Letters and Journals, with the Narrative of His Escape

Lat. 30° 6' N., Long. 158° 25' E. November 21, 1874.

Hoping to meet a homeward mail steamer before we reach Japan, I undertake to write a few lines to let you know how far we are advancing on this wide ocean. We embarked on the Colorado on the 31st ult. Just an hour before she left San Francisco the steward handed me Mr. Hardy's kind letter for my father. When we sailed out from the Golden Gate the day was remarkably bright, and the sea wonderfully quiet. We found the breeze so mild and agreeable that we could stay on deck quite late in the evening without overcoat. A few days after we left we began to seek for our congenial companions. I found the Sabbath the best time to find or rather read the moral and religious character of the passengers. By combining my observations on the Sabbath and week days I can get an approximate opinion of their chief aim for this life. We have forty -five cabin passengers and 230 steerage. The former consist of eleven different nationalities, i. e., American, English, Belgian, French, Austrian, Prussian, Polish, Italian, Irish, Chinese, and Japanese, and the latter chiefly of Chinese. There are quite a nmnber of opium smokers among the Chinese, and six of them died since we left San Francisco. Is it not a dreadful thing? It is a great curse to the Chinese. Woe unto them who first introduced it to that empire. These opium smokers are not allowed to smoke anywhere, but are compelled to smoke in a large box, the inside of which is lined with tin, once used for keeping ice in. Those who died were mostly aged men. I saw there a man who has not been out of that box since we left San Fran- cisco. He is lying there day and night, and has scarcely taken anything except that deadly poison. 1 have not formed any special acquaintances among the passengers beside our missionary friends except a German doctor who is going to be a professor in the Imperial Medical School at Yedo, and to whom I give Japanese lessons every day. Our missionaries are obliged to suspend its study on account of seasickness. The sea has lately been very rough; even I who professed to be a good sailor have been ill this week on account of the unceasing up and down motions. I have read through Eitel's Lectures on Buddhism and some other books, and am intending to write a Japanese sermon. I have observed among the passengers that they form different societies. The smokers go together as they were real and congenial friends, and so do the drinkers. The Germans get up a beer party every evening, and so do the English their rum party. Here is one gentleman, who leans on an umbrella wherever he goes, who is intending simply to go round the world before he dies. This is his ambition. He was in Egypt, Palestine, Austria, and Switzerland last year, but has not much idea of these countries. I asked him of Cairo and Alexandria. He replied, "O, they are very large cities." A California lady who is going to China and Japan with her little (but very obstinate) girl, on account of consumptive tendency, looks pretty vain. She walks on deck like a queen, and her little daughter goes likewise with a royal atmosphere. A fat English gentleman appears always smoking; he is perfectly satisfied with his pipe. Here are two young unmarried ladies. They are not afraid to speak with any one. A number of young fellows are anxious to wait on them, especially some Frenchmen. I often sat by the group of these pleasure- seeking people, and to my great surprise I find them talking nonsense and laughing over something which is not laughable at all. There are two very hard workers among us; one German doctor, my pupil, and one English gentleman. The former studies seven hours a day, and the latter reads day and night. As I said before, I have not formed many acquaintances because I cannot enjoy their company. Their chief enjoyments are only eating, drinking, and indulging all sensual pleasures; they excuse themselves by saying that their natures demand it. In so giving themselves up,, how do they distinguish themselves from a mere brute?

I had a real hot argument with two Germans the other day. I do not know whether I have done any good for them, but at any rate I put them into a corner. They afterwards confessed to me that my argument is from the spiritual and ideal side, but theirs is from observation among the common mass of the human race. They told me, also, that I learned my argument from priests.

The sea is getting more quiet, and we may possibly celebrate Thanksgiving at Yokohama. It was very hard for me to bid you farewell, and I am still feeling that I am taking some vacation trip and cannot fully realize that I am so soon to enter ministerial life. Certainly I shall realize it when I see a multitude of benighted people before my eyes. I shall omit here my deep reflection upon my past life. With regard to my present feeling, you may think it very strange. Only explanation I can give you is as follows: —

In my past experience I have always found myself cold, self-possessing, and also somewhat indifferent, whenever I have some view of great undertaking before me. But I cannot understand myself why I am so cold now when I have a view of going home. I suppose I shall not realize it until I come to Yokohama and see my father face to face. He may not kill a calf for me, but he will certainly welcome, embrace, and kiss me. I shall start for Yedo at once; and thence for Annaka where my parents live now. Dr. Treat gave me a permission to stay with my father at least two weeks. They will be very busy weeks in telling all my experiences in America, the land of my exiled adoption, and also visiting and receiving my old acquaintances. Although the distance between us is increasing more and more, my affection towards you is increasing. Whenever I think of you I feel like a crying child. I dreamed of you and Mr. Hardy another night. Although I do not believe in any dream sign, still I think it very pleasant. In it I welcomed both of you in my Japanese home, which was furnished in a real Japanese style. The pleasant smile of both of you seemed so real to me. So I take it as a good omen of your paying me a visit in Japan. Please re-member my dream, and let me rejoice in welcoming your real persons in some future day.

