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Sakae Menda is a 68-year-old man who travels around the country giving lectures appealing for the abolition of capital punishment. I have heard him speak and was impressed with his talk. For Mr. Menda, capital punishment is not a theoretical, academic subject. He has spent time on death-row himself. In 1949, he was arrested as a suspect in the killing of a family of four in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was sentenced to death, but in a retrial in 1983, his innocence was established. Although he was innocent, he continues to be discriminated against because of his imprisonment and is slandered by some for opposing capital punishment. Ten years have passed since he was declared innocent and he is now publishing a 220-page book entitled 'Shikeishu no Shuki', "Notes of a Death-Row Convict", in which he describes incidents in the life of a death-row convict and the feelings stimulated by such an experience. One of the reasons I am opposed to capital punishment is that there is no way to restore to life one who has been unjustly executed. Thomas Jefferson wrote: "I shall ask for the abolition of the punishment of death until I have the infallibility of human judgment demonstrated to me." -------As you probably know, 'Kimiga Yo', the song commonly used as Japan's national anthem has never been officially designated as such by the elected representatives of the people although it has been sung at national ceremonies since 1893. The national anthem of the United States of America, 'The Star Spangled Banner,' was written in 1814, but it was not officially designated as the national anthem until over a century later, by President Wilson in 1916. His executive order was later confirmed by an act of Congress in 1931. It was 199 years ago today, on July 15, 1795, that the national anthem of France was officially adopted. Do you know its name? Its name is not related to its content. Rather, it is taken from the name of the oldest city in France, which was settled by Greeks about 600 B.C., is now France's second largest city and one of its most important seaports. Composed during the French Revolution three years earlier by an artillery officer in the garrison at Strasbourg, it was first made known in Paris by troops from the city of Marseilles at the storming of the royal palace. As a result, it was called 'La Marseillaise'. The anthem calls for victory over oppressors and extols the ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, which are relevant concepts for all times and places. -------While visiting in Minneapolis last summer, we recalled that our favorite college teacher had also lived there. We didn't know whether or not he was still there, but checking the phone directory, we found his name was listed. My wife and I first met at the University of Dubuque in the state of Iowa. A new professor of Bible and Philosophy, Dr. W. Robert Smith, began teaching at that university the same year that we enrolled. We both majored in Bible under "Dr. Bob" and were very fond of him. The summer after our graduation when we got married, we asked "Dr. Bob" to perform the wedding ceremony in my wife's home church in suburban Chicago. He graciously made a special trip of over 300 kilometers to do so and we have always been grateful to him. When we telephoned him and asked if he still remembered us, we were really not surprised that his answer was "yes" and he referred to my wife as "Barbie". We stopped in to talk with him and his wife the following morning on our way back to my hometown. It was a very pleasant time as we reminisced and exchanged information regarding what had transpired in our lives since we last met. We were reminded of the first verse of the 118th Psalm: "Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good, and his love is eternal." And so is the genuine love and respect for others he stimulates in human hearts. -------A paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. Such a statement is found in the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 18. According to The New English Bible translation, he wrote: "our eyes are fixed, not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen. " How, one may ask, can our eyes be fixed on the things that are invisible? Obviously, the Apostle is here speaking of mental eyes rather than physical ones. So, the Today's English Version uses the word "attention" instead of "eyes". Paul was explaining why he was not discouraged despite the many troubles he had experienced and the obvious aging of his own body. "Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, " he wrote, "our spiritual being is renewed day after day. " His eyes were focused not on the physical, material things around him -- which can be very discouraging, indeed. His attention on a more basic reality which he perceived through faith. It is this spiritual perception of a higher, divine purpose underlying the ever-changing physical, social and political situation that inspires courage, confidence and hope in the midst of discouraging circumstances. -------The English word dope, spelled d-o-p-e, comes from a Dutch word which is pronounced the same but is spelled d-o-o-p and means a thick liquid or sauce. In English also, dope may denote a thick lubricant, but after it was applied especially to the thick substance that results when opium is heated in preparation for smoking, it came to be used not only for opium but for other narcotics as well. Race horses have sometimes been doped to make them run faster and the person who doped a horse possessed some secret information, which was also called dope. A person who takes dope becomes dopey or dazed and, as a slang term, any slow-witted, silly or stupid person may be called a dope. It is not inside dope, however, that those young people who take dope are dopes themselves and they should be discouraged from doing something so foolish. -------Recently, the terms of Japanese prime ministers have been comparatively short, but the same ancient imperial dynasty continues to reign. In British history, there have been a number of different dynasties and some monarchs had very short reigns. The record-holder for the shortest reign is Lady Jane Grey, who was proclaimed queen on July 10, 1553, when she was 15 years old. Nine days later, 441 years ago today, she was ousted by a 36-year-old lady, Mary I, who had Lady Jane arrested and later beheaded. There were many social, political and religious implications of this change of monarchs and some lists of monarchs do not include the name of Lady Jane Grey. The zealous effort of Mary I to restore the authority of the Roman Catholic Church resulted in religious persecution and the deaths of some 300 Protestants. Because of this, she was given the nickname of Bloody Mary, which now is also the name of a cocktail consisting of vodka and tomato juice. We will have another meeting of listeners to / readers of these "Daily Word" messages on Sunday afternoon, July 31st at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center. The theme for our discussion at that meeting will be: Personal Experiences in Learning English." -------'Subarashii Hatachi no Kai' is the name of a newly-formed group in the Kanto area. Can you imagine what the aim of this group is? It is sponsored