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Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2014

https://archive.org/details/seagirtyezoglimpOObatc

Cfje Artier

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EA-GIRT

ISEZO

Glimpses at Missionary Work in North Japan.

The Rev. JOHN BATCHELOR

(C.M.S. Missionary in Yezo),

AUTHOR OF "THE AINU OF JAPAN," "AINU FOLK LORE," ETC.

LONDON :

CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY,

SALISBURY SQUARE, E.C.
1902

PREFACE.

This book is written for young people and is intended to give a few
peeps at missionary work as carried on in the Hokkaido Jurisdiction
— North Japan. While it is largely autobiographical, it also gives
many short glimpses of various aspects both of the work of the
preacher and teacher and also of the psychological developmsnt of
the believer. Some of the things related may appear to be almost
incredible ; nevertheless they are perfectly true. There is much in
our Blessed Religion which, before experience, might be taken as
incredible. But missionary work means just a practical witnessing
for Christ, and therefore, to be logical, we must expect to find
wonderful things experienced in it. The day of miracles is not over,
for there are many spiritual miracles wrought at the present day
among the Heathen which only those engaged in this work are able
to see. These are to be regarded as seals and signs that the Gospel
is true. Miracles of conversion are recorded in this book, and it is
hoped that every young Reader may be led to regard them as such.
That the Master Himself may bless these pages to the Reader is the
earnest prayer of the Author.

Easter ; 1902.

CHAPTER I.

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF YEZO.

PAGE

Prefatory reinaiks — Meaning of the words Yezo and Hokkaido — Bishop Fyson —
Position, shape, and population of Yezo — The Ainu — Attitude towards Chris-

tianity — Reasons for Ainu idleness— Japanese and Ainu contrasted I

CHAPTER II.

god's care over his servants.

Salubrity of Yezo climate — Names of the Yezo missionaries — Divisions of the work —

Mr. Ito . 15

CHAPTER II F.

SUMMER PEsTS.

Flies — Mcsquitoes and ague — Mosquitoes killing bears — Mosquitoes in church — Gadflies
- — Horses and flies — A curious dish — Other vermin — A rat and Chief Penri's hair
— Chiel Penri and the viper ........... 25

CHAPTER IV.

WINTER TROUBLES.

Cold — A frozen river — Charcoal fires — Personal incidents — Beauties of winter — Mis-
sionary joys— Frozen milk — Frozen missionary — Blizzards - Hot-water bottles —
Deaths from freezing — Hail-stones ... . . . ■ • • 37

CHAPTER V.

THE BEAUTIES AND COMFORTS OF YEZO.

Yezo a beautiful place— Yezo plants — A garden — Birds of Yezo — Fishes — Animals —

Shoeing horses — Milking cows . . .... .... 53

Contents.

vii

CHAPTER VI.

THE BEGINNINGS OF MISSIONARY WORK IN YEZO.

PAGE

First services and Christians of Hakodate — Work among the Ainu commenced —
Studying the language —Stewed cat — -The seed growing secretly — The Holy
Spirit working quickly ..........

CHAPTER VII.

EARLY FRIENDS.

Mr. Terata — Mr. Sano — Mr. Murai— A serious accident at Arikawa — Mrs. Murai —

Mr. Jinno — Mrs. Watanabe — Drinking bath-water as a medicine — An old farmer . 70

CHAPTER VIII.

THE HAKODATE FIRE AND FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE WORK.

The church bell — A man under the pulpit — C. M.S. church and house burnt down —

Conversation about missionaries — Preaching-places ...... 84

CHAPTER IX.

METHODS OF WORK.

Need for patience — Curious mistakes — How churches are formed — Curious questions — •
.i^— Sunday-schools — A child preacher— A Christ-like boy — A little peace-maker —

Night-schools — Medical work — Sapporo " Rest " ...... 94

CHAPTER X.

DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF BECOMING CHRISTIANS.

Difficulties — Conversion as God's work —An early mistake — Some difficulties —About

false gods and demons ........... 107

CHAPTER XI.

THE HARVEST.

The joy of winning souls — The Gospel unintentionally preached — Gradual growth —

Rapid growth— Charms or amulets — Conclusion . . . . . . .114

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE I

Chief Penri and his companions Frontispiece
The Right Rev. Bishop Fyson . . 5
Map of the Hokkaido, or Yezo . . 6
Boiling sulphur springs ... 7
Ainu boys at farming work, Hakodate

Mission-school .... 9
A pathway in Japan . . . .10
An Ainu bear-hunter . . . .11
The man who was afraid to manure my

garden . . . . . .12

A Japanese farm labourer . . .13
An Ainu in his canoe . . . .14

Port of Hakodate . . . .16

Lads with goats at the Ainu school,

Hakodate iS

Mission buildings, Otaru . . .19
Piratori Church . . . .20

Hakodate, showing new church . . 22
Group taken at devotional meeting,

Hakodate, 1899 .... 23
A mountain view in Japan ... 28
Travelling in Japan . . . .30
A missionary with his bicycle . 31

A village scene ..... 33
Exterior of Ainu hut . ... 34
Children snowballing . . . -37
Japanese boy with snowball . . 37
Winter snows in Japan ... 39
General view of Hakodate in winter 40, 41
In a Japanese house : visitor saying

good-bye ....
Japanese country-women
A blizzard in Japan
The church at Sapporo
Mr. and Mrs. tlanda and child .
A little Ainu boy
Japanese carpenters at work

43
44
47
5°
5i
59
60

Japanese girls carrying babies

Ainu Christian family at Piratori

Japanese children at lessons

Buddhist priests ....

Amida, a picture-idol .

Hakodate thirty y« ars ago .

The Rev. D. T. Terata with his wife
and son ....

A Japanese gentleman

Japanese Buddhist priest at morning
prayer .....

Buddhist priest at prayer .

Image of Buddha

A Japanese lantern

A Japanese lady in winter dress .

The second Hakodate church

Group of Ainu Christians and cate-
chumens outside preaching-place,
Piratori .....

Interior of an Ainu hut

Two Ainu children

Heathen village children

Maria, an Ainu Christian worker

A Christian Japanese family at
meal .....

The Rev. J. Batchelor with Ainu

Dr. Colborne in the dispensary
Hakodate

A crippled Ainu

Hospital Rest-house, Sapporo

An Ainu with his offering .

Japanese idols

An Ainu man

Three Japanese idols .

Japanese mother and child .

Women's charms

Miscellaneous 1, 3, 15, 25, 35, 53, 55, 57,

SEA-GIRT YEZO.

CHAPTER I.

CONCERNING THE ISLAND OF YEZO.

" Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature."

St. Mark xvi. 15.

OU will notice that I have headed this chapter, " Con-
cerning the Island of Yezo." And I will tell you at
once that the purpose of the whole book is to give
information about the work of the Church Missionary
Society for Jesus Christ in that part of the world.

It is written by one who has been engaged in this Mission almost
from its commencement, and contains only such matters as have
been gathered out of his own experience. The people mentioned
in it have all been personal friends, and the incidents recorded are
only those which have come under his own eye.

" Yezo ! Let me think now. I have heard of that place some-

Questions.

where ! Where is it ? What kind of a land is it ? Is the country
called by the name of Yezo a beautiful one, and is it hot or cold
there ? Is it wet or dry ? Is it healthy or unhealthy ? What sort
of people live there ? Are the natives white or black ? — white like
ourselves, or black like the Negroes ? Are they yellow like the
Chinese, or copper-coloured like the Red Indians ? Are they mild
and gentle in disposition like some of the tribes of Africa, or are
they savage and cruel like the head-hunters of Formosa and the
Dyaks of Borneo ? Are they short and stumpy like the Central
African dwarfs, or tall and straight like the big Sikhs of India ?
Do they go about naked like some of the people of the Upper Nile,
or do they clothe themselves as thickly as the Eskimo of the
Arctic regions ? And are they few or many in number ? What,
too, has the Church Missionary Society done among them in the
past, and what is being done by the Society now ? How many
missionaries have been sent to the people, and what are their
names ? Where are their stations ? Do the inhabitants of the
island listen readily to the Gospel message ? How many of them
have professed faith in the Lord Jesus ? Have they any churches ?
If so, are they well attended ? "

The reader may perhaps feel inclined to ask many of these
questions, and various others like them. If so, I will inform him
at once that they are the very things this little book desires to
speak to him about, so that if he will have the patience to read it
carefully through, I think he will find most of them answered before
he gets to the end.

The name Yezo is most likely of Ainu origin, and, if so, the
word means " abounding in game." It is a name which was
formerly applied to an island in far-away North Japan, and was
probably given to it by the Ainu because in olden times there were
many herds of deer and large numbers of bears, wolves, foxes, hares,

and otters, as well as multitudes of other animals living among the
mountains and upon the plains. And besides these, there was
plenty of wild fowl, such as ducks, greebe, geese, and swans, and
swarms of salmon and abundance of other fishes along the sea-coast
and in the rivers and lakes.

Since the Japanese have crossed to this island the name has been
changed, so that the place is now called Hokkaido. This word is
of Chinese origin, and means " Northern-sea-circuit." If any one
desires to know how it is that a Japanese island has a Chinese
name given to it, he must remember that the Japanese have
borrowed the characters or letters with which to write the names of
their islands, cities, towns, and villages from their Chinese neigh-
bours. They did this because they formerly had no suitable writing
of their own to do it with. But it must not be imagined that
because they have Chinese names therefore the places belong to

B 2

The Name Yezo.

China, for this is not so by any
means. So far as is known, no
part of the Japanese Empire,
Formosa excluded, ever belonged
to China.

Hokkaido is a more comprehen-
sive term than Yezo. That is to
say, it embraces more, for it in-
cludes the Kurile Islands, and
several others besides Yezo in it.
The Kurile Islands lie off the
north-eastern and the other islands
off the western coasts. Only the
older name, i.e. Yezo, is used in this
book, and it is meant to cover
all the C.M.S. work in the Hok-
kaido Jurisdiction, whether it be
in Yezo proper or in the adjacent
islands just mentioned.

There is just another fact which
ought to be mentioned perhaps
before proceeding, and it is 'this.
The name Yezo used also to be
applied to the northern portions
of the Main Island of Japan. And
not only so, but it is also the name by which the ancient Japanese
knew the Ainu. Yezo was the Fatherland and Yezo-jin was the
Ainu race, so that in use it is very like England and English.

It will be noticed that I have called Hokkaido a "Jurisdiction."
This is a very long word, to be sure, but many of my readers will,
of course, know that the use of this word implies someone in

Mixed Japanese and Chinese Writing.

Bishop of Hokkaido.

authority in Yezo to oversee the work, and, therefore, will
perhaps ask, " But is there a Bishop in Yezo ? If so, what
is his name ? " To these questions I can happily answer,
"Yes, we have our Bishop; and his name is Bishop Fyson."
Bishop Fyson was the first and only C.M.S. missionary ever
sent to Niigata. This was many years ago. After living and
working in that city
for several years,
Mr. Fyson went to
Tokyo, and* then to
Osaka and Yoko-
hama. He did a
great deal of work in
translating the Holy
Bible and Prayer-
book into Japanese.
It was in the year
1896 that he was
appointed Bishop of
Hokkaido. We all
considered ourselves
especially fortunate
in having him set
over us, and when
he came amongst us
he was welcomed
most sincerely both
by English and Ja-
panese alike. The
fact of our having a
Bishop will help to

The Right Rev. Bishop Fyson.

As Large as Ireland.

show you that Yezo is considered to be an important missionary
centre.

If you will refer to the map I now give, you will see that Yezo is
divided from the mainland of Japan by a narrow strait. This strait
is less than fifteen miles across at one place. In size the island is
about as large as Ireland, and although so small, as compared
with the rest of Japan, it forms a most important portion of the

Volcanoes and Sulphur Springs.

Emperor's dominions. Close to it is situated a place called Sag-
halien, which is a Russian convict station, and lies off the coasts of
Siberia. The herbs, trees, and flowers, and also the birds, fishes,
and animals of Yezo, are like those found in England and other parts
of Europe, and do not resemble those to be seen elsewhere in Japan,
which are similar to the kinds found in Asia. By this you will
understand that Yezo is very much like home, and is a sub-region
of Europe. It is more mountainous than Great Britain, however,
and a little hotter in summer and slightly colder during the winter
months. And, besides, it has a large number of volcanoes, and
many sulphur and other kinds of mineral hot springs upon it.
Earthquakes, too, though not often severe, are somewhat frequent.

Please look at the map once again. You will see by it that
the island may, without any very great stretch of imagination, be
said to resemble
a ray-fish in
shape. It has PF
a population of
a little more
than a million
Japanese and
just under six-
teen thousand
Ainu living on it.
The word Ainu
(pronounced
I-nu in English)
means " man "
or " men," and
is the name by

which the abo- Boiling Sulphur Springs.

Ainu Decreasing.

rigines of Japan know themselves. When I say that the Ainu are
the "aborigines of Japan," I mean that they formerly inhabited
the whole of Japan, and were, therefore, once much more numerous
than they are to-day.

The Japanese are increasing very fast on the island, for thousands
upon thousands of them migrate here from the main islands of
the Mikado's Empire every year. But the poor Ainu are gradually
dying out ; and indeed I do not suppose there will be many true
Ainu left in fifty years' time, while their language will, I think, have
become almost a thing of the past within twenty years. This seems
to us to be a great pity, for it is always sad to hear of a race of
people becoming quite extinct. But God has permitted it for some
wise reason, of which we are. at present ignorant. Perhaps we shall
know all about it some day, at the end of time, for it is God, and
God only, Who allows these things to come to pass.

" But are the people, Japanese and Ainu too, favourable to the
Gospel of their salvation ? " It is a great joy to us to be able to
answer " Yes " to this question. It is true, indeed, that we now and
then meet one or two who are against it, as in other parts of Japan ;
but this is almost always because they do not understand its meaning
and object. But for the most part the people are certainly in
favour of it. We therefore rejoice, well knowing what the result
must be, namely, the salvation of many souls for ever.

Yezo has a rich soil in many places, and God has been pleased to
place much mineral wealth in the island. The Japanese are among
the wisest of people, and are very pushing and thrifty ; while, sad to
say, the Ainu are far less active and much less thoughtful for the
future. They do not appear to have any very great desire for
anything beyond the immediate present, and therefore do not exert
themselves more than they are obliged to do. And as for turning
to and developing the country, why, they have never thought of
such a thing ! I am now speaking of the majority of the people,

Diligent Christians. 9

who, as you know, are Heathen. But the Christians are different,
for these have learned to take a real interest in their work and are
trying to make some little provision for the future. It is because
the Japanese are more active and thoughtful than the Ainu that

Ainu Boys at farming work, Hakodate Mission School.

they come to Yezo in such large numbers and are so prosperous.
Indeed, one cannot help saying that they work so well and act so
thriftily that they deserve to prosper.

" But," perhaps you will ask, "what do they work at ? " To this
I reply : Some of them come to seek gold, lead, copper, silver, or

A Mountainous Countri

Japanese Industries in Yezo.

i i

coal in the various mines ; others take up fishing stations along the
sea-coast, where they catch many kinds of fish, such as salmon, cod,
herrings, sardines, as well as sharks, dolphins, and even sea-leopards
and whales. These they dry and export to other parts of Japan
and also to China. Many thousands of tons of herrings and sardines
are boiled upon the coast as soon as caught and thoroughly pressed
in wooden frames. The oil thus extracted from them is used for
lighting and lubricating purposes, while the solid parts make guano,
which is exported to Southern Japan for use on the rice-fields.
Thousands of Japanese make a good living out of this industry.
Some, again, come to cut down timber for sale, of which there is an
enormous quantity. Tens of thousands of sleepers are sent from
here for the railways in China every year. Matches are also made
out of the poplar-
trees and, I hear,
find their way to
the remote parts
of India, China,
and even Burma.
Other Japanese
come and settle
down and farm the
land around their
homes. It is a
great pleasure to
see the country
being gradually
developed in this
way. Twenty- five
years ago one used

to find it very An A!nu Bear-hunter.

Rel igio us Djffic ul ties .

monotonous sometimes, or even quite tedious, I am afraid, to be
obliged to ride on horseback along a small bridle-path through miles
upon miles of forest with scarcely any clearings to relieve the view ;
it was often very lonely as well as trying to the eyes. At that
time the Japanese population did not exceed two hundred and thirty
thousand souls for the whole of Yezo, and the Ainu somewhere

about twenty thousand. This
latter race never cultivated any
gardens to speak of, and as for
digging and manuring them, that
was altogether out of the question.
For it must be remembered that
the Ainu have always been hunters
and fishermen. Their villages,
too, are small and very far apart
in some cases. Nor have they in
any way developed the mines ; in-
deed, they did not even know what
a mine was till the Japanese came
among them. I used to think it
very wrong of the Ainu not to
make better gardens for them-
The Man who was afraid to manure my selves, and was under the impres-
Garden - sion that it was idleness which

kept them from doing so. But in this I was quite wrong. It was
really not idleness that stood in the way, but religion. Thus, for
example, had the ancient Ainu known the value of iron and other
minerals and how to work them, they could not have made mines, be-
cause their religion taught them that by digging deep holes in the earth
they would be disturbing the gods and demons who, it was supposed,
resided there. If they were disturbed the people thought they would

Insulting the Gods.

come out and punish them with
all kinds of evil. It was just the
same thing with regard to digging
the gardens, for they believed that
by doing so they would be in-
sulting the gods who they fancy
watch over the land.
In this way you will
see how the heathen
religions do in some
cases and in some
matters prevent pro-
gress and prosperity.
One old man once re-
fused to put manure
on my garden be-
cause he was, he
said, afraid of offend-
ing the gods.

