constitution proved too elaborate,
and too complicated for so young and so small a .
body; and fell by its own weight into disuse. Con-
sequently the Convention,, as an organization based
upon this constitution ceased. After this, for some
years the Japanese ministers were not in fellowship
with any organized body of the church. In 1-910,"
the superintendent commenced a correspondence with
the Board of Trustees of the General Convention
with a view to correcting this defect. In May 1911,
the following vote was passed by that body. " Voted
that the Japan Mission Board be constituted a com-
mittee of fellowship for Japan, subject to the authority
and approval of the fellowship committee of this
body." Since the passing of this vote, the Mission
has a permanent committee of fellowship, and all our
Japanese ministers are under its jurisdiction.
While no less emphasis is now placed upon
organized church work than formerly, more emphasis
is placed upon the printed page, and upon sermons
and lectures given at important points where we
have no churches. The superintendent has made
extended missionary journeys covering almost the
whole of Japan, preaching- and lecturing in many
large cities. In nearly every place his meetings
have been attended by large audiences of representa-r
tive people, and our interpretation of Christianity
has been enthusiastically received. In the last six
years thirteen different pamphlets have been published,
each containing in some form our special message.
They are more than tracts. They are booklets
averaging in Japanese about thirty five pages each.
Of these more than eight hundred thousand, or
nearly a million copies have been judiciously placed
in the hands of readers. Thus it will be seen what
an enormous number of pages have been distributed.
"We have good reason to believe that the large
majority of these, probably nearly all, have been
read; and we know that many have been passed
from hand to hand untill they have had a number
of readers each. Thousands of letters and cards of
inquiry and of request for more light on our faith
have been received. Many of these have been
requests for pastoral guidance in some life trouble.
Thus it will be seen that the "parish" of the
Mission through correspondence now extends over
the entire Empire, including Corea and Formosa.
The educated and thinking people are prepared and
ready for our message. They receive it gladly.
Our opportunity in this respect is larger than that
of any more conservative faith. It is simply un-
limited, or is limited only by the money, time and
talent available.
30
The first twenty five years of tike Universalist
Japan Mission may foe divided inJto four periods.
The first period melodies; the first' five years, and
may be named the period' of extensions During this
period emphasis seems fe have; beeni laid upon opening
new outposts, and upon; getting new men into the
Theological School and out again to : fill; these places.
There seems not to have been a wise looking into; the
ikture, and a careful inquiry as to how these- ouk-
posts were to be supported. The men were given
such training as our school was able to give ; , sent
out iritov some eftyj usually hostile to Christianity^ to
establish a church. A house was rented in which
the- minister was to: live and preach. Sometimes he
preached and sometimes he had no audience. They
had but little education, few books, and sometimes
they did not even have an organ to assist them in
their services ; and if they had an organ, they often-
luad; no one who could play it. Generally they had 1
a few baptized members, most of whom rarely
attended, but nothing worthy the name of a church
as; our people in America understand it. There
were exceptions to the rule, in- which exceptions
another building than that in which the minister
lived was rented for services, but out side of Tokyo,
for the most part, these conditions prevailed; We
had ten or twelve such preaching points called
churches scattered along a line a thousand miles in
length, reaching from Sendai on the north to Fuku-
oka? on the: south. The ; missionaries were; not wholly
responsible for this unwise expansion. Some of the
people ini America demanded it and would not be '
satisfied without it. They wanted "facts" which
they could count and which would appeal to deno-
minational, pride; Sixty thousand: dollars had been
raised with which, to.- start the mission and to main-
tain it for five years. There were those who seemed '
to think that this would, be; money enough with
which,, and tune enough in which, to establish an
independent, self-supporting Universalist denomina-
tion in Japan. It was an. inflated period both m
Japan and America. As will be seen a little; further
en, the Mission is; only now recovering from the
injurious effects: of this inflation. .
Then came the second five years which may be con-
sidered the; period of: testing.. There was no more
expansion. It was with great difficulty that we held
the ground already occupied. The people in America
saw that the Mission had: ceased* to; expand,, that it, was
not self-supporting, and: that more calls, were being
made for money.. There were those whoJ at this
early date were in. favor of abandoning it be-
cause it. had not been established and made in-
dependent in five years. It had not come up to
their inflated expectations. The majority, however,
kept faithfully on in its support. It was the period
of confusion of ideas, or the .period of testing.
Then came the inevitable period of contraction or dis-
22
couragement, lasting for nine or ten years, which
brings us to the last months of 1909. It was the
necessary result of the period of undue expansion
which had been tested and found wanting. The
Mission Board could not support so many points
even if the work done in them had been worth
supporting. First Fukuoka was closed, then Osaka,
then Sendai. A number of lesser points fell by the
way until we were reduced to our present number.
The Japanese ministers did not see that this was
the logical and inevitable result of undue expansion.
