The Universalist. [volume], September 11, 1897, Image 1

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YOL. XIY. _CHICAGO AND CINCINNATI, SATURDAY, SEPTKMHKli 11, 1897._ITH%NoTOvo«^*TI NO. 37
Tlsie Universalist
A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY WEEKLY
Iniversalist Publishing House,
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CONTENTS.
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, SEPT, 11. 1#®7.
Pace One.
«
Editorial Briefs.
The Miracnions.
Justice to Unitarians.
Life and Work of Trained Nurses.
Letter from Japan.
Page Two.
Equations of Providence.
The Verification of Truth.
Miscellaneous.
Page Tnree.
The Sunday School Lesson.
Page Four.
Editorial:
The Franco-Rnasian Alliance.
Abolition of Siberian Exile.
Betterment of Labor Conditions.
The Yukon Gold Fields.
Sermons after Vacation.
Unlversalist Personal.
Pago Five.
Church News and Correspondence.
Page Six.
The Family Page, Farm. Garden and Dairy.
Page Seven.
Our Boys and Girls.
Page Eight.
Chnrch Notices and In Memorlam.
EDITORIAL BRIEFS.
BY PRESIDENT I. M. ATWOOD, D. D.
Bishop John P. Newman’s memory
may be defective, but he tells us that
fifty years ago he pre ched a circuit of
four churches often walking the whole
distance, for a salary of 8100. Here is a
new road to the bishopric. Ambitious
young ministers should take note. Not
by plan or by pelf, neither by favor nor
by calls, is the way of promotion. On
foot, and literally across lots, and almost
at his own charges, lies the path to the
mitre. Come to think of it, a minister
who could hold himself together and
proolaim his message effectively under
such conditions, would prove his title
clear to the top place. Achievement
under difficulty, rather than any grace
that resides in difficulty, is what stamps
a man with the seal of usefulness and
gives him the certificate of promotion.
—The Convention Circular of Ohio
makes a vigorous defense of the policy
of expending more money in holding a
Y. P. C. U. Convention than is applied
directly to mission work in our whole
church. The contention is made that
it is worth whatever it costs. May be.
But if it cost less it would be worth
just as much. We notice that our ablest
and wisest contemporaries in other de
nominations are making the same criti.
cism of the Christian Endeavor Con
ventions, and the Epworth League
gatherings, and the great Baptist as
sembly of young people, that we have
made of our Y. P. C. U. Conventions.
They absorb too much energy and money
and make too much stir for the results
they bring to pass. There is something
in these criticisms, brethren. You would
better accept the fact and help plan im
provements than sneer at economy.
The less money we waste the more money
we shall be able to get from economists,
who, we have observed, are the persons
that have something to give besides en
thusiasm.
—The decay and the nearly total dis
appearance of the missionary spirit
from the Hindu sect known as the
Brahmo-Somaj, which thirty years ago
was instinct with contagious life, is ex
plained by the antagonism between the
chief tenet of the society and the mis
sionary idea. “No one man, and no one
book” is the Brabmo Somaj watchword.
The idea is. that truth is manifold and
religion universal; so that an enlight
ened soul is bound to hold all varieties
of knowledge and faith as equally im.
portant and valuable. To subscribe to
anyone is to narrow the scope of life.
The natural effect of such a principle is
to make itB professor indifferent to the
fortunes of any faith. Whereas the
very heart of missionary effort is the
feeling that a particular faith is true
and supremely good and should there
fore be extended to earth's remotest
bound.
—The New York Sun has initiated an
earnest but "too late” newspaper dis
cussion, by showing that more than
nine-tenths of all the revenue taken in
at all the custom houses in the United
States, is consumed by the pension list
alone. Ninety six per cent of the in
ternal revenue goes for pensions. This
is startling, especially when taken in
connection with the fact that the ex
penditure chargeable to this account
has increased more than ten times
since 1868, or from $76,672,110 to $581,
364,073. This eeems on its face unjusti
fiable. But when the whole subject is
inquired into, the mass of crookedness
and imposture covered by the pension
list takes away the patriotic pride
which one would like to feel in this na
tional beneficence and supplants it with
feelings of disgust and humiliation. It
is an object lesson on American man
hood which might well have been
omitted.
