LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA
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APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC. 285 ning. This is a brief summary of what the mission of the Board has accomplished since it gained its foothold in the country. But causes of its very success must not be neglected to be mentioned here. Of course the fact cannot be denied that the field has been much traversed by the feet of those brethren who bore the glad tidings of peace to those anxious souls. But a good share might be attributed to the educational institution of the Board, established at Kyoto some years ago, for furnishing to the churches the most ardent and self-denying native-brethren. This institution gives instruction five years in English and three years more in theology. It is quite young, and is not yet fully equipped, yet it seems destined to be the salt of the nation. It was founded thoroughly on the Christian basis, and is now publicly recognized by the people as a school of Jesus. It became a centre to attract many youths from all quarters of the country. Most of them come to the school unbelieving. Before they leave it, all, with few exceptions, become Christians. As there is a constant demand for enlarging and improving the school, the Mission Board has recently taken an extraordinary measure to reinforce it with more men and more means. More edifices have been built. More apparatus has been purchased. More volwnes have been added to the library. The preparatory course in English has lately been much improved. The theological course has also taken a bold step to enlarge its curriculwn. Still there is much to be done. The present provision might do very well, if there were not any institutions of learning in the country much higher than our mission school. But the government's university has made a great advance in
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