JAPAN MISSION

Stations: Location and Special Work of Missionaries

KOBE (1873). - Arthur W. Stanford, ordained: Business agent of the mission; editor of the Mission News; evangelistic and Bible work. Mrs. Jane H. Stanford: Bible Training School; general work for women. Miss Eliza Talcott: Bible Training School; work for women. Miss Martha J. Barrows: Bible Training School. Miss Gertrude Cozad: Bible Training School. Miss Rosamond C. Bates: Bible Training School. Miss Annie L. Howe: Principal of Glory Kindergarten. Miss Charlotte B. DeForest: Acting principal of Kobe College. Mrs. Amanda A. Walker: Kobe College. Miss Olive S. Hoyt: Kobe College. Miss Grace H. Stowe: Kobe College. Miss Mary E. Stowe: Kobe College.

KYOTO (1875). - Otis Cary, D.D., ordained: Evangelistic work and Doshisha Theological Seminary and secretary of the mission. Mrs. Ellen M. Cary: Doshisha Girls' School and Sunday-school work. Sidney L. Gulick, D.D., ordained: Theological Seminary. Mrs. Cara M. Gulick: Work for women. Morton D. Dunning, ordained: Doshisha Academy; treasurer of the mission. Mrs. Mary W. Dunning: Work for children. Edward S. Cobb, ordained: Theological Seminary and music. Mrs. Florence B. Cobb: Sunday-school work. Mr. Dana I. Grover: Doshisha Academy and College. Mrs. Charlotte E. Grover: Music. Mrs. Agnes H. Gordon: In charge of the Airin Kindergarten. Miss Mary F. Denton: Doshisha Girls' School.

MATSUYAMA (1897). — Horatio B. Newell, D.D., ordained: Evangelistic work. Mrs. Jane C. Newell: Work for women. Miss Cornelia Judson: Night School and Girls' School.

MIYAZAKI (1892).

Cyrus A. Clark, ordained: Evangelistic work. Mrs. Harriet Gulick Clark: Work for women and care of a home for school-girls.

NIIGATA (1883).

William L. Curtis, ordained: Evangelistic and Bible work.

Mrs. Gertrude B. Curtis: Work for women and children.

OKAYAMA (1879). — James H. Pettee, D.D., ordained: Evangelistic and eleemosynary work. Mrs. Belle W. Pettee: Work for women. Miss Mary E. Wainwright: Evangelistic and Bible work. Miss Alice P. Adams: Christian social settlement work.

TOTTORI (1890). — Charles M. Warren, ordained: Evangelistic work. Mrs. Cora Keith Warren: Work for women. Henry J. Bennett, ordained: Evangelistic work. Mrs. Anna J. Bennett: Kindergarten.

OSAKA (1872). Wallace Taylor, M.D., ordained: Medical and surgical work. Mrs. Mary S. Taylor. Miss Abbie M. Colby: Baikwa Girls' School.

SAPPORO (1896). — George M. Rowland, D.D., ordained: Evangelistic work. Mrs. Helen A. Rowland: Work for women and children. Samuel C. Bartlett,

ordained (residing at Otaru): Evangelistic work. Mrs. Fanny G. Bartlett: Work for women and children. Miss Adelaide Daughaday: Evangelistic and Bible work.

SENDAI (1885).- John H. DeForest, D.D., ordained: Evangelistic work. Mrs. Sarah E. DeForest: Work for women. Miss Annie H. Bradshaw: Evangelistic and Bible work.

TOKIO (1890). — D. Crosby Greene, D.D., ordained: Editorial and publication work; Bible revision; general work.

On furlough: Dwight W. Learned, D.D., ordained; Mrs. Florence H. Learned; George Allchin, ordained; Mrs. Nellie M. Allchin; Schuyler S. White, ordained; Mrs. Ida M. White; C. Burnell Olds, ordained; Mrs. Genevieve W. Olds; Frank A. Lombard, ordained; Miss Julia A. E. Gulick; Miss Elizabeth Torrey; Miss Elizabeth Ward, Miss Susan A. Searle, Miss Frances Parmelee; Mrs. Frances H. Davis.