—The aesumption is made specifically
by our esteemed contemporary, the
Watchman, and very generally by other
of our esteemed contemporaries, that
it the professors in the theological
seminaries gave their students certain
advice,the students would as a matter of
course, follow it. The Watchman thinks
that young ministers would not marry,
for instance, so soon after graduation if
they were "taught” the risk of taking
such a responsibility while yet in debt
for their education. It must not be
taken for granted, however, that a theo
logical student follows implicitly what
he is taught, either in doctrine or in
duty. He has nearly as strong a predi
lection as the rest of mankind for hear
ing the counsel of others and following
the dictates and devices of his own im
mature mind. He iB not always consid
erate enough to refrain from charging
the consequences of his errors to those
who advised him not to commit them.
—If the new organization to oppose
the reform of the civil service had not
been instituted when it was.it is reason
able to think it would have remained
in chaos. Had the members of that re
actionary movement taken time to di
gest the meaning and effect of the Presi
dent's order defining and extending the
rules of the service, it is scarcely be
lievable that they would have rushed
into such an attitude of opposition.
They had been led to expect that his
impending order would greatly modify
and circumscribe the reform. They
calculated on chiming in with the new
administration and with the Platt gov
ernor of New York in "taking the starch
out of the civil service.” The starch
has been taken out in a different place.
—The disposition of the higher grade
of institutions to bestow honorary de
grees sparingly, and to make both grad
uates and others earn their honors is
praise worthy. The dispensing of de
grees right and left because they were
wanted rather than merited, or as com
pensation for benefits, past or prospec
tive, had become an abuse; and it was
time to reform. Yet the whole case is
not contained in any exposition of the
abuses attending the custom, nor is
complete amendment secured by requir
ing degrees to be earned. An honorary
degree should be “earned” always. If
properly bestowed, it is given to him
who merits it, that is, to him who
has earned it. And so earned and so
bestowed it is much more significant
and much more useful than if competed
for by a prescribed course of s udy.
Any grad-grind can “earn” any degree;
only men of exceptional power and abili
ties will, in the legitimate course of
things, get any honorary degree.
— It is with genuine relief that we are
able to record the confirmation in
Gouverneur, N. Y., August 31st, by
Bishop Morrison, of the Rev. Ure Mit
chell, as a communicant and member of
tbs Episcopal church. In process of
time it is probable he intends to become
a priest in that church. Mr. Mitchell is
the son of the Rev. James Ure Mitchell,
a Scottish preacher of Universalism,
who some yeare ago visited this country
and raised money for a church he was
trying to establish in Larbert. The son
was sent to this country when a lad of
fourteen, was educated at Clinton and
Canton by his Universalist friends, and
ordained to our ministry in 1880. He
had settlements in Oxford, Fort Plain
and Cortland, when about 1890 he "re
nounced” Universalism and was im
mersed into the Baptist Church. He
did not succeed in being re-ordained
into the Baptist ministry, but after two
yearB of service turned up among the
Unitarians, with whom he had two pas
torates—the last in a mission station in
Gouverneur, N. Y. During the last
year and a half he has made several in
effectual efforts to re-enter the Univer
salist Church. His religious orbit has
been very eccentric. If the centripetal
energy of Episcopacy can counterpoise
the centrifugal tendencies of his own
mind, he may now cease his wander
ings.
ijanton Theological School.
Prejudices are notions or opinions
which the mind entertains without
knowing the grounds and reasons of
them. Arch. Whatelee.
How far that little candle throws his
beams
So shines a good deed in a naughty
world.
Shakespeare,
Those who think must govern those
who toil. Adam Smith.
Who overcomes by force hath over
come but half his foe. Shakespeare.
True hope is swift and Hies with swal
low's wings;
Kings it makes gods, and meaner creat
ures kings.
