IN 1843 there was born in Japan a boy by the name of Neesima. This was ten years before Commodore Perry opened up Japan to trade with the outside world. When Neesima was born, the Japanese had nothing to do with foreigners. It was a capital crime for a Japanese to leave his own country. Neesima, however, had a great aim. It was to acquire Western learning, and so he made his way to one of the ports, Hako-date, where he hoped he might board an English or American boat and so escape to America.
He longed not only for Western learning, but for knowledge of God, because he had lost faith in his family gods which stood on the shelf in his home. He noticed that they never touched the food that was placed before them. One day he got hold of a Bible in the Chinese language and was greatly struck by the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
This statement answered some of the questions that had been in Neesima’s mind. God was the Creator, and from that time on he used to pray, “Please let me reach my aim.”
On reaching Hakodate, he made arrangements with the captain of an American schooner for passage to Shanghai. He ran a great risk, for if detected it meant certain death. God, however, watched over him and enabled him to escape. This was on July 18, 1864. After he reached Shanghai, Neesima found another American vessel, the Wild Rover, bound for Boston, and persuaded the captain to employ him as his personal servant. It was a year before the schooner reached its destination.
While they were in Hong Kong, Neesima discovered a Chinese New Testament in a book store, and he determined to have it. He had no money, so he decided to part with his sword which he always wore. He read the book day and night and found in it answers to many questions which had perplexed his mind.
ML-08/31/1969