Annaka, Japan, December 22, 1874. I have informed you of my safe arrival in Yokohama, where I stopped only one night and half a day, going to Tokyo on the 27th. I left Tokyo on the same afternoon for home, where I arrived on the midnight of the 28th. I traveled in a jinrikisha (cart drawn by men) twenty hours without taking a least rest except for meals. I hired three men for the purpose, one for myself and two for my baggage. They ate five times in twenty hours, spending nearly an hour for each meal. They ran sixty miles within fifteen hours, four miles for an hour. It was my intention to remain in Yokohama three days. But when I once stepped on the dry land, my dear native soil, I could not wait even three days. Hence I hurried towards home. When I came here it was midnight. Therefore I disliked to disturb my parents' sleep, and slept in an inn in this town. The following morning I sent word to my father. Then I came home and was welcomed by my aged parents, sisters, neighbors, and old acquaintances. My father was ill for three days and could not move himself on account of rheumatism. But when he heard of my safe arrival he rose up and welcomed me with the fatherly tenderness. When I hailed him he stooped down without a word. I noticed his tears dropping on the floor. My old acquaintances gathered at home and requested me to tell them all my experiences in the United States. Since I came here callers come, not simply from this town, but also from the neighboring towns and villages lying within seven or eight miles from here. They have kept me busy all times. They come here by hearing of my humble name, hoping to see me even for a few minutes. They looked as sheep without a shepherd. I find it almost impossible to send them back without some spiritual food.

Soon after my arrival I presented your kind letter to my father, but for a long time I could not translate it for him, because when I tried to read it I could not help thinking of the scene of my last departure from you, and the very thought prevented me to speak freely. Another day I gathered my parents and sisters and succeeded in reading your letter to them. Before I got half through all of them began to weep, being much affected by your parental kindness shown to me. My father told me you were our saviour and our gods. Then I told him he must not make his American friends gods. If he feels grateful for their kind deeds he must worship that one God, Creator of Universe, and Saviour of mankind, who is the God of his American friends. I mentioned still further to him that you became so good and kind even to a wandering stranger because you are the worshipers of true God and the humble followers of Christ; that you saved me from a miserable condition and gave me necessary education that I might become a teacher of glad tidings to our benighted people; that you loved our people as much as your own American people. Since that time my father discontinued to worship the

Japanese gods and his ancestors. By his consent I took down all the paper, wooden, earthen, and brass gods from shelves where they were kept, and bnrned them up. I send a few paper gods to you which my mother threw over in the fireplace. There are no gods nor images in this house now. I trust they will be worshipers of true God hereafter. How thankful I am that our lives have been spared these past ten years and we are permitted to meet once more before we depart from this world. I hope you will pray for me that I may keep myself nearer and closer to my Saviour and make an entire consecration for his cause. Beside my own friends my humble labor within three weeks in this place has been wonderfully blessed. You will doubtless be surprised at my success when I give you its account. On the 2d inst. I took a trip to a town where iron mines were recently discovered with eight of my acquaintances. We stopped in an inn near the place and on the following morning we awoke very early and began to talk some nonsense. Then I began to preach without any forms. There was one miserable drunkard among them. During my discourse he listened to me very attentively and kept himself perfectly quiet. Since that time he began to reform himself entirely. He called on me another day and told me that since he stopped drinking he can arise early in the morning and work better than ever before. I have heard of another case of reform, and quite a number of others are seriously thinking of it. I preached several times in the school-house, and also to small audiences in different families. A week before last Sabbath I preached to a large audience in a Buddhist Temple. All the priests in that community came to listen to the preaching of the new religion, and also the whole body of the magistrates of Takasaki, a neighboring city of 15,000 inhabitants. Day before yesterday I was invited by an official in the next village to spend the night with him. After the supper he gathered the whole family in the parlor and requested me to tell them about Jesus Christ. I began to talk at 8 o'clock and continued till half past ten that night. Thirty men in this town and a few men from outside took up a collection for purchasing some Christian books for themselves. They are hungry and thirsty for the Christian truth. I wrote Rev. D. C. Greene a week ago for permission to remain here still longer, but he persuaded me to go to Osaka next Sabbath. I find here everything ready for the gospel. If I continued to labor here two or three months I have no doubt that most of the above will become followers of Christ. It is very painful to leave this hungry flock. This community is entirely free from bad foreign influences, and it may be a more desirable place for me to establish a Christian society than Kobe or Osaka.

