OTEGI said, "One day, in the middle of summer, I was selling Scriptures and explaining Christianity in the streets of Tokyo, and was feeling very hot and thirsty, when a man suddenly came out of an ice-shop and handed me a glassful of chopped ice. This greatly refreshed me. I went on speaking, but very soon some of the people who were standing listening to me began throwing stones at me. I picked up two of them, and said, I am much obliged to you for these, but I am an old man, and these are rather hard for my teeth. I do not know who threw these, or who brought me the ice a little while since, but my heavenly Father knows.' This seemed to quiet them, and they listened attentively till I had finished."
Kono said, "I wish to tell you today how God has answered my prayers. One day I had no money, so I asked God to help me. The next day was wet, and the guests in the hotel, having nothing else to do, asked me to speak to them. I did so, and was able to sell two New Testaments to them. Another day I came to a ferry, but not having any money to pay the ferryman for taking me over, I tried to find some way round, but could not; so I knelt down and asked God to help me. On rising from my knees I found several people standing looking at me. They asked me what I was doing. I told them, and this opened the way for a talk about Christianity, and they were so much interested that they bought two Gospels. I thereupon went on my way across the ferry, feeling more than ever convinced that God does hear and answer prayer."
Nagasawa, is the oldest of the colporteurs, and is still at work at the age of seventy-five.
With a smiling face, and with his New Testament open before him, he told of a service of sixteen years, all but two of which had been spent travelling about in various provinces, eleven in number. He did not wish to speak of the trials, but of the joy he had in the service, and how thankful he was for the meeting, and how full of joy in the prospect of again meeting in the heavenly country. He also said, “One day a school teacher at Miura asked me about Christianity. I read 1 Cor. 13. to him, and spoke to him a little about it. After I had done so he bought a New Testament, saying, 'Why, Christianity seems superior even to Buddhism’
Muraki said, “I have now been selling Scriptures for nearly fourteen years. At first I was very much persecuted, but now nearly all my relations are Christians."
Ikeda said, “I began selling Scriptures about four years since, but have only been travelling about the last few months. More than half of the provinces where I work is covered with mountains. Christianity entered the district about seven years since. Some of the people I meet say they do not want any knowledge of God; others, that they would like to become Christians, but are afraid of persecution."
Shirakawa said, “I began selling Scriptures the year before last, and so have had very little experience yet. At first I tried to sell to the passengers on the steamers on the lake, but met with very little success. One day I came across an old man, over eighty years old, who told me he had been a Christian for over fifteen years, and was the only one in the district where he lived. I have met with much opposition, and have often been called a reptile, when trying to tell people about Christianity. One day the people seemed even worse than usual, being helped by one of the members of the local assembly, who was a very bad man. Afterwards, however, he came and bought a New Testament from me."
Bonjo said, “One day, while crossing a ferry, I sold three New Testaments to the people in the boat. Some time since, I was counting up, and found I had sold about two hundred portions to jinrikisha-men. Of these men I know seven, who have since become Christians. I had great difficulty in selling these, but my joy now is also very great. "-Bible Society Gleanings.
- - -
In Ainu Villages
The Ainu are the old and original inhabitants of Japan. They inhabit the most northerly of the islands of Japan, and live amid the cold and snow. They are a rough and primitive people, very unlike the Japanese, from whom they differ in habits, language and religion.
The picture opposite shows that this people is in a somewhat savage condition, the entrance to the village being adorned with skulls.
Mr. Batchelor, who labors among them, thus writes: "On going to the Ainu part of the village Oshamambe, which is on the opposite side of the river to the Japanese part, in which we were obliged to lodge, I invited the Ainus to come to a preaching service I intended to hold for them in the evening, but, it being wet, none came. The next day was still very wet, and I again went to the Ainus, to inquire why they did not come on the previous evening, and also preached to a few people who gathered in the hut of one of the chiefs. I was informed by one man that the reason he and his friends did not come to me on the previous evening was the fact that they had no money wherewith to purchase wine; and, said he, We cannot come to worship God without wine, for that would displease Him; give us some money to buy wine, and then we will come.'