To spend too much time in studies is
slotb; to use them too much for orna
ments is affec'ation.
OUR CONTRIBUTORS.
THE MIRACULOUS.
BY REV. 8. CRANE, D. D.
It is a mistake to suppose that the
miraculous is identical with the
supernatural; that both words mean
the same thing. Doubtless a miracle
is something beyond and above the
ordinary course of nature, and is
therefore supernatural; but it does
not cover the whole meaning of the
latter term. It is rather only one side
of the supernatural, its external man
ifestation. It bears about the same
relation to the latter that in baptism
water does to spirit; it is the sign of
the reality. The water is not the bap
tism but only the sign of the renew
ing or purifying spirit. So the mira
cle is not the supernatural, but the
Bign of its presence and activity. It
shows that the spirit that reigns with
in and without and governs all, is
specially active; that it is putting
forth new energy and making an ad
vance in the world’s life and history.
So we find that the incoming of
every new element, the realization of
every new force, is attended with mi
raculous phenomena. Thus the in
coming of the vital force was attended
with signs that are truly miraculous.
Here is a force that dominated all
the other forces and produced phe
nomena that were “signs and won
ders.” Trees grew out of the ground
in spite of the Jaw of gravitation,
Water was carried to the top of the
tallest tree notwithstanding the fact
that “water always runs down hill.”
Animals walked over the face of the
earth and ran and leaped at will con
trary to the law of inertia.
Though heavier than air, great
birds flew through the heavens; and
though water drowns, the sea teemed
with living creatures that lived and
sported in its waves, dll this was
miraculous. To the existing forces
it was a marvel, a wonder, something
impossible in the nature of things;
and if these forces could have spoken
no doubt they would have cried out
against it and said “miracles don’t
happen.” But then it did happen,
and though miraculous to the old
forces it was perfectly natural to the
new and was the sign of its coming.
So when the spiritual force came
miracles again appeared. This force
began the building of a civilization
which was a miracle to all that went
before. It was out of and beyond the
power of all the forces of nature.
Not one of them could produce or
comprehend the wonders of this
spiritual force. It built houses,
erected temples and palaces, made
great cities, took possession of all the
lower forces and caused them to do
its bidding. In fine it brought into
being a great world of beings who
think and plan and improve and who
have and are creating a great world
of civilization and this civilization is
a sign of this new force. All that
man had done is a sign or miracle of
the new spiritual force. It reveals
its presence and power. It shows
that there is a spirit in man and the
“inspiration of the Almighty giveth
him understanding.”
Analagous to all this are the mira
cles of Christ. In the sphere of hu
man history they are the signs of the
incoming of the new light and power.
They reveal the coming and presence
of a new moral and spiritual force.
They are witnesses to the new les
son and inspiration which God is
giving man. They are signs of pow
er for they show a command over
the forces of nature that none but
God can wield. They are signs of
goodness for they are all the minis
tries of love. All the works of Jesus
were the works of healing, of cheer
and of blessedness. Hence they
were the signs, the external manifes
tations of the inward light, love and
power that he brought to the world.
These signs, therefore, had their
mission, and when that was accom
plished they ceased. The mission of
the water in baptism is to signify the
inward purification and when that
purification is realized among men
the water is no longer needed. So
the mission of miracles was to signify
the incoming of the new religion, of
the new spiritual force; hence when
that force was realized in the world,
when Christianity was established
among men, miracles were no longer
needed and they ceased. When the
thing signified became a reality in
the life of men and began to do its
work by its own laws the need of the
miraculous ceased and so the signs
were withdrawn.
“The test of the miraculous there
fore is in the character of the truth
it signifies.” Miracles are signs of
revelation, of the incoming of the
new light and life-giving power;
hence if that power be absent there
are no miracles. However strange
may be the phenomena, if there be
no revelation, they are not miracles.