It seemed right and
natural under such
circumstances that
the Japanese should
come and develop the
good land the Ainu
have thus so long
neglected, though
one cannot but feel
very sorry when one
sees a race, ancient
and gentle as this is, slowly ebbing away. God has given the

A Japanese Farm Labourer.

A Remnant Saved.

land to man to make use of, and it appears to be one of His
own unchanging laws that if man will not use the talents He has
given him they shall be taken away and given to another. Thus
it is that the Ainu are now suffering the loss of their Father-
land in Yezo as they have done in the other parts of this good
Empire of Japan. Let us lay this rule to heart and try to make the
very best use we can of our opportunities, whatever they may be.
Let us give God thanks and praise for His wonderful love and
mercy in having saved a remnant of this race before it has passed
off the earth for ever. And let us be very thankful that our religion
does not hinder human progress, but advances it by giving us the
true knowledge of God and our salvation.

An Ainu in his Canoe.

CHAPTER II.

god's care over his servants.

" But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." — St. Matt. x. 30.

S Yezo a healthy place to live in ? Can the missionaries
stand the climate there well, or is it dangerous to their
life, like some parts of Africa ? " In answer to such
questions as these I will say at once, and without any
doubt at all on the matter, that there is nothing to fear here on
that score. Indeed, every one who visits Yezo admits most readily
that this part of God's world is blessed with a very invigorating
and healthy climate, and that the winters are particularly bracing.
It is the very place for those missionaries to come and reside
for work who are unable to bear the heat of warmer climes
with any degree of comfort or without injury to their health.
This is a fact well known by the headquarters staff of our own
Society at Salisbury Square, and is recognized by the Europeans
who reside in such places as Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagasaki
in Japan, as well as by those who live in Shanghai and Hong Kong

Cool Breezes.

Port of Hakodate.

in China. Sometimes merchants and army officers come all the
way from India to recruit themselves in the delightfully cool breezes
of Yezo. Many of the missionaries at present on this island, as well
as some few who have gone elsewhere, are standing proofs of the
salubrity of the climate. I will mention a few examples of this.

The Rev. J. Williams, who is now labouring for the Master in
Hiroshima, was invalided home to England from Kisulutini in East
Africa in the year 1875. In 1876 he came to Yezo, where, by the
gracious favour of God, he soon recovered his wonted good health,
and is now one of Japan's veteran missionaries, having had many
years of service in various parts of this land. Upon arrival here he

A Good Climate.

was stationed at Hakodate, which at that time was the Society's
headquarters and had a population of about forty thousand inhabi-
tants. This city has grown so much since that time that the people
now living in it number more than seventy-eight thousand. It has
always been an important place because of its harbour and position,
c j that almost from its commencement as a mere fishing hamlet it
has been the mercantile capital of the island. Before the whole of
the Japanese Empire was open to Americans and Europeans,
Hakodate was the only open port' at which foreign ships might call
or in which foreigners were allowed to reside. Its harbour, though
small, is one of the finest in all Japan.

After Mr. Williams, the writer himself was called upon to migrate
to Yezo. This took place in Ma} 7 , 1876, and was owing to a severe
attack of fever while living in Hong Kong. When he left that place
he was unable to walk without the aid of a stick, but by the blessing
of our Father in heaven, the air of this island soon set things to
rights, so that he was not long here before being able to throw his
stick away, and has enjoyed good health almost ever since. At
first he was placed in Hakodate, but latterly his station has been
Sapporo, which is the official capital of the island. The population
of this city is at the present time about forty thousand. The Rev.
W. Andrews, who is now our hard-working Secretary at Hakodate,
is another standing proof of the good climate of Yezo. He was
obliged to leave Nagasaki and come here because the damp and
heat of Southern Japan did not agree with his constitution. The
northern air, however, soon made him stronger, so that he has
been working here for the Master since the year 1882. Then in
1897, Dr. Colborne, whose health failed him in South China,
arrived at Hakodate, where he and his wife are doing a most excellent
work among the poorer classes of the Japanese. Nor must we forget
the lady invalids. Miss L. Payne found the climate of India too

1 8 Health Restored.

trying for her, and therefore came to Yezo. For many years she
has been established at Kushiro, working most indefatigably among
the Japanese and Ainu in that district. Miss Tapson, too, who is
doing such excellent work in Hakodate, was invalided from Osaka
to Yezo in the year 1891. The Lord has greatly blessed her and
given her many souls. Let us thank Him for this. No doubt,
therefore, some of us Yezo missionaries have at one time or other
been a sorry-looking people, pulled down as we were by weakness
and sickness ; but by God's goodness we all got better, and not one
of us, I believe, ever regrets having been transferred here. God had

< 1

Lads with Goats at the Ainu School, Hakodate.

Mission Buildings, Otaru.

need of us in this land, and that is why He sent us here. Our ill-
nesses were His messages directing us to our present work. It was
because He did not need us where we were first sent that He
appointed each one of us to the place in which he or she now is.
We accept His directing, and are happy to know that He is our
Guide; and that His Word is true which says, " The very hairs of
your head are all numbered."

But do not let it be supposed that all the Yezo missionaries came
here because they were too ill to live anywhere else in the mission-
field, for such is not the case. Thus, for example, the Rev. W.
Dening, who was the very first C.M.S. missionary to this island, was
sent from Madagascar in the year 1874, being in a very strong and
healthy condition. Though not now belonging to our Society, he is
still residing in Japan. Then, in 1893, Mr. and Mrs. Nettleship
came from South Japan in good health, and are residing at

c 2

Workers in Yezo.

Piratori Church.

Hakodate, where Mr.
Nettleshiphas charge
of a school for Ainu
lads. In 1894 the
Rev. G. C. Niven
was sent to us from
England, Mrs. Niven
coming out later.
Their station is at
Otaru (see picture on
page 19), on the west
coast of the island,
an important seaport
with a population of
about fifty-eight thou-
sand souls. Kami-
kawa is in this district, a city which has thirteen thousand
inhabitants. In 1896 the Rev. D. M. Lang joined us, and he is in
charge of the Kushiro district. The town of Kushiro itself has a
population of about eleven thousand, while Nemuro, which is in this
district, has about the same number. In 1896 Miss E. M. Bryant
was sent to Sapporo, and, after studying the language, went to
live among the Ainu at Piratori, where she has done much good
among the people of that district. In the year following Miss
A. M. Hughes came to Sapporo, where she has since been working
very acceptably for Christ, particularly among the women "and
children. Then, in 1898, Miss Jex-Blake joined Miss Tapson at
Hakodate ; and lastly, in 1901, Nurse Evans, who was formerly of
Matsuye, on the east coast of the Main Island, has come'toi labour
with Dr. and Mrs. Colborne. All of these are now in the t field.
There have been, however, a few others who are not now with us.

Four Districts.

2 I

By all this it will be seen that our Society has by no means
neglected this part of the world. And it would be very easy to show
also that the Lord has blessed the labours of His servants' hands
abundantly. He has been very good, and is always found true to
His promises to those who fully trust Him.

The C.M.S. first began work on this island in the year 1S74. At
that time there was only one missionary and his family here, and
with the exception of one Japanese gentleman whom the missionary
brought with him from Nagasaki as helper, there were no Native
Christians belonging to our Society in Yezo. Since then the work
has grown so large that the Diocese of Hokkaido has been divided
up into four districts. The centres of these districts are as
follows : — (1) Hakodate, in the charge of the Rev. W. Andrews ;
(2) Sapporo, in the charge of the Rev. J. Batchelor ; (3) Otaru, in
the charge of the Rev. G. C. Niven ; and (4) Kushiro, in the charge
of the Rev. D. M. Lang; while Bishop Fyson superintends the
whole. At the end of last year (1901) there were about 2300
Japanese and Ainu Christians living, while some hundreds have since
the commencement of this Mission gone to join the glorified Church
in heaven. Counting the native helpers with the foreign, there
is a little army of workers numbering fifty-five persons. Among
them are two Japanese clergymen. The first of these is the Rev. T.
Ogawa, who is stationed at a town called Esashi, which is about
thirty-five miles towards the north-west of Hakodate, and has a
population of about twelve thousand souls ; but one is sorry to say
that the people residing in that district are very bigoted, so that Mr.
Ogawa necessarily finds that a good deal of steady, prayerful patience
and perseverance is required of him. The second Japanese clergyman
is Mr. Ito, who lives at Hakodate. Of his ordination the Rev. W.
Andrews wrote in 1899 as follows : —

"The principal events at Hakodate during the past year have

22 A Prominent Building.

Hakodate, showing new Church.

been the rebuilding of the church and the ordaining of the pastor to
the office of deacon.

"The congregation of Hakodate having grown too large for the
old building, it was decided to pull down and rebuild, with the result
that on September 24th the fifth church that has been built in
Hakodate since the work was commenced was opened. It stands
towering above all the surrounding houses, its tall white steeple
and pointed roof making it a prominent object in this large town of
seventy thousand.

" Ito San, who was ordained deacon on September 24th — the same
day that the new church was opened — was on that very day, eight
years ago, baptized ; a small circumstance, perhaps, but one more
than sufficient to make us rejoice and trust in the Hand of Him Who

2 4

A Japanese Clergyman.

maps out for each of His children his course through life. Thus,
at the opening service in the new church, we not only had the
Ordination Service, followed by the Holy Communion, and in the
afternoon a baptism, when eight were admitted into the visible
Church, but on the Monday the first funeral, and on Tuesday the
first wedding. This was the more strange, seeing that in a congre-
gation of about thirty-five families, funerals and weddings are
naturally not very frequent."

Miss Tapson, also writing about the same matter, says : — " The
thankfulness for having Mr. Ito as our pastor only grows as time
goes on, and we all rejoiced in his ordination. I was present at his
baptism at Tate eight years ago, and he and his wife are old friends.
It is good to be able to consult the pastor about the work and feel
sure of an unprejudiced sympathy, and of a careful consideration of
the point in question. His Bible-readings for Christians at their
own houses four nights in the week are much liked by them, and
they must mean the strengthening and building up of the Church."

Mr. Ito has since been ordained priest, and has now full and
entire care of one of the churches and districts in Hakodate. This
is a great answer to prayer, and I consider it a very blessed
privilege to have been in this Mission almost from the beginning,
and so seen the gradual growth of the Church from its childhood
to manhood.

Thus, then, has the Lord Jesus blessed His cause in Yezo ; and
we rejoice and give Him thanks. We know, too, that He will
bestow a yet fuller measure of blessing in the future, and thank
Him, too, for that. Further details of the work, and how the seed
grows in the heart and life, will be more fully explained in the
chapters which follow.

CHAPTER III.

SUMMER PESTS.

He sent divers sorts of flies among them." — Ps. lxxviii. 45.

O doubt the words placed at the head of this chapter
on the " Summer Pests" of Yezo will take the reader's
mind back to the ten plagues of Egypt as recorded in
Exodus. And truly the number of flies one meets
with and is , pestered by, while executing the duties of a mis-
sionary on this island, has often made me think of the plague of
flies. Now, while writing of some other things, it is chiefly of
these pests that I wish to speak in this chapter.

" How do you like Japan ? Do you not find it very hot there ? "
These are questions which are often put to missionaries returning
home on furlough. No doubt the central and southern portion of
this Empire, though not tropical, are very hot places to live in
during the summer months, and many people can hardly reside
there without injury to their health. But we are glad to be able to
report that this is not the case with regard to Yezo. The ther-
mometer sometimes runs up to a little over ninety degrees of heat in

Mosquito Troubles.

the shade for a few days in August, but with the exception of
about three weeks the nights are for the most part beautifully
cool ; while the spring and autumn are never too hot. The
worst worries that have to be experienced in the summer time
are such things as mosquitoes, gad-flies, a tiny black fly the
Japanese call buyo but which I believe we know in England
by the name of midge, and some other small insects. The
mosquitoes are very real nuisances, and in spite of the nets
put up to defend us from them they often cause us sleepless
nights. They get through the meshes of the net in the earlier part
of the night when their bodies are thin and slim through fasting all
day, and while inside they forthwith grow fat by feeding on the poor
missionary. Indeed, so corpulent do they become that it is impos-
sible for them to get out through the meshes again, chase them as
we may. The morning, however, is the time for vengeance, for one
has then the very great satisfaction of killing them. But night is
not the only time they attack us, for even in the daytime one has
often been obliged to wear a net over one's head to keep them off,
particularly when passing through swampy country. As the land
becomes drained and is brought under cultivation, these pests seem
to become much' fewer ; in the damp and densely wooded districts,
however, they are exceedingly numerous, and their stings are very
sharp and venomous. It is said by some that the stings of mos-
quitoes cause fever. I do not know how this is, I am sure, in other
countries, but I cannot say that the missionaries of Yezo, though
frequently'stung by them, experience any fever. I believe that only
two have fever as a regular thing, and they both brought it with
them from China, so that it cannot be traced to Yezo mosquitoes.
Ague, it is true, is very rife in some parts of Yezo, but I believe
this is due to bad drinking-water. Ague is not at all a pleasant
complaint to be afflicted with, but, bad though it be, it is rather

An Uncomfortable Complaint.

uncomfortable than dangerous. I have seen whole villages of
people down with it during the summer months, and have myself
suffered among the rest. According to my own experience there is
first a little chill or cold shiver down the back, accompanied by a
desire to stretch oneself and to yawn a great deal. Then there is an
hour of bitter cold shivering, followed by another of high fever.
After this has passed off one perspires for an hour. That appears to
be the end of the attack, excepting that it is all followed by a general
weakness and bad headache. This kind of thing takes place every
two or three days as regularly as clockwork, though there are some
bad cases in which it occurs every day. It is necessary, therefore,
to carry a good supply of quinine about with one, for this has proved
to be a certain cure for ague among us. Twelve grains a day for
about ten days, in four-grain doses, always works a cure for the time
being.

It is said by the Ainu that mosquitoes and other flies are so fierce
in some localities that they have been known to attack and kill even
bears. This may appear to be somewhat difficult to believe, and,
indeed, I could not believe it myself for many years. Yet it was
positively asserted to be a fact by men in whom I could thoroughly
trust, and whose word I had no right to doubt. I know now that
it is quite true since I have been told how it happens. The way
is very simple and takes place as follows. You must suppose
there are two ranges of mountains some twenty or thirty miles
apart, having a swampy plain with a few sluggish streams in it
between them, and that the plain is covered with tall sedge and
reeds — there are several such places in Yezo. Then suppose a
bear on one range wishes to get across to the other, he walks
down into the plain and commences his journey ; or he may get
into the plain through chasing some other animal he desires for
food, such as a horse or deer. Before he has got very far the

Mosquitoes Attack Bruin.

A Mountain View in Japan.

mosquitoes attack him about the eyes, ears, and nose. When the
eyes are stung they very quickly begin to swell up. This being so,
Bruin commences to rub and scratch first one eye and then the
other with his great paws, till in the end he makes them smart and
bleed. The more he scratches the more they swell and give pain,
and the more the blood flows the thicker come the mosquitoes. The
final result is that the poor animal becomes quite blind and also mad
with rage. There is no help for him when this stage has been
reached, for the flies now have it all their own way, and never cease
stinging him till, having completely lost his way among the swamps,
the bear dies of exhaustion and starvation. Such a tale as this will

Gadflies.

show at once what dreadful creatures mosquitoes are where they are
most numerous.

They are a great worry also in our prayer-meetings and church
services. It disturbs the worshipper when he is obliged to be con-
tinually smacking his own ankles, neck, face, or hands in vain
attempts to slay these tormentors. Nor is it always pleasant for the
officiating minister to hear and see first one and then another of his
audience trying to kill them. However, one gets more or less used
to these things in time, so that they do not cause so much distraction
in the end as one might perhaps imagine. We have to take them
as a matter of course, for we have learnt to expect them, and should
think it wonderful if they did not put in an appearance at our
meetings.

The gadflies are also almost unbearable in some localities. They
are as large as hornets, and can sting through fairly thick clothing.
Nor is their sting always of a light kind and to be treated indiffer-
ently ; sometimes it proves to be of a very dangerous character.
I once knew a gentleman who was stung on the foot by one of these
pests. The sore became so bad that he was unable to put his
foot to the ground for more than three months. These creatures
also persecute the poor horses mercilessly, making them so wild
that it is far from pleasant to ride them. More than once have
I had my horse become unmanageable, and either dart away
suddenly with me into the forests, or shoot me, without any pre-
vious warning, clear over his head ; and all owing to the dreadful
gadflies.

