JAPAN. 



JOHNSTON, WILLIAM F. 417 



lish schools within the limits in which their resi- 

 dence is authorized, and have there preached 

 Christianity without molestation. Their con- 

 verts have not been interfered with, and the 

 native church at Yokohama has been organ- 

 ized without hinderance. In the absence of 

 official statements, the impression of the mis- 

 sionaries is, that the Government is willing to 

 tolerate Christianity, but does not yet venture, 

 in the face of traditions of the empire, and the. 

 prejudices of the people, to take so bold a step 

 as expressly to authorize the general preach- 

 ing of its doctrines. In the mean time, the 

 local officers are obliged to enforce the laws 

 whenever complaint is made against Chris- 

 tians. 



In July, a proclamation was issued abolish- 

 ing the old Board of Keligion (called " Ji-Gi- 

 sho "), and instituting a new department of 

 religion (called Ki-yo-bu-sho "). The old de- 

 partment was concerned exclusively with 

 Sintooism. It was announced, in the procla- 

 mation, that the new department would, after 

 careful consultation with the most noted ex- 

 ponents of each sect, promulgate a new form 

 of religion, to which all would be compelled 

 to conform. " The new religion," it was de- 

 clared, "will be enlightened, simple, and 

 adapted to common-sense, and is likely to 

 meet the approval of all classes." Notification 

 was also given that " all applications of per- 

 sons desiring to lecture on religious subjects, 

 or to form societies for the purpose of hearing 

 lectures on such subjects, must be made to the 

 new Department of Keligion." 



The new department promulgates the follow- 

 ing rules : 



1 . Thou sbalt honor the gods and love thy country. 



2. Thou shalt clearly understand the principles of 

 Heaven and the duty of man. 



3. Thou shalt revere the Emperor as thy sovereign, 

 and obey the will of his court. 



More recent advices from Japan speak of the 

 appointment of a commission to visit the West- 

 ern countries, for the purpose of obtaining in- 

 formation on the subject of religion. 



A native Christian church was organized at 

 Yokohama, on the 10th of March, with nine 

 professing members. The number of members 

 in this church had increased in September to 

 twenty-five. 



A convention of the Protestant missionaries 

 in Japan was held at Yokohama, on the 20th 

 of September. About twenty persons were 

 present, representing the missions of the Pres- 

 byterian, Reformed, and American (Congrega- 

 tional) Boards, the Union churches of Yoko- 

 hama and Yeddo, the native church, and the 

 consular chaplaincies. The missionary of the 

 English Church Missionary Society sent a let- 

 ter. The convention resolved upon the ap- 

 pointment of a committee of one member from 

 each mission for the translation of the Sacred 

 Scriptures into the Japanese language. It was 

 determined that the members of this commit- 

 tee should be appointed by the missions to 



VOL. XII. 27 A 



which they severally belonged. Besides their 

 own work of translation, they are to examine 

 and pass upon any other translations which 

 may be presented to them for this purpose. 

 All translations accepted by the committee are 

 to be furnished to the several missions at as 

 early a day as possible for general examination 

 and criticism, and to be afterward carefully 

 revised. The American Protestant Episcopal 

 mission, the English Church mission, and Pere 

 Nicolai, of the Greek Church, who were not 

 represented in the convention, were invited to 

 cooperate with the committee in making the 

 proposed translation. 



The following resolution, with reference to 

 the plan on which native churches shall be or- 

 ganized, was unanimously adopted : 



Whereas, The Church of Christ is one in Him, and 

 the diversities of denominations among Protestants 

 are but accidents which, though not affecting the 

 vital unity of believers, do obscure the oneness of the 

 Church in Christendom, and much more in pagan 

 lands, where the history of the divisions cannot be 

 understood ; and, whereas, we, as Protestant mis- 

 sionaries, desire to secure uniformity in our modes 

 and methods of evangelization, so as to avoid as far 

 as possible the evil arising from marked differences, 

 we therefore take the earliest opportunity ottered by 

 this convention to agree that we will use our influ- 

 ence to secure as far as possible identity of name and 

 organization in the native churches, in the formation 

 of which we may be called to assist, that name being 

 as catholic as the Church of Christ ; and the organi- 

 zation being that wherein the government of each 

 church shall be by the ministry and eldership of the 

 same, with the concurrence of the brethren. 



Resolutions were also adopted in favor of 

 the education of a native ministry; for the 

 appointment of a committee to whom all books 

 and tracts, in the Japanese language, shall be 

 referred for criticism and approval, previous 

 to publication ; approving the organization of 

 medical missionary societies in Japan ; and 

 recommending the adoption of a uniform sys- 

 tem of writing Japanese in Roman letters. 



JOHNSTON, WILLIAM FKEAME, an eminent 

 citizen and political leader of Pennsylvania, 

 Governor of the State from 1848 to 1853, born 

 in Greensburg, Northumberland County, Pa., 

 November 29, 1808 ; died in Pittsburg, Pa., 

 October 25, 1872. His early opportunities for 

 education were limited, but he had an insati- 

 able thirst for knowledge, and read every 

 thing he could lay hands on, which would give 

 him food for thought. He early became a 

 good speaker and writer, and at the age of 

 eighteen commenced the study of law under 

 Major J. B. Alexander, and in May, 1829, was 

 admitted to the bar. He removed to Arm- 

 strong County soon after, and was appointed 

 District Attorney, which office he held to the 

 close of 1832. Soon after he was sent to the 

 Legislature, in which he served several terms. 

 In 1847 he was elected to the State Senate 

 from his senatorial district, and the same year 

 chosen President of the Senate. In 1848 Gov- 

 ernor Shunk, who had been reflected the pre- 

 vious autumn, found his health so much re- 

 duced that he was unable to perform his du- 