by the Hakubi chain of Kimono schools to provide instruction to young ladies who are reaching the "wonderful" age of 20 this year and will be wearing an elaborate 'furisode kimono' for the "Coming-of-Age Day" ceremonies next January 15. Most of these young ladies have not donned a kimono since they visited a shrine for the 'Shichi-Go-San' ceremony when they were seven years old. They have not had the experience of their grand mothers who used to wear kimonos more often and there is a certain knack to getting dressed in a kimono. (Incidentally, that word "knack" begins with a "k", in case you need to look it up in a dictionary.) Not only are these young ladies taught how to put on the kimono, they are also given instruction on how to walk when dressed in a kimono and how to pose for a picture when wearing it. Between June and December of this year, lectures on these subjects are being given at various locations in the greater Kanto area. In the New Testament book of Colossians, chapter3, verse 12, Christians are told to clothe themselves not with beautiful kimono but with such qualities as "compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." -------Last month, a strange and fearful event occurred in the city of Matsumoto. As a result of poisonous gas in the air, many people became sick and some died. The whole nation was reminded of the dangers of air pollution. Such pollution is caused not only by industrial plants, chemical laboratories or a man trying to produce an improved weed-killer. It is also caused by the burning of dried tobacco leaves in cigarettes. The American Center for Disease Control recently released the results of a state-by-state study of cigarette smoking, which it calls "the most preventable cause of premature death in the nation." Smoking not only pollutes the air, it also impairs the health of the smoker and many cause cancer and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The study found that 20 percent of deaths in the United States in 1990 were caused by smoking. The state with the highest number of smoking-related deaths was Nevada, famous for its legalized gambling and quick divorce procedures. That with the lowest number was the neighboring state of Utah, famous for its high percentage of Mormons who are taught that smoking is contrary to the will of God. Japanese religion aims to eliminate pollution through purification ceremonies but against modern kinds of pollution, rituals alone do not seem effective. -------Some Westerners, when they hear the name "Lazarus", will think of a couple of men by this name who appear in Bible stories. According to the 11th chapter of John, a man with this name was raised from the dead and in Luke, chapter 16, it is the name of a diseased beggar. Others may think of a woman who was born in New York City 145 years ago today, on July 22, 1849. Her name was Emma Lazarus and she became a well-known poet, essayist and philanthropist. Enraged at the merciless massacre of Jews in Russia in the 1880s, she became an impassioned spokeswoman for Judaism, writing many essays and poems and organized relief work on behalf of Jews. But she is best-known for her sonnet, entitled "The New Colossus", which is engraved on the pedestal of the U.S. Statue of Liberty. That poem concludes with these words: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-ptosed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door." You are invited to attend a meeting of listeners to/readers of these "Daily Word" messages on Sunday afternoon, July 31st at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center. -------During my first year in seminary in New York City, I lived in the men's dormitory and became close friends with three other new students who lived at the same end of the hall. By the time we graduated, three years later, all four of us had married. I was the first to do so -- in the summer after that first year, and returned in the fall with my bride, a girl I had met in college. The others married girls they met at the seminary so we all knew each other very well. Since our graduation, we have kept in touch with one another and it has become a regular custom to have a reunion of the eight of us when my wife and I return to the U.S. on our regular furloughs. This past summer, we met at the home of the couple who lives near Detroit, Michigan. We came from my hometown in Illinois and the other couples came from Connecticut and Florida. The hostess is afflicted with an illness which requires medication and special diet. The man from Connecticut is suffering from an incurable progressive paralysis, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease. And the man from Florida, who has a pacemaker, introduced us to his new wife, since the wife we knew had passed away since our last reunion. The two of us from Japan seemed to be the healthiest couple there. We had a very enjoyable two days and two nights with this group of old friends about which I will say more in next Saturday's message. -------I recently read that "the widespread use of standard Japanese has accelerated the disappearance of many folk traditions and forms of folklore, since local cultures are directly related to dialects. " To keep old traditions, it is necessary for the older generation to transmit them to the younger generation. To make the traditions meaningful, parents must also be able to give a reason for keeping old traditions. Following the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, they were commanded to observe certain rituals to commemorate that special event. Exodus, chapter 12 describes the ritual of the most important Jewish festival, called Passover and, in verses 26-27, includes the way to answer a child who asks "What does this ritual mean? " All religions have traditional ceremonies, but unless we are able to give a reasonable explanation of their meaning to the younger generation, or if they have lost their meaning, it is not strange if they disappear. A tradition that has lost its meaning, has become an empty formality. Genuinely living religions will have meaningful rituals that communicate something significant but those that try to simply maintain forms without content are in the process of dying out. -------At some restaurants, the food is brought to the table on an iron plate set in a wooden tray. The sizzling food which is placed in front of the diner may be said to be "piping hot". Can you imagine why something very hot is said to be "piping hot"? A pipe, of course, is a hollow tube through which a fluid may flow. Water and gas is brought into our homes through pipes. Sometimes the water coming from the pipe may be piping hot, but the expression does not come from that kind of pipe. Rather, it comes from an old musical instrument in the shape of a pipe -- the forerunner of the flutes and piccolos of today. When water in a kettle or food in a frying pan sizzled because it was so hot, it reminded someone in the 14th century of the piping sound made by a piper. He called it "piping hot" and the expression coined some 600 years ago is still used today. -------Today, July 26th, is the anniversary of the birth of an American statesman by the name of Clinton, who studied law, became governor of an American state and ran for president of the United States. His hope of becoming