LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA

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MARRIAGE. 203 riage of a native Christian in this place. I. ought to have informed you of this event before it took place, but I have been busy beyond my strength. I hope you who are always kind and tender to me as my parents are, will pardon me for this delay." In March, 1876, the passes authorizing Drs. Taylor and Learned to reside and teach in Kyoto-passes which Mr. Neesima had for five months been striving to obtain-were received; but the Bible was still ex­cluded from the course of study, and some members of the Mission questioned the wisdom of permanently occupying Kyoto under such conditions. At a special meeting held at Osaka in March, a vote to remain was passed with much misgiving, and in June the erection of two buildings was also voted, but reluctantly, for the approval of the government was considered more than doubtful. Even after the buildings were com­pleted and dedicated, the Mission was inclined to force the issue of Bible teaching, and, if unsuccessful, to abandon the station and leave the city. In view of the hostile attitude of the authorities, and the fact that an institution from which the Bible was excluded could not properly be called a training-school for the education of a native ministry, the hesitancy to ap­propriate money given for this purpose and to commit the Board to an experiment whose success was so doubtful, was entirely natural. The location of the school beyond the foreign concession required that its proprietorship should remain in Japanese hands, and this also caused dissatisfaction. But Mr. Neesima was content to hold the ground already gained, firm in his faith of ultimate success. June 6th he writes to Mr. Hardy:-" We are hated by the magistrates and priests, but

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