“Wine, more wine; give us wine,” is their cry. Truly wine is their god.
“We left Oshamambe on the morning of the 5th, and reached an Ainu village called Repunge at noon. The chief kindly lent us his hut in which to preach. In the evening the hut was quite crowded, and we had a very enjoyable service, the audience being most attentive. I had to stop, however, during my discourse to answer questions, but this happens at nearly all the preaching services we have! I am often obliged to stop in the midst of an address whilst the chief or master of the hut in which I am preaching himself comments upon what is being said, especially if he agrees with it. At the end of the service the chief thanked me in the name of his people for the address, and called upon the audience to store up the Word in their hearts.
- - -
Toku Shima
A lady missionary thus writes of the work in which she is engaged among the children: “When our young visitors reach our front entrance, they drop their little wooden shoes, and leave them there. This is one of the Japanese customs, maintained by children and grown-up people alike. We always leave our shoes at the entrance of a Japanese house, you will perhaps wonder why, but wait until you have been inside.
"As the children come in, they all kneel down on the floor, which is covered with soft white matting on purpose for shoeless feet, and here they first of all give their aisatsu (or salutations), which consist in making very low bows, almost touching the floor with their foreheads, whilst they say, " Konnichi we" (good-day) to us; we, of course do the same to them, and then, still on their knees, they sit down on the soles of their feet ready for the meeting to begin. Now, if you will just try this position for a few minutes, you will see how ye/ y uncomfortable it would be to have shoes on.
"All our little Japanese friends being seated, you would perhaps like to know what we are going to do with them. Well, first of all, they say their verses. Every week we give them each a new little text-card, and then the following week, if they have learnt it perfectly, we give them a picture-card. We generally give them a card with the Lord Jesus Christ's own words on it, unless sometimes it is just a few words about the sin and folly of idolatry, such as Psalm 135:1515The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. (Psalm 135:15). After they have said their verses, we sing a hymn, which we have printed on large sheets, all in Japanese writing. Sometimes it is There is a happy land,' and sometimes Jesus loves me,' or There's a Friend for little children.' Then after the hymn they have a Bible lesson. Some of their little faces are a perfect picture to behold, as they listen; it makes us feel what a great joy it is for us that we have been allowed the privilege of coming out to tell people in this heathen land the glorious news of the gospel. Others are not so interested, and some even come in to create a disturbance, but these are not many.
“Two little boys from this meeting have lately come to us and asked to be baptized; one has received the name of Yohaneor (John), and the other of Yakobuor (James). I want you to pray for them. Will you pray, not only that they themselves may be kept true and faithful soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ, but that each of them may be the means of winning many others to know and love the Savior too, especially that their parents may be turned from idols to serve the living and true God?"—The Children's World.
- - -
“When at Kobukuro," says the Rev. J. Hind, in the Church Missionary Intelligencer, "I heard of two very interesting cases which were the result of Sunday-schoolwork. Two boys of about twelve years of age, named Kumada and Hyota, when asked to assist in drawing a heathen festival car, showed on whose side they were. One refused absolutely, and the other hid himself so as to have nothing to do with it. They both pray to God daily at home, and one, being told that the temples were the proper places, took no notice of it, and I hear the mother and sister of one have in consequence come to hear about Christ themselves from Yamashita San and his wife.
“We left the next morning for Yoshii, and found the door still shut. No preaching-place could be had, the townspeople preventing the innkeeper from allowing his house to be used for preaching Christ. Just the day before this some Buddhist priests from the most powerful sect had been collecting money from this town. The people not only paid to get a good view of the priests, but sprinkled themselves with, and even drank, the water the priests had for their bath." So do they honor them!