GLEANERS’ MISSIONARY UNION

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2085, 21 May 1907, Page 1

GLEANERS’ MISSIONARY UNION

At the monthly meeting of the Gleaners’ Missionary Union held last evening, Mr. T. D. Baker gave an account of the islands of Japan, illustrating his remarks by a large map, made for the occasion. lii addition to the geographical and physical features, Mr: Baker - " touched upon the climate (wjiich he saicj wag damp and debilitating), the mineral resources and agricultural wealth, the means of travel, roads, and post and telegraph system. Miss Oakley followed with an account of the people, who seem to

have come from two distinct races. Their smallness of stature Miss OakIcy attributed to the shortness of their lower limbs.. She combated the charge of fickleness as applied to the race, alleging as proof tile constancy of the Roman Catholic converts of Xavier, whose descendants had remained true to tlieir faith for two and a lialf centuries in spite of the want of all outward aids to religion. . She instanced also the steadfastness of the Japanese in the late war. The many good points qf* tlie Japanese character were mentioned, together with their more conspicuous faults, and Miss Oakley, closed with a reference to the language and its difficulties for foreigners. Comment was made at the jneeting of a leoture recently given by Rev, Gray Dixon in Auckland, at which he gave it as his opinion that there was some connection between the Japaneso and Maoris, as evidenced by many words in the language of bptlk