TO VISIT DOMINION

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 112, 5 February 1935, Page 5

TO VISIT DOMINION

Author of “A Grain of Wheat” An interesting visitor to New 'Zealand. who is expected to arrive In this country from Australia about tt»- end of May, will be Mr. Toyohiko Kagawa, known to his owu people as ‘‘The Saint of Japan.” This remarkable social worker, through his addresses, his books and magazine articles, his co-operative societies, temperance and social work, is influencing perhaps a larger number of people than any other living man. His novel, “Hitotsuha no Mugi,” translated under the name of "A Grain of Wheat,” has gone into 150 editions, as well as being filmed and dramatised. He is at present engaged upon writing a Life of Christ. A novel by him which is appearing in serial form in the National Co-operative Magazine, which* had a circulation of 700.000, increased this number of subscribers by 20,000 a month. He has been asked to write novels on peace, education, and the cooperative movement. Kagawa’s earnings as an author are used to finance his social and philanthropic institutions. It is through his work that slum areas in some of the largest Japanese cities have been done away with; also, through his efforts one out of every 80 people in the country belongs to a temperance society. The visit of this great Japanese Christian to New Zealand will be an event of considerable importance.