It is astonishing what an amount of instinct for self-preservation
horses have had given them by their beneficent Creator, and it is
instructive to notice how they put this gift to its proper use. Many
of these animals are suffered to roam about the mountains in a semi-
wild state. These congregate together and migrate to the seashore

3°

Horses' Instinct.

when the flies are most troublesome. Here they walk a little way
into the salt water and stand fasting all day, only coming out at
night or in rough, windy weather to feed. Flies do not like wet or
rough weather, or the sea air, and the worst of them, excepting the
mosquitoes, appear for the most part to sleep during the night. It
is at such times that the horses return to their pastures to feed.
There is one good thing, however, about the habits of these terrible
pests, the gadflies, which is worth a traveller's knowing, and that is
that they do not like dark places. A horseman may therefore get a
little rest for his beast during the day by putting it into a darkened
lodge or stable.

It is necessary for the Yezo missionaries to do a good deal of
their travelling on horseback ; some missionaries make good use

Travelling in Japan.

A Missionary with his Bicycle.

3 2

What was it?

also of a bicycle. The horses are not very large, and are what we
should call ponies, but, notwithstanding this, they are very sturdy and
have extraordinarily strong mouths, and equally strong wills of their
own. They are very fond also of lying down in the water when the
weather is warm. I know a missionary who has more than once sud-
denly found himself standing in a couple of feet or so of water, holding
the reins of his horse, while the latter has been lying down, doing his
best to roll and get cool. His luggage has also been treated in the same
way. This is very inconvenient, for on opening the baskets after such a
soaking his sugar is found melted, tea and bread spoilt, books rendered
useless, and clothes wet through. After such a thing has happened,
one generally has to do a little fasting, unless one can stand Japanese
or Ainu food. On one occasion, after having had all his luggage
ducked near to a Japanese village, the missionary went into an inn
to get his goods dried, and, as he was hungry and it was about
noon, he at the same time asked for his dinner. It was not long
before the dinner came. It consisted of a very nice-looking little
bird and some cold rice. He thought the bird was a woodcock, and
ate it up with great relish. When it was all gone he turned to the
lad who waited on him and asked him what bird it was he had just
eaten, adding that it was very nice. " Oh," said he, " that was a
little chicken. It took ill yesterday and died." Think of the poor
missionary's surprise ! He did not say anything, though he doubtless
thought a very great deal. It is best in these places not to ask too
many questions about what one is eating. A more funny thing than
this happened to the same missionary once. It was this. His cook
came in to him one morning and said he thought the master had
better have a fowl for dinner that day. On asking him why, he
explained that one of the fowls was in a dying condition — in fact,
could hardly stand, and unless it was killed and eaten at once it
would be too late. The cook was quietly informed that he might

11 All Fools 1 Day."

have that fowl for his own dinner ! It was accepted with
thanks.

The Yezo ponies have thrown me several times, but I think the
cruellest thing one ever did was to lie down in the middle of a river
with me on the ist of April one year. While in the water I
instinctively cast my eyes round to see if any one was looking. I
remembered what day it was, and felt particularly foolish. But I
was very glad to comfort myself with the idea that neither the horse
nor people knew anything about "All Fools' Day."

But to return to the Yezo pests. The midges, though troublesome,
are not so bad as the mosquitoes and gadflies. They are very tiny,
and are fond of attacking the eyes, though they also bite any
other exposed part of the body. Wherever they bite they make a
round puncture, out of which the blood trickles profusely. I have
often seen the people returning from their gardens at the end of the

day having
the expos-
e d parts
of their
bodies cov-
ered with
blood,
caused by
the bites
of these
d r e a d fu 1
little crea-
tures. Per-
sons have
also poi-

Exterior of Ainu Hut. SOned a

Not Pleasant !

hand or foot through scratching the places where they have been
bitten by them, for the bites cause so much irritation that it is
almost impossible not to scratch the parts attacked.

Now, perhaps, you may wonder why I have told you all these
things. Well, they have been mentioned only that you may see
something of a missionary's life just as it is, for part of that life
consists, in so far as Yezo is concerned, in trying to protect one's
self from and killing mosquitoes, gadflies, midges, and other pests.

In many of the country inns one stays at for the
night the fleas, too, are so uncommonly vicious that
it is sometimes quite impossible to sleep. But those
in the Ainu huts are ten times more lively and
numerous, and often much larger. Earwigs are also
a nuisance unless a person is watchful, for it is anything but pleasant
to find them inside of one's socks when putting them on in the
morning. Nor, once more, is it pleasant to have rats walking over
one during the night, as sometimes has happened in Ainu huts.
They became so bad once upon a time that the present writer found
it necessary to have traps set close to his ears. They were not set
in vain, for rats of no mean size were caught.

There are also other kinds of vermin which it is not necessary to
mention here, as well as snakes and vipers. I will tell you of two
things which happened to Chief Penri, an Ainu chief, in whose hut
it was my privilege to stay for many months. One night, when
lights were put out and we were all fast asleep, Chief Penri gave a
horrible scream. The noise was so terrible that I got up from my
sleeping-place to see what was the matter, and to offer help if
necessary. He also arose, and after a good deal of conversation we
were obliged to come to the conclusion that a rat had either taken a
fancy to a mouthful of his head for supper, or wanted some of his
hair to line its nest with ; for it was certain, said he, that someone

D 2

Chief Penri and Snakes.

(and here he gave me a meaning look with his bright eyes) or some-
thing had given his hair a most dreadful pull. The second thing is
this. I noticed one day that the old man had lost two of his toes.
Upon asking him how that happened he informed me that a viper
had suddenly sprung upon him as he was walking along a path, and
had fixed its fangs on the under part of the two missing members.
Knowing that such bites are dangerous, he drew a knife, which he
carried in his girdle, from its sheath, and cut both toes off, so that
the blood which flowed from the wounds was thus made to carry the
poison out with it. I think he was a brave man to act in that way.

Ever since being bitten by the viper he has been very much afraid
of all kinds of snakes and adders. I am very sorry to say that he has
always been a great drunkard, and when intoxicated is very noisy and
rough sometimes. I used to have very hard times with him, and he
was such a nuisance that I hardly knew what to do. However, I at
last thought of a plan by which to keep him quiet. It was this.
Whenever he became so noisy and wild that I could not work or read
when living in his hut, I would go out and try to kill a snake, of
which there are plenty about Piratori. If successful, I used to fix
it on a pole and bring it into the hut. No sooner did I walk in
with it than Penri would rush out and leave me quite alone till he
was sober. As soon as he was gone I would hang the snake by
the doorway, and so long as it was there Penri would not return.
But as soon as he saw that it had been removed he would know
that he had been forgiven, and come back. I am very sorry for
poor old Penri. He really desires to be good and to be saved.
But he has grown so great a slave to strong drink, that it seems
as though he cannot give it up. He has often tried, but always
failed. May the Master have mercy upon him !

Children Snowballing. (From a Japatiese Drawing.)

CHAPTER IV.

WINTER TROUBLES.

" O ye frost and cold, bless ye the Lord : praise Him, and magnify Him for ever.
" O ye ice and snow, bless ye the Lord : praise Him, and magnify Him for ever."

Japanese Boy with Snowball.

S it has already been men-
tioned that the Island
of Yezo lies well to the
north and under the

very shadows of Siberia, very likely
the question will be put by some :
"But is it not very cold there?"
" Yes," one must reply ; " it is fairly
cold in Yezo sometimes." But it
may be added that the cold here is
nothing like so extreme as it is
found to be in Siberia and some
parts of Canada. Our life may not
for a moment be compared in this
respect with that of the missionaries
among the Indians of North-West

Crossing a Frozen River.

Canada or among the Eskimo. Still, it is quite as cold here^as
any of us wish it to be. During the winter months many of the
rivers are so thoroughly frozen over that horses dragging heavily-
laden sleighs can cross them in perfect safety, for the ice is sometimes
more than two feet thick. But this does not mean more than five or
six degrees of frost below zero, while Canada has often as many as
forty or fifty degrees, I hear, and Siberia even more. Zero, it wilfbe
remembered, is only thirty-two degrees of actual frost, so you see we
missionaries are not so very badly off in Yezo, after all, in this respect.

When I first crossed a frozen river on horseback I very distinctly
remember feeling quite unsafe, for the pebbles lying at the bottom on
the river-bed could easily be seen through the transparent ice, which,
though quite a foot in thickness, did not look as though it could be
more than a few inches. It was so clear as to appear like looking
through an ordinary piece of shop-window glass. I could almost
feel myself shiver at the bare idea of a possible dipping in that quiet,
clear, though dark-looking water. It was with thankfulness that I
found myself at last safely on the other side of the river, though, of
course, there was no real danger at all, excepting of the horse
slipping down, and even then the worst would have been a little
shaking, perhaps, or possibly a broken leg or arm. Hence my
trouble on that occasion all arose from nervousness.

During the winter months, say from the end of November till the
end of March, by far the greater part of the island is covered with
snow. Around Sapporo it averages five feet in depth, while in some
places but a few miles from us one may often see from ten to fifteen
feet lying on the ground. Of course, such heavy falls of snow quite
cover up all roads and hedges in the country districts, and in some
cases even the houses also. The Japanese do not as a rule build
their houses more than one storey high, and there are no chimneys
to them by which one might tell their whereabouts. In place of a

A Surprising Accident.

chimney there will be left a hole, with a sliding shutter to it, in the
roof for the smoke to escape out of. I have heard of unwary r
travellers occasionally walking down these by mistake during a heavy
snowfall, and so surprising both themselves and also the inmates of
a farmhouse by suddenly landing upon the hearth in a kitchen, and
that perhaps while the family was at their meal. At this time of
year, too, strong, cold, biting winds whistle and scream among the
trees as they rush and roar down the valleys and mountain-sides.
Sometimes also dreadful blizzards occur, which render it impossible
•to get out of the house while they last. These often leave great

Winter Snows in Japan.

4°

Cold Inns.

General

snow-drifts behind them, which take whole days to trample down
or- cut through.

One great drawback to itinerating here in the winter is the
Japanese country or wayside inns it is necessary to stay in during
the journeys. Even here, so far north as Yezo, the inns are built
just like those in the south. That is to say, the builders appear to
have had more regard to the warm weather than the cold. There
are no stoves in them, and the wind can get in from any quarter.
Perhaps you may ask, " But why not make a good big fire in the
braziers ? " Well, you see, we cannot. There is no chimney, in the
first place, for the smoke to go out of, so that one cannot burn wood
or coal. And then as for charcoal — a big fire of this is altogether

Charcoal Fires.

out of the question, because charcoal fumes are of a very poisonous
nature. Ever so small a fire of charcoal — so small a fire, for example,
as to be merely sufficient to boil a little kettle for tea — gives some
Europeans (myself among the number) a very distressing head-
ache, and even the Japanese themselves cannot stand much of it,
accustomed to charcoal as they have been all their lives. Soon after
first arriving at Hakodate, Mr. Ogawa, who was then studying for
the work of a catechist, was dragged out of his quarters in the C.M.S.
house at Hakodate quite insensible through the charcoal fumes, and
thus his life was saved. An Ainu who was sitting in our servants' room
at Sapporo was saved in like manner two winters ago. It will,
therefore, now be seen that charcoal fires are really dangerous, and

A Dangerous Plan.

it will not be wondered at that we Europeans cannot stand them.
Then, again, let us notice the bed-clothes. Those provided for visitors
at the inns are by no means adapted for keeping people warm in
winter. They consist of thick mattresses, one to spread upon the
floor and another to cover oneself up with. They do not tuck in
closely round one like our delightful English blankets, but spread
out stiffly in every direction, and so let the air in very much. When
a person is in bed he looks more like a great tortoise, spread out flat
as he is, with only the top of his head showing. There is often no
help for it but to go to bed wearing the greater part of one's
garments, for this is the only sure way of keeping warm.

I forgot to mention, however, that many of the Japanese take a
small fire to bed with them — not a mere warming-pan, look you, but
a real fire. They do this by placing a piece of furniture called a
kotatsu under the upper mattress and putting a small brazier of
charcoal fire in it. The kotatsu is simply a small square frame,
something like a large cage. The people sleep with their feet
towards it, and, I believe, get very warm sometimes. They are
most unhealthy things to have, and we Europeans never think
of using them. They are dangerous, too, for houses have been
known to have been set on fire by them, while people have been
asphyxiated (i.e. killed by the fumes) through using them.

Japanese country inns are to most Europeans uncomfortable places
at any time. There is no furniture in them, so that one has to squat
upon the floor, with a thin cushion to do duty as a chair. It makes
one's bones ache very much to be obliged to sit thus upon his heels
or after the fashion of a tailor. This is particularly hard after a
pony-back ride of some twenty or thirty miles. At such times a
chair with a nice soft cushion in it would be a real luxury, for horse-
riding sometimes makes one very stiff. On a certain occasion an
American gentlemen came with me to see part of the work among

No Soft Chairs.

the Ainu. After a hard ride lasting all day we found ourselves in
the evening both very tired and in need of rest. Upon arrival
at our inn my friend said, " Will you please try and find a room with
a mantelshelf in it for me ? " I was greatly surprised at this request,
and said, "Whatever can you want with a mantelshelf? Japanese
inns do not have such things in them." " Oh," said he, " I am very
tired and stiff and achy, and as there are no nice soft chairs to sit
upon, I should like to have a mantelshelf to stand up to and eat my
supper from." I could do no more for the poor man than find him
a few cushions to sit upon and a nice post to lean against as a
support for his back. Thus, you see, we must not expect much
comfort in Japanese inns, particularly during the winter. Whenever

//) a Japanese House: Visitor saying Good-bye.

Things as we find Them.

I enter one to rest or stay, I always look out for a room with a nice solid
post in it to use as a support to lean against, and then try to borrow

a chair and
table. One
can do this
sometimes, but
not always.
No doubt the
innkeepers
think we are
funny folk to
need chairs
and tables, for
they do not
see the neces-
sity of them,
not having
been used to
them from
childhood.

You must
not for a mo-
ment think
that I am com-
plaining. Far
from that. I
am only telling
you of things
just as we find
them. We
have indeed

Japanese Country-women.

A Missionary's Joy and Gladness.

much to be thankful for in our work, even in the winter ; and
we would not give it up for all the comforts in the world. The
scenery is sometimes magnificent, and carries one's thoughts away
from self to the good God Who made the world with its summer
and winter, cold and heat. The effect produced by the sunshine
upon the brown trunks of the trees, standing out as they do from the
pure white snow, is at once both grand and pleasing, though in the
evening, as darkness is closing round, somewhat weird and ghostly.
The glitter of the sun's dancing rays reflected upon the particles of
snow lying upon the plains and mountain-sides fills the heart with
pleasure, so that one feels constrained to lift up one's voice and sing,
"O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify
Him for ever." On the afternoon of one severely cold day I went
from Hakodate to Ono to preach. I think I shall never forget that
afternoon. During the early part of the morning it had rained very
heavily, and then suddenly ceased and commenced to freeze hard.
The result was that the trees by the roadside became encased in
transparent ice so that the bark could be seen through it. It
was exquisitely beautiful, and made me wonder and rejoice with
delight.

But the missionary's joy and gladness does not always arise from
the beautiful objects of nature. That which makes him so happy in
his work — whether it be cold or hot, wet or fine — is the thought
that he is on the Master's business, coupled with the knowledge that
there is to be a grand reception at the end of his day's journey. He
knows there will be a right good welcome from the Christians, and
that besides these there are others who have not yet professed
Christ waiting to hear the " good news " from his lips. Then, again,
there may most likely be the Holy Communion to administer to, and
partake of with, the brothers and sisters, and perhaps a baptism or
two to take It is this which gives us so much pleasure, and helps

4 6

An Amusing Incident.

us to take with joy all things — both the cloud and sunshine — as they
happen.

It will have been gathered from what has already been said that
Yezo is a fairly cool place sometimes, and I want to finish this
chapter by telling you some incidents to illustrate this, some of which
are amusing and others more serious. Three years ago, when I went
from Sapporo to Piratori to visit the Christians, I carried Miss
Bryant, who was then residing there, a large stone bottle containing
a couple of gallons or so of fresh cow's milk. This was at the end
of November, just before the real cold had set in. The bottle was
left for the night in Miss Bryant's sitting-room, and was tightly
corked up. There was a very sharp frost during the night. But
what surprised me in the morning, upon entering the room where
the bottle was, was to see about four inches of solid milk standing
out of the neck of the bottle, with the cork sitting gravely on the
top of it as though doing its best to keep the milk in its proper
place. It was utterly ridiculous to look at, and caused us a good
deal of amusement. Fancy, the solid milk sticking out of the nozzle
of the bottle with the cork upright on its top ! It reminded one of a
very long-necked gentleman with a top-hat on !

