Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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January 9, 1902 THE LUTHERAN VISITOR the charleston exposition. A recent issue of tfee Charleston Evening Post has the gratifying statement that the Charleston Ex position is nearing that condition when it will ba in complete readi ness for visitors. Charleston is always an interesting place to visit, and especially to Lutherans, for our church stands first numericarily^* among the Protestant churches in the city. The president of the Ex position company, Capt. F. W. Wagener, and Hon. Jno. F. Ficken, the general counsel, are Lutherans who are prominent also in the com mercial and professional life of the city. The Post’s article is ap pended below. llfctsslonavij Jlcyavtnunt “ Whutsoevei" He SHith u n t « you, tlo It.” LETTER FROM JAPAN. Today is the beginning of the fifth week of the exposition, and it promises to be a lively and inter esting week and the attendance will no doubt show an increase over all the previous weeks. During the four weeks that the exposition has been open a great deal of work has been accomplished on the buildings and the exhibits, for there have been few idle days. Christmas day was observed by the working force and they knocked off for A wo days during the cold weather just before Christmas, but otherwise the work has gone on steadily. All the work on the ex position buildings is about com pleted. A few jobs remain to be done here and there and Architect Gilbert is pushing the work as rapidly as possible. He said that his part of the work would be com pleted in a short time. The government officials, or those who have not been able to get their exhibits in place, were busy today installing exhibits. For weeks the exhibits from the treas ury department, Smithsonian in stitute and Philippine islands have been at the exposition grounds, but the boxes containing the ex hibits were not opened until this morning. The cause for the delay has not been explained. A force of hands under the direction of tfte officials in charge were put to work early this morning unloading the cars, and by noon much work was accomplished. It will be several days before the exhibits are com plete. The treasury exhibit will form an interesting display when com plete. In this exhibit is a large coin press which will show how many is made. It is a heavy piece of machinery and considerable time was consumed in unloading it from the cars. The representatives of the gov ernment are delighted that they are now in a position to get their exhibits installed and will hurry the work forward as fast as pos sible, and they hope to have every article in place before the crowds begin to visit the exposition in large numbers. I Written to the Woman’s Missionary Convention of the Sonth Carolina Syn od | It was only a few days ago I re ceived your request through your secretary for a letter from Japan. Now, the question is, what will be of interest to yout I believe I will say just a word in passing about our new home, Kumamoto. As you know by this Pme, until the first of the year we were in Saga. Oar work there was largely preparation. We studied the language, the people and many other things. And Trow"irecatl8T0'' of that study we feel much better prepared to go ou with this new work to which God has called us. You know Kumamoto is very large, having some 80,000 popula tion. At first wt were very lonely here and felt as though we-were being swallowed up in the gr<-at mass of heathenism about us. There is so much here to be done. We are so few 1 At first our loneliness was in creased by the smallness and con dition of our work. Although our evangelist had been working well for two years the converts were yet very few. These were young men from the schools. Every Sunday we met together around a large hibachi (box with fire in) and sat flat on the floor. The evangelist talked to us in a very conversational way. There was nothing chmchly about tbis and sometimes we felt sad. Bnt God is good and He has blessed our work since those early days—not so Jong ago aud yet they seem so far iu the past! By and by we got some benches; by and by God led some others to ask, “What must I do to be savi d”T Then I began to play the Morning Service, because we bad enough to sing; then the attendance began to in crease. Now we have right good Sunday morning services. For this our hearts are so thankful to God. Mr. Brown has just asked the Board to al ow him to get a pulpit tor the chapfcl We think this might help us some, as it would make the chapel look more like a place of worship. It would not cost more than $10. I have been so anxious to begin some meetings for women; but us the evangelist’s wife and I for a long time were the only women connected with our chapel I hesi- tafed to begin. Now that we have three other women I have decided to-hold women’s meetings as often as possible. Dear workers for Christ, 1 do wish you knew these dear women over here. They genetally seem so happy. I know you would love them. They are very gentle and kind. I think I have never seen one of them slap a child You may think I have not had an op portunity to observe, but 1 have; because au/ong the middle and lower classes, so many mothers nurse their children ou the streets a large part of every day. If we go out walking iu the evenings we see the grandparents, parents and -chiWren all but on the streets having a good time while our little ones are sound asleep. When they come to church or wherever they go they must take their little ones with them. And just here I want to tell you about one of the effects of a very bad custom in Japan. You know there is no sucb thing in Japan as courting between young people. The young men feel themselves very mn^h better than the yonng ladies and would get very angry if you teased them about any particu lar young lady. The courting is done by a third person, the parents or some one selected by the pa rents. Hence the parties to be married perhaps never see each other before tbe day of marriage. How unfair this is I What blunders must be made! Here comes the evil effects. One of our members, a very earnest Christian, got his wife that way, and the result is, so I’m told, they are not at all happy. They are kind to each other, but there is not much love in their home, there is no real soul com munion. I feel so sorry for them ! It might have all been avoided had it not been for this bad custom. It this man was not an earnest Christian he would likely leave his wife. That is the way they do here. If a man does not like bis wife he simply leaves her. How many women in this town have had one, two, perhaps seven hus bands, and not tbrongb any fault of theirs! This spring it was ne cessary for ns to employ a Japa nese nurse for our little baby. We wanted one who could send her own child to friends or relatives. Many women came to us to be em ployed and when we asked, “ Where is your, baby! Wbat did you do with itt’’ They answer in every case, “When my child \vas born my husband left me and took the child to his own people.’’ Won dering at so frequent desertion on the part of the husbands we asked oar physician about it and he told us that among the laboring classes especially sucb desertion after the birth of the first child is a.very common thing But love is not always absent. I have a case in mind. The boy is one of our Christians The girl is a school girl aud has been to onr services several times. For years they have been betrothed by their parents. In time they met and real love seems to have sprung np in their hearts. When she is abont tbe young man is all smiles. Notes are passed between them just as sometimes happens in America. He is very anxious for bis be trothed to be a Christian and we are doing all we can to bring her to Christ. I am sure there are many other eases of true love if we only knew where to look for them. Bat in tbis country -even when a man really loves his wife by custom he is forced to treat her in n way love would not consent to if love had the say so. Dear sisters, let us all pray earnestly for the full entrance of Christianity into Japan that onr •Japanese sisters may be *delivered from so many of the evils to which heathenism has subjected them. Wishing you a very successful convention, I am yours in Christ’s V904k f -^ y Virginia Frantz Brown. Kumamoto, Japan, September 14tb, 1901 Make yourselves nests of pleas ant thoughts. None of ns yet know, for none of us have been taught in early youth, wbat fairy palaces we may build of beautiful thoughts, proof against all adver sity—bright fancies, satisfied mem ories, noble histories, faithful say ings—treasure houses of restful and pleasant thoughts, which care cannot disturb, nor pain make gloomy, nor p iverty take away from ns—houses built without hands for onr souls to live in — Ruskio. Watch your label and renew your subscription.