18 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
MISSION WORK IN JAPAN 
Continued from page 3 
“we come again? We may use his best 
rooms for meetings and stay with him 
for the night. He is sure there are 
others in the town who are seeking soul 
satisfaction. So we arrange immediate- 
ly for Akimoto San to come fora meet- 
ing on the 18th. and then regularly every 
other week. “Then ablessed season of 
prayer and we start on our journey re- 
joicing and thanking God for this errand 
he has allowed us to do for him’ 
What an inexpressible depth of joy in 
the consciousness of God’s definitely 
using one to lead into the light a won- 
dering soul. 
This heart-glow of the service of the 
Lord is surely a foretaste of the happiness 
of heaven. Riding along in the jin- 
ricksha I find myself trying to praise 
God in the various languages that I have a 
smattering of-—and conclude that the lan- 
guage of the soul must be untrammelled 
by words, and that the praise of heaven 
will be some direct outgoing of love un- 
touched by discordant imperfection in 
heart or expression to mar the harmony 
which is to flood the universe in the day 
of the triumph of our Lord. Reach 
Kinosaki.at 3.30 p. m. Arrange fort 
evening meeting at the hotel and adver- 
tise with posters and a town-crier. Have 
a delightful bath in the famous hot- 
springs. At night we have rain and sleet 
but the rooms are full-—about two hun- 
dred. After-meeting till eleven with a 
military officer, a blind massageuer, two 
school-teachers and several merchants as 
earnest inquirers. 
Sunday, Dec. 15. Start for “Toyooka 
at seven o'clock and arrive at 9.30. 
Find a bright S$. S. of 45 or 50 children 
thoroughly enjoying the singing and pay- 
ing good attention to the teaching. 
Preaching at 10 followed by Communion 
service. Make calls in the afternoon. 
Stereopticon again in the evening to a 
packed house. Principal of the middle 
school and one of his teachers are 
special inquirers at the after-meeting. 
Monday, Dec. 16. Send goods on by 
jinricksha, then Akimoto San and | have 
exercise and good fellowship by walking 
the eight miles to Izushi. Arrange here 
for a meeting in the theatre. ‘There is 
a wild storm at night and it seems colder 
in the fireless barnlike theatre (rent for 
one night one dollar) than outside. 
Out of pity for the shivering audience 
we shorten the talk and ask inter- 
ested ones to come to my room at the 
hotel. Only three come, one a_ true 
seeker and two nominal christians who 
live here. Have a long talk with them 
about the possibility of regular work here. 
They think it would te fine if the Mis- 
sionary Union would put in all the 
money needed. For their own sakes 
urge them to do the work themselves 
and at last (about midnight) they agree 
that it ought to be done that way, and 
they will try to secure rooms, Akimoto 
San will come over once a week, and I 
will send literature. Of course where 
there are no christians we must pay all 
expenses, but to relieve christians of their 
duty is to stunt their growth. We thank 
God fora step in advance and get to bed 
in preparation for a hard trip in the 
morning. 
Tuesday, Dec. 17. Start at 8.30 in a 
beautiful snowstorm for Wadayama 13 
miles over the mountains.. Road so bad 
that do not reach there till nearly four 
o clock. This isa growing town. Is 
the present railway terminus and within 
a few years another important line is to 
connect here from the East. Call on 
my good friend Mizuno San at the police 
station. Find that Kamada San the 
evangelist is waiting for me at the hotel. 
Arrange for the evening meeting, make 
a careful study of the pictures and _ talk, 
then make some calls. Have a good 
number at service but only two remain 
for talk and further instruction. 
Wednesday, Dec. 18. By train to 
‘Takeda a town of about 2500 inhabitants 
where we held a meeting for the first 
time last spring, and discovered a prom- 
inent man of the place had been a chris- 
tain when in Kobe but coming to this 
wholly unchristian place had failed to de- 
clare himself asa follower of Christ. 
We arrange for a meeting at his house, 
one of the largest in town, and everyone 
seems to want to get in. About two 
hundred crowd in while more than that 
number go away disappointed. After 
the picture talk Mizuno San who has 
come up with us from Wadayama gives 
a splendid talk.. He was first attracted 
to Christianity by the fact that his little 
cirl no longer feared the kitsune and bad 
spirits that come out after dark, when 
she learned about God as a loving heav- 
enly Father. He said if the Sunday 
School taught of a way for even little 
girls to become brave he wanted to learn 
about it. He has now become a most 
devout christian. The after-meeting 
was inthe back room seated round the 
brazier and God was with us. 
Thursday, Dec. 19. On to Ikuno a 
busy mining town of 10,000 people. 
No regular meetings here for years. 
Kamada San is doubtful if we can find a 
place for the meeting, but first the Chief 
of Police to whom we are introduced by 
Mizuno San, offers us his house, then 
the principal of the largest school offers 
us a large room there, then the owner 
of a small theatre or story telling place 
says’ we may have free use of the place 
and we thank God for the so little ex- 
pected cordial welcome to this town, and 
accept the theatre. A splendid audience 
of fully 350 listen with deep attention to 
the lantern lecture, then to Mizuno San’s 
earnest talk, and all stay to my talk; in 
all nearly three hours. Five thoughtful 
inquirers come to the hotel after the 
meeting for further teaching. 
Friday, Dec. 20. This morning we go 
around saying our thanks to the people 
who so kindly helped us yesterday. 
They promise a cordial reception to an 
evangelist if we can send one to them. 
We hope to arrange it soon. Start for 
Himeji and home at 10 o’ clock. 
‘There are no real hardships on one 
of these trips to one who can sit on the 
floor and use Japanese food. One soon 
gets used to being in fireless rooms, and 
expects to be warm only in the bath-tub 
or in bed. It is true that until one has 
for a while been without the common 
things he does not begin to appreciate a 
chair to sit on beside a table on which is 
bread and butter and potato and meat 
properly cooked and a knife and fork to 
attend to business with. Reach home at 
1.30 with the ‘conviction that the time is 
past when occasional meetings in these- 
places are sufficient. 
We must immedately plan for regular 
established services 
which the Lord has so widely opened 
the door for us to enter, and in His name 
and power, possess. 
This whole district is not even touched 
by any other christian workers. Pray 
that we may be guided to wise and faith- 
ful use of these rich opportunities. 
Most cordially yours in the Master’s 
service, , 
FRANK C. BriGGs. 
Himeji, Jan., 1908. 
WONSON’S 
SPA AND LUNCH ROOM 
158 Main St., Gloucester 
_ CIGARS, TOBACCO AND PIPES AT WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 
E. P. WONSON, Proprietor 
ry Ber ale by 
GHAS. HOOPER, Manchester 
in these towns to: 
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