If there is no baptism of the spirit,
no matter how much water is used
there is no baptism. So if there is
no revelation, no voice of God speak
ing directly to the soul of man, no
matter what the phenomenon may be,
it is not miraculous. Whatever may
be the wonders of “Christian Sci
ence” or faith healing, for instance,
they are not miracles, for they are
not the signs of any new revelation
from God. Whatever good may be
done in the name of the ‘‘science’
the “science” itself is senseless
drivel. Making due allowance for
all the humbug—and without doubt
it is an immense quantity—spiritual
ism furnishes some strange phenom
ena but they are not miracles, for they
are not signs of any new light from
God. Spiritualism has been in exis
tence for some half century and yet
npt one new truth has it ever taught
the world. Not a single revelation
has it made concerning God or the
“great beyond.” Any claim its phe
nomena may make to the miraculous
therefore is discounted. They are
not miracles whatever else they may
be. For miracles are the signs of
revelation; they are the voice of
God in the outer world, answering
to the voice of God in the
world within. The unity of both
worldB, the unity of all, is in God.
Hence, when he would teach his
children a new truth he makes
signs to them in the world without,
as well as speaks to them in the
world within, that they may both
hear and see the light from above
and learn and know what their
Father has to teach. •
Sycamore, 111.
JUSTICE TO UNITARIANS.
To the Kill tor of The Univf.rsai.ist:
It strikes me that Dr. Sweetser in
his article on “Ought we to Affiliate
with the Unitarians,” published in
The Univebsalist of August 28th,
has not done justice to our Unitarian
brethren. For one I should exceed
ingly dislike to have them tb^ik that
this article represents the point of
view of the majority of the Univer
salist clergy. Will you, therefore,
kindly permit a word in reply.
Dr. Sweetser argues that the Uni
tarian body is not Christian, that it
belongs outside the Christian fold
and hence we should not affiliate
with it. Even were his assumption
true, it would not follow that Uni
versalists have not much in common
with Unitarians and may not often
work together; nor that these bodies
may not live in friendly relations.
But it seems like a misapprehending
and misinterpretation of the Unita
rian position to refuse this body the
title of Christian, and a very great
straining of the facts to put them
outside the fellowship of Christians.
There are undoubtedly those among
Unitarians who do not call them
selves Christians in the sense of be
lieving that Jesus Christ is absolute
authority in all matters of faith and
religion; many who do not believe
that the principles of religion and
of ethics originated with Jesus nor
are dependent upon his words; many,
therefore, who refuse to call him
Lord. Many Unitarians prefer to
base their religious faith directly
on their heritage as children of God
rather than on any special revelation
or on the founder of any special re
ligion, be it Christianity or Bud
dhism. They stand upon the princi
ples of universal religion. But this
is not to say that they are not in
tensely loyal to the great principles
of conduct and worship which Jesus
laid down; certainly many of this
class are. Many of the most radical
Unitarians are eminently Christian,
if we may call him Christian who
possesses the Bpirit of Christ and fol
lows the way of life he lived. It
seems to me that this is altogether
the best test of what constitutes a
Christian and is the test which Jesus
himself laid down. Whether such a
man may choose to call himself a
Christian or not in the theological
sense, I cannot understand how any
Christian can regard him in any
other light than that of a loyal
brother, and will not be glad to l>e
in his company and to strive with
him for the Christ-like life.
However one may regard this, it is
clear that the main body of Unita
rians consider themselves as a Chris
tian body and rejoice to own that
name. The American Unitarian As
sociation, the main missionary body
of this denomination states its ob
ject to be “to diffuse the knowledge
and promote the interests of pure
Christianity.” The National Confer
ence of Unitarians states in it* con
stitution as revised in 181*4 that “we
accept the religion of Jesus.” etc.
When the Western Unitarian Con
ference took the action Dr. Sweetser
refers to, of putting itself upon a
purely ethical basis, it stirred up a
controversy that threatened to cjuite
disrupt the denomination. Many of
the strongest Unitarian churches in
the west withdrew from the confer
ence after this action and the Ameri
can Unitarian Association refused to
allow the Western Conference to dis
tribute its mifsionary funds in the
west, on the ground that the funds
were given to diffuse Christianity
and it could not permit them to be
used by a body which did not call
itself Christian.
