MISSION WORK

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2733, 30 March 1916, Page 9

MISSION WORK

FORTY YEARS IN JAPAN

ARCHDEACON DR. BATCHELOR

INTERVIEWED

Venerable in appearance (as in title) and gonial in manner, Archdeacon Batch elor, D.D.,' a figure in Church of England missionary work in Japan, arrived here from Sydney by the Maitai yesterday morning, in response to an invitation of -the Church Missionary Society of New Zealand. When quite, a young man, Dr. Batchelor decided that missionary work was his vocation, and was sent out to llong-Kong in the middle''7o's.' Tn consequence of a bad outbreak of yellow fever in that densely crowded "city, in ,1876, .lie went on to Japan, and commonced his work in the northern (island) paVt of the country, known as Hokkaido, Mid there he has laboured for forty years....with brief spells elsowherc. Hokkaido, which is off the coast of Siberia, lias _ a very severe winter, and physically is very mountainous. The chief cities are Hakodate in the south arid Sapporo 011 the west coast. - . , . T i 111 the course of a brief chat, Dr. Batclielor stated in regard to the war that tho Japaijese were very, much antiGerman, and consequently pro-Britisli, and the Alliance with England was a very real thing to them. Asked a question respecting the existence of a "Japanese peril" in tho.nature of a colonising invasion of- the South Pacific and Australia (Northern Territory), Dr. Batchelor said that he was absolutely satisfied that it did not exist. America had stated ,lier intention of giving up the Philippines four years_ hence, and Japan might have _ a look in there, but as far as Australia and Now ZeaJand were concerned, there was no Japanese peril. A/long study of tho Japanese at close quarters, and through those stages of their gradual awakening iinder .Western influences, (had given him a great lespect for the people and an admiration'for tlieir keenness in anything they undertake. They had very carefully selected what thev considered were the best models for the educating of tlieir . people on modern . lines. ( Their Navy was oil the British model, their 'Army was patterned .on German lines, nnd medical science also favoured the German model j their jurisprudence had a, French basis; science—cosmopolitan. In matters of education and commerce everyone specialised —if 'a man were a toy manufacturer, lio was that and that alone, and if he were, a botanist'he was a good .botanist and that only. The visitor was pleased to say that Christianity was progressing rapidly in, Japan, especially among the student class. of the professors of the University of Hakodate, were Christians,

and the president of the University at Sapporo was a Methodist. Classifying the number of 'Christians' in. Japan

roughly, ho said that there were about 200,000 Roman Catholics', (which numher included adherents to the Greek Churcli), 200,000 Protestants, and about 100,000 unattested Christians, All sect? were at .work there, including tho Salvation Army and the Mormons. i

The esteem ai}d respect in which Dr. Batchelor is held in Japan is _attested, by the fact that the late Mikado of Japan invested him with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, . a 'distinguished orderj of which ho was very proud, and the.-possession of which gave him the privileges of shaking hands with the new Emperor, which honour was not for all. This could be taken as an indication that the work of the Church Missionary Society was being encouraged ■ by the Statq, .Still there, was a good deal of Agiib&tieism am6n'g ■ the' " educated Japanese, consequent upon their being great readers of the materialistic writers of tho Western world. . They were very abstemious in liabit, and wore hunirry foreknowledge of all and any kind. "The Japanese are all right," concluded Dr, Batchelor, "when they are treated right. . Americans have made the great mistake of treating them .as Mongolian's. He is not a Mongolian, and you must call him a Chinaman. • He is really moreof a Malayan, and has nothing in' common with ;the people of China."

Dr. Batchelor intends to go back (to Japan, for he loves the country ( and is happy amongst its people. He is now on fifteen months' furlough, and came to Australia to enable his-.wife'to meet her brother, a resident of Albury, whom she has not seen for forty-two years. Mrs. . Batchelor is staying in Albury now. Dr. Batchelor, who left on a brief visit to Nelson yesterday by the Pateena, will address a meeting of the society, to be held in St. Peter's Schoolroom on Wednesday afternoon next!