It has often been my duty to be on horseback between nine and
one o'clock at night during the winter months. When I first arrived
at Hakodate, Mission work was carried on at Ono, twelve miles away,
also at Nanaye, ten miles away, and at Arikawa and Kikyo, each
about eight miles away. Someone used to go to one of these places
every week, so that, there being three of us, each place was visited
once a week, whatever the weather might be. On more than one
occasion I have been caught in a mild blizzard on my return from
the preaching service, and have then felt quite sorry for myself, I
assure you. Upon reaching home it has been necessary to stand in
front of a good fire to get my eyelids warm before being able to see

Blizzard in Japan.

clearly, the lashes
being stuck together
and the brows
heavily covered with 1
frost and snow.

The ice in my moustache had to be melted out
before I could open my mouth to speak or put any
food in, and it was necessary to thaw my beard off

4 8

BL A NKE TS Wa NT ED !

my coat before I could unbutton it. As for taking off one's gloves
or unbuttoning one's coat, that was altogether out of the question
for some time. One's feet, too, get terribly cold on such occasions,
for the winds of the blizzards penetrate the thickest clothing.
I suppose a person looks more like old Father Christmas at such
times than anything else, though I do not suppose one has such a
happy look on his face as is always painted on that of Father
Christmas when about to scramble down a chimney loaded with his
presents.

" Oh, this is cold ! I don't think I can stand this. I must be off
to Hakodate, where it is warmer, and get some blankets." In some
such words as these you might have heard me talking to myself
many years ago, had you been with me. It was at Piratori
among the Ainu, and the date was December 8th, a cold day, by
me ever to be remembered. I was then living with Chief Penri in
his hut (see Frontispiece), and was very busy making a dictionary
and grammar, and reducing the Ainu language to writing. Mats
had been hung up all round to keep the wind off, for it was a cold,
rough day, and the winds came in through the reed walls and
glassless windows and doorless entrances of the hut. I was seated
at the fire on a tub, for there was no sign of a chair or table there,
wearing an otter-skin cap and a thick overcoat. The ink was
placed close to the fire to keep it from freezing, and my paper
was resting on my knees ; but — would you believe it ? — before
I could get pen to paper, the ink on it would freeze, so that
it was with the greatest difficulty any marks at all could be
made on the paper. At last matters came to such a pass that I
packed up my traps and started off to Hakodate, which was a
little over 200 miles distant by the way one was obliged to travel
at that time.

Before leaving Piratori, however, a very amusing thing happened

In Chief Penri's Hut.

to me. My bed in Chief Penri's hut consisted of a bear's skin
spread upon some boards. I had a sheet and only one blanket of
my own to cover me, though I might have had some of Penri's bed-
clothes for the asking ; but there were strong and lively reasons for
not borrowing them ! I found the bed very hard and very cold. It
was so cold one night that I got up and had a large fire made and
some water made hot, which I put into two stone bottles I found
in the hut. Having no corks, I stopped up the nozzles with wisps
of straw, and then, armed with these, retired once more to my
boards in quite a happy frame of mind. The bottles gave me great
comfort, so that I was soon fast asleep. But, " What is this ? " I am
now half awake ; something has happened. It feels very cold, and I
am stuck fast to the bearskin and boards. What is the cause ? Alas !
those wisps of straw have come out of the bottles, the water has run
out, and I am frozen down. It was after this that I determined to
seek warmer quarters, and, upon my return, to provide myself with
warmer bedclothes.

At the beginning of this chapter I told you a little about Yezo
blizzards, and while writing of these I was reminded of one or two
sad effects caused by them, of which I am now going to tell you. A
few years ago a catechist who was stationed at Kushiro was caught
in a blizzard as he was returning from a preaching service one
evening. It appears that during his walk, which was not more than
two and a half miles, a small blizzard arose and overtook him. All
traces of the path were quickly obliterated, so that he soon lost his
way. What happened next no one knows, for he was found the next
day, not far from the track, frozen dead. Poor fellow, we felt for
him very much, but we rejoice to know that he is with his Master in
heaven. When he left the place in which he had been holding
service he doubtless thought he had but a short two miles and a half
to travel, but the journey he then commenced to take was to his

heavenly home. He did not know how near that home was, but he
was prepared for it. Are we ? Do we know how near home we are ?
Let us think about it.

Three years ago, a postman living at Hayakita, which is one
of our C.M.S. stations, was likewise caught in a blizzard. He,
too, was found one day quite dead, and not more than half a
mile from the post-office. Poor man ! I heard that he was
warned not to go out with his letters that day. The journey
he had to take was some eight miles long, but he thought he
would be able to manage it, and so set out and died. It was

Snow Drifts.

brave of him, indeed, but very rash, I think. The poor man
had heard something of the Lord Jesus, but not much, alas !
and he had not become a Christian. During the same winter, I
myself, then at home in Sapporo, was unable to walk two hundred
yards towards our church to take the Sunday morning service,
and that in broad daylight and after the blizzard just referred
to had blown itself out. The drifts were so bad that there was
no getting through them. I soon found my clothes soaking wet,
and myself plunging about
nearly up to my shoulders
in snow. I was obliged to
give up the struggle as a
bad job and return to the
house. I heard in the after-
noon that the congregation
consisted of two people, the
catechist and his little child.
The catechist's house was
on the same piece of land as
the church, so that they
had only to walk about ten
yards.

Another winter trouble
arises from a danger of
snow-blindness. This comes
from the strong light re-
flected from the snow on
bright days. Three years
ago I had my first attack of
it, and very painful indeed ,

I found It tO be. When {Catechist at Sapporo).

How to Cure Snow Blindness .

attacked the eyes become inflamed, and it is impossible to open
them where there is the least particle of light, so that any
person afflicted with it must either stay in a completely dark
room or have his eyes carefully bandaged up. The eyes cannot
even stand the light of the dimmest of dim candles. My attack
lasted four days only, I am happy to say ; but what with
smarting eyes, aching head, and the monotony of being in the
dark, I not only felt miserable myself, but, I am afraid, made the
place rather unhappy for those who had to come near me, for having
been used to a very active life, I found it impossible not to grumble
and groan through the pain and forced inactivity. Do you ask how
I cured myself? Well, the remedy is very simple. I took a little
salt and placed it in a large basin nearly full of lukewarm water. I
then went every hour and buried my face in it, opening and shutting
my eyes in the salt water. This I found gave instant relief from the
pain and took away the inflammation. By persevering in the use of
this remedy I was quite cured in four days. Now if any of my
readers should happen to get snow-blindness (for we never know
what may happen), he will know what to do.

In the spring and autumn come hailstorms. And it does hail
sometimes, I can assure you. The stones on some rare occasions
are as large as thrushes' eggs. It is impossible to ride in the face of
such a storm. The only thing to do, if there is no tree under which
to take shelter or house to rush into, is to dismount and turn one's
back to the storm till it is over ; or, better still, get on the lee side
of the horse. The horses do not appear to mind the storms so
much as we do, or I don't suppose they would submit to being
made a shelter of. You see, the hailstones make one's face tingle
so much, otherwise they might be put up with better. However,
there is one comfort — the hailstorms do not last long.

CHAPTER V.

THE BEAUTIES AND COMFORTS OF YEZO.

"And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.''

Gen. i. 31.

FTER what I have written in the two last chapters I am
very much afraid the reader may perhaps think I have
made a mistake in heading this one, " The beauties
and comforts of Yezo." You may feel inclined to say

that you do not yet quite understand where the " comforts "
especially can come in. Yes ; on looking over what has been
written, I must confess that it does look rather gloomy in some
respects, yet it is all true, nevertheless. In spite of all that has
been said, however, it is a fact that Yezo is a very beautiful island,
as indeed all mountainous countries must be ; and not only so, but
the missionary also finds it a very comfortable place to live and
work in. Of course, it is not always winter here any more than it

Comfort and Peace.

is in England; and although neither England, nor Yezo, nor any-
other place I know or have heard of in this world is quite a Paradise,
yet with care we may find comfort and peace anywhere, providing
the Lord Jesus is with us. Without Him we may not expect to be
quite happy anywhere. There is a beautiful hymn, written by Miss
Frances R. Havergal, which is quite true, and which we missionaries
in our supposed loneliness find to be so. It runs thus : —

" Like a river glorious

Is God's perfect peace ;
Over all victorious

In its bright increase.
Perfect, yet it floweth

Fuller every day ;
Perfect, yet it groweth

Deeper all the way.
Chorus. — Stayed upon Jehovah, (

Hearts are fully blessed ;
Finding, as He promised.

Perfect peace and rest."

We all naturally love our own country, and rejoice over the
animals, birds, flowers, and trees among which we have been brought
up. There is much here in Yezo to remind us of them, and this fact
is one source of interest and happiness to us. Many of the trees
and shrubs, for example, are like those at home. Among them we
recognize our old friend the oak ; also the chestnut (both horse and
Spanish), the walnut, fir, larch, elm, magnolia, poplar, birch, yew,
guelder rose, lime, and even the mistletoe, with many others. Then
there is the lespediza and scrub oak, grape vine, and also the
hydrangea and many climbing plants besides. Then, too, we have
the wild violet, dandelion, primula, gentian, monkshood, ox-eye
daisy, lily of the valley, bracken, maidenhair fern, mosses, crow's-
foot, wild convolvulus, jack-in-the-pulpit, plantain, chickweed,
groundsel, and other such-like plants. Nor should we forget the
fruit. In some places we find the wild cherry, strawberry, raspberry,

Yezo Fruit. 55

gooseberry, and
red currant.
Many fruit-
trees, too, have
been introduced
from Europe
and America,
such as almost
every kind of
apple, pear, and
plum, as well as
cherries (white
heart and black).
And besides these
there are some other
kinds of fruit for which there
is no English name, one called
kokuwa and another matatabi, both
of which are something like a grape
in shape, though not in flavour.
Just listen to the catalogue of things we
have managed to get planted in our garden at
Sapporo. Why, we are the envy of many of the people around us.
There are strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, red, white, and black
currants, and gooseberries ; all of which were given to us by kind
American friends. Then, too, through the great kindness of Messrs.
Sutton, of Reading, who send many missionaries garden seeds free
of charge every year, we are able to grow such vegetables as
cauliflowers, broccoli, peas, beans, turnips, carrots, radishes,
cabbages, cucumbers, and many other good things ; besides which
they also most thoughtfully and kindly give us a few pretty flower

Mission Garden at Sapporo.

seeds as well. Thus you see we really have a great many comforts
now. We, who are in a place where it is possible to have a little
garden, always make the place look as much like home as we can ;
and we find that this not only gives pleasure to the missionaries
themselves, but also to the people around, who come and look, as
well as taste and try, and so prove the flavour of them for them-
selves. So you see that even so small a thing as a little vegetable
or flower garden does its share of Mission work.

Now let us look at the birds. Among these we find eagles, all
kinds of hawks and falcons, owls, rooks, jackdaws, skylarks,
sparrows, tits, wrens, and other land birds ; while at sea there are to
be seen plenty of seagulls, albatrosses, cormorants, Mother Carey's
chickens, and others. Among the lakes are to be found large
numbers of wild ducks, geese, swans, and grebes. Nor should one
forget the quails, snipe, and woodcock to be found among the valleys,
lowlands, and swamps. And, of course, we never forget our beautiful
little canary which we keep at home, and which gives us such nice
songs. Thus it will be seen that if the land was only cultivated
more extensively and as it is at home, one might imagine himself to
be in England. You will not be surprised, therefore, to hear that
even for this reason we missionaries have all cause to like Yezo, and
feel really sorry for those who live in hot climates.

You can hardly imagine how beautiful the place is in the autumn.
All countries, mountainous as this is, in common with the whole of
Japan, must be beautiful at any time, but the season just before the
winter is by far the prettiest of all. The autumn here is short and
comes upon us suddenly. Thus, for example, it will be very fine one
day and quite hot. There will not be the least suspicion that winter
is at hand, to judge by the weather. But after a very hot day there
will suddenly be a sharp frost. Then the following morning the sun
will rise and beat down upon us with great heat. The result is that

Beautiful Autumn.

in an hour or so the whole face of the mountains is completely
altered. Yesterday all the trees — with, of course, the exception of the
maples- — were quite green, but by ten o'clock to-day they have all
been changed, so that one sees every colour of the rainbow repre-
sented. It is a magnificent sight, and it seems to me that no pen r
can describe, or picture represent, it properly.

But to return to living creatures once again. There are plenty
of fishes in the lakes and rivers of Yezo, as well as upon the sea-
coasts. There is the little minnow, small trout, carp, perch, roach,
salmon, salmon-trout, and pike, among others in the rivers and lakes.
Along the sea-coast are found sprats, herrings, mackerel, whiting,
soles, plaice, codfish, and almost anything up to the sea-lion, walrus,
and whale.

One word now about the animals and this chapter shall close.
To begin with the smallest, we mention the mouse, then the rat,
and so on upwards from the marten, squirrel, hare, racoon, fox, and
wolf, up to the great brown bear. "We must not forget, however, to
mention that cats and dogs also abound on this island. There will
perhaps be something of interest to tell you about
^^JL some of these animals farther on, and so I will
_4fflflW M 1|| leave the subject at present.

Horses and oxen were introduced into Yezo from
the Mainland of Japan, but milch-cows were brought
■*■ — >, from Europe and America. The horses were formerly

not shod, though the Japanese have now learned
to do so from Europeans. But their way of shoe-
ing them strikes one as being very peculiar. Let
me give you an example. The blacksmith takes
good care to tie up the animal to be shod so fast
and secure that there can be no possibility of
getting kicked by it. The head is tied up on high

Milking a Cow.

between a couple of tall posts first of all, and then each leg is
fastened to one of four posts. The foot to be operated on first
is tied close to the hough in the proper position for fixing the shoe
on. Thus no horse so tied has a chance of kicking or biting and so
injuring the blacksmith.

The Japanese were not a milk-drinking people before European
cows were introduced, and many of them do not take milk even at
the present day. This being so, it was no wonder to me to find here
and there a farmer, some twenty-five years ago, who was not up in
the matter of milking cows, though this has all been changed now.
The most remarkable sight in this connexion I think I ever saw
was in a far-away village called Tottori Mura, where a farmer had
recently introduced a very nice cow. He wanted to milk her, but
appeared to be afraid of his animal. He did not relish a kick from
the hind leg of his cow, evidently. To make sure that this should
not happen, I found that he had tied his cow up by all four legs, as
well as by the head, to a post and rail fence. Not only so, but to
make doubly sure, he sat on one side of the fence milking while the
cow was on the other ! He was milking the cow through the bars
of the fence. I assure you I was both surprised and intensely
amused at the performance. But never mind how the milking was
done, the man got his milk, and after all that was what he wanted.

A Little Ainu Boy.

CHAPTER VI.

THE BEGINNINGS OF MISSIONARY WORK IN
YEZO.

" In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening-
withhold not thine hand : for thou knowest not
whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether
they both shall be alike good." — Eccl. xi. 6.

HE special object the C.M.S. had
in view when it was determined
to occupy Yezo was that of
preaching the " Good News" of
our Redemption and Salvation to the poor benighted Ainu who dwell
on this island. It has already been noticed that the Rev. W. Dening
was the first missionary sent here by our Society. This was in the
year 1874. When Mr. Dening first arrived he spent a few months,
to begin with, at Nagasaki studying the Japanese language, for a
knowledge of this tongue is always necessary to a missionary in any
part of the " Land of the Rising Sun." After having acquired a
sufficient amount of the language to make himself understood, he
came north to Hakodate, bringing Mr. Futagawa, a well-known
Japanese convert, with him as assistant. Upon arrival they imme-
diately hired a carpenter's shop in the best part of the main street of
the city, and forthwith began to preach Christ to the people. When
I arrived in 1877, services were still held in this very place, and the

The First Converts.

Japanese Carpenters at Work.

first man I heard preach there was the Rev. J. Williams, and after
him Mr. Ogawa. Mr. Futagawa did not remain long in Hakodate,
for he found that his services were required in Tokyo, so he returned
south again. In the meantime, however, Mr. Ogawa had been
brought to a knowledge of his Saviour and was beginning to be
helpful in the work. He was baptized in Hakodate by the Rev. J.
C Williams in 1875, and was the second Hakodate convert. The first
person baptized in this place did not, I am very sorry to relate,
remain faithful to his Lord and Master. Like Judas he was a thief,
and left not the Church only, but Hakodate also. We do not know
what has become of him, but our prayer is that God will be merciful
to him and bring him back to Himself.

Preaching the Word.