To refer to such action of the
Western Conference as typical of the
Unitarian movement is to mistake an
eddy in the stream for the main cur
rent. It Bhould be noted also, to
state all the facts bearing on this case,
that in 1892 the Western Conference
practically revoked its action of 1886
as above noted and since that time
has stood for a more conservative
type of Unitarianism.
At present, therefore, the situation
is that most Unitarians are glad to
call themselves Christians and those
who do not like to so style them,
selves are entitled to be so called by
others, judged by the standard of
their lives, which is the standard set
by Jesus himself in regard to his fol
lowers. Measured by this gauge the
Unitarian body is as Christian as is
the Universali6t. Certainly no one
among them who happens todifferin
his phraseology from his brethren is
treated in so un-Christian a manner
as is the case among Uuiversalists^
when one can not say the old shib
boleth. I have lived among and min
istered to Unitarians and I know that
their Christianity does not suffer
when brought into comparison with
the Christianity of any other sect.
But Dr. Sweetser makes his greatest
mistake in saying that the Unitarian
body is losing ground and is dying
out as compared with Universalism
and they are striving to form a union
with the Universalist body on ac
count of its greater promise and
vigor. This will certainly be news
to Unitarians. The fact is that the
majority of them are quite ignorant
whether Universalism is losing or
gaining ground and are somewhat in
different to its condition. Any effort
on the part of any of them to form
an alliance with Universalists pro
ceeds wholly from a desire to co op
erate 'with a body which, as they be
lieve, stands in a nearness to them in
method and thought, without any
reference to whether it is a strong or
weak body, whether it is growing or
not. In fact many Unitarians, far
from believing Universalism to have
such bright prospects as Dr. Sweet
ser imagines, believes the denomina
tion to have accomplished its work
and to have a future only as it
adopts the Unitarian attitude.
I do not care to compare the pros
pects of the two denominations at the
expense of either; but to outsiders
the cause of organized Unitarianism
looks quite as hopeful as that of or
ganized Universalism. But certain
it is that a great injustice is done the
Unitarian body in representing it, as
does Dr. Sweetser, as fast dying out.
Every liberal Christian must regret
that both Universalism and Unitar
ianism have made such slow progress
as organic forces. But justice re
quires us to recognize that the Uni
tarian body, far from growing weaker,
has never made such progress as a
church as during the last fifteen
years.
In the raising and expending of
money for missionary purposes; in
the building of churches; in the or
ganization of its missionary work and
in the spirit of denominational loyal
ty great gain has been made in late
years in this church.
It is idle to talk of any organic
union of the two denominat ions. With
less knowledge of the facts, I once
dreamed of such a union; but the
reasons making it impossible are not
so much the difference in beliefs, as
the matters of trust funds, education
al institutions, historic traditions and
present organization. But co-opera
tion between two bodies so nearly
allied in sympathies and methods is
not only desirable but sure to grow.
What is needed most at prescut is a
better understanding of each other.
Rodney F. Johonnot.
Oak Park, 111.
Little Things.—It is by little things
that we know ourselves; a soul would
very probably mistake itself for another,
when once disembodied, were it not for
individual experiences which differ
from those of others only in details
seemingly trifling.— O. W. Holmes.
LIFE AND WORK OF TRAINED
NURSES.
BY MISS EMILY ,1. MACDONNELL.
Snp't. of Nunes, Albany, N. V., Hospital.
IV.—Nursing Hie Insane.
The nursing of the nervous and insane
is not at present so popular a branch of
the profession as is general nursing.
This may be accounted for by several
reasons, one being that the character of
the work is not properly understood.
There iB an erroneous idea that anyone,
especially any trained nurse, can care
for the insane. This is far from being
the case. To intelligently and success'
fully minister to the mind diseased, re
quires special and careful training and
the very highest order of training and
the very highest order of woman. The
latter half of this century has seen
many changes and reforms, and nowhe e
were such more needed or their good re
sults more visible than in the care and
treatment of mental diseases. It is al
most impossible to realize that until
comparatively recently these were
treated by chains and whips, yet such
was the case until Christianity and
science opened men’s eyes. The "mad
house,” the "asylum,” the "hospital,”
such were the gradual changes. Not
titty years ago Bedlam (in London) had
a “show day,” admission one penny.