Associated with the mission, not under appointment: Miss Grace Learned, Doshisha Girls' School; Miss Florence Holbrook, Miss Ada B. Chandler, Kobe College; Miss Florence M. Gordon, Miss Marion F. Allchin, Baikwa Girls' School; Mrs. Alice M. Inman, Kobe College.

Twelve stations; 55 outstations; 22 ordained missionaries, of whom I is a physician; I unordained missionary; 21 wives; 24 single women; total American force, 68; 23 native pastors and evangelists; 12 Bible women; 30 chapels; 1,305 church members, 166 added during the year; 59 Sunday-schools with 2,594 average attendance; total contributions, $3,724. Kumi-ai statistics show about 17,000 communicants.

The mission has sustained great losses in the death of Mrs. Greene, Dr. Davis, and of Dr. Mary Holbrook. The mission has also lost the services of Miss Florence Allchin. Mr. Curtis returns with Mrs. Curtis after a long illness in this country. Miss Barrows also is able to return to her work, as is Miss Colby. Dr. and Mrs. Pettee, Mrs. Gordon, and Rev. and Mrs. Bennett have returned to their posts.

Story of the Mission

Retrospect

When the first missionaries of the American Board went to Japan forty years ago there were no railroads or telegraphs or newspapers or common schools. There was no regular army or navy or constitution or parliament. Japan, however, was just awaking from her sleep of two hundred and fifty years and opening her gates to the world. Rapid development has come along material lines. To-day she can boast of 6,000 miles of railroads, 40,000 miles of telegraph lines, 4,000 postal and telegraph offices

in operation, with rural delivery to the remotest hamlet. Two thousand daily papers and periodicals are now published. The educational system of Japan is unexcelled, there being at present four Imperial Universities, nine Imperial Colleges, 256 middle schools or academies, and nearly 6,000 elementary or grammer schools. Ninety-six per cent of the children of school age attend school some part of each year. The judicial system is now up to date, the civil and criminal codes of laws being modeled on the best codes of the West. Constitutional government has been in operation for more than twenty years, with members of city and pro

vincial assemblies and members of the national Joseph Hardy Neesima parliament elected by the people.

By this wonderful progress along all lines, material, educational and political, Japan has gained recognition on terms of equality from all the western nations and is an acknowledged leader in the East. Religiously her leaders are looking as never before for a religion with ethical force necessary to meet the demands of New Japan.

Forty years ago, when the first missionaries of the American Board went to Japan, the edicts against Christianity were everywhere conspicuous. Belief in this so-called infamous religion was made a capital crime.

Now Christianity is recognized as an established religion, and though its adherents are few in comparison with the mass of the people, its influence is virile. The two small churches in Kobe and Osaka, formed in 1874, have now become 92 organized churches, with many more chapel congregations as churches in prospect, and from 18 members they have grown to 17,000. Established by the American Board, these Kumi-ai churches are now independent, self-supporting, and self-propagating. They support a home missionary society and are an aggressive Christian body, especially along evangelistic and educational lines. While the American Board last year supplied $10,800 for the general work in Japan, the Kumi-ai Christians contributed nearly $50,000.

The educational work in which the American Board is particularly interested has grown from one small school in Kobe to 6 kindergartens, several girls' schools, I girls' college, a woman's evangelistic training school, and the leading Christian university

in Japan, the Doshisha, which alone enrolls over 800 students, including the academic, collegiate, and theological departments, as well as the girls' school.

Philanthropic and eleemosynary work has also grown apace. We point with pride to the Okayama Orphanage with which our missionaries and the Kumi-ai Christians have had to do; to the social settlement work in Okayama, and the Christian social work in Matsuyama and other fields.

The prospects of the kingdom of Christ in Japan are, as the sainted Dr. Davis said, "bright as the promises of God, which are being fulfilled before our very eyes." The foundations are laid; the Bible has been in the language of the people for more than twenty years and its sales and circulation are rapidly increasing. The people everywhere are ready to listen to the gospel. Missionaries are invited to speak and even to lecture on Christian themes in the national schools and universities. The power and influence of Christianity are silently leavening the nation, and Japan is coming powerfully if unconsciously under the influence of Christianity.

Call for Advance

Yet the impression should not be given that Japan is nearly evangelized. Far from it. There are at least 30,000,000 people who have never heard of Christ except in the most general way.