president, however, was unrealized, but he did serve two terms as vice-president. His name was George Clinton and, as far as I know, he is not included in the family tree of President Bill Clinton, the former governor of the state of Arkansas. George Clinton was born 255 years ago today, in 1739, in the colony of New York. He became a leader of the anti-British faction of the provincial assembly and was elected as one of the state's delegates to the Second Continental Congress. He became the first governor of the state of New York, was reelected six more times and has been called the father of New York state. He later served as vice-president under two different presidents: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, but because of his strong emphasis on state sovereignty, he opposed the Federal Constitution. Next Sunday afternoon at 1:30, a meeting of "Daily Word" listeners and readers will be held at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center near Shinsakaemachi subway station. Our theme is: Personal Experiences in Learning English. You are invited to attend. -------Readers of these "Daily Word" messages will see the number 4677 at the end of today's message. That means that this is the 4677th different message that has been transmitted over the past fourteen years since this service was begun. Messages that were recycled during my absences from Japan are not included in that number. Listeners to the messages who desire to read the messages either before, after or while listening to the spoken words may receive weekly copies of the messages by sending me a self-addressed, stamped envelope plus ¥30 in stamps for each week of messages desired. For an additional ¥30, Japanese translations of the previous week's messages will be included. On this coming Sunday afternoon at 1:30, my wife and I are looking forward to meeting old and new "Daily Word" fans at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center where those in attendance will share their personal experiences in learning English. How long have you been studying English? What have you found to be the most effective way to learn this difficult language -- not only to read and write, but to speak and understand it? Your experiences may be helpful to others in their continuing aim to improve their comprehension. This is "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------The English words, "helpmate" and "helpmeet", have the same meaning and are translated into Japanese as 'joryokusha' or 'kyoryokusha.' They are used primarily for a spouse -- a wife, in particular. 'The American Heritage Dictionary' states that the existence of these two words "meaning the exact same thing, is a comedy of errors." According to the King James Version of the Bible, first published in 1611, in Genesis 2:18, following the creation of the first man, "the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him." In this sentence, "help" means "helper" and "meet" means "suitable" or "fit". Thus, God decided to make a suitable helper for the man. Later, the noun, "help", and adjective, "meet", were mistakenly put together to form one word, "helpmeet". The dictionary explanation continues that "In the 18th century, in a misguided attempt to make sense of the word, the spelling 'helpmate' was introduced. Both errors are now beyond recall, and both spellings are acceptable." This is one example of how words are born and how language changes. Sunday afternoon at 1:30 is the time; Nagoya City Geijutsu Center, near Shinsakaemachi subway station is the place for a meeting of "Daily Word" fans. Please come if you can. -------One of the classics of political literature was written by a Frenchman who was born 189 years ago today, on July 29, 1805. Alexis de Tocqueville, a politician and writer deeply committed to human freedom, made a visit to America in 1831 on a government mission. He published his acute observations in Democracy in America, in which he gave an analysis of both the successes and failures of the American attempt to have both liberty and equality and related them to the European situation. De Tocqueville, who believed that political democracy and social equality would replace the aristocratic institutions of Europe, is often quoted in regard to his views of the U.S. and of democracy. One such quotation is the following: "When the people rule, they must be rendered happy, or they will overturn the state." If this is true and is applicable to Japan, we must conclude that the people are happy, or that they do not rule, or that they are in the process of overturning the state which takes a bit longer in this country. At our meeting on Sunday afternoon at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center, beginning at 1:30, we would be happy to hear some experiences you have had while learning English and what you consider effective ways to improve one's fluency in English. -------At our reunion last summer with three other couples, friends of seminary days over 40 years before, we enjoyed talking about ourselves, our children and our ministries, reminiscing of our student days, laughing and praying together. We also enjoyed eating a simple breakfast and lunch at the home of the host and hostess and eating out in the evenings. Not only did we pray together; we also played together. One evening, we went to a miniature golf course. Each couple showed their skill or lack of it as we went around the tiny course trying to avoid the obstacles and to get the ball into the hole as we made encouraging or disparaging remarks along the way. Another evening, we played a card game called "Uno". It was the first time my wife and I had played this game, which seems to be well-known in the States. Of course, we enjoyed chatting while we played, but it seems to me the game kept going on too long. I asked to look at the rules and, reading them carefully, I found that there were two rules we were ignoring which kept the game from ending. Of course, the aim of this game was not to see who would win but to enjoy ourselves, which we did. As usual, while we were there, I made my regular daily phone calls to Japan to record the "Daily Word" messages. -------The city of Jerusalem is considered holy by the three religions of Judaism, Christianity and Isram. It was the site of the Jewish temple, the place where Jesus suffered and died and from which Muhammed is said to have ascended to heaven. The Temple Site has been the location of three Jewish temples, the first of which was built by King Solomon, the son and successor of King David. In the Jewish temples, there were no images or idols to worship. The most holy object was a sacred box containing two stone tablets on which the commandments of God were written. But this box, chest, or ark, was not an object of worship, for in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition, the only object of worship is the invisible God who is spirit. In I Samuel, chapter 7, we find the story of David's desire to build a permanent structure to house this sacred box after the Israelites were settled in the Promised Land. "Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Convenant Box is kept in a tent, " he said. His military activities, however, kept him from building that temple and his plan was accomplished by his son. In King Solomon's prayer of