Mr. Dening had fully realized that the preaching of the precious
Word of God was the missionaries' first work ; and so, although I
found when I appeared upon the scene that he was at home on
furlough in England, yet Mr. Williams, with Mr. Ogawa's help, was
holding preaching services at the several villages Mr. Dening had
opened. These were
Ono, Nanaye, Kikyo,
and latterly Arikawa.
But besides the work
of opening up these
Japanese villages, Mr.
Dening had kept in
view the Society's wish
to reach the Ainu, and
so in 1876 he paid his
first visit to Piratori,
the old Ainu capital of
Saru, where he was well
received. He was not,
of course, able to do
anything in the way
of preaching to these
people, his first neces-
sary duty being to study
the language. He spent
a month here with Chief
Penri, and then re-
turned to Hakodate to
his work among the
Japanese. This visit to
Piratori, however, must

Japanese Girls carrying Babies.

Beginnings at Piratori.

Ainu Christian Family at Piratori.

very commencement of the work here,
were Mr. and Mrs. Williams, both

be looked upon as
the very beginning
of work among the
Ainu, for it was
preparatory to it,
and Piratori has
never been given
up since ; indeed
it has for many
years (since 1878,
in fact) been my
own headquarters
for the Saru dis-
trict, for I used to
visit there before
my appointment to
the Ainu people as
an especial sphere
of labour.

Upon arriving,
then, in Hakodate
from Hong Kong,
I found Mr. Wil-
liams in charge of
the work in Yezo.
It was a source of
great interest to
me to be thus
enabled to see the
On the one hand there
struggling hard daily to

Learning Japanese.

'ft

soldier.

This man soon be-

compass the intricacies of the verbs in the Japanese language,
while I myself at once settled down to the A B C, so to speak.
It made me qui'e envious to see the little Japanese children of
three or four years talking most fluently and without the slightest
effort, while 1 could not say three words properly. They, dear
little mites, got no headaches through trying to learn the
language, but we sometimes suffered much. I had not been here
long before I had the great joy of seeing Mr. Williams baptize
a certain Mr. Kimura, who was a
came one of my greatest friends.
He, with two or three others,
used to take almost daily walks
with me, when he endeavoured to
instruct me in the first principles of
the Japanese tongue. Poor Kimura,
whose name was afterwards changed
into that of Watanabe, did not live
long after his baptism. He was

Japanese Children at Lessons.

6 4

A Quack Prescription.

consumptive and therefore taken to a hospital, where he soon died.
Before going there he used often to stay in the back quarters of the
C.M.S. house. Mr. and Mrs. Williams resided there at the time,
and as I had just arrived from China in a very weakly condition,
they most kindly took me in and cared for me, for which kindness I
shall ever be grateful. This is how it came to pass that Mr. Kimura
and I saw so much of each other. We were both weak, and so had
a kindly fellow-feeling. He was, in spite of all his distress, a very
bright kind of man, and I learned some very curious things from him
during our talks and rambles together. I will mention one of them.
He knew quite well that he could not get well and would not last
much longer, for he felt that his medicines were not doing him any
real good. The Japanese were at that time just about breaking
away from the old-fashioned quack doctors, but were not quite free
from them yet. Kimura seemed to think that after all there might
perhaps be something in some of their remedies, and so, especially
as the European medicines were not curing him, he determined to
try one for himself. I went in to see him in his room one evening,
and discovered him cooking what I supposed to be a late supper, for
it smelt very nice indeed. Upon asking him what he had in his pot,
he began to show me a nice lot of meat stewing, and asked me to
partake of some with him, as it was a good medicine, especially for
persons suffering from weakness as he and I were. However, I had
finished my supper and so declined. Had I been hungry, most
likely I should have eaten with him. I was glad afterwards that
I took none, for I learnt that his medicine consisted of stewed
cat. Poor Kimura had killed a cat and was eating it in good faith
as a medicine. He had been and consulted a quack doctor, and
stewed cat was the remedy prescribed. It did him no good,
for he entered the hospital soon after and died. I went to see
him just before the end, when he told us that he was quite happy

A Duck for Supper.

and had dreams at night in his sleep of the glories of heaven.
And so, trusting in Jesus, in Whom he had found quiet peace, he
fell asleep.

When the people consulted the old-fashioned quack doctors they
did not always know what curious superstitions they (the quacks)
held. I am sure poor Kimura did not, any more than I did, when he
followed the advice of his quack. I have found out of late years,
however, that some of the very old-fashioned people believe that
consumption is a consequence of being possessed by cats. Now
those who believe in such things as this also believe that the only
remedy for the disease is the flesh of a cat. In such cases cat's flesh
is eaten to expel cats. In the mind of the quack doctor, Kimura's
cooked cat was more of a charm than a medicine. The Ainu also, I
find, have the same belief.

Something of the same kind happened in another part of the
island not many years ago, when I was out on one of my preaching
tours. It was early autumn, and I was travelling on foot. As it
was my custom in those days, I was carrying my gun in order to
pick up a duck or a snipe or two for supper and the next day's dinner,
if I could meet with any on the way. As I was going along I
happened to shoot a duck, which, however, was only wounded.
As it was flying away a large hawk came by and seized it in
its claws, whereupon I again fired and brought down both the
hawk and duck. The duck I carried to the inn and had cooked for
our supper, but threw the hawk away as of no value for food. The
mother of the inn-keeper was very aged and had suffered from a
bad disease for many years. I went and had a chat with her, and
among other things told her about the hawk, for I thought it was a
very curious thing and would interest her. " What," she exclaimed,
" have you done with the hawk ? " When I told her that I had
thrown it away she expressed great disappointment and sorrow, for,

Another Quack Medicine.

said she, " it would have been such a good thing for my sickness."
Upon asking her how, she informed me that the skin of a hawk is a
special remedy for her complaint. I asked her how it was to be
taken, and she said that the skin was to be carefully taken off and
buried beneath the hearth, directly under the centre of the fire. It
was to be left there till it was burnt into a black cinder. After this
it was to be taken up, the ashes carefully wiped off, and then ground
into powder. This was to be placed in a cup and warm water was
to be poured over it ; it was then to be swallowed. I could not find
out why the hawk's skin should be better than the skin of any other
bird, for the old lady did not appear to know. All she could say
was that it was a very old remedy and very potent. These are
merely samples of the remarkable kinds of quack medicines I have
known the people — old-fashioned people — to believe in. There are
many others, such as dried beetles, centipedes, and some others too
dreadful to mention.

It has already been stated that there are about 2300 Chris-
tians belonging to our Church in Yezo, and that these are by God's
blessing increasing every year ; but it must not for a moment be
supposed that these visible results are the only fruit God has given
us. There is much going on which we do not see, and often the
fruit does not grow till long after the seed has been sown. The
sowing, indeed, goes on day by day, here, there, and everywhere.
In fact, the missionaries do just as the text at the head of this
chapter recommends: — " In the morning sow thy seed, and in the
evening withhold not thine hand : for thou knowest not whether shall
prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike
good." Often when the preacher has imagined that the seed has
fallen upon the hard wayside, or on rocky soil, or among the thorns,
and so has been downcast about his work, he has heard many years
afterwards, much to his joy and encouragement, that it has after all

The Seed Sown.

struck root deep down into the heart and is producing good fruit.
I will give you an example or two.

In the year 1899 Bishop Fyson wrote to the Society these words : —
" Many of the people have immigrated here from the Main Island,
where they have been in contact with the foreign missionary in some
form or other, and after talking to a little knot of hearers one

frequently hears such remarks as,
' Oh, I have a sister in a Chris-
tian school at such-and-such a
place,' or, ' My brother belongs
to the Christians,'
or, ' Mr. So-and-
so ' — mentioning
some well-known
missionary — ' often
used to stay at my
house.' And more
than once, in tra-
velling through the
country, I have
been greeted with,
' Are you not Mr.
Fyson?' 'Yes.' 'I
remember seeing
you at Niigata
twenty years ago,
and hearing you
preach there.' So
the seed sown in
various places has

Buddhist Priests.

not been altogether

An Encouraging Meeting.

Amida, a Picture Idol.

in vain : it takes time to
root itself and grow, but
the seed is undoubtedly
good seed, and the ground
is not all bad, and so the
harvest is sure."

So, too, only the year
before last, a somewhat
similar case came under
my own eye. It hap-
pened thus. During one
of my preaching tours I
had occasion to stay at
a country village called
Oikarumai, and, as is the
custom among us mission-
aries when travelling, I
held a preaching service in
the evening. After the
service was concluded I
noticed that an elderly
man remained behind with
a few others for further con-
versation. This man looked
at me and said, " You don't
remember me, do you ? "
" Oh, no," said I, "I do not
think I have the pleasure
of your acquaintance."
" Well," said he, " I saw
you at a certain place " —

A Buddhist 's Resolve.

mentioning the name — " about fifteen or sixteen years ago, and I
heard you preach there. I have not forgotten all these years what
you said about the love of Jesus, and would now like to be further
instructed." I cannot tell you how rejoiced I was. I, too, then
remembered preaching at that place, and I remembered also how
sorry I felt for the people, how hard their hearts appeared, and
how discouraged I was. No impression to speak of, beyond that of
mere curiosity, seemed to have been made. But, lo ! here had been
the seed secretly lying in the man's heart all those years, and the
watering it received that night at Oikarumai, by the Holy Spirit's
gracious working, made it to put forth roots. May God still bless
it and make it grow !

But the Holy Spirit works more quickly than this sometimes.
The owner of the inn at which I staved at Oikarumai that night was
also at the service. He was a staunch Buddhist, and had a shrine
in the very room in which I held the service, in which, in fact, it
was intended that I should spend the night. This man also acted
as a kind of sub-priest of the village and caretaker of the shrine. It
was he who used to burn incense, light the candles, and place the
host (i.e. rice and wine of the Buddhist mass) upon the altar. I did
not expect much encouragement from him, I must confess, but,
wonderful to relate, this old man jumped up at the end of the
service, took his own special picture-idol of Amida * down from the
wall and handed it to me. He said that he had now made up his
mind to become a disciple of Jesus. I was exceedingly glad at this,
and received him as a catechumen at once. He was baptized at the
end of the year 1900.

* With reference to this deity a certain German author has written as follows: —
" As leader of the legion of Buddhist deities, Amida is enthroned aloft, the
immeasurably resplendent, the deity of consolation, help, and deliverance, to whom
thousands of idols of every size are dedicated throughout Japan. This god leads
its faithful followers to happiness, where they enjoy the blessed sight of Amida,
of the loveliest gardens, with flowers, water, birds, &c." (J. J. Rein, " Japan.")

Hakodate Thirty Years ago.

CHAPTER VII.

EARLY FRIENDS.

" He (God) knoweth the secrets of the heart." — Ps. xliv. 21.

N the last chapter I mentioned the name of one of the
very first friends it was my privilege to make in Japan.
This was Mr. Kimura, who, it will be remembered, ate
stewed cat in the hope of its curing him of his illness.
He was the very first of my early friends to be called to live with
Jesus in heaven. Besides this gentleman, I wish to say a few words
about some other very interesting people I have had to do with, and
the first of these is Mr. Terata.

When I reached Hakodate I found Mr. Terata residing there. He
was a soldier, but also a candidate being prepared for Holy Baptism
by Mr. Williams. He was formerly one of our C.M.S. staff, working
first in Hakodate and then in Osaka and other places. He is

When a Heathen Boy.

now an ordained clergyman, and is a chosen missionary of the
Japanese Church, being entirely supported by the Christians. At
present he is stationed on the Island of Formosa. He is a very
eloquent speaker and has done right good service in the cause
of his Master. He and Mr. Kimura were great friends and of a
kindred spirit. Before they became Christians they were up to
all kinds of mischief, they told me, and used to practise un-
necessary jokes on other
people. Thus, for exam-
ple, as boys they would
chase other people's cats
and dogs, cut the well-
ropes at night and so allow
the bucket to fall into
the water below, or even
be so mean as to take a
person's gate off the hinges
and throw it into the
garden of a neighbour.
All this was very bad, but,
of course, changed before
they became Christians.

Mr. Terata told me that
he even contemplated slay-
ing a man once, and the
person he thought of kill-
ing was none other than the
C.M.S. missionary then
stationed at Hakodate.
It happened in this way.

Mr. Terata went into the The Rev. D. T. Terata with his Wife and Son.

7 2

The First Church.

carpenter's shop one evening when a service was being held
to hear the missionary preach. On that occasion he was very
much struck by the sermon, and became quite angry on account
of it. It appeared to him, he said, as if someone had been telling
the preacher all about his own goings on, and that every bit of
the address was aimed at him, and him only. He became very
wroth indeed at this, and determined to have the speaker's head off
for such an insult. He returned that night to his barracks and
thought the matter well over, but in the end came to the conclusion
that it would be more sensible to go to the preaching once again and
make quite sure that an insult was intended for him. Accordingly
he went again one evening, and at that service came to the con-
clusion that the preacher was not speaking specially at him more
than every other person present. There was therefore no reason
why he should cut off his head. I think from all this we may
conclude that this was God's way of convicting Mr. Terata of
sin. This was the real turning-point of his life, indeed the new life
commenced in him from this time. After this had taken place
he went more often to the services, and at last to Mr. Williams
to be prepared for baptism. We are very thankful for Mr. Terata and
look upon him as a monument of God's saving Grace and Power.

In 1878 the old carpenter's shop was pulled down in order to make
room for a church, the first C.M.S. church in Yezo. The foundation-
stone was laid by Mr. Eusdon, then British Consul, on August 14th,
and there was quite a large concourse of people — I should say at least
1500 persons present. The building, which was an imposing one, was
completed and opened on November 24th, 1878. The opening day
was a delightful one, and a young man named Sano was admitted
into Christ's visible Church by baptism. Poor Mr. Sano had much
trouble in becoming a Christian, for all his relatives were dead-set
against his doing so, and did all they could to dissuade him from it.

A Christian Doctor.

However, after a great deal of trouble his father's consent was at last
obtained, and the issue was that, as was stated just now, he was the
first person to be baptized in the new church. I am sorry to say
that he has had great trouble since in the way of persecution,
in consequence of which he no longer walks with us. The poor lad
became a backslider. At the time of his baptism Mr. Williams wrote
very highly of him, and all the rest of us then on the spot
could thoroughly endorse what he said. " He," i.e. Mr. Sano,
wrote Mr. Williams, "has attended our classes and meetings with
great regularity during the last two years, and has given the most
unequivocal proof of his attachment to Christianity — not only to
Christianity as a system, for I feel sure that he really loves Christ
as his personal Saviour. He is only about seventeen years of age ;
and yet when, about twelve months ago, his father told him that he
must either give up coming to the classes or he would drive him forth
from the parental roof, he did not hesitate. . . . The father, who
really loved his son, soon relented, and the brave little fellow was
speedily recalled ; and from that time to this, both at home and
abroad, he has borne a fruitful testimony for Christ." All this was
very true, yet Satan got in at last, and poor Sano became and still re-
mains a backslider. Let us pray that he may return to his Saviour.

Another young friend of mine was a lad who at that time was a
medical student in the hospital at Hakodate. He also became a
Christian after some time, and his name is Murai. He passed his
medical examinations and has been a doctor for many years now.
At present he is residing at Hakodate, and is a member of our
Church there. You will be glad to hear that this Church has become
quite self-supporting and has its own native pastor. Now, these
three young men, namely, Messrs. Terata, Sano, and Murai, did me
a very good turn one evening, and perhaps saved my life. I will tell
you how.

A Seven Miles Walk.

On arrival at Hakodate I found that, among other places, a village
called Arikawa had been selected by Mr. Williams as an out-station.
It is only about seven miles from Hakodate. As soon as I could talk
a little it was my privilege to walk to this place almost every week
and either preach myself or hear one or other of our helpers do so.
On a certain occasion when I went to take service those three young
men accompanied me, as indeed they did more than once. It was
at the beginning of the winter, when the snow-screens had been set up

before the doors of the houses
as a protection from the wind
and snow. On that occasion
Mr. Terata preached after I
had done so, and a good
meeting we had, the place
being well filled with quiet
listeners. After service we all
started on our return journey
to Hakodate. Before we got
through the village, however,
we were much surprised by a
man jumping suddenly out
from behind one of the snow-
screens, flourishing a drawn
sword in his hands ! I do
not know whether the inten-
tion was to kill or only frighten
me, but certain it is that when
he saw my three friends he
quickly took to his heels !
They evidently suspected mis-
A Japanese Gentleman. chief was intended, for they all

No Danger.

kept very close round me till we had got a good way on the journey
home. However, no harm came of it, and I did not mention the
matter to any one for several months after, and then I happened to
speak of it in the course of a private conversation with our Consul.
He seemed to think it much more serious than I did, however, and
said I ought to have reported the matter to him at once. He had
been many years in Japan and knew that there were still some
Japanese of the old school yet about in some of the out-of-the-way
country villages. I knew that I was in the Master's hands and
nothing could persuade me that there was any real danger, and so I
continued to go to Arikawa and preach, often quite alone, though
sometimes in company with others. Though there might have been
danger for the missionaries in those times and in some places, yet
there is no danger whatever now : I or, I believe, any other
missionary would undertake to go anywhere in Japan to preach with
the greatest pleasure, and without the least fear of getting any harm.
Christianity is understood now, and Japan is a civilized country.