Then there was no attempt at cure or
treatment and but cruel “care.” The
patients were not classified; the vicious
criminal and the sensitive melancholic
were chained side by side, while, as for
the nursing, no respectable sane woman
was to be found among the attendants.
True, the world was never so wicked but
that some good woman could be found in
every condition of life, but as a rule
those in charge of the insane were of
the very lowest type.
The first training school for nurses of
the insane was founded by Dr. Edward
Cowles, at McLean Hospital, Waverly,
Mass., and is the progenitor of all others
now existing, here or abroad. Such
give a two years course of instruction,
granting a diploma on graduation. It
comprises a theoretical course on gen
eral nursing, and usually excellent
classes and lectures on their own spe
cialty. These open to the student the
nature of the disease with which she
has to come in daily contact, make her
observe and understand the principles
underlying her work. If she is an in
telligent woman the work becomes one
of absorbing interest to her. It is a
question whether all specialties cuch as
nervous diseases, children's diseases,
etc., should not come in nursing, aB
they do in the medical education, after
and not before, a general knowledge
has been obtained.
Now that many hospitals are adopting
the three years' training course, some
portion of the third year might profit
ably be spent in the study of nervous
patients. In connection with the two
year system, a post-graduate course of a
third year in an insane hospital would
add very much to the value of the nurse.
Much has been done in training schools
for nervous diseases, yet much remains
to be accomplished, and these are se
rious and important subjects for con
sideration.
Another reason for the lack of popu
larity of the work is the treatment of
the nurse. It is strange that those
whose business and life study it is to
deal with and bring back to health the
mind which has become diseased should
have so little consideration for the
healthy mind which comes to them for
a years’ training. Few insane hospitals
have nurses’ homes. In many of them
the nurses’ rooms are directly off the
wards, where, on or off duty, night or
day, they are never really free from
their patients. The meal times in a
general hospital, usually the merriest
hours of the twenty four, are in the in
sane hospital one continuous strain and
are likewise spent in company of the
patients.
Then, too, particularly in private asy
lums, the nurse is expected to do more
housework than she would in a general
hospital. We are often warned against
encroaching on the province of the phy
sician, but no one seems anxious about
our encroaching on the province of
housemaid or scrub-woman. Many
hospitals are now working on the eight
hour system, many more have the nine,
and it has repeatedly proved that a
nurse cannot stand over nine hours'
work and remain healthy, mentally and
physically; yet the nurse in the insane
hospital is on duty for from twelve to
fourteen hours, sometimes without any
hours for reet and recreation. Until
those whose business it is see that these
things are remedied the work of nurs
ing the insane will not become as popu
lar as it should be, nor hold its proper
rank in our profession.
A century ago Jacobi, the leading
German expert on ineanily, recognized
the fact that the ineane would not be
properly cared for until cared for
by women who served for the love
of God. The present-day woman, the
New Woman in the true sense of the
phrase, did not then exist, and the
woman of education and refinement did
not work for money, but sought the
protection of some religious order.
Were Jacobi living he would find many
brave, disinterested women in training
us nurses (or the insane.
There is somewhat to criticise in the
attitude of the general nurse toward
1 her sister of the asylum. Is there not a
lack of that Christian gccd fellowship
which should influence all our work?
Might not a little more intercourse be
of mutual benefit? The patient tact
fulness acquired in nursing the insane
is often the one thirg needed in the
otherwise competent general nurse,
and, for the practical side of the ques
tion, a nurse for the insane can always
command work and a good salary.
General nursing is beginning to sfaowr
si gns of overcrowding, but there ie still
plenty of work in this special field, and
notwithstanding the unselfish aim and
hi gh standard which may influence and
en courage the true nurse in her work, ,
it is only human and prudent that she
sh ould wish to mske it a financial suc
cess aejwell.
