THE KING'S BUSINESS
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missionary was the translator of the New Testament into Japanese. If the powerful of earth came to us asking what they could do for us, would our answer be as, wise and unselfish? The last letter from Miss Verna E. Eick of Elat, Africa, missionary of South Da kota Synodical Society, tells of “another high water mark” in church attendance, when over 5000 were in and around the church building, besides an overflow meet ing in the schoolhouse. Telling of four days spent in a heathen town with Mrs. Hope and her little daughter, she wrote: “The people are always anxious to hear the gospel, but they have many difficulties in the way of confessing. Often a woman gives as, her excuse for not being a Chris-1 tian that She is still unmarried and hunt ing a husband. It is a great compensation to see the transformation in heathen lives after they have confessed. One old woman apparently near death dreaded to die, but now all that fear seems to have passed away, and she is patiently waiting for her release. As I was passing through a town a woman called from her door for me To come and see her. Upon reaching her house I found her sick, as usual covered with redwood powder, and very thin. She said she could not attend the meetings, but .had confessed and was hungry for the words of God, and wouldn’t I tell her ‘just two words.’ It was near night and I had to hurry, so it was necessarily ‘two words,’ but she looked grateful even for that little.” “Yet will I not forget thee, My cherished one, My own! I will not leave thee comfortless Life’s path to tread alone. ’Tis- better that those outstretched hands Those clinging hands .of thine; Be loosed, beloved, from the clasp Of any hands but Mine. Though earthly love, and earthly joy Afar from thee be set, Yet will I not forsake thee, Yet will I not forget.” ' —Edith Gilling Cherry.
Miss Margaret Duncan of China wrote during a visit: “We took a walk to a hill outside of the city -to a Buddhist, temple in which there are about 500 idols and the representation of a Buddhist hell. The temple itself is in bad repair, and the idols that stand outside in the courts are badlv dilapidated. There were gods fierce and gods gay, the god of thunder, the god of lightning, gods of happiness, prosperity, long life and jollity; goddesses for the mother to worship; gods supposed to heal all man ner of diseases, etc. In the place of honor was an .immense Buddha, with places for kneeling and burning of incense all around him. In front of each idol was a great bowl with partly burned incense sticks left by the last worshipers. One of the most interesting sights was a huge bronze bell, from the top of which were hanging many bunches of women’s hair. This was hung there by the families of women whom they .supposed to be in hades, -The ringing of thé bell and the vibrations thus caused in the hair are supposed in some way to pull them out of purgatory.” Forty years ago Japan was so distrustful of foreigners admitted to her seaport towns that the first missionaries found it almost impossible to .get any one to teach them the Japanese language, One man employed a private teacher, and after some time dis covered that what.he was learning was a dialect of one of the smaller islands, and not the language of the main body of the people at all. In vain he looked about for another teacher. One evening, without thought of personal safety, he drove away robbers who were attacking a rnan outside his door. The man proved to be a Japanese noble, and in his gratitude to the missionary offered him as a reward anything that he should name. “Teach me your language,” cried the missionary. “Anything but that,” replied the nobleman, feeling that he had promised what perhaps he had no right to perform. The missionary persisted, and af ter consideration the nobleman came next day to give the first lessons,—the entering wedge of Christianity in Japan, for that
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