LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA

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286 TO EUROPE AND AMERICA AGAIN. the latter years in sending out a large number of its gTaduates. The time '\7ill soon come with us when the poorly educated will be obliged to retire from the pub­lic service as leaders of society. In order to occupy a very front rank as Christian preachers in such a so­ciety, our young men must receive the first-class edu­cation. The ten years' experience in Japan has given us a strong conviction that the best possible method to evangelize her people is to raise up the native agency, and such an agency can be only secured by imparting the highest Christian culture to the best youths to be found there. It may be a costly work. But it will surely pay well at the end. Of course the mission work ought to be a faith work. But with us the in­tellectual culture cannot possibly be ignored. The better educated can do a larger work. Better quali­fied preachers can organize self-sustaining and self­propagating churches much faster than the ill-quali­fied. So imparting a broad culture to our best youths will be a most indispensable means to win and pre­pare them for the Master's work. Besides this great demand to carry out the evangelical work, there is another thing to be considered for higher education. We have some youths with us whose circumstances do not allow them to become preachers, or who are not fit to be preachers. They come to us and take five years' academical course with us. But finding no provision in our school for higher courses other than theology, they are obliged to go somewhere else to pursue further studies. They are led to Christ w bile in the mission school, but there is danger of their forsaking Him as they go elsewhere. They are yet young in years. Their faith is not strongly con­firmed. They still require further care. They are

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