dedication, found in I Kings, chapter 8, he recognizes that no physical structure can house the eternal God, but the temple was to be a sign of God's presence with his people. -------Have you ever heard or read the expression "eat humble pie" ? It means to make a humiliating apology, admitting that one was wrong. In this expression, however, the word "humble" was not originally related to humiliation. It comes from a Latin word denoting the innards, or internal organs, of an animal. In old England, it was customary for hunters, after a hunt, to eat part of the animal they had killed. The lord of the manor and his guests feasted on the better parts, while a dish made from such umbles as the heart, liver and gizzard, called umble pie, was prepared for the servants. Those who ate this umble pie did not need to apologize. They were merely of a humble class. The Englishman who added the "h" because he thought the word was misspelled, actually was mistaken and should have eaten humble pie -- in its new meaning, himself. -------94/08/02 (Tuesday) Experiences to Improve Ability in English (4619) Finding the right words to communicate thoughts or feelings even in one's native tongue is not always easy. It is yet more complicated when using a foreign language. Becoming proficient in a foreign language takes time, energy and a certain amount of ability. Samuel Johnson, English author and lexicographer, spoke of language as "the dress of thought". Another English author, Aldous Huxley, wrote that "the function of language is twofold: to communicate emotion and to give information." And the German poet, Von Goethe, asserted that "A man who is ignorant of foreign languages is ignorant of his own." Those of you who listen to or read these "Daily Word" messages have had various experiences in your efforts to improve your ability in English -- whether in a classroom, by watching television or movies, reading books, finding an English-speaking friend or travelling abroad. Those who were present at the meeting last Sunday afternoon shared their experiences and learned from one another. Your experiences may be helpful to others who are continuing their study of this difficult language. If you write an essay about your experiences and send it to me, I will correct it and publish it in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463. -------Are you acquainted with the word fylfot, spelled f-y-l-f-o-t? You may be better acquainted with the word swastika, spelled s-w-a-s-t-i-k-a, which has the same meaning. A fylfot or swastika is a figure in the shape of a cross with the ends of the arms bent at right angles. It is an ancient mystic sign or religious symbol that has been used by peoples in various parts of the world. The word "swastika" is rooted in a Sanskrit word signifying a sign of good luck. Seeing this symbol will stimulate quite different mental images depending upon the viewer. In Japan, it is the symbol used on maps to indicate the location of a Buddhist temple but Westerners will associate it with Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' party, for it was the symbol chosen by the Nazis. Looking closely at the symbols used by Buddhists and Nazis, however, one will notice that the arms of their crosses are bent in opposite directions. The arms in the Nazi swastika are bent in a clockwise direction while those in the Buddhist symbol are bent in a counterclockwise direction. The meaning one gives to a symbol depends upon the education, culture and experience of the viewer. For Christians, the simple symbol of a cross has a deep significance. Do you know why? -------Salt is a natural constituent in all animal fluids and a necessary element in the diet of human beings. Without it, people will die. From ancient times, salt has been used for a variety of purposes. It is added to foods to improve their taste and its medicinal value has long been recognized. In Japan, following a funeral ceremony, it is customary to give those in attendance a small packet of salt with which to purify themselves after their contact with death. Before a sumo wrestler enters the ring, he scatters salt to purify that place. As a purifying agent, salt is also used to preserve food--to keep it from spoiling. In ancient Rome, people took salt baths and beautiful women, such as Cleopatra, are said to have toned their skin with salts. Such a custom is becoming popular in present-day Japan as salt-based skin cleansers and bath salts are being used increasingly by young women. Rubbing salt on one's skin is said to improve both metabolism and circulation. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 13, Jusus called his disciples "the salt of the earth". This new trend may give new meaning to these words. Not only should Jesus' disciples make the world purer and give it better flavor, they should make it a healthier place as well." -------There are various communities on the east coast of North America that exhibit pride in their historic origins as one of the earliest European settlements in the so called New World. Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the present United States, dates its origin to the year 1607, but the Spanish settlement in St. Augustine, Florida had already been established some 42 years earlier. Both of these communities have annual observances of their foundings. It is recorded that the first English colony on the North American continent was founded by Sir Humphrey Gilbert 411 years ago today, on August 5, 1583. Not surprisingly, it was on the portion of land closest to England in what is now one of the ten provinces of Canada. The name of the province consists of three English words combined into one and called Newfoundland. The colony was called St. John's, and that city of over 80,000 is now the provincial capital. Built on hills overlooking a fine harbor, it is the commercial and industrial center of the province. When I hear the name "St. John's Newfoundland", I immediately think of the last book of the Bible, which gives St. John's visionary description of heaven. -------On our return trip to Zion, Illinois from Detroit, Michigan last summer, we passed through the city of Ann Arbor, which is where the University of Michigan is located. It is also the city where my youngest sister lives, so we stopped to see her and her family and spent the night there. Her eldest daughter lives in the same city, so she came over with her two children. Her second daughter was visiting from her work in Paris, France. Her third daughter, an engineer, lives out of the state, but her son, a university student, was at home, so we had a good chance to meet and talk with most of the family. Her husband was also present. He is the founder and owner of a company that makes balancing machines. It would be difficult for me here to describe exactly what a balancing machine is, but such machines may add or subtract weight from a section of a wheel to make it balanced so that it will function more efficiently. What interested me, however, is the phrase he has adopted for his company's logo. His surname is Hines, spelled H-i-n-e-s, and that is the name of his company. Its logo contains the phrase, "The last word in balancing macHINES" with the last five letters of "machines" written in capital letters. Can you understand why? -------The English word "hypocrite" comes