The gist of Japan. The islands, their people and missions

Preface

Although a great deal has already been published in English concerning Japan and the Japanese people, nothing, to my knowledge, has yet been published which attempts to give a full treatment of mission work in Japan. " An American Missionary in Japan," by Dr. Gordon, is the only book I am aware of that deals exclusively with this subject ; but its scope is quite different from that of the present volume. Therefore I have been led to believe that there is a place for this book.

I have written for the common people and hence have tried to give the subject a plain, popular treatment. There has been no attempt at exhaustive discussion, but great pains have been taken to make the book reliable and accurate.

In the preparation of this little book I have consulted freely the following works in English: " Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan " ; files of the " Japan Mail " ; " Transactions of the

PREFACE

Osaka Conference, 1882"; Rein's "Japan"; Griffis's "Mikado's Empire"; Griffis's "Religions of Japan " ; Chamberlain's " Handbook of Things Japanese " ; Miss Bacon's " Japanese Girls and Women " ; Dr. Lawrence's " Modern Missions in the East " ; " Report of the World's Missionary Conference, London, 1888"; and reports of the various missionary societies operating in Japan. In Japanese I have consulted some native historians and moral and religious writers — especially in the preparation of the chapters on History, Morality, and Religions.

The book is sent forth with the prayer that it may be the means of begetting in the American churches a deeper interest in the work it portrays.

R. B. P.

Saga, Japan.

Special Problems ....