Albany, N. Y.
LETTER FROM JAPAN.
To tlie Editor of The Univkksalibt:
I feel much obliged if you will kindly
put on your paper the following:
There is a great hindrance for the
p regrets of the Christian work in Japan
by the opposing influence of conserva
tive party "koku sinhozon” and by this
r eaeon it is pretty difficult to make con
v erte as to the Christian membership.
But I doubt not that we are doing pretty
good work and influencing the people.
A few months ago 1 have had teaching
E nglish language for six school teachers
and sometimes the director of the
school told me that if he can adopt the
temperance in his school, then 1 ans
wered instantaneously: "You cannot
adopt the temperance without becom
ing ycureelf a Christian,” when all
other teachers sitting in the seme room
heartily laugh at.
The English Royal Reader is a
splendid book for Christian instruction
which I am using as the text book for
them and often arise the discussion
between them and myself about the
Christian theology. The director is a
m an of sweetest nature and he believes
the wise adaptation of nature and be
lieved there is a God, but others are
cold and indifferent. But when I had
a public speaking "on the social evil and
how to cure it” in the Christian Young
Men’s Association hall, in Osaka, on the
2nd of July they came in the spirit to.
assist me; they have a great sympathy
with me and with my work. As I am
going 10 America very likely next Sep
tember I have asked them to give me
their pictures which I may take to
America. One of them ask. J me if I will
t ake him to A merica with me he would
study some of the practical science like
electricity and he shall help my Chris
tian work in Japam.
1 have eight candidates besides regu
1 ar members and about thirty Sunday*
school children in every Sunday morn
ing, and my Japanese bouse employed
for the church is not sufficient, I wish
to have a hall which I may employ for
three purposes, that is one part for de
v otional service, and another part for
public social speaking, and still another
room for English teaching which is most
at tractive at present in Japan.
Three jears after (1900) under the
new treaty revision our government
will permit the intermix residence of
foreign people in any part of Japan and
at present foreign commerce are in
creasing day by day, especially in Osaka..
Young men feel the inconvenience of the
ignorance of the English. There are a
great demand of English teachers, and
government are willing tc pay a good
salary for them and so 1 am sure if 1
would have a school in the centre of the
city I shall a pretty many students to
wh om 1 expect to teach them the Bible
ev ery morning before regular English
co urse and on Sunday I shall invite
them all. In this or other way I will
influence them. In this purpose I am
going to America to raise money, can
I? The first rate scholar and the editor
of the Jiji Shimpo, in Tokio, Mr. Fuku
zawa, opposing to conservatism who
are rejecting Christianity and says in
his editorials in a few days ago: "Bud
dhism philosophy improved nothirg for
many ages but Christianity is trained
by the modern European science and
philosophy.” He wishes Japanese would
adopt Christianity instead Buddhism
which is entirely corrupted. I think as
Japanese character is too extreme no
doubt in some years after a great
change would come when they would
become Christian and in Sunday all
business suspended and every Christian
church era full of people; while old
Buddhist temples are empty with its
dreamy skepticism but remain as the
exampleof ancient tine art.
I remain Sir, yours truly,
H. Yoshimura.
Osaka, Japan. Aug. 2nd, 1897.
Rochester and Dr. Barrow.—The
famous Rochester one day met Dr,
Barrow in the park, and being deter
mined, as he said, to put down the rusty
piece of divinity, accosted him by tak
ing off his hat, and with a profound
bow, exclaimed: "Doctor, I am yours
to my shoe-tie.” The Doctor, preced
ing his aim, returned the salute with
equal ceremonv: "My lord, I am yours
to the ground.” Hie lordship then made
a deeper salaam, and said: "Doctor I
am yours to the centre.” Barrow re
plied, “My lord, I am yours to the an
tipodes,” on which Rochester made an
other attempt by exclaiming. "I am
yours to the lowest pit.” “There, my
lord, I leave you,” replied Barrow.