26 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
TALKS ABOUT JAPAN. 
(Continued from Page 1, 1st column.) 
was made to have him speak, and 
through the efforts of Rev. Mr. 
Brewster and Rev. Mr. Lincoln a 
union service was arranged. The in- 
clement weather was a disappointment 
to many, of course, but despite this 
the church was crowded. 
Mr. Briggs is located at Kobe, Japan, 
as missionary sent out by the Baptist 
Missionary union of Boston. Sunday 
night he told in a most interesting 
manner of his work there and the 
methods employed in teaching Chris- 
tianity. He said in part: 
“It is good to be home and look 
into the faces of those whom we 
learned to love. I want to thank you 
for the many kindnesses during my 
absence. The little things we do 
keep on for long years after, and 
there is stored up a tendency of kind 
thoughts in time to come. 
“It is due you for me to tell some- 
thing of what this member of your 
family has been doing—I think I am 
stilla member of this church. It is 
not my purpose to tell you strange 
things. You have heard enough 
strange things about Japan. 
‘“‘When we go to a strange country 
like Japan we are impressed with the 
differences between us and them. 
Their clothes are different. Their 
habits are different. At first it 
does look strange, but in a little 
while it all wears off. We get down 
to the man inside the clothes. We 
are all ‘children of the same blood,’ 
with the same needs, the same sins, 
and the same need of a Saviour. 
“How do we do our work? That 
is the question you would like me to 
answer. First, we ought to get the 
language. I started teaching the first 
week I was there. Of course I had 
an interpreter. They came in large 
numbers—the young and the old — 
what you would call the best class of 
men in the town, and I began to teach 
them, through an interpreter, the 
Gospel. I began with Luke, but we 
did not seem to make any progress, 
and had to begin a system of theology. 
That may sound strange, but it is 
nevertheless true. 
‘To give them an idea of the word 
‘God’ you must give them to under- 
stand it is something more than they 
know by the word. It is the one God, 
that is what you must have them 
understand. I had to go back ‘and 
teach them about God. Anything 
that is scientific, anything that is up 
to date interests them. They must 
know the reason, and so by reason 
they are made to understand what is 
meant by ‘God the creator,’ then 
about man and man’s relation to God. 
Seed sown must bear fruit, for ‘what 
a man soweth must he also reap,’ and 
by teaching them this seemingly sim- 
ple truth a great work is accomplished. 
‘‘ Following along this line we teach 
them about the teachings of Chris- 
tianity. The class grew. Prominent 
business men came in to see what it 
all meant. We had to keep the crowd 
away, and hold two classes, make 
special appointments, etc. 
“In old Japan the women must not 
teach in mixed audiences. It is as 
ridiculous for them to teach a man as 
for a child to teach an old man. But 
gradually in the city ports the custom 
is giving way, yet in the small towns 
of the interior woman is regarded as a 
humbug. 
“One of the methods we employ in 
our work is to-go toa new place, hire 
the large parlor in the hotel, get the 
little children in and teach them some 
simple hymn like 
‘Jesus loves me, this I know, 
For the Bible tells me so.’ 
‘(When they learn that hymn the 
seed is sown. They want to know 
who Jesus is, and the Bible. 
“ If you know anything about the 
nations of the world you know about 
Japan. I need not tell you about the 
people. As to their religion, I am 
tempted to say they have none. If 
we think of religion in the deep mean- 
ing, a religious feeling that reaches up 
to God, I may say, as a people they 
have none. Here in America, if a 
woman tips over a saltcellar she must 
throw some over her right shoulder. 
That’s superstition. In Japan, if a 
man is to build a house, unless he ties 
the rice straw around the lot on 
which he intends to build there is no 
use building. That’s their religion. 
“Their schools are getting to be the 
same as here. In many cases their 
text books are just the same. 
‘“‘ We thought when the war opened 
up it would prove a great calamity to 
our work, but on the contrary it had 
wonderfully aided us. New ways of 
labor have been opened up. We have 
put our Y.M.C.A. tents on the front. 
The first definite contribution to 
Christian work from the Emperor has 
come to this work. And in the hos- 
pitals, too, we have done a great work 
during the war. 
‘Tn the peace conference I see not 
the wisdom of men, but the wisdom 
of God. I think it will bring marvel- 
lous opportunities. I do not think 
Japan will ever be the great-nation of 
the East, but I believe she is to be 
the teacher, the bringer-out of the 
nations of the East. Japan has al- 
ready begun to be the teacher of 
China. You can help Japan by doing 
the work God has given you to do.” 
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