Another friend was Mr. Murai"s mother. It was often my privi-
lege to visit this lady in company with her son. This happened
while I was studying the language and before I could speak
Japanese at all well, and I remember the laughs we used to
have together at the mistakes I made in attempting to make myself
understood ; it was plainly evident, moreover, that the old lady was
often greatly puzzled. When such was the case her son used to
interpret my meaning in so far as he knew it. Being very thin and
weak at the time, she used to feed me up with all kinds of nice
Japanese cakes, and gave me as much tea to drink as I desired, and
more too sometimes. It is a good thing, I often think, that Japanese
tea-cups are so tin)-, for, you see, these people always drink green
tea, which is not good for us, and it is impolite not to take a sip or
two when tea is made for and offered to one.

A Buddhist Nun.

Mrs. Murai was not a Christian at that time, indeed I was told
that she was afraid to become one for some reason or other, and was
very bigoted. However, it is a pleasure to be able to tell you that
she became a Christian in after years. She died some few years ago,
a very peaceful death. As she was lying on her death-bed, expecting
to be called to her Saviour every moment, she sent and asked a
few Christians to come and sing to her. When they arrived and
had gathered round her bed and had prayed that the Lord would
still continue His peace to her and grant her His presence, they
sang, at her request, a pretty children's hymn she was very fond of,
and that was, —

" Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so. ;;

I was told afterwards that she died in quiet peace, and that her
soul sped its way to the Lord Jesus while the last verse was being
sung. It was a truly beautiful death. o

But now let me tell you of some people I knew who, alas ! did not
become Christians. When I first arrived in Hakodate my attention
was at once drawn to two, whom I supposed to be very strong and
good characters. One was named Mr. Jinno, and he was acting as
Mr. Williams's teacher of the Japanese language. The other was a
woman, whose name, I believe, was Watanabe. She was Mrs.
Williams's teacher. I will tell you about Mrs. Watanabe first. This
lady had been married, but her husband, much to her distress, had
died. When this happened she shaved her head clean and became a
Buddhist nun. There are plenty of nuns among the Buddhists,
some of whom live in the temples and convents, while others are
mendicants who travel about the country and get their living by
begging. All of these nuns have beads or rosaries by which they
count the number of times they repeat their short prayers. The
prayers are simply vain repetitions of some such sentence as this:

A Shaven Head.

" Namu Amida, butsu" which, I was told by a devout Buddhist, only
means, " O Buddha, help me." One often hears old people saying
it when walking up or down a hill, or when in any particular trouble.
Well, the thing which first struck me about Mrs. Watanabe was the
way in which her shaven head used to shine. It was so bright that I
often wondered whether she did not polish it with something ; but I
came to the conclusion that it became so bright and shiny only
through constant washing. This woman was very merry and, I
thought, very happy, for she was always laughing. At that time I
was wrestling hard with the language, so that I could not talk to her
much. I tried to find out why she did not become a Christian,
and, so far as I could understand, there was only one reason she
could give, and that was that her husband had died a Buddhist, and
out of love for him she would die one also, for she was very fond
of him. Otherwise she thought she would become a Christian.
You see, the Buddhist priests say prayers for the dead, so as to get
their souls, so they say, out of what is called purgatory. The priests
get well paid for their prayers. They not only say the mass in the
temples, but also in the home of the deceased, where the candles are
lighted and incense burned just as if the service was being conducted
in a temple.

I do not think old Mrs. Watanabe ever became an outward
Christian. I lost sight of her after two or three years. I think she
was one of those people who imagine that they will be saved by
God's mercy, even though they believe only half in Christ and half
in Buddha. There are many who think in this way, which, of course,
we know is not what the Lord Jesus wants, for He desires to have
the whole heart and life.

I can never think of this old nun without, for some reason or
other, calling to mind another Buddhist nun who lived in Hakodate.
There was once a very great stir made at that place by the report

Strange Beliefs.

that a certain nun belonging to one of the temples had died and
risen again. I believe it was said that she had been among the dead
for nearly a week, and during that time had paid a visit to purgatory
and Paradise, walking about with angels and being taught matters
connected with what happens beyond the grave. There used to be
large meetings in the temples, at which she gave her experiences
while out of the body. And besides this, she used to meet people
privately and impart to them the secret knowledge she had gained
there. She undoubtedly brought no small gain to her sect by her
so-called revelations, though, of course, the wiser and more learned
of the people — even among the Buddhists themselves — held aloof
in unbelief. But there is another strange thing connected with this
nun, a thing which I would not have believed had I not been in
Hakodate at the time it happened. It is a matter which I should
feel inclined
to doubt even
now, had not
the same kind
of thing hap-
pened again
within the last
three or four
years, both at
Hakodate,
Sapporo, and
other places I
could name,
and of which
other mission-
aries, foreign

and native, B ' ^l- * o ■ * * a

' Buddhist Priest at Prayer.

8o Bath Water as Medicine.

could bear testimony. The nun I have mentioned used to take a
bath at least once a day, and the water in which she had bathed,
instead of being thrown away as it ought to have been, used to be
sold or given to the Buddhist believers as a medicine. Some of the
people drank it and others applied it to the various parts of their
bodies if affected with disease. It must be understood, however,
that the Japanese do not use soap in their baths. A person with
rheumatism in the arm or foot would wash the place with it, those
having sore eyes would bathe their eyes, while those with bad
heads would wet their heads with it a few times, each one devoutly
repeating the words, " Namu Amida, butsu" given above, while
applying the medicine.

The case just referred to as having happened but a very short
while ago had to do with the archbishop of the Buddhists. Some
three years ago he came to Yezo to visit the various Buddhist
temples, and to collect money for the cause of his religion. He, too,
used to take his daily bath, and the most devout and ignorant of his
followers used to be very eager to get the bath water. Think of
that even in this late day ! This kind of thing cannot, I imagine,
last much longer, for the masses of the Japanese are fast becoming
an educated people, and will, as a consequence, cease to believe in
such absurdities.

Old Jinno, whose name I mentioned just now as Mr. Williams's
teacher, was in some respects the most remarkable man that I ever re-
member having met. He thought he knew everything worth knowing,
especially about religion. I asked him at one time why he did not
embrace the religion of Jesus, and he told me that he was a man of
9 such an upright life, and had so much knowledge and learning himself,
that there was no necessity at all for him to embrace Christianity !
Besides, he had read Christian books, Shinto books, Buddhist books,
and all the works of the Chinese Confucius and Mencius. Moreover,

A Self-righteous Man.

Image of Buddha.

he had selected all the best passages from each and made his own
form of religion out of them all. And he told me that I need have
no fear for him, for if any one ever went to heaven it would be himself !
1 have met a large number of very self-righteous men among the
Heathen, but never one quite so hardened as this one. He is dead
now, and I am sorry to say that I believe he died without accepting
Christ as his Saviour.

Mr. Jinno was such a very good teacher that I thought I would

Practise Good Things.

take a few lessons from him, and so got him to come to me. It did
not last long, however, for the old man left me in a great passion
one day, and never came back again. The fact was, I happened,
quite inadvertently, to touch him on his tenderest spot, and that
was his self-righteousness. It happened in this way. In the course
of our lessons we were reading some Buddhist sermons. The
subject was the necessity of not only hearing good things, but of
doing them also. And the matter was illustrated thus : Once upon
a time a certain human soul was taken to the next world and an
angel was deputed to show it round, that it might look at all the
beautiful things in Paradise. As they were going along, the soul
saw some very beautiful fungi growing like mushrooms on the trunks
of some trees. So beautiful were they that it said to the angel,
" Look, what very nice mushrooms are growing on yonder tree ! "
" Oh/' said the angel, smiling, " they are not mushrooms; they are
the ears of men and women. They came from the bodies of people
who heard good things during their life upon earth, but did not
practise what they heard. Therefore their ears only came to
Paradise." " Now," said Mr. Jinno to me, " if you will but preach
nice things to the people, your tongue will be sure to go to heaven
when you die." I was much surprised at this remark, but took it
simply as my teacher's little joke. I therefore immediately replied,
"And so, by the same way of reasoning, I may say that if you your-
self will kindly come and hear those good things you tell me to
preach, your ears also will go to Paradise." You cannot think how
angry the old man was. He replied to me in this way: " What do
you mean in answering me back after such a manner ? I am your
teacher, remember that ; and, moreover, I am old enough to be your
grandfather. I know far more of these things than you can possibly
know. I am a good man, and there is nothing you can teach me."
He went on in this strain for a long time, and then got up and

A Buddhist Farmer.

walked away, and never came to teach me again ! I often went to
his house to see him after this, and spent many an interesting hour
with him. He was always most friendly, but I am sorry to say that
he remained as self-righteous as ever. He had not the slightest idea
of sin and his need of the cleansing blood of Jesus. There are many
like him in the world. May their eyes be opened to see the light !

In the year 1876 work was commenced in a place called Ono,
which had a farming population of about 2350 souls. In the year
after I came up from Hong Kong I found that Mr. Ogawa, then
a catechist, was stationed there with his family. After remaining
in Hakodate about two months, Mr. Williams finally made arrange-
ments for me to go and stay with him for the purpose of studying
the language, as I wanted to be in a place where I could not hear
any English spoken. The person who owned the land upon which
the preaching-place and catechist's house stood was a farmer. I often
went out with him to his farm to see how the work was done, and to
learn the names of the tools they used, and of the weeds which grew
and the seeds which were being planted. This old farmer was a very
ignorant but most staunch Buddhist. It seemed that nothing could
move him to think of Jesus Christ. He thought that Buddha was
every bit as good as Jesus, and quite as well able to save mankind.
This old man (he is dead now) used to think, as other Buddhists do
also, that Jesus would do to be the foreigner's God, while Buddha was
the god for the Japanese. He thought, in addition to this, that every
land and people had its own special gods, and that if a person gave
up the gods of his own country he would certainly be punished by
them. This man also thought that if he became a Christian he
would thereby become an Englishman, and so prove disloyal to his
Emperor. Every one I have told you about is just a special type
of the people, for there are many like them. All were interesting,
and there was much to learn from each. I am glad I knew them.

g 2

CHAPTER VIII.

THE HAKODATE FIRE AND FURTHER
PROGRESS OF THE WORK.

" Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
Rev. xix. 6.

HE church which was erected at
Hakodate in the year 1878 was
a very nice and commodious
building, and there were sittings
in it for at least 250 people, while 300
could easily be accommodated when neces-
sary. The walls were cemented all round
and the windows had iron shutters to
them. It was said by the builder to be fireproof. Many people
believed it to be so, while there were some who had very grave
doubts on this point. It had a small tower over the porch,
with one bell in it. I shall never forget the first time that
bell was rung for service. You must know that, in all Japanese
towns and cities there are a number of fire-bells set up in various
places, by which notice is given when a fire breaks out. Those
nearest the quarter where the fire is raging ring more rapidly than
those farther away, so that the people know at once how far off the
danger lies. Now, when our church bell was rung for the first
time, the people thought the place was on fire ! They turned

A Japanese Lantern.

The Bell.

out in their thousands, and the church that evening was simply
packed to overflowing. We did not know at the time why so many
had come, but thought it was to hear the Gospel, and rejoiced
accordingly. We were told afterwards, however, the true reason,

and were also
informed that
some of the
people were
very angry at
being startled
and put to in-
convenience by
the bell, while
others thought
it a splendid
joke. But never
mind that now,
there was a good
congrega t ion
and many heard
the Gospel on
that occasion for
the first time,
and would per-
haps never have
heard it had it
not been for the
mistake. But,
it may be asked,
" Have not the
Buddhists some

A Japanese Lady in Winter Dress.

Don't Stop, Please.

bells in their temples ? " Why, yes, of course they have. But
the temple bells are large and do not sound at all like the
fire-bells, while the one placed in the church was just a fire-bell
of the ordinary kind. Hence its effect on the crowds. Besides, the
people know when to expect to hear the temple bells, and also
recognize their tone and time at once, for they are rung very slowly
indeed. Our bell was rung more rapidly, and the faster it rang the
more the people hastened to church, thinking the danger and need
of help was great. The matter ended without accident, but later
on a request came from the city authorities asking that the bell be
not rung again, which request was, of course, thenceforth complied
with.

The church used to be very well attended sometimes, and the
people were always respectful and attentive. I remember being
very much amused one evening by an old country farmer who
happened to be at the service for the first time. It was the
beginning of the work in those days, and the people did not know
they might not smoke or talk in church. There was a very large
pulpit in the church, standing on four legs. The building was
crowded with people, so that the old gentleman I am now speaking
of was obliged to sit between the legs of the pulpit and right under
the preacher's feet. There he sat and smoked and listened in a
happy frame of mind. The preacher had no idea he was there, and
was very much surprised at the end of his address to see the man
poke his head out from below, and looking up, say : " Don't stop
yet, please ; kindly go on ; I am listening " ! This behaviour did
not strike him as being anything out of the way, but it did some of
the congregation, and caused a good deal of amusement. You may,
perhaps, think it funny that he should have smoked ; but to him it
was not so, for the people smoke in the Buddhist temples during
their services, and not only so, but talk, or sleep, or get up and

The Church on Fire.

walk about just as they desire. They have not the respect for
their places of worship that we have, so that reverence in God's
House is one of the matters the missionaries have to teach the
early Christians.

December 6th, 1879, was a sad time for us at Hakodate, for
at eight o'clock in the evening of that day a big fire broke out about
3000 yards away from the church. There was a very strong wind
blowing at the time, and every one could see that it was going to be
a very serious matter ; and indeed it was serious, for within four
hours the greater part of Hakodate was burned to the ground. No
less than 2500 Japanese houses were reduced to ashes within that
time, besides our church and one of the C.M.S. houses, which
Mr. Dening himself was then occupying. Mr. Williams had already
been transferred to the important station of Tokyo, and I happened
to be residing in the house he had built. As soon as I saw how
serious things were looking, I rushed off to the church to see if
anything could be done, and there I found Mr. Dening watching
things. I had not been there long before I became aware that the
wind was carrying the fire towards Mr. Dening's home, and so I
rushed off to see whether anything could be done to save the
property. Arrived there I found Mrs. Dening, who begged me to
take her to her husband, which I did at once. That task finished,
I ran back to the house and found that place too was now in
real danger. All the servants had rushed off to their homes to save
what they could of their own belongings, and the two little Dening
children, Lillie and Florrie (of course they are full-grown ladies
now), I found to be snugly in bed and fast asleep. The first thing
to be done was to make them get up and dress at once, so as to be
prepared to leave at the shortest notice. I then got a small hand-
cart and commenced putting a few things in it, at the same time
wishing Mr. and Mrs. Dening would return, and wondering why

Escaping.

they did not do so. However, I had not put many things into the
cart before they came, and sadly told me that the church had gone
to ashes. Some of the Christians had placed their goods in it,
hoping that it would not burn, but, alas ! it did, so that they lost all
their property. Mr. and Mrs. Dening had only been back a very
few minutes when we discovered that if we would save our lives we
must all be off at once, and so by carefully choosing the least smoky
places we got out of harm's way. It was an awful night, and I
hope never to see another like it. On our way from the house I
saw a frightened cat rush across the road and escape into a drain.
The poor animal was like a big black cinder with a large head,
glaring eyes, and four legs to it, for every hair had been singed off
her body. It was shocking to see those large, staring eyes. I have

often thought of that
cat and wondered
whether she escaped
into safety or not. I
believe about forty men &
and women lost their
lives in the fire, and I
myself saw one or two
charred remains lying
by the roadside in the
very early hours of the
morning. But enough.
The first C.M.S. church
ever built in Yezo com-
pletely disappeared in
the Hakodate fire.

The burning down of
the church did not, of

The Second Hakodate Church.

What is His Object!

course, stop the progress of the work at all, for the success of the
Gospel does not depend upon a church-building. Churches are con-
venient places for worship and preaching, but they are not necessary
at the beginning of a Mission, for preaching or seed-sowing can be
done anywhere, out of doors as well as in. Humanly speaking, it
appeared to us then that it was the end of all things when the church
had disappeared ; but we always remember that "the Lord God om-
nipotent reigneth," and if He permitted the church to be destroyed
it was only to teach us that it was not necessary to His cause just
then and in that place. Other churches have since been built, and
the present one, of which I have already spoken on page 22 belongs
entirely to the Japanese themselves. It is their own, and we praise
God that it is so.

