LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA

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UNION MOVEMENT. 323 There is also great political excitement. The people are earnestly discussing the revision of the treaties, and political parties are using this question to gain ascendancy. The excitement will be greater next year when we come to elect representatives to the National Assembly. It will be a great epoch in our political history. The world is moving in Japan, so we are bound to push forward our educational work, and to get hold of the conscience of the people . .Alas! why can we not make an utmost effort to take up Japan and humbly offer it to Christ? "Some scholars in Tokyo are endeavoring to check the progressive party and the Christian work. I sup­pose they will be a power for a while. They are pos­itive, but narrow and exclusive. The movement is a semi-political one. The petty politicians wish the support of the Buddhist priests. The latter hope to maintain their position through the help of these narrow-minded and short-sighted politicians. Let us wait and see how long they will survive against the light of the world. At such a time we ought to make a union effort to keep our .front strong. But the union attempted is the centralization of the power of our local churches. Our simple-minded people rather favor this union because it looks broad and is pre­sented in a tangible form. The union I would favor is rather spiritual. I am a lover of democracy. It is not an easy task to occupy the position where I am. When anything happens I am apt to receive the hardest blow. But I don't mind it at all. I have chosen a policy in which church autonomy is recog­nized and every member can have his voice in the management and government. If the terms of the union are based on this condition I have no least ob-

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