COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS DS 1908 ex. 3-4-1924 PREFATORY NOTE This volume is one of a series of text-books primarily intended for mission study classes in institutions of higher learning, but also likely to be largely used by church and young people's mission study circles. This fact will account for its condensed style and for some peculiarities of typography and paragraphing, which have been suggested by many years' experience of the Student Volunteer Movement's Educational Department. The subject treated is one of great fascination to every student of history, and especially so to those who are interested in the progress of the Kingdom of God. The reader finds here the story of the most astounding transformation within a few years that can be found in all history, and that, too, in our own generation. While no one can claim that Japan's regeneration, which has scarcely more than begun, is wholly due to the work of Christian Missions, it would be equally untrue to overlook the importance of the missionary factor in these sweeping changes. The aim of this little volume is to exhibit the interworking of the many agencies in this Oriental renaissance and their true relation one to another, as well as to clearly depict the material, social, and religious environment of the Japanese missionary. The basis of this text-book is the admirabie volume entitled "Japan and the Japan Mission," which is published by the Church Missionary Society of London. The editor acknowledges most gratefully the kindness of the officers of that Society, who have allowed him to use freely such portions of their book as he chose. While some pages have been transcribed with little if any change, more than half the present volume is wholly new. As will be seen, the treatment is broad and catholic and the attempt has been made to do equal justice to all leading elements that have entered into Japan's recent wonderful progress. Inasmuch as more than thirty Protestant missionary agencies are represented in the Empire, it was manifestly impossible to even summarize the work of each. As was done, however, in the case of the text-book on China, "Dawn on the Hills of T'ang," published in 1898, so it is hoped that missionary boards will issue for use with this text-book special sketches of the work of their own churches in the Island Empire. Such sketches will greatly increase the value of the comprehensive summary found in the present volume. NOTE: Supplementary chapter (XII) was written in the autumn of 1908. |