The missionary work in Yezo is largely itinerant, that is to say,
the missionaries travel about a good deal. They are out at all
seasons and in all sorts of weather. The bare fact of going out in
bad weather sometimes makes its mark, for it has more than once
excited surprise and done good among the people. I will give you
an example of this. You will understand that the rooms in Japanese
inns are only divided from each other by paper sliding doors, so that
what is said by people in one room may easily be heard by those in
the next, even when one does not intend to hear. Now, one evening,
there happened to be two men, whom I will call A. and B., in the
room next that in which the missionary was boiling his kettle for
tea, and a conversation something like the following was heard to
take place between them : —

A. " Dear me, what a strange thing ! Look at the weather and
listen to the howling wind. It has been snowing and blowing like
this all the afternoon. Yet that foreigner next door (meaning the
missionary) has come several miles through it all to preach Chris-
tianity ! What can his object be ? and I wonder if he can speak

9°

An Overheard Conversation.

our language. I wonder, too, what the real object of all this trouble
he is taking can be ! "

B. " Hush ! do not talk so loudly. He is next door and may
possibly understand what is said. Ah, yes ; it is strange, to be sure.
Why should he turn out this cold weather ? I suppose he must
be pretty well paid for it. He would not do it unless he was, I
suppose."

A. "Yes, that may be so; or don't you think there may be
some political motive behind it all ? "

B. " It may be that, or very likely he is simply looking about to
find out whether there is an opening here for trade."

A. " Just so ; yet I hardly imagine this to be the case, for other
foreigners and sometimes a Japanese or two come here to preach.
They have done so, indeed, for several years now. But it does not
appear that any of them have done any business ; and if there was
any political motive behind it all, our Government would very soon
hear of it and set that matter straight."

B. " Yes, yes; just so. I wonder, then, what can be the motive.
The idea of taking the trouble to come all this distance in such
weather as this ! It surprises me and I cannot understand it.
Truly the foreigners are a remarkable people."

A. " It is curious indeed. Can Christianity be so important that
missionaries will go to all this trouble for nothing excepting just to
preach it ? "

B. " Yes ; if they come only to preach and for no other purpose
it is most surprising. Have you ever heard a Christian sermon ? "

A. " No, I never did. Did you ? "

B. "No, never."

A. " Well, then, supposing we go and hear this evening? What
do you say ? "

B. "Agreed; let us go."

A Good Congregation.

And to the service they went. Thus you see that the simple fact
of going a few miles in wind and snow to preach was an eloquent
sermon in itself, and one which, by God's grace, made an impression.
I do not know what has become of those travellers, but I am
hopeful that the seed sown in their hearts was not in vain.

Since the time of the great fire in Hakodate the work in Yezo
has developed and expanded wonderfully. Instead of having some
five or six stations at which preaching services were held, the whole
island is now well under control. And, moreover, though at that
time no direct preaching to the poor Ainu had been done, there are
now but few who have not heard something of the Lord Jesus.

Group of Ainu Christians and Catechumens, outside Preaching Place, Piratori.

Where the Gospel is Preached.

The message is regularly carried to them by the missionaries and
their helpers in each district. There are in all twenty-two churches
and preaching-places on this island. But it must not be supposed
that these are the only places in which services are held. We
preach in many other buildings, such as Japanese inns, rooms in
private houses, and also in Ainu huts. It is always possible to hold
the services in an orderly manner in the churches and preaching-
places, of course, but it is not in every case so easy to do so in the
inns, huts, and private rooms. Let us take the beginnings of the
work in an Ainu hut as an example. The light in these is very bad ;
they are dreadfully smoky ; they are not at all clean, and smell
anything but nice. It is also very disturbing to be obliged to stop
in the middle of one's sermon and say in a loud voice, " Please do
not kill insects till the service is ended." Not only do the people
do this during the address, but I have also known them bring young
bear-cubs to nurse during service. This is not pleasant, but has
to be put up with. It all belongs to the work of a pioneer mission-
ary among the Ainu of Yezo. However, things grow better as time
goes on. As soon as we get the churches built, the little out-of-the-
way matters now mentioned disappear, and things gradually come to
be done as orderly as in our churches in England.

Two Ainu Children.

CHAPTER IX.

METHODS OF WORK.

'•' Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon
line ; here a little, and there a little : for with stammering lips and another tongue
will he speak to this people." — Isa. xxviii. 10, n.

T has already been pointed out in this little book that
a great deal of the missionaries' work in Yezo consists
in itinerating. Itinerating is, as you know quite well,
just going about from place to place, and the purpose
of it is to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. All true
workers always try to remember that they are " ambassadors for
Christ," and that they are only sent to be witnesses on His behalf.
After having learned something of the language, the message is
delivered — the witness is borne — first by simple private talking to a
few individuals, and after that by public preaching ; and it is always

Patient and Polite.

our desire to make as many different people hear as we possibly
can.

All this requires the exercise of a wonderful amount of patience,
both by the teacher and the taught. It is done as the text at the
heading of this chapter says, for it is true that " precept must be
upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line ;
here a little, and there a little." It is here that the missionary needs
the grace of patience, for it is remarkable to see how slow some of
the people are at learning. Try to imagine how your poor music-
teacher must feel sometimes when he or she is labouring to teach
you first the notes, and then all about those terrible majors, minors,
augmenteds, and perfects, as well as about the seconds and thirds,
fourths, fifths, time, and so on ! The teacher himself needs patience,
does he not ? But supposing the teacher is not quite perfect — what
then ? What a fearful discord he must sometimes make in his
practice, to be sure ! That is something like the poor missionary.
He has to speak in a foreign tongue. He has tried very hard to
learn it, but still mistakes will occur. It is then that the learners —
the people to whom he is preaching — need to exercise patience.
Now, I have found the Japanese very indulgent and patient, and
polite and kind to us. Allow me to tell you of a case I heard myself.
I once knew a certain missionary who was an excellent Japanese
scholar and eloquent preacher. But he had one marked failing in
his pronunciation. When talking fast he could not at first say
" Kami''' (which means " God") very well, but the final i would
change itself into e somehow or other ; so that the people heard
kame for kami. Now kame means "tortoise"! The people there-
fore began to wonder what the tortoise which the missionary said
lived in heaven could possibly be ! The Japanese nowadays do not
believe that any tortoise is god, though they used to do so. The Ainu,
as well as the Red Indians, and some other races, still do, however.

Missionaries' Mistakes.

It was no wonder, therefore, that they began to ask one another
what could be meant. They decided at last, and quite rightly, too,
that Kami (" God ") was intended, and so the mistake was excused.

But it is hardly fair, perhaps, for me to mention the mistakes of
a former missionary. I will therefore give one of my own. The
Japanese word for " foundation " is dodai ; but there is another word
a little like it, and that is daidai, a kind of orange. After having
preached a sermon one evening, a member of the congregation came
to me and said: "We understood your sermon very well indeed,
but there is just one thing I should be glad if you would kindly
explain. It is this. You spoke about the daidai (' orange ') of the
world. What kind of an orange did you mean ?•" I could not
imagine what he meant for a time, and then I discovered that I had
used the word daidai ("orange") when I meant dodai ("founda-
tion"). So you see teachers as well as taught, and the taught most
of all, perhaps, have a great need of the virtue of patience.

But the mistakes do not always happen through using the wrong
word, for sometimes they come through misplacing the honorifics.
For instance, when talking in Japanese one must be careful to speak
of his own things as very ordinary or common, and of those of the
person he is addressing as extraordinary and grand. Thus, a
Japanese will often speak of his own wife as his "foolish wife," or
of his beautiful residence as " my old house " ; his beloved children
will be " my little ' animals,' or ' brats,' " perhaps, and his beautiful
new hundred-guinea gold watch, "my worthless old ticker," or
something of that kind.

Now, it is all very well for one to speak of his own belongings in
this way, but how would it be to speak of those of another after the
same manner ? How would it be, think you, for example, to go and
say to a man, "Good morning, sir, how is your foolish wife to-day ? "
Or to a lady, " Good evening, madam, how are those little brats of

A Serious Blunder.

children of yours ? " Or again, supposing you were to see a friend
riding a beautiful horse or being followed by a splendid dog — it would
not be quite the thing, would it, to go and say to him, " What a
disgraceful old wretch of a horse that is you are riding," or " What
a mangy old cur this is following you " ? It would never do to
speak in this way of things belonging to another, while, when thev
are your own, it would be polite to do so. I once heard a very dear
old gentleman, a missionary, make a mistake something after the
manner just mentioned. He commenced his lecture by saying.
" Gentlemen, when I first came to your abominable country about
thirty years ago — " He then corrected himself and said, "When
your humble servant" (meaning himself) "left his own worthless
country and came to your most honourable and exquisite land,"
and so on. He thus corrected himself right nobly, and all passed
off well. Soon after arriving in Japan I remember making my first
serious blunder in this respect. It was in this way : I was walking
with Mr. Ogawa along the main street of Hakodate when we met a
Christian lady and her three children. I addressed the lady, and
thought I was saying, "Are these your honourable children ? " while
in reality I said, "Are these your odious youngsters ? " Mr. Ogawa put
me right at once and I apologized, and so that matter also passed off
all right. Thus, then, you will see that all new missionaries to Japan
need your special prayers that they may be helped in learning to
speak this difficult language in a way that will not give offence.

As a result of itinerating, many people hear the W 7 ord, and, thanks
be to God, some believe. These first believers form the nucleus or
beginning of a Church, and from these others hear and become
interested, and at last join them. As a rule, however, the first
Church is generally gathered out round the home of the missionary,
and generally the meetings, classes, and quiet services are held in
his house.

9 8

Christians' Bible-classes.

Thus, when Mr. "Williams reached Hakodate there was a small,
a very small, congregation of Christians and inquirers already in
existence ; and besides holding services for them and the Heathen
down in the city, he also held his Bible-classes in the C.M.S. house
on the hill. This class consisted of five persons only, but they were
all very interesting people, and also very much interested in what
was read and taught. As soon as I arrived upon the scene I forth-
with joined myself to them, so as to pray with them and hear the
language spoken, and also to find out as well as possible how they
regarded the good things told them. Mr. Terata, Mr. Kimura,
poor Mr. Sano, Mr. Murai, and old Mrs. Watanabe (all of whom
have already been mentioned) formed the class. Then there
were Mr. and Mrs. Williams and myself, with often Mr. Ogawa.
It was a small gathering, but very cozy, warm, bright, and
helpful. Such classes, which are always held by someone on
the spot, form one great means of building up the Christians,
and of interesting others who are brought to us by the regular
attendants.

At these classes very curious questions are often asked. Let me
just quote one out of many : " We read in Genesis iii. 6 that Eve
first partook of the forbidden fruit, and thus sin and death were
brought into the world. Eve was therefore the cause of death. But
in i Cor. xv. 22 it is written, ' As in Adam all die.' How is this to
be explained ? " I wonder if you, dear reader, can explain this
matter ? If not, go and ask someone about it. Do not forget, also,
the last part of the verse I have quoted, " As in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive."

As early as possible Sunday-schools are also started, and these do
a very great deal of good. Indeed the heathen Buddhist priests of
Japan have found out what a power Sunday-schools are, and have
actually established some for the children of their own adherents.

SUNDA Y-SCHOOLS.

Heathen Village Children.

Missionaries never forget the little boys and girls, for they remember
the words of Him Who said, " Suffer the little children to come unto
Me, and forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
The C.M.S. Sunday-school children of Yezo now number more than
2000 ; they are not all baptized Christians yet, but we hope and
pray that they will be some day. I will give you just one incident
which shows what kind of good Sunday-schools do in some cases.
A little heathen girl of the age of seven attended one of our Sunday-
schools. Her brothers and sisters, and also her father and mother,
were all Heathen. The little girl believed what she was taught by
her teacher of the love of the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
worked so graciously in her heart that she asked for baptism. All
were surprised at this, and the teacher and pastor both thought it
would be best to keep her waiting some time longer, especially as
she was so young and her parents both Heathen. She was very
much disappointed at this, and kept continually urging her teacher
to get her baptized. She was so intensely in earnest and constant
in her request that she could not be resisted any longer. Her parents

H 2

IOO

Knitting Classes.

gave their consent, and so, after a time, she was baptized, which
made her very happy. This little mite of a girl used to teach her
brother and sister, father and mother, what she had heard at the
Sunday-school and in church. The result of this, so far, is that the
brother, sister, and mother have now also become Christians, while
the father and grandmother are greatly interested. Praise God
for that.

When the workers are so few as they always are in heathen lands,

other days are chosen in
which the teachers go to the
surrounding villages, give
their Sunday-school lessons,
and in some cases form
knitting-classes for the girls
and women. These also are
a great success sometimes.
The Buddhist priests have
seen this also and so now
imitate us. Through the
means of these little classes
many doors are open to us,
and we are very thankful. I
will» | give you two illustra-
tions showing how the Lord
Jesus uses the classes for His
glory. The first shows how
glory for Jesus Christ may
come from a little child.
It is this : In a certain
heathen village, far away
from the home of the

Maria, an Ainu Christian Worker.

Gave Away his Coat. ioi

A Christian Japanese Family at a Meal.

missionary, preaching services are held two evenings a month,
and on the afternoon of the same day the children are collected
together and taught the Sunday-school lessons by means of
large pictures. They are also taught to sing hymns. On a
certain occasion it happened that a tiny boy, about seven years
of age, had been adopted into another family and was to leave his
parents' home. His father and mother were very poor indeed, and
the little boy was greatly distressed because he had no good clothes
to wear. The only coat he had was dirty and ragged. Another
little lad, who also attended the afternoon school just spoken of,
stepped out, and, taking off his nice, clean, tidy coat, handed it to the

102

Various Mission Schools.

little ragged boy and said, " Here, take this. I am a Christian ; I
follow Jesus. You may have my coat." His parents, though Heathen,
were very pleased, and allowed the other lad to take it away. Both
children were unbaptized, but the one who gave the coat glorified
Christ, did he not ?

The next story is about a Christian family, and has something in
it to cause both sadness and pleasure, sorrow and joy. In a certain
village there resides a Christian family consisting of a husband and
wife, with a little adopted daughter who was about six years of age at
the time I now refer to. One afternoon just before tea-time, sad to
relate, the father and 'mother had a quarrel and were very angry with
each other. Tea was got ready and they all sat down to eat. The
father was so cross that he began the meal, alas ! without first saying
grace. The little girl set her rice down on the little table and, look-
ing at her adopted father, said, " Honoured father, it is wicked to be
cross. You have neglected to give thanks for this food. Jesus will
be grieved. I cannot eat my food till you have given God thanks."
The parents were much touched at this. Indeed the father was
affected to tears, and was moved to say the grace. Peace was thus
made at once. We may depend upon it that this little girl got the
blessing of Him Who said, " Blessed are the peacemakers."

Then, too, besides such classes and schools as have now been
mentioned, there are night-schools in some places, such as that of
Miss Bryant's at Piratori. These also do much good and are
very greatly appreciated. There are several small elementary schools
such as those in the Kushiro and Hakodate districts, as well as some
of a higher class like that of the Japanese girls' school at Hakodate,
under Mr. Andrews, and the school for Ainu lads, also at Hakodate, in
the care of Mr. and Mrs. Nettleship. The good done by these schools
is very manifest and it is permanent. At Sapporo there is a " Home "
for Ainu girls, where, besides the Gospel of our salvation, such useful

Trained for Christian Work.

103

thi ngs as reading and writing, cooking and needlework are taught.
Indeed they are taught all things which would tend to make them
good and useful wives.

Miss Tapson also, in conjunction with Miss Jex-Blake, has a nice
" Home " for Japanese girls and young women at Hakodate. It is
hoped that some of those who are trained will by-and-by give them-
selves up to the Lord for His work as Bible-women. This is a grand
work, and the influence of the " Home " is steadily growing.

The Rev. J. Batchelor with Ainu.

Tending the Sick.

Dr. Colborne in the Dispensary, Hakodate.

Then,
again, there
is a still
higher
branch of
the work
carried on
in Hako-
date. I re-
fer to an
i nstitution
there for
training
young men
to become
catechists.

Mr. Andrews began this work many years ago, and the benefit it
has been to us in supplying workers is indescribable.

And now I must say one more word about another branch of the
work, and that is the medical. This is a very good and important
part of our Mission, and its influence and power for good are very
great. Dr. and Mrs. Colborne are doing a grand work at Hakodate,
where Miss Evans has gone to join them and assist as nurse.
Many a sick one receives the Saviour into his heart shortly before
his death ; while others are converted while ill, and when cured
of their diseases become faithful witnesses for Christ by word
and life. A special feature connected with this work is the little
service which is held daily in the dispensary. Every person who is
attended to there by the doctor hears something about Christ the
Lord. And what is heard there by the people is carried farther, for
they almost all talk of it again to their friends. These people are

The Service for Patients.

really the poorest of the poor, and among such the Gospel always
appears to make rapid progress.

Miss Bryant, a trained nurse, also spends many hours a day

among the sick Ainu
at Piratori and the
surrounding villages.

The last thing to be
mentioned in this con-
nexion is the " Hos-
pital Rest House" for
sick Ainu at Sapporo.
This building was
completed in Decem-
ber, 1892, and has
been much appreciated
by the people ever
since. Seventy - five
patients were admitted
in the first year, and
every year since the
numbers have been
between 100 and 160.
Very few of those who
have come to us have
died, and almost all
have gone back to
their homes cured,
while every one has
heard much about the
Salvation of Christ.
A Crippled Ainu. Many have been con-

io6

Distribution of Scriptures.

verted there and have gone home to their villages cured both in body
and soul.

