I see the cloud of dust rise in the plain, For the Messenger of Peace; he cometh late. They set me looking o'er the desert drear, For the Messenger of Christ, who cometh late." From what you have seen of Gordon's life, do you think it is possible for a soldier to lead a consistent Christian life? Does this interfere with or enhance his value as a soldier? Is there any one of these lives which we have studied which does not show the principle of self-sacrifice leading in the direction of, if not to, martyrdom? How about Napoleon and Columbus? In so far as they were selfish, were they not eventually stripped of their possessions and glories? STUDY XI Joseph Neesima-Missionary COMMENT FOR THE WEEK A missionary is some one who has a mission in life. In this sense Joseph Neesima was altogether a missionary. He writes continually in his diary and his letters of his "aim," about which he says, "I am concerned as much as my brain would melted out." His sole aim, according to Captain Savory, master of the ship on which he escaped from Japan, was "to learn the English language that he might be able to translate the Bible into his own tongue for the benefit of his countrymen." Neesima Shimeta, as his Japanese name was called, was born of samurai or noble parents in the household of Prince Itakura at Yeddo (Tokyo), the capital of Japan, on January 14, 1843. In those days Japan was a hermit kingdom, closed to the outside world, except for three Dutch ships which were allowed to come once a year to trade at a small island. But no foreigner could land and no Japanese was permitted to go abroad. If a Japanese were caught leaving the country, he would be beheaded; if he escaped and it should be later detected, his entire family would be crucified. His grandfather was chief steward to the Prince, his father was writing master, and the boy was naturally a student. He writes, "I began to learn Japan, and China too, from six years age, but at eleven years age, my mind had changed quite to learn sword-exercise and riding horse. At sixteen years age my desire was deepened to learn China and cast away sword-exercise and other things. But my prince picked me out to write his daily book, although it would not have been my desire. . . . A day my comrade lent me an atlas of United States of North America, which was written with China letter by some American minister ("History of the United States," by Dr. Bridgman of Shanghai) . . . and I was wondered so much as my brain would melted out from my head, picking out President, Building Free School, Poor House, House of Correction, and machine working. And I mur mured myself that O, Governor of Japan! why you keep down us as a dog or a pig? We are people of Japan. If you govern us you must love us as your children. From that time I wished to learn American knowledge, but alas, I could not get any teacher to learn it." He found a Japanese who could teach him a little Dutch and used to spend all his spare time at it, even running away sometimes secretly from the Prince's office. One day the Prince caught him playing "hookey," gave him a beating, and said, "Why you run out from here?" "Then I answered to him that, 'I wished to learn foreign knowledge, and I hope to understand it very quickly; therefore, though I know I must stay here, reverence your law, my soul went to my master's house to learn it, and my body was obliged to go thither too.' Beside him, my grandfather, parents, sisters, friends, and neighbors beated or laughed for me about it." The boy was so eager to learn and worried so at the hindrances that were put in his way, that he became ill. Owing to his ill health he had more leisure, which he used first to learn arithmetic, then to study navigation in the new government school of navigation. One day while walking by the harbor he saw a Dutch man-of-war and these are some of his reflections: "Since foreigners trade, price of everythings got high, the country got poorer than before, because the countrymen don't understand to do trade with the foreigners. Therefore we must go to foreign countries, we must know to do trade, we must learn foreign knowledge. But the government's law neglected all my thoughts, and I cried out myself: Why government? Why not let us be freely? Why let us be as a bird in a cage or a rat in a bag? Nay! we must cast away such a savage government, and we must pick out a president as the United States of America. But alas! such things would have been out of my power!" "A day I visited my friend, and I found out small Holy Bible in his library that was written by some American minis 1 Arthur Sherburne Hardy, "Life and Letters of Joseph Hardy Neesima," p. 3. 2 Ibid., p. 4. ter with China language, and had shown only the most remarkable events of it. I lend it from him and read it at night, because I was afraid the savage country's law, which if I read the Bible, Government will cross (i. e. crucify) whole my family. I understood God at first, and he separated the earth from firmament. . . . I understood that Jesus Christ was Son of Holy Ghost, and he was crossed for the sins of all the world; therefore we must call him our Saviour. Then I put down the book and look around me, saying that: 'Who made me? My parents? No, God. Who made my table? A carpenter? No, my God. God let trees grow upon the earth, and although God let a carpenter made up my table, it indeed came from some tree. Then I must be thankful to God, I must believe Him, and I must be upright against Him.' From that time my mind was fulfilled to read English Bible, and purposed to go to Hakodate to get English or American teacher of it. Therefore I asked my prince and parents to go thither. But they had not allowed to me for it, and were alarmed at it. But my stableness would not destroy by their expostulations and I kept such thoughts, praying only to God; 'Please let me reach my aim.' " Such was his determination that finally, through the influence of another prince, he secured permission to work on a Japanese ship going to Hakodate. But on arrival there, he could find no teacher from whom to learn of Christianity or the Bible, so he purposed to run away, being restrained only for the time by the sorrow and danger it would bring upon his parents. But he thought, "Although my parents made and fed me, I belong indeed to Heavenly Father; therefore I must believe Him, must be thankful to Him, and must run in His ways." "Then," he says, "I began to search some vessel to get out from the country." This was several years after Perry's visit to Japan, and by this time the port of Hakodate was somewhat open to foreign trade. After some three months Neesima secured the promise of an American sailing captain that if he would conceal himself on board the captain would not betray him, but would let him work his passage as far as China. With great secrecy a Japanese friend, who was in sympathy with his aim, rowed him out to the ship the night before she was to sail. Once Ibid., pp, 6-7. at the water's edge they were challenged by a watchman, but managed to evade capture. Arrived on board, he hid himself in an empty cabin during the customs search, and at last in the early dawn they got safely away. It was hard for the high-spirited young Japanese to bring himself to do the work of a cabin boy, but he became a servant and undertook the most menial tasks in order to reach “his aim." Arrived at Shanghai he got himself transferred to the American ship "Wild Rover," Captain Taylor, of Chatham, Massachusetts. His long sword he presented to Captain Taylor, with the request that the captain allow him to work his passage to America. His only other possession, his short sword, he sold for eight dollars, and managed to get ashore at Hong Kong to buy a copy of the New Testament in Chinese with a part of the proceeds. After some eight months' cruising in the Orient the "Wild Rover" set sail for Boston, by way of the Cape of Good Hope, a voyage that lasted four months. On arrival at Boston, the owner of the vessel, Mr. Alpheus Hardy, was informed of the arrival of Neesima, who was, so far as known, the first Japanese ever to reach the United States. Mr. Hardy took an interest in the stranger, and in response to his inquiries, Neesima wrote the account of his life from which we have been quoting. He also wrote as follows in a letter to Captain Taylor: "Although I will go down behind a grave, my soul will go to heaven to tell God about it, and let him bless you with the truth of God. Please let me hear that Mr. Hardy will let me go to what kind of a school, and I wish that he gave me remainder of his table for my eating, old one of his clothing for my dressing, ink, pen, paper, pencil, for using of my study." As a result Mr. and Mrs. Hardy adopted him as their own foster son and sent him to Phillips Academy, Andover, where he entered in September, 1865. For two years, despite much ill-health, he applied himself most eagerly to his studies, with remarkable success. He then entered Amherst, where he interested himself particularly in chemistry, physics, botany, mineralogy, and geology, studying also Latin, Greek, and other subjects. But his interest above all else was in the Bible, of which one of his teachers writes, "I have never seen a 4 Ibid., p. II. |