from a Greek word meaning an actor or pretender, one who plays a part. An able actor does not show his own feelings. He portrays a person different than himself. Jesus' most severe criticism was directed toward hypocrites who sought to deceive people by their external religious piety which was insincere. In the 6th chapter of Matthew, he taught hid disciples not to imitate hypocrites who made a big show of perfoming religious duties. In verses 5-8, he said the hypocrites love to pray in public places in order to be seen by people. They made long prayers, using many repetitious, meaningless words, to make an impression on bystanders. Their prayers were not heard by God, however, who is not impressed with acting ability but who looks at the heart of the person who prays. Since the aim of ostentatious prayers is to impress people, their purpose is achieved even without a divine response. Jesus taught his disciples to pray in private to the unseen God. Then God, who sees what they do in private, will respond accordingly. Christian prayer is not a formal, mechanical repetition of pious phrases. It is a time of meaningful communion with a God of love. -------The word for today consists of only two different letters. It is a three letter word beginning with o. Since it is not "off", it must be "odd", spelled o-d-d. There is a different nuance to this word depending on whether we are speaking of people, things or numbers. A person or thing that is odd is strange, different, unusual or queer, but an odd number is simply a number that cannot be divided by two. However if we speak of thirty odd people, the meaning is ambiguous. It may mean thirty strange people or, merely, a few more than thirty people. In the latter case, a hyphen should be inserted after "thirty". Originally, this word meant "point" and denoted the third point of a triangle which had two paired angles. From ancient times, in both East and West, odd numbers were considered lucky, but it is not lucky to be considered the "odd man out". -------Today, August 9th, is a notable, or rather notorious, day in Japanese history. Forty-nine years ago today, much of the historic city of Nagasaki was obliterated by a bomb, the second atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan. Because the primary target of Kokura was covered by clouds, the secondary target became the unfortunate recipient of that terrible weapon of destruction. Nagasaki had been a chief port for foreign trade for centuries since the Portuguese had entered the country there and introduced such things as tobacco, firearms and Christianity. My suggestion for an essay for this week is: Nagasaki. The very word will bring different images to the minds of listeners and readers: the city's historic past, its Christian heritage, the atomic bombing and so on. What image or memory does the name of that city bring to your mind? Have you ever visited there? If you have, what was your impression? Do you think the bombing of Nagasaki can be justified? Did it bring the war to an end quicker? What influence do you think Nagasaki has had on Japanese thought -- in the past or at present? I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------A smith is a person who works with metal, especially when it is hot and soft. It is part of the name of such occupations as goldsmith, silversmith and blacksmith. The workshop of a smith may be called a smithy. Smith is the most common surname in the English-speaking world. There are said to be over 800,000 people with this surname in England and Wales and some 2,400,000 Smiths in the United States. Many Scandinavian surnames end with "son", such as Johnson, Olson and Larson. Although Smithson is not a common surname, a mineral called smithsonite was named after James Smithson, a British mineralogist and chemist. When this man died in 1829, he bequeathed his fortune to the United States to create "an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." On August 10, 1846, 148 years ago today, the Smithsonian Institution was established in Washington, D. C. This Institution has become the largest complex of museums in the world comprising thirteen museums and other institutions including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and over 24 million people visit the Smithsonian Institution every year. -------
Tomihiro Hoshino is a 48-year-old resident of a small village in Gumma Prefecture. He is a famous resident of that village, the site of the Tomihiro Museum which displays floral pictures and poems that have made him famous. Since that museum was founded in 1991, over a million people have visited it; on weekends, the number of visitors is larger than the village's population. In June 1970, two months after Mr. Hoshino had become a junior high school teacher, an accident during a gymnastics demonstration left him paralyzed from the neck down. During nine years in Gumma University Hospital, he suffered greatly and almost died. It was during this time that he began to read the Bible and became a Christian. After painstaking effort, he found out that he could paint by holding a brush in his mouth. Now, more than 5 1/2 million copies of books depicted his works of art or discussing his life have been sold and some of his works have been translated into English. Next month, about 50 of his paintings will be flown to New York for his first foreign exhibition in the Takashimaya Department Store Gallery on Fifth Avenue. Here is an English translation of one of his poems. "East is East, and West is West" is a famous quotation from Rudyard Kipling's poem, "The Ballad of East and West". That English novelist and poet, who was born and spent many years in India, was very conscious of the differences between Oriental and Occidental cultures. As an American who has spent most of his life in Japan, I confess that I have been confused about which is the "right" side of the street when driving a car, but I should have a clear conception of the difference between east and west. In my message of one month ago today, however, I stated that there were many islands west of Australia which are included in the comprehensive term Australasia or Oceania. The Japanese translator of these messages noted that those islands were east of Australia and corrected my mistake in his translation. Those of you, however, who do not read the Japanese translation (which is available for ¥30 per week), should also note that correction. To all listeners and readers of these messages, I apologize for the foolish mistake. I try to make sure the factual content of these messages is accurate and am embarrassed when such an obvious mistake is made. Sometimes my wife tells me, following a sermon, that I said "right" when I meant "left" or some other such slip of the tongue. Whether or not this is another sign of aging. I will try to avoid making such mistakes in the future. -------It was just one year ago that my wife and I returned from our triennial two-month visit to our homeland, the United States. Since that time, I have devoted my Saturday messages to personal experiences we had during that visit. Now I have run out of such stories or memories, but I will continue to use these Saturday messages to relate personal experiences or express more personal opinions on certain subjects. I may shift some of the content of the