This is partly direct translation and partly ideal. I find it exceedingly hard to translate twisted oriental writing into straightforward American idea. My father wrote it without any suggestion. I came home just in a right time, for I found him getting quite poor. He has no special income now. I gave him the money you gave me, and also some of my own for fixing up his old house. I was hoping to take my parents to Kobe, but I found it best to leave them, as the living is much cheaper here.

"She is somewhat like her own blind brother, afraid of no one when convinced of her duty. She has often appeared before the governor in behalf of her school when its other officers were afraid to do so. Since becoming a Christian she has often spoken of the truth to her pupils, and she is now discharged by the governor because of his fear that they will learn of Christianity through her and be removed from the school by their parents. I do not know when our marriage will take place. I will let our missionary brethren decide for us. I have been living in hotels and private houses, but have recently hired a house near which, separated only by a garden, is another small one which I am going to rent for my aged parents."

"After the ceremony refreshments were brought in, and every one seemed happy. It was the first mar- riage of a native Christian in this place. I ought to have informed you of this event before it took place, but I have been busy beyond my strength. I hope you who are always kind and tender to me as my parents are, will pardon me for this delay."

"We are hated by the magistrates and priests, but we have planted the standard of truth here and loill never more retreat. To no one else but you will I say that this Christian school could have no existence here if God had not brought this poor runaway boy to your kind hands. The only way to get along in this country is to work courageously, even under many difficulties."

"I must express my heartfelt thanks to you for your having led and educated me in such a way that I might found a Christian institution on my dearly beloved soil. As you know, we started our school in a hired house, but having found this very inconvenient, we began the process of building two months ago. The buildings are three in number, two of which contain recitation rooms and twenty -four rooms for students; while the other is a small structure and is used for a kitchen and dining-room. They are simple, but solid, and look very pretty in the large open space about them. We were permitted to dedicate them to the Lord the day before yesterday. The exercises consisted of a prayer of invocation in English and a prayer of dedication in Japanese; a sketch of the history of the school, and the singing of hymns in both languages. Addresses in English were made by Mr. Doane and Mr. Learned, and in Japanese by Mr. Yamamoto and myself. All but two of our Kyoto

Mission were present, and about seventy students, besides others from outside. Mr. Yamanioto's remarks were brief but wonderfully appropriate. He is re-garded as one of our best thinkers, although bodily feeble and helpless. The existence of the Kyoto Mission is largely due to him. He was convinced that an immoral country like Japan could not be purified by any other means than Christianity, and by his influence and labor the proud and dignified governor listened to us and at last smiled upon our efforts. In the dark and trying hours of last winter he stood up for us and did his best to persuade the governor. The latter made no interference with our dedication exercises.

" You will be glad to know that of our forty-seven boarding students more than half are Christians. They have come to us with the purpose of studying the Bible and fitting themselves for the ministry. We are very fortunate to get such pupils at the outset. I pray that this school may be the nucleus of a future college and university for Japan. Our mission work has also bright prospects, the work being chiefly carried on by our students. A third church will soon be formed. My aged parents now worship God instead of idols, and my invalid sister, who grasps spiritual things faster than these aged ones, takes part in the prayer -meetings for women held at my house. My wife attends the Biblical exercises in the school. We are perfectly happy together and I am trying to make my home like the Christian home I found in America."

"In the last communion season my dear father was added to our church. It was a most important event to us all when that aged man received baptism. He has been living in pagan darkness these sixty-nine years, and we had a constant fear that he might go beyond this world without the true light."

