SOCIAL REFORM

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20132, 12 June 1935, Page 7

SOCIAL REFORM

PROGRESS MADE IN JAPAN DR. KAGAWA’S SUMMARY The great social reforms wrought by the introduction of Christianity into Japan and the obstacles met in achieving that end were discussed by Dr. Kagawa to a crowded congregation in Chalmers Church last evening. The attendance was so great that the church was filled to capacity and the church hall was also well filled, the overflow being addressed by the Rev. K. Ogawa, secretary to Dr. Kagawa, and later by the doctor himself. The Rev. J. D. McArthur, who presided, introduced the speaker, and the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) welcomed Dr. Kagawa on behalf of the citizens of Timaru. A book had been presented him when leaving Australia, began Dr. Kagawa, and the book was on New Zealand and written by a Japanese professor. This Japanese had studied New Zealand and thought that New Zealand was next to heaven. Like that professor, he also was here to study New Zealand and its social conditions. Japan and New Zealand were comparatively close, only 4500 miles apart, and he thought there was greater scope for more communication and commerce than in the past. Japan owed much to the British Empire, and in his opinion the English missionaries were the best type of people for the East. Christianity had given much to Japan. He would quote five instances: It had given them the spirit of purity, of love, of peace, respect for labour, and finally of personal piety. Dr. Kagawa then briefly traversed the conversion of his people from Paganism to Christianity. With the spread of Christianity a strong purity move also took root, divorce rates decreasing considerably from 32 per cent. 30 years’ ago to 11 per cent, to-day. When in 1924 he visited America, he saw the statistics for New York the percentage being 24, and in 1926 the Moscow statistics revealed divorce rates of 90 per cent., so that the growth of the spiiit of purity m Japan was amazing. The teaching of Confuscianism and Euddhism that women and girls were inferior beings was altered with the introduction of Christianity. Women even had smaller dishes, could not enter sacred shrines, and were not permitted to climb sacred mountains. With the coming of Christianity the women were allowed larger dishes and consequently more food. Over the last 50 years the average height of girls had increased two inches, all because they could eat more. (Laughter.) Since they had enjoyed equal status, women had made wonderful strides and at the Olympic Games, two years’ ago, Japanese girls won the world’s championship in swimming. Dr. Kagawa explained that the majority of Japanese were not militarists, but were inclined to pacifism. It should be remembered that 95 per cent, of the Japanese did not like to fight. Russia had invaded China and five provinces formerly Chinese were now Soviet territory, and because of that the “yellow peril” was feared in the Far East, but Japan and China were afraid of aggression from the white races. So long as their was fear among them there could be no peace. Even as recently as three years ago labourers were regarded as inferior, said Dr. Kagawa. The first labour union was organised by a Christian church, and the leaders of most labour unions and parties came from the Christian church. The speaker then spoke of Communism, Shintoism and Buddhism, and how he himself had been converted to the Christian faith. The Rev. D. Ogawa briefly spoke of Dr. Kagawa as the man, and how since he had first met him when a pastor in Los Angeles, his whole life had been changed. The doctor, he concluded, was a modest man, but a fighter—fighting for righteousness.