personal comments I usually make on the telephone following the daily printed messages to these Saturday messages instead. When writing of "east and west" in yesterday's message, I was reminded of a strange sensation I always experienced in New York City during the three years I lived there whenever I took the subway from Manhattan in the south to the Bronx in the north. For some reason, when I came out of the subway station onto the street in the Bronx, my sense of direction was completely reversed and I had to reorient my thinking of which was north and south, east and west. This never occurred when taking the subway in other directions. Generally speaking, my sense of direction is accurate and I seldom get lost when following maps or looking for new places. But of course, it helps if streets and roads are straight rather than winding around. -------In the concluding verses of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus compared those who heard his words and obeyed them to a wise man who built a house on rock which was able to withstand the storms of life. This parable reminds me of buildings I have entered in three different countries. The massive La Palacio de las Bellas Artes in Mexico City is a beautiful building which has sunk over 3 meters into the ground. The 55-meter-tall tower in the Italian city of Pisa is leaning 5 meters off the perpendicular. But the 102-story Empire State Building in New York City continues to stand straight and firm. The difference is related to their foundations. Only the last one was built on solid rock. In the Old Testament Psalms, God is frequently called a "rock" to symbolize his unchanging, reliable character and in the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the cornerstone of the spiritual edifice of the Church [Ephesians 2:20] and the true foundation which God himself has laid [I Corinthians 3:11]. In the fast-changing, unstable political, social, moral and spiritual situation in the world today, people need a solid, trustworthy foundation upon which to build their lives. What is your foundation? -------The Japanese word for "courage" is yuki, which literally means "brave spirit". This English word comes from the Latin word for "heart" and we may say that a courageous person is "stouthearted". Courageous or stouthearted persons are able to face danger, pain or difficulty without fear. The same Latin word is at the heart of such words as cordial, concord and discord. If someone gives you a cordial greeting, your heart will be stimulated by his or her sincere, hearty salutation. People or nations that are in concord are in harmony with their hearts together, but when hearts are apart, separated and out of harmony, the result is discord and disagreement. All believers are encouraged by the exhortation given to Joshua, Moses' successor, in Joshua, chapter 1, verse 9: "Be strong and of good courage ... for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." -------Years ago, I thought that the golden marine figures on the peak of Nagoya Castle were dolphins. In fact, that is why sports teams of Nagoya International School are called "Dolphins". But since the advent of Nagoya-based soccer team, named "Grampus 8", I discovered that those figures, called 'shachi' in Japanese, are grampuses rather than dolphins because they do not have a beaklike snout. In a couple of weeks, the opening ceremony of the National Athletic Tournament ('Kokumin Taiiku Taikai') will be held in Aichi Prefecture under the nickname of Waka-shachi Kokutai. Preparations for this event have been under way for a number of years. New facilities have been built and old ones have been renovated. Some groups complain that the expenses involved in this annual tournament, which has been held in all areas of the country 48 times, are too great and that the environment has been harmed by the new facilities which are of limited use. What do you think of this annual event? Is it worthwhile and worthy of support? Should it be continued or discontinued? What do you see as its advantages and disadvantages? Essays on this theme sent to the following address will be corrected and printed in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes': "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------According to a well-known poem by a prominent American poet, Robert Frost, "Something there is that doesn't love a wall, That wants it down!" These words come to mind when I think of the Berlin Wall. Construction of this 47-kilometer-long fortified concrete and wire barrier along the border between East and West Berlin began 33 years ago today, on August 17, 1961, in an attempt to stop the flow of East Berliners defecting to the West. To a certain extent and for a limited period, the wall succeeded in keeping the German people divided, but eventually, it had to come down--as all unnatural barriers finally will. Recently, President Clinton made a speech in Berlin, in which he sought imitated former President Kennedy by concluding with a couple of meaningful sentences in German. Reports indicate that his pronunciation was better than Mr. Kennedy's but his speech was not as spectacular. I recall that when I and my family made a surprise visit to a distant relative in the German city of Wurzburg, the lady was watching President Kennedy give that memorable speech on television when we interrupted her. The concluding words of Robert Frost's poem sets forth the dubious idea that "Good fences make good neighbors", which nationalistic groups around the world continue to loudly affirm in our day. -------Some birds, such as larks, doves and nightingales, stimulate positive images in the minds of hearers while others, such as hawks, vultures and crows, create a negative impression. Crows often symbolize contention, discord and back luck. A town in Tochigi Prefecture bears the name of Karasuyama, literally meaning "Crown Mountain". The population of this town is falling and some residents blame it on its name. Town officials once considered changing the name to a more auspicious one, but now they have decided to keep the old name and make an effort to change the popular view of crows. In 1991, the town held a forum on crows and the Karasuyama Chamber of Commerce has now published a 103-page book, 'Karasu no Hon--Kami no Tukai ka, Akuma no Tuskaika'("The Book of Crows--Are they Messengers from God or from the Devil?"). A wide range of stories and myths about crows, compiled by tne people over a two-year-period are included in this publication. The town faces an uphill battle, however, for it is difficult to change perceptions or prejudices that have become hardened over the years. There is even a German proverb that states: When a dove begins to associate with crows, its feathers remain white but its heart grows black. -------Japanese workers are meticulous, very carful about small details. This is one reason why Japanese products are recognized as being of high quality. Aomori Prefecture is famous for its apples and one reason Aomori apples are so good-looking is because of the meticulous care given by apple growers. Last year, 60 percent of Aomori apples were individually wrapped in paper bags while still on the trees to improve their color. Leaves on branches were also picked to prevent their shadows from leaving marks on the smooth surface