"I thought it rather strange that you should do so without giving me any notice or explanation. At any rate, I said, if the Prudential Committee think it best that I should live on a least salary and has reduced it down, and you think so, it must be obeyed. As I remain your ever obedient son I would not do anything contrary to my father's will. I told it to my wife, we put our heads together, and consulted how to reduce our expenses. We said, ' cut short this and that, give up our farmer who works for us in our garden when we need him. ' After reducing many things we thought we could live on that salary. I felt it rather hard at first, for besides ourselves I have my parents and one invalid sister, but afterwards I felt very happy exercising self-denial for Christ's sake. I have not asked any missionary a reason why my salary was reduced, nor expressed my feeling to any one. But lately, I found it rather hard to live on that reduced amount and asked Dr. Davis whether he had heard anything about it. He explained to me that the Board authorized me to draw $500 annually from the mission treasury, and the balance will be sent to me from you. Then I found out what a mistake I had made. If, however, you say live on $500, I shall say yes, and shall be very thankful for it. And if you be pleased to give me balance, I shall receive it with a grateful heart. I have adopted Apostle Paul's doctrine: 4I shall be thankful for all things.' "

"We came to Osaka by rail, and hence to this quiet fishing village by jinrikisha. It is about sixty miles southwest of Kyoto and is somewhat warmer.

The famous orange growing country is only a few miles away. We came for the purpose of taking the sea-baths, and I find them beneficial. Here we have hired a small villa owned by a quite wealthy fisherman and are very comfortably situated. Fish and vegetables are plenty. Above all we are enjoying our quiet. I am hoping to go fishing as soon as the rough weather is over. I went up the surrounding mountains soon after I came and found the scenery wonderfully beautiful. As I was sitting down alone on a high mountain top, looking upon hills, rivers, plains, bays, promontories, islands, and open sea beyond, I could not help reflecting upon my past enjoyments which I had with you at Mt. Desert. Then I bursted out to tears and wept silently. Every enjoyment I had with you seems very dear and sacred. T suppose such enjoyment will never come to me again while I am in this world."

"Most of the prisoners are uneducated, and petty thieves. A lamp was allowed for evening study. This was a great concession from the authorities, for the use of lamps had heretofore been forbidden. But one lamp proved insufficient for the large number of prison students. I believe they were eighty in number. Subsequently one more lamp was granted, then another, then another, till finally the room was fully lighted. He who taught his associates also began to preach to them every day. One day fire broke out in the prison, but there was no least confusion. He kept them in complete order. Under his direction each one worked nobly and soon the fire was extinguished. Afterwards the prisoners were inspected, and none of them had escaped. It was a wonderful thing. The authorities of the city were informed of the behavior of the prisoners and the reason for it, and their leader was released on account of his good conduct, although he had one year yet to serve. After his release he called on us and told us his story. He had killed a man ten years ago in a quarrel. He has since started a private school in Otsu, and Mr. Davis, myself, and some of our students have preached there ever since. This will soon result in the formation of a church there."

"Finding the Minister of the Interior so ill that there was no prospect of seeing him immediately, I made up my mind at once to go to Annaka in order to improve my time. After leaving that place some three years ago the people began to lose their interest in the truth, as there was no one to guide them. My letters written to them occasionally kept up the courage of a few. Last summer one of our brethren from Kyoto went up there and stirred up their almost fainting faith, and as they have more leisure in the winter than in the summer time, it was their especial request lie should come again in the winter. When I arrived there I found them well prepared to be baptized. I held a meeting- on the evening of my arrival, preached to a large audience the next day, and held an inquiry meeting in the evening. This was repeated the following day, and on the fourth day I baptized thirty persons and organized a church. It was the most solemn and yet most joyful event I ever witnessed. The people thus far have paid all expenses and have never received any aid from without. They take pride in doing so, and have already raised a fund for the support of their church. There is a rich merchant among them, the most influential man in the place, although quite young. He keeps the pastor in his home and does everything for his comfort. He also supports a free reading-room, where daily, weekly, and monthly papers, secular and religious, are kept. When I left the place, numbers came with me as far as the outskirts of the town and expressed to me their gratitude for my coming."

"My wife sent me off from home to this quiet village, which is only six miles away, and much cooler than Kyoto. Trees are plenty. It is shady everywhere. I came here three days ago and am now staying in a temple. I have hired two large, airy rooms, using one for reading and another for sleeping. The temple is surrounded by a very wide piazza, a part of which I use for my kitchen. You may ask whether I have brought a cook with me. I answer, no. I employ girls at home, but it would not do for me to bring a servant girl to such a place when I am alone. I am a person of wonderful adaptability, and can be both cook and boy. Dried meats, eggs, sweet potatoes, fruits, etc., are all provided. Now I have a chance to show forth my old skill which I practiced on the Wild River. Alas! none to see but myself. The old priest and his family are living in the back part of the temple. They are very quiet people and do not distrust me at all. I retire and rise early, finishing my breakfast before seven. I read till ten, and take an artificial salt bath for my health. Then I prepare dinner, take a little nap and a long walk along the shady valley."