p. 16 | Japan by W. I. FOSTER

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 4, 1912

Japan

By W. I. FOSTER

APRIL 25 we shipped our tent from Nagasaki to Kumamoto and opened meetings the twenty-eighth near the center of the city. The attendance was quite good, and we held meetings until the rainy season began about June 1. A worker was left to follow the interest by Bible work and considerable good has been accomplished, but the results are not what we had hoped. It is quite easy to get people to study the Bible, and it is not so hard to convince them that there is a Creator and that they should worship him. More than that, I have seen strong men cry like children when they heard about the death of Christ for our sins. There is a very strong feeling in Japan, especially in the country, against Western religion, because they look upon it as treason or spiritual fornication not to worship the gods of their own land. To such we teach the creation, and get them to see that some great Being must have made not only the rest of the world, but Japan too; consequently, he is the true God. But the Japanese, like the Athenians, never knew him.

The Sabbath, however, is the test—banks, shipyards, schools, and such places close on Sunday; so it is not so hard for such Christians, but when a person begins to observe the Lord's Sabbath, he is cut off from almost every possible way of making a living. And the poor people can not buy land to make a living by farming; for it costs from one to five thousand dollars an acre. I hope much of our work in the future can be done among the country people who already have small homes.

We pitched our tent and opened meetings at Kagoshima July 3. Meetings there continued for forty days, carrying us into the very hottest weather, which seemed to exhaust every particle of energy we had. After that meeting, six were baptized.

By August 20, our furniture was packed and we moved from Kagoshima to Kumamoto. Houses are very scarce in Kumamoto and it required a week to find a place that serves the purpose of a house. The fact that we were not able to get a place for meetings within a mile of where our tent was pitched, is doubtless largely responsible for our failure to get a good company of believers in Kumamoto.

After spending a little time canvassing, meetings were again opened in another part of Kagoshima; but when we were just fairly started, a typhoon struck the

city, doing great damage to life and property. That night our tent was torn in two before it went down. The next day we repaired it, and pitched it again, using candles for lighting until the electric lights could be replaced. That effort also produced some good results.

October 10, meetings were opened in Sasebo, Japan's greatest naval port. Successful canvassing had been carried on here until Brother S. Miyake began Bible work during the summer of this year. We could hardly expect very much from a meeting though that had no lady worker, and our courage was none too good when we knew Brother Miyake, who began the work, would be removed as soon as the tent was taken down; but we had a good attendance of men until the weather became bad (the Japanese are dreadfully afraid of a little cold). It seemed unfortunate, too, that we were compelled to move our tent to another place after holding only twenty meetings. Near the place of our second ground we found a good house on the main street where we are holding meetings. We have also stored the tent here for the winter. We are having what might be considered a very good attendance. A few understand fully the binding obligations of the fourth commandment, but can not yet see their way, and lack the faith to take the first step. However, one has started, and we hope others will follow. W. I. FOSTER.