of the fruit. Such meticulousness would be unimaginable in the U.S. and there is a question regarding how much longer it will continue even in Aomori now that lower-priced apples are being imported from abroad. Apples were introduced to the Tohoku region by John lng, a missionary from America, in 1875. One of his bible Class students who saw the strange fruit for the first time described it as having "a wonderful color", "aromatic" and "incredibly delicious". Now Aomori Prefecture officials are encouraging apple growers to stop the timeconsuming wrapping and leaf plucking customs to make their apples more competitive pricewise even if they are not so beautiful. As the saying goes, "Beauty is but skin deep". -------To hitchhike means to travel by asking rides from motorists along th way. A hitchhiker usually stands along the road with his thumb outstretched and his thumb protuding from his fist in the direction he is travelling. When a driver slows down and stops, the hitchhiker happily runs to the car and gets in, hoping the car will take him a long way toward his destination. I began to hitchhike when I was in the upper grades of grade school. (Incidentally, when I went to school, there were eight grades in grade school and four years in high school.) From the time I was in high school and continuing through college and seminary -- until I got married, I did a lot of hitchhiking. If my memory and calculations are correct, I have hitchhiked a distance equal to a couple of times around the world at the equator. Sometimes I hitchhiked with a friend, but more often I hitchhiked by myself. Although I enjoyed hitchhiking an it was a cheap way to travel, for me hitchhiking was not frivolous nor simply for pleasure. It was the means to get to a certain place for a particular purpose. For the next number of weeks in my Saturday messages, I will tell about experiences I had and places I visited while hitchhiking. I hope they won't be too boring for you listeners and readers. -------A distinguishing mark of human beings is the ability to think, to reason. This ability can bring great satisfaction when answers to difficult questions are found, but it can be very frustrating when the answers are elusive. This is especialy so when the questions are related to the reason for certain devastating events or to such basic matters as the origin of the universe or the meaning of life itself. When some children are told to do something or to refrain from doing something, they often ask "why? " They want to know the reason. Sometimes, the reason can be satisfactorily explained but even when the sensible reasons cannot be understood by a child, they are required to obey the command anyway. Thinking adults, including those with a healthy faith in an almighty God of justice and love, also ask "why? " when certain events occur. Such questions are found in the honest prayers of Old Testament saints -- including the writers of psalms, the faithful man, Job, and the conscientious prophet, Jeremiah. At times, the only answer to such questions is that given in Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8-9, that the thoughts and ways of God are different and higher than those of human beings. They may not be rationally understood, but the Bible teaches that our heavenly Father knows best. -------Some foreign speakers of Japanese have difficulty distinguishing the Japanese words for "hospital" and "beauty parlor", but after visiting either of these establishments, clients should leave feeling or looking better than when they arrived. When I was a child, a parlor was the room in a house which was set apart for the entertainment of visitors. Sometimes called the living room, it was kept neater than the other rooms in which the family carried on their daily activities. The word "parlor" comes from the same French word, meaning to talk, which is the root of the word "parley", meaning a discussion. Originally, a parlor denoted the reception room in a monastery or nunnery where people could converse with one another. Someone, thinking of how beefsteaks are ordered, called a beauty parlor "a place where men are rare and women are well-done". -------According to a recent survey, the percentage of junior high school and elementary school students in Japan who attend "cram schools", or 'juku', after school continues to increase. Obviously, the entrance examination system encourages this phenomenon, but the implication is that the education received in regular schools is insufficient and must be supplemented. I am not acquainted with any "cram schools" in the United States, but many parents do feel the need to supplement school education with some kind of home education, particularly in the realm of morals, ethics and religion. Needless to say, in Japan also, some kind of home education is given to a child during his or her pre-school days. Some teachers these days complain about the bad manners of children and their selfish lack of concern for others. In fact, similar complaints are made regarding some of the parents of the children. My suggestion for essays this week is: Home Education. What is the responsibility of parents in the education of their children? What kind of education should be given at home prior to their entrance into elementary school and afterwards? Essays sent to me will be corrected and published in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------There are a number of active volcanoes in Japan, but on the European mainland there is only one. Can you guess in which country it is located? It is found on the western coast of the long peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea in the shape of a boot. Yes, it is in Italy and its name is Vesuvius. This volcano has erupted many times over the centuries: six times in the 18th century, eight times in the 19th and at least three times in this 20th century. Its most famous eruption, however, occurred 1915 years ago today, on August 24th in the year 79 A.D. As a result of that eruption, the ancient city of Pompeii was completely destroyed. This flourishing port and prosperous resort was buried under six meters of cinders and ashes that preserved the ruins of the city with surprising completeness --including even the fresh colors of the paintings on its walls. Until that sudden explosion, it was not known that the mountain was volcanic. Since 1748, when the long-forgotten city was rediscovered, excavations have revealed much of the pattern of Roman life in ancient times. The city's streets and footpaths, statue-decorated public buildings, shops and homes have been uncovered and rare examples of Roman art were found in its villas. -------In Japan, it is said that gambling is "banned in principle but exists as an exception". In 1993, the amount spent on legalized gambling totaled ¥26.79 trillion, or 5.7 percent of the GNP (Gross National Product). The six legal forms of gambling are horseracing, bicycle, motorboat and motorcycle racing, the public lottery and pachinko. In 1992, Japan was "number one" in the world in money bet on horseracing. It spent 2.3 times more than the second-place United States and more than four times that spent by Hong Kong, Britain and France. Sixty-five percent of the gambling market is directed toward the peculiar Japanese gambling device known as pachinko. Outside Japan, only Taiwan has pachinko gambling. 