which people in this country are more or less concerned. We believe, however, we are safe in saying that never in the history of missionary work in this land has a deputation visited us who dealt with more important issues in a more satisfactory manner, and at a more opportune moment than the brethren to whom this letter refers.

The time spent in Japan was short, but to say that every moment of it was employed in the best possible way is, we believe, only the simple truth and we trust that the strength of the visitors was not overtaxed.

It is obviously inadvisable that we should go into details, but we might mention that to many of us the outstanding feature of the addresses delivered by your deputation was their manly, straightforward, Christian character. They were a fine exhibition of the Pauline principle, "speaking the truth in love," and it is believed that the Japanese generally were deeply and favorably impressed by this method of dealing with great issues. It is probable that Dr. Mathews, as a visitor for the first time to the country, could go further in the way of plain speaking than it might be advisable for the missionary residents here to do, but it may be that we shall find we ought to learn from him in this regard.

Please allow us, therefore, on behalf of our conference, to thank your Council for sending Dr. Mathews and Dr. Gulick to this country, and to assure you that their work, both here and in America, on behalf of the great object they have in view, will be followed and rememberd earnestly in prayer and thanksgiving by the missionary body represented by us and, we believe we may add without doubt, by a large number of our Japanese friends and brethren who have fellowship with us in the gospel.

With all good wishes, believe us to be

(Signed)

(Signed)

Yours sincerely in Christ Jesus,

J. COOPER ROBINSON, Chairman
JOHN LINCOLN DEARING, Secretary

FROM THE JAPAN CONTINUATION COMMITTEE OF THE
NATIONAL MISSIONARY CONFERENCE, TOKYO, 1915

75 Bluff, Yokohama, March 1, 1915.

Rev. Charles S. Macfarland, D.D., Secretary, Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America:

DEAR DR. MACFARLAND:

I am instructed by the executive committee of the continuation committee in Japan to express to you our appreciation of the action of the Federal Council in sending to Japan Dr. Shailer Mathews and

Dr. S. L. Gulick, bringing the letter of good-will and Christian greeting from your Council. The good results likely to follow their visit are beyond calculation. We deeply appreciate the spirit which prompted the sending of these brethren to Japan, and desire to express our deep gratitude for their coming, representing as they do so large a company of the Christian people in America.

Yours very respectfully,

(Signed) JOHN L. DEARING

Secretary, Continuation Committee of Japan

VOTE OF THE PASTORS AND CHRISTIANS OF THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES OF OSAKA

To the Federal Council of Churches in America:

We, the pastors and Christians of all the Protestant churches in Osaka, Japan, express our sincere gratitude to the Federal Council of Churches in America for sending to us two distinguished Christian scholars, Doctors Shailer Mathews and Sidney L. Gulick, to promote a more friendly feeling between the United States of America and Japan.

We pray that our international problem may be solved by our common Father, in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, King of kings, and Lord of lords, who taught us the universal law of the brotherhood of man.

May the day soon come when to his name all glory and praise shall be ascribed.

Fraternally yours,

(Signed) T. KUGIMIYA Chairman of the Osaka Reception Committee

Osaka, Japan, February 21, 1915

VOTE OF THE CENTRAL MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION, OSAKA, JAPAN

The following resolution was passed by a unanimous vote of the body of Central Japan Missionary Association, meeting in Osaka, February 22, 1915:

Voted, That we request Drs. Mathews and Gulick to use their influence with the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America to send, whenever feasible, a second commission to Japan to continue the timely work so well begun by their first commission.

FROM COUNT OKUMA

The farewell letters of Count Okuma are also of interest:

PREMIER'S OFFICE

MY DEAR DOCTOR MATHEWS:

Tokyo, February 19th, 1915.

Now that you have met no small number of representative men of Japan and have talked with them on their own ground, I trust you have found that there is in the bottom of their heart nothing but a feeling of genuine friendship toward America.

True that they all feel chagrined at the unfortunate anti-Japanese agitation which of recent years has found expression in the press and council of certain sections of the United States. So far, however, that has not disturbed their implicit faith in the high sense of justice and righteousness of the Christian people of America, from whose thought nothing is farther than wounding the susceptibilities of a friendly neighbor. On the contrary, thoughtful people of Japan felt it all the more imperative to cultivate a better understanding with American people, because they thought whatever difficulties there may exist in the present relations of the two countries, these were largely due to lack of such an understanding between them.

I warmly reciprocate the sentiment conveyed in the messages which you brought from your President and the Secretary of State to the people of my country and in so doing I am only interpreting the true feeling of my countrymen.

In bidding you farewell, I wish you, my dear Doctor, a success that is deserved by your noble endeavors in the interest of the common good of our two peoples.

I send you herewith enclosed a copy of the letter which I wrote to your distinguished co-worker, Dr. Shailer Mathews.

It is hardly necessary for me to repeat how much your work, which has for its aim cultivation of a better understanding between the people of our two countries, is appreciated here in Japan. To us

it is especially gratifying that this important work is in the hands of a man like you, who, to say nothing of his high quality, has lived among us for so many years and understands us so thoroughly and therefore can tell his own people with authority what are our true aims and aspirations.

I trust that the message which you are now to take home with you will be one of genuine friendship and good-will from Japan. Yours very truly,

Dr. Sidney L. Gulick,

(Signed) OKUMA

Imperial Hotel,

Tokyo.

A private letter of March 22 from Dr. J. L. Dearing, secretary of the Federated Missions, gives some light as to the impression left by the visit of the embassy.

It is too early yet to properly estimate the value of this embassy. I am sure, however, that I am not wrong in saying that it far exceeds in significance what the promoters anticipated, or what Dr. Mathews and Dr. Gulick dared to hope. Certainly, we in Japan have been amazed at the result. It scarcely seems possible that two men coming in an unofficial capacity as far as the government is concerned, could do so much to allay suspicion and develop a confidence on the part of the people generally toward America, which had become decidedly shaken.

The following excerpt from a note from President Ibuka to Dr. Gulick, dated March 24, confirms Dr. Dearing's statement:

There can be but one opinion in regard to the inestimable value of your recent mission. A flood of light has been shed on the problem. That is of course the first thing in order to the right solution.

VI.

Report of the Embassy

From the report of the embassy the following sections are also taken :

There were three classes of audiences to whom your representatives spoke, Japanese Christians and missionaries, students of higher schools and universities, and representative citizens.

(1) Opportunities to address the Christians of Japan were numerous. Wherever we went we were most cordially welcomed by the Christian workers, both native and missionary, and, whenever possible, we preached to Christian assemblies. Exclusive of all others who made up the various audiences, we met several hundred Christian workers and thousands of Christian men and women. To all of these we gave the "Message" of the Federal Council. We also, as already stated, mailed a copy of the same with accompanying personal letters to every Christian worker, Japanese or missionary. As far as possible we joined in evangelistic services and frequently were rewarded by a large number of inquirers.

The heartiness of the reception accorded us and the appreciation of the action of the Federal Council in sending the embassy appear in the resolutions in part first of this report.

(2) At least 15,000 students of the grade of higher schools and universities were reached by our various addresses. The subjects with which these young men were approached depended generally upon the choice of the director of the institution or on other circumstances, but as we were always received as the representatives of the Federal Council, each address was intended to set forth the need of moral and religious elements in the life of educated men, and in the treatment of international relations. There was constant opportunity to present American foreign policies and to emphasize the opportunity for educated men to share in developing better understanding between Japan and the United States, a better epoch in world politics.

(3) The governors and mayors organized public welcome-, mass-, and other meetings generally accompanied