There is one other mode of working among the people in the spread
of the Good News, and that is the distribution of Scriptures, tracts,
and good books. All missionaries know the value of these helps and
are grateful to the Religious Tract Society.

Thus all these different agencies, such as preaching, schools, and
medical treatment, are working together in the cause of Christ for the
good of His Kingdom. He acknowledges them all and bestows
His blessing upon them ; yea, and He will bless them right on to the
end. It is through His blessing alone that the work has progressed
so far and so well.

Hospital Rest House, Sapporo.

1 t

CHAPTER X.

DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF
BECOMING CHRISTIANS.

" Not by might, nor by power, but by My
Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." — Zech. iv. 6.

T is absolutely certain that
the words contained in the
verse standing at the top
of this chapter are true.
We may say this not only because we
know them to be the very words of
God Himself, but also because our own
experience proves it to be so. No
sooner does the missionary get among
the poor benighted, spiritually blinded
Heathen than he begins to feel as
never before how great is his own
weakness. No missionary can convert a Heathen. Such a deed as
that is utterly beyond all human power. Nor can a Heathen
convert himself of his own will. It is only possible for God to
do such things as these ; and it is His holy Word which so truly
says, " Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the
Lord of hosts. ' ;

Before becoming a missionary I used to imagine that work among

An Ainu with his Offering.
{See page 112.)

ic8

A Hard Struggle.

the Heathen was quite easy, because I was under the impression
that all the Heathen to whom missionaries were sent were anxiously
waiting to receive the blessed Gospel of the Lord Jesus, and that
one had only to preach to them and then they would all be willing
to become Christians almost at once. But in this I was mistaken,
for Satan has blinded their hearts and has them very much under
his power. He will not give them up without a hard struggle.
Thousands, it is true, do accept the Gospel of their salvation
quickly in some parts of the world — we thank God for this ; and
many more have a desire to accept it ; but still the great majority
do not do so. There are very many things holding them back,
some of which we can see and know about, and others which
we cannot hope ever to find out. One thing we are certain of, how-
ever, and that is that all the hindrances, whatever their form and
nature may be, are directly from the great spiritual enemy — Satan —
himself. But then we also know that he is being gradually driven
out, and that in the end the Lord Jesus will surely reign in his stead.

In the present chapter I want to tell you of a certain class of
difficulties which stand in the way of the people confessing Christ.
Most of these difficulties have to do with their own religions, though
there are many others which arise from the wicked heart of a
corrupt nature, and not a few find their cause in a body made weak
by evil habits.

In order that we may understand these things more easily, let us
get up a little conversation with one of the many Heathen one often
meets with in Yezo. Let us suppose that the missionary has just
finished preaching and is urging someone to accept Christ as his
own personal Saviour. Perhaps the person to whom he is speaking
will say: "Oh no, that may not be. We have already an old
religion in which we believe. Why should I give that up for
another ? Our forefathers before us believed in it ; it was good

" Will it not do for us?" 109

Japanese Idols.

enough for them, why will it not do for us ? No, I cannot
change."

" But, why ? The Lord Jesus spoke truth. He is God, and He
came all the way from heaven to bring us news of our Father Who
lives there ; and also to suffer and die that we might live for ever in
perfect peace and happiness with Him. He died for you ! "

" Oh no, I know nothing about Him. He is not my God. He is

I IO

The Missionary's Teaching.

not my Saviour. We in this country have our own gods who attend
to our wants. The English, too, have theirs, and the Chinese
theirs. Every nation and each particular place has its own deities
to attend to it."

" But," says the missionary, " there is only one true God over
all, and He has given us only one true Saviour. We must come to
this only God and we must believe in this one Saviour. Jesus is
' the Way, the Truth, and the Life,' and He wants us all to come
to Him. Just go away and think about Him, and then let us have
another chat at some other time."

Thus we can only pray, and preach, and talk, and so try to

show by degrees that the
heathen gods have no real
being and nowhere exist but
in the imagination of those
who believe in them. No-
thing more than this can be
done — the Holy Spirit of
God must do the rest, every
bit of it. " Not by might,
nor by power, but by My
Spirit, saith the Lord of
hosts."

Very likely you may wonder
what gods the people of
Yezo — the Ainu especially —
worship. Well, there are
very many of them indeed,
and they are thought to
exist everywhere. But not
An Ainu Man. only do they worship things

Afraid of the Demons.

which are supposed to be gods, but demons also. The skies,
air, clouds, and even banks of fog, are supposed to be full of
them. So, too, do they think there are gods of the sun, moon, and
stars, and of the winds, mists, rain, sleet, hail, and snow ; gods
and demons also of land and sea, earth and water, mountains and
valleys, fountains, springs, rivers, waterfalls, lakes and ponds, and
also of all kinds of vegetation, as of trees, shrubs, grass, flowers, and
even thorns, thistles, and weeds. The} 7 also imagine there are
good and evil spirits who preside over fishes, reptiles, flies, birds,
and animals. But besides all this they believe that' there is one
Supreme God to Whom all the other deities are subject, and also
one chief demon for whom all other demons act as servants. The
gods, they think, must be worshipped for it is their due, and the
demons must be propitiated in order to purchase their favour so
as not to be harmed by them. Then the people think that each
person has a guardian angel told off by the one true God Himself
to help him or her on the journey through this world in comfort.
In this way, then, the Ainu believe that there are gods and demons
in every particular thing and place.

Now, supposing a person is beginning to doubt his own religion
and thinking of becoming a Christian, and so commences to give up
worshipping the gods and propitiating the demons he has believed
in from childhood. What do his friends think will happen ? Why,
they imagine the demons will attack and punish them, and that the
gods will discontinue their favour. The deities, for example, will,
they think, come and speak to his heart in this way : —

"You are a very wicked person, for you are neglecting us. You
do not worship us now, nor do we see your offerings. You are
thinking of becoming a Christian. That is why you do not acknow-
ledge us any more. Unless you repent of this conduct and return
to us, we will punish you and deliver you up to the power of the

112

Worship of Ancestors.

demons. Yea, we will punish you and all your people. The gods of
the springs and fountains will cease to send forth water ; the demons
of the clouds will stop the rain ; the gods of the sun will scorch up
the earth, and the demons of the winds will send forth hurricanes ; the
rivers will overflow their banks and your gardens will be washed
away. Moreover, the locusts will come and eat up every green
thing ; fishes, birds, and animals will all die, and the people starve.
Yea, the people shall waste away through hunger and thirst ; they
shall have bad dreams, and go about in fear and trembling ; you shall
be bewitched by birds, cats, dogs, foxes, wolves, bears, and squirrels ;
you shall screech like owls, mew like cats, bark like dogs, foxes, and
wolves, and roar like bears ; you shall become blind and deaf, and at
last die in great agony. And besides all this, you shall be punished
after death in the abode of the demons." So, say the people, will
the gods and demons treat those and their friends also who give up
their old religion to become Christians.

People who do not like Christianity try to frighten others who
wish to join themselves to the Lord by speaking in the way now
mentioned. And some believe them, I am sorry to say. But they
also say other things. Thus they repeat : " You must not neglect
the souls of your deceased relations and ancestors. They must be
worshipped every year, and libations of wine and offerings of food
must be placed before them" (see picture on page 107). The
Japanese also offer them incense and lighted candles. The Ainu
say that if the souls of their departed parents and grandparents
are neglected they will come and punish their offspring with various
diseases, and will spoil their gardens.

Thus you see it must be very, very difficult sometimes for the people
to give up their own cherished beliefs for those of another creed.
Many of them are afraid to do so, and dread the idea of any one of
their relatives doing so either. This is one reason why persecutions

PRA V FOR THE HEA THEN.

arise. Indeed there are many who think that if.any calamity befall
a place it is all owing to Christianity, Thus, for example, a severe
shock of earthquake, a visitation of cholera, small-pox, or other
sicknesses have been set down to it. So, too, if there should happen
to be too much rain, or too little — even these matters have been set
down to the fact that missionaries come to preach, and the people
go to listen to them. Of course these ideas are gradually dying out
now, for the people are becoming much wiser. There are also
many others — and these are numerous — who imagine that it in no
way matters what religion a person professes, but that he may be
saved by any one of them. Some even place Jesus Christ by the
side of the Buddhas and other false gods, and worship Him together
with them. Pray that their eyes may be opened.

CHAPTER XL

THE HARVEST.

" First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." — St. Mark iv. 28.

VERY missionary feels that the work of sowing the
Gospel seed in the hearts of the Heathen is a very
glorious occupation. How delightful then must his
feelings be, think you, when he is permitted not only
to sow, but to reap as well ! When he sees the souls for whom
Christ died being gathered in, partly through his own instru-
mentality, he is overwhelmed with joy. I intend now in this last
chapter to give some short account of the seed which is sown
springing up and sending forth " first the blade, then the ear, and
after that the full corn in the ear." And to begin with, I will tell of
a curious way in which the seed was sown quite unintentionally, and
yet sprang up and bore fruit.

Among my acquaintances in Yezo there is a certain good man
whom I consider it to be a great privilege to know somewhat
intimately ; for though a Heathen at one time, he has become a

What is your Object!

splendid Christian, and is leading a most consistent Christ-like life.
When he first began to go to hear the Gospel preached, his wife,
who was a firm believer in Buddhism, was very angry and scolded
him very much. One day, as he was going to a service, she said to
him, —

" Why ever can you want to go to listen to the stuff and rubbish
those missionaries and their abominable helpers come to preach?
What can your object be ? If you want to hear sermons, why don't
you go to our own temples ? You ought to be ashamed of yourself,
for you know as well as I do that those foreigners have only come
here to deceive us. It would
be much better if you were to
stay at home and read, or help
look after the baby while I
attend to my housework and
sewing. I haven't patience with
you men-folks. I believe it is
just laziness and curiosity on
your part."

The husband — who himself
told me of this — said that he
took no notice of these remarks,
but continued to go to the preach-
ing-place as usual. It seems
that he was quite dissatisfied
with his own religion, and was
truly seeking after the Truth.

After a few weeks had passed,
the wife had another grumbling
fit. But this time she said, —

" I really can't make you OUt. Japanese Mother and Child.

I 2

The Wife's Advice.

Every time there is a preaching-service, away you go, post-haste, to
listen, leaving me and the baby here by ourselves. I believe you,
like so many other stupid creatures, are being deceived. You are a
queer man, to be sure. Those missionaries no doubt say a lot of
nice, extraordinary things. Come, now, you please stay at home
this evening and mind the baby. I intend to go myself to-night
and hear what it is they preach. I haven't patience with you men
— you are all as full of curiosity as you can be ! "

And so away the poor wife trotted, taking another friend with
her, to the service, while the husband was left at home to nurse the
baby. The woman said the men were full of curiosity. I think she
herself was this time ; don't you ?

Upon her return after the service, the husband said, —

" Well, how did you get on ? Did you understand what was
said ? Was it a nice address ? "

" What," said she, " did I understand indeed ! I should just
think I did understand. And ' was it a nice address,' did you say ?
Yes, I should think it was. No wonder you poor men-folk are
deceived ! That preacher is a very cunning fellow. He said
nothing but what he thought would tickle our ears and please us
all. It is really quite dangerous to go to hear him. I shall not go
again, lest I also be deceived. I advise you, too, never again to go
near that place."

The husband only smiled at this, and kept quite silent. And so
matters remained for a long time — he attending the service, and she
staying at home nursing the baby. But one evening some time
after, the wife came to him as he was about to go and hear another
sermon, and said, —

" Now, look here, you dreadfully lazy and inquisitive man, I know
where you are off to ; but just please stay at home to-night. I mean
to go myself this evening and hear what rubbish that missionary will

Full Corn in the Ear.

117

preach. I dont see why you should always go, and I stay at
home."

And so it was arranged that she should go, and he stay at home to
take charge once again of the house and baby.

Upon her return that evening she reported that the missionary
was not so interesting this time. She said that he spoke "a lot of
nonsense about sin and salvation." There was nothing left in her
mind but the words, "sin, sin, sin, and Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. What
does it all mean ? I do not understand it. I am altogether puzzled
to see however you can go to listen to such rubbish. What good
can it do ? "

This was the way the woman spoke. And so things went on.
By-and-by it was noticed that the wife went more frequently to
hear the " rubbish " preached ! And the end of it all was that
both she and her husband became converted and were baptized.
Is not this an illustration of what Christ meant when He said of the
seed which was sown, " First the blade, then the ear, and after that
the full corn in the ear " ? I think it is truly so. The seed was
sown by her husband's example, it was watered by the preacher's
words, and the Holy Spirit caused it to spring up and bear fruit.

In some cases it takes a very long time for the corn to come to
perfection in the ear. even after it is fully formed, though in others
it is much quicker. I know one dear Christian woman — she is
very old now — who had been baptized for more than twelve years, and
who for several years had been a constant attendant at the Lord's
Table before she became quite ripe. One day she sent me a small
idol, for which she said she had no more use. She had kept this
idol carefully hidden away in her private chest of drawers for twelve
years after she had become a Christian ! She kept it, she said,
because she was afraid to part with it. She did not worship it,
indeed, for she had quite given up idol-worship ; but she was afraid

Have You an Idol?

some misfortune might happen to her or her household if she got
rid of it altogether. However, it was given me at last, and I have
it by me now. I do not think I could call this old lady a good, full,
ripe ear of the Lord's corn till that idol was quite given up. Could
you ? But I am very thankful that she parted with it at last. Let
us praise God for it. It would have been much better if she had
been bold and trusted the Lord Jesus fully. I wonder whether the
reader of these pages can say that he or she has quite given up
every " idol," or whether there may not be just one hidden away
somewhere " in the heart." Think of it, and so try and find out for
yourselves whether you have one, and also what it is. Should you
discover one, get rid of it at once. Don't wait a single moment
longer, but trust the Lord Jesus fully. This is the only safe way.
There should be no compromise.

But in some cases the corn ripens in the ear much more quickly.
I will now give an example of it. Some eight or nine years ago I
baptized a lady who had always been a very firm believer in amulets
or charms. Most of the people believe in charms, and there are a
great number of them. There are those thought to be suitable for
children, and others more especially suited for grown-up people ;
and while some are used by men only, there are others which are
only used by the women. The lady of whom I am now writing had
her charms, but as soon as she heard the Gospel preached she gave up
her faith in them and accepted the Lord Jesus instead, which is very
far better. She is now safe with Him in heaven. Soon after her
baptism she brought her charms and gave them to us, at the same
time saying that she had no more faith in them at all. The
accompanying illustration is a photograph of them. We had no idea
that she had any such things till she handed them to us. Perhaps
the reader will wonder what charms are, and what they are used for.
Well, they are particular objects generally worn on the bosom,

Belief in Charms.

suspended from the neck by a string, or tied round the waist, and
they never leave the body, so it is said, excepting when the possessor
is taking a bath. Some of the females, however, carry idols as
charms, snugly tied up in their dress under the obi or waistband,
while the children carry theirs in small bags made for the purpose.

Let us now turn to those given in the illustration, for they have
been actually worn and believed in. The dreadful creature with
black face and inordinately fat nose is called Suit Tengu, and, I
believe, is looked upon more as a demon than a god. When a
woman wears one of them about her she imagines that it will, by
some means or other, save
her from drowning and
other dangers ! The lady
who gave it us had tra-
velled to Yezo by sea, and
had come a distance of
nearly a thousand miles
in a ship ; and so, before
she started, had provided
herself with it as a safe-
guard from shipwreck.

The one with the white face is called, I believe, Aizen, and its
special work seems to be to provide good fortune, and to cause one's
children to be lovable, kind, and all that is nice. Of course the
Japanese mothers are just like English mothers in desiring to obtain
the love and affection of their little ones. And surely they ought to
have it ! Ought they not ? But to wear a charm such as that
illustrated above, in order to obtain it, is just blindness. The
wearing of charms or amulets is nothing else than superstition, and
appears to us to be altogether ridiculous. There is no more sense
in it than in nailing up a horseshoe before one's door, or in keeping

Women's Charms.

120

Monument of God's Grace.

a lucky-stone or coin with a hole in it, in order to obtain good
fortune. Yet the people believe in charms very firmly, and do not
like giving them up. It is a great triumph when the Holy Spirit
works in the heart of any one and makes him cease to believe in
them. The woman referred to truly became a monument of God's
grace when He gave her power so easily to give hers up. Ask
God that many others may follow her example in these matters.

Thus, then, some few peeps at missionary work in Yezo have now
been given. There are many other such-like matters which one
might show the reader, but those now presented will suffice for this
book. In conclusion, I will therefore simply commend these pages
to the young people of England and ask them each to offer up a
prayer for the C.M.S. in Yezo — the Church, ministers, and people.
May God bless us all !

THE END.

PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LTD., ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, CLERKEN WELL, E.C.

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