THE GROVES SURROUNDING THE SHRINES OF ISE ARE MAJESTIC IN THEIR SIMPLICITY T A CHURCH ON A TANGENT BY THE REVEREND ARTHUR S. LLOYD, D.D. SU is the capital city of the provinces of Ise and Iga on Japan's east coast. It is also their educational and commercial centre, and the point of contact for nearly two million people. Moreover, it is the gateway of the shrines of the ancestral deities of the Japanese people, and every year thousands of pilgrims sojourn there. Perhaps nowhere in the East is there any place more charming or more reverence-compelling than the groves surrounding these temples, majestic in their simplicity. Some of the pilgrims to the temples of Ise have no doubt heard of the work the American Church is doing in Tsu. If any of these were interested enough to make inquiry concerning it, he must have gone on his way convinced that, in spite of what the bishop might say, the Americans do not take their religion seriously, seeing that the bishop and foreign priests have been coming to the city for nearly twenty years and yet own neither house nor land to build on. And not only so, but if this pilgrim should take the trouble to look for the preaching place of the Christians, he would with difficulty find a poor rented room, chosen apparently because it is as far as possible from the centre of things, and as if trying to hide itself. If he were to go further and ask to see the foreign priest-in-charge, he would be told that the priest lives in Osaka. The city of Tsu is practically round. The railroad forms a tangent to the circle. The railroad station is at the point of contact. The rented house that is the only lodging place the Church has is, on the tangent about a mile from the railroad station. The practical American will exclaim at once: "Why does the bishop permit such a condition to exist?" The embarrassed answer must be returned (it is published with reluctance), all the appeals in twenty years have not tempted the American Church to put an end to such a witness against its fidelity; and meanwhile what it has is the very best the Church in Tsu can provide. But, insists the practical man, the priest-in-charge might at least live where his work is. And so he ought. He would go to Tsu with alacrity if there were a roof to cover him. Unhappily, however, all the appeals in twenty years have not moved American Churchmen to build a house for their representative in this city of so great opportunity. Yet in spite of the Church's heedlessness concerning the sharp contrast between the majestic temples at Ise and the hired room used for the worship of the Father; in spite of its failure to provide a house for the foreign priest; the seed sown at Tsu has borne good fruit and the Japanese Church there is right lusty. and strong, so that one might almost say, in spite of the American Church the Truth has witness there also, and some at least of the pilgrims and merchants coming to Tsu carry away when they go the wonderful story of the love of God. Here as everywhere else in Japan the American Church has the good will of the people. Given a residence for the foreign priest and a fit place of worship in the city, and there is no reason why all the pilgrims and all the merchants meeting at Tsu should not hear of Him Who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Hardly more than $12,000 are needed to remove this libel against the faith and generosity of the Church in America. Such an investment will bring the revelation within reach of a most intelligent and active people. To establish the Church at Tsu will, on account of its location, help the Japanese Empire to understand what its founders were feeling after when they chose the fascinating groves of Ise for the site of the temples which embody their best ideals. The Rev. I. H. Correll, D.D., has charge of the Tsu mission, besides several other points in the neighborhood. He is now in this country on furlough. Instead of using the time for recreation, as he ought to after seven years in Japan, he is trying to get together the money needed for church and residence. Dr. Correll must go back to Japan in a very short time. Those who would unite to enable him on his return to remove this stigma from the fair name of the American Church must act quickly. The Treasurer of the Board of Missions will receive gifts marked, "Special for the Tsu Building Fund." It was my privilege to visit Tsu two years ago, and to see for myself the good work done by Dr. Correll, under the most adverse conditions. It would be cruel to send him back to Japan without the means to equip the mission properly. Let every reader of THE SPIRIT OF MISSIONS share in this undertaking. Give $1,000 or more-if you can. But if you cannot give $1,000 do not let that prevent you from giving $10 or $1-or whatever you can. And please do it now. ST. AGNES'S HOSPITAL, RALEIGH, N. C., AFTER THE FIRE OF FEBRUARY 1ST 1. An unobstructed view from the third floor 3. The improvised hospital in Taylor Hall the day after the fire I AFTER THE FIRE EXPERIENCES AT ST. AGNES' HOSPITAL, RALEIGH* BY CATHERINE P. HAYDEN, M.D. T is now three weeks since we were called upon to vacate the old hospital when the announcement was made while we were at the breakfast table that the building was on fire, and to-night we are glad to be back again, although but a small part of my family is here. We have tried to limit our numbers, but people away from Raleigh, who have not heard of our fire, come for help, and how can we turn them away? Of course Taylor Hall can hold all the women who enter, but the one little room which is at our disposal in the library for a men's ward cannot possibly hold more than five, and then we have to put up one cot at night and take it out during the day. We would like to tell you of the experiences we have had. Plenty of screens have walled off a maternity ward, and two babies have been born in Taylor Hall. One of them we understand is to be named "Taylorena," and called "Lorena" for short. Our operating room was not injured by the fire, although the walls were soaked by the water and later frozen, but dried out when a good fire was built. The fire was on Monday, and on Saturday we had an operation. To be sure the window in the sterilizing room had been broken out and boarded up, and it was a little dark to scrub up. But in spite of this, hands must have been surgically clean, for the operation was successful. The only clean place for the doctors to dress was in the china closet, and our patient was carried from the operating room across the campus to the library, but he made a good recovery. We have now had eight operations since the fire. An emergency operation a few evenings since by the light of one lamp was a little difficult, while a single candle served in the sterilizing room. See page 182. The hospital is being gradually repaired and a few of the rooms cleaned. To-day when a request came to enter another male patient it did not seem possible, but the poor man had his eye badly injured by a piece of steel. The only hope of sight lay in immediate attention. He had no money, so what could we do but take him in? In order to do so we are using the old hospital, in which two or three rooms have been cleaned up. Three patients who were operated on today and two who are to be operated on to-morrow we have here. With one nurse I am spending my first night back again in the old home, under the protection of one of the school boys. We hope this week to move all the patients back, but the workmen have not finished the repairs and the halls are full of lath and the lumber. We simply must have the money to complete the new St. Agnes's Hospital. In its unfinished state it is a constant reproach to us. And we have worked so hard for it. But that last $5,000 is distressingly elusive. D' ་ URING the calendar year, 1908, 561 persons were confirmed in Cuba and the Canal Zone, the two fields under the care of Bishop Knight, of Cuba. This number represents the pastoral work of seventeen American and Cuban clergymen. The Honolulu Church people believe in making an early start with their missionary offerings. On February 5th, Bishop Restarick writes: UR treasurer is sending off by this OUR mail our offerings for missions. It is $422.90, which is $100 more than (191) |