LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH HARDY NEESIMA

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HIS CHARACTER. 345 "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Neesima is no more. As a mortal man, as the Puritan of the Orient, the leader of humanity, the man of independence, the lover of children, the teacher of the young, the friend of woman, the comforter of the old, he is no more. His body is buried, as was the body of the thief. But he still lives. He lives in the memory of his fel­low-countrymen, in the cause of truth and humanity, in the grateful thought of the nation. You who com­memorate him, endeavor to follow in his footsteps, consecrate your energies to make this nation strong, upright, and noble. This is the best way to honor his memory." Few men give serious thought to the condition of the society of which they form a part, and of those who lament this condition fewer still are ready to con­secrate themselves to the cause o£ social regeneration. Criticism and complaint are more common than self­sacrificing effort for reform. But Mr. N eesima does not seem to have thought of self even in the early pe­riod of his discontent and restlessness, for the motives which led to his flight were distinctly patriotic. Such they remained throughout his life; but, as his horizon widened, so also did his ambition. Beginning with the desire to make his country strong, he ended by seeking to make it Christian. When the embassy at Washington sought his services his allegiance had al­ready passed from the empire of Japan to the king­dom of Christ. In many of the elements which con­tribute to what we call success and constitute worldly greatness he was lacking. He was not a learned mau, nor a profound scholar. He possessed neither great tact nor large executive ability. He was too modest and retiring to attract general attention, and as a

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