What they saw was that churches were closed and
ministers dismissed. Those who were left did not
know when their turn might come ; and they were
discouraged. In America the church was passing
through an evolution of ideas, an evolution towards
the true missionary idea. The folly of the first
expectations on the part of some were beginning to
be apparent even to those who had held them. It
was seen that the establishment of a mission in Japan
could not be of a mushroom growth ; that it
must be by long and faithful service ; that only in
this way could we fulfill our calling.
Then follows the period of reviving courage and
hope. This extends from the close of the last period
to the present. During this time the Universalist
General Convention of the United States has re-
peatedly declared its intention to stand firmly by
the Japan Mission for an indefinite period. Never
23
was there a more rational interest or a firmer deter-
mination on the part of our American church in
behalf of the Japan Mission than now. In Japan
the period of contraction is over. The Mission
Board is understood to be endeavoring to provide
all our outposts with better equipment as soon as
possible. The attempt to spread our message Empire-
wide has so far succeeded as to enable our Japanese
ministers and their people to see how large is their
opportunity, and how great their calling. We do
not say that there are no discouraging circumstances,
but we do say that discouragement does not now
prevail as it once did. We have come out of the
night of great tribulation to the dawn of the day of
hope, inspired by a view of , our large opportunities
for great usefulness. We have made our mistakes
and have corrected them and have fixed upon our
settled policy. We have now found ourselves and
our place. We have had experience. It remains
for us to convert that experience into wisdom for
the future.
We do not say that these four periods are distinctly
marked one from another. They simply serve as an
outline of our history. An insight into them is
absolutely necessary to an understanding of that
history, and to an understanding of the present.
We now have four missionaries ; four places where
services are held every Sunday, and two occasional
preaching places ; five native ministers ; six other
24
teachers and paid workers; six Sunday Schools; one-
Night 'School; one Kindergarten; one Girl's Home.
In some cases in the early years, there was no
record kept of those who joined the church, or if
kept, it has been lost. At a conservative estimate
we have about five hundred church members, resident
and non-resident; about three hundred and fifty
members in Sunday Schools ; opportunities more than,
we can use ; hope and courage revived.
The past quarter of a century ; is now a closed!
book. The future opens before us with promise.
The experiments have been made and the course has
been determined upon. There remains but one thing
to do, and that is to go steadily forward. Many
hands are beckoning us. The future 'holds for us
the largest possibilities. It must never be forgotten
that they are possibilities for service and not for-
show. The service which we are called upon to
perform, or at least much of it, will never be placed
to our credit. The results will not, except in a-
very small portion, be such as can be counted.
There will be but few " facts " to -exhibit to -the
world. This should not concern us. Ours is to find
the path of duty, to discover the best method of
work ; and then to discharge our duty faithfully, do
our work courageously, and retain our faith in our
cause heroically in the midst of every discourage-
ment, knowing that the God of the harvest will
care for the results.
TO THE READER* |
The reader is invited to cooperate in the spread of the message
contained in this pamphlet by distributing it among his friends.
Send for as many copies as you can thus use and we shall be
glad to mail them to you free of charge. The writer has pub-
lished the following series in a f'orni similar to this.
No. I. Progressive Christianity and Modern.
Thought.
No. 2. Vision and Victory.
No. 3. The Essential Tfilements of a Living
Ileligion.
No. 4. What Shall I Do To Become a Chris-
tian.? . ;
No. 5. The Meaning and Value of ILife.
No. 6. Thought and Character. J
No. 7. TJniversalism, What It Is and What It
Is Good For.
No. S. Japanese Patriotism and Christianity.
No. 9. The Victorious Religious Message.
No. 1O. The Bible, An Introduction for Be-
ginners.
No. 11. Getting Awake and Keeping Awake.
No. 12. Seeking and Finding God.
No. 13. The Goodness of God and The Problem
of Evil. How Reconciled ?
Others are in preparation. Copies of these and other publica-
tions of the Dojin Kirisuto Kyokwai may be had, either in
English or in Japanese, on application. Address Office of the
Nippon Dojin Kirisuto Kyokwai, No. 5 Shichome, lidamachi,
Kojimachi-ku, Tokyo.
*This page is the same as that printed in ever tract both English
and Japanese.
*" :? * ^^S^r-.\~ Ht-r-"/'?*5t'''"T?^11^^f
* tr- - -*. * -v ? - . H <- > -^ X^e^"r%lM
CENTRAL DOJIN KIRISUTO KYOKWAI.
No. 5 SHICHOME, IIDAMACHI, KOJIMACHI-KU, TOKYO.
Regular service are held as follows.
Sunday Morning 8:45, Sunday School, U. Satoh, Superinten-
dent. English Bible Class, Miss M.
A. Hathaway, teacher. .
Sunday Morning 16:15, Morning Service and Sermon.
Sunday Evening 6:30, Song Service.
Sunday Evening...... 7:00, Evening Service and Sermon.
'Wednesday Evening 7:00, Bible Lecture in English with Inter-
pretation. The lecture is proceeded
by a half hour service in Japanese.
Strangers are especially welcome to all of these
meetings.
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
48 440 217
344F
2-' 9439