'Takarakuji', public lottery sales nearly tripled over the past decade, but have slowed in recent years. In the book, "Gambling in Japan", literary critic Junichiro Kida wrote: "those in power forbid the masses to gamble yet use it as a means of siphoning money by capitalizing on human weakness". According to Timothy 6:10, "the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have...broken their hearts with many sorrows." -------In Aichi Prefecture, an election campaign is under way to choose the successor to a man who was forced to resign from the House of Councilors for submitting false information regarding his background during his election campaign. Early this month, a popular woman radio personality in this Chubu area announced her candidacy for that post which has made the campaign more interesting and forecasts of the outcome more complicated. She is aiming to attract the women voters especially in her emphasis upon women's rights and clean elections. Today, August 26, marks the 74th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution which gave women the right to vote. On this day in 1920, the U.S. Secretary of States proclaimed the amendment was in effect following its adoption by three-fourths of the states. The amendment stated that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex." This amendment was the result of 72 years of organized effort by the proponents of woman suffrage. Their efforts were strengthened following the Civil War which eliminated racial limitations on the right to vote. Today is observed as Women's Equality Day in the United States. -------My hometown of Zion, Illinois, is located in Lake County, in the northeastern corner of the state. Waukegan, the largest city in that county, the county seat, is about 6 miles, or 10 kilometers, south of Zion. It was between these two communities that my first hitchhiking experiences took place. There was regular public transportation between Zion and Waukegan. On the east side of town Chicago and Northwestern Railway trains pulled by steam locomotives ran between Chicago and the northwestern United States. On the west side, electric trains of the North Shore Railway ran between Chicago and Milwaukee. And through the center of town, on the state highway, there was a regular bus service between Waukegan and the Winsconsin state line. Nevertheless, hitchhiking was both cheaper and more exciting, so that was the mode of transportation I often used, even as an elementary school pupil. At that time, I often hitchhiked with a friend and the reason for going to Waukegan was usually to see a movie at one of the theaters there, since there were no movie theaters in my hometown. We usually went on Saturday or another school holiday, other than Sunday which was the day to spend in church or other more noble pursuits than watching a movie. -------The final third of the Old Testament contains 16 blocks of prophecies bearing the name of the men who delivered the messages from God. These prophecies were spoken during different periods of Israel's history. The four short messages recorded in the book of Haggai were delivered following the return of the Jews to their homeland after years of exile in Babylon. The first message urges them to rebuild the temple which had been destroyed when their country was overrun and they were taken into exile. The second message, in chapter2, encourages the older folk who remembered the splendor of the temple taht King Solomon had built. These people mourned when they saw how plain and simple the new temple would be in comparison with the former one. Haggai, speaking for the Lord, said: "Don't be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you" [4]. It is our human tendency to concentrate on externals when we look at buildings or people. We think of splendor and beauty in terms of physical appearance, but we should remember that true worth or beauty is not always evident in what is seen with our physical eyes. It is what is on the inside that is important. In the New Testament book of I Peter, chapter 3, verses 3-4, this same truth is expressed in regard to the true beauty of women. -------In our church yard in the city of Takahama there is a natsu-mikan tree. One our church members regularly makes a kind of jam from the rinds of this fruit and distributes it to the members of our church family. Do you know the English name of such a jam? Preserves made of the pulp and rinds of fruits, especially citrus fruits, are called "marmalade", spelled m-a-r-m-a-l-a-d-e. There is a fictitious story that this word comes from the phrase Marie malade, meaning "sick Mary", because Mary Queen of Scots refused to eat anything except a conserve made of oranges when she did not feel well. The truth is, however, that this English word comes from the Portuguese word marmalada which is derived from the Latin melimelum, which, in turn, comes from the Greek word for a "honey apple", melimelon. And from English, it has entered Japanese as ma-mare-do. -------Each nation has traditional dishes that are the favorite fare of its people and which are naturally associated with a particular place. Some of these foods are bland while others are hot and spicy. Until one gets accustomed to the dish, it may be considered exotic. When we hear the word "sushi", we immediately think of Japan. "Kimuchi" reminds us of Korea. And what characteristic dish do you associate with India? Of course, the answer is "curry", which is rooted in the Tamil word for relish or sauce. Years ago, I recall hearing a fruitless discussion about whether the popular Japanese dish making use of curry should be called "curry rice" or "rice curry". Whatever the name given to this Japanese dish of curry and, on or with rice, it has become a favorite of both children and adults. Now it is very easy to prepare from packages with different degrees of spiciness by either busy housewives or inexpert males, whether married or single. What do you think of curry rice? Why is it so popular in Japan? Do you eat it often? Why and when? Curry Rice or Rice Curry is the suggested theme for an essay this week. I will correct those sent to me and print them in '"Daily Word" Echoes'. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------The word "vegetation" signifies, not only vegetables, but plant life in general. Vegetarians are people who eat vegetables, grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, but no meat. Stricter vegetarians also refuse other animal products such as milk and eggs. Recently, the 31st World Vegetarian Congress met in the Hague. Vegetarians gathered there to learn, exchange information and advance the cause of vegetarianism, which reportedly, is gaining supporters. Some seven percent of the British population are now vegetarians and in the Netherlands, the number has increased to five percent from 1.5 percent ten years ago. Instruction was given on how to make a "bacon sandwich" using 'tofu'. When 'tofu' is sliced, marinated in soy sauce and fried, the taste is said to resemble that of bacon. Reading this article, I was reminded of my wife's experience in the Tokyo hospital where two of our children were born. It was a vegetarian hospital, but she was served something that looked like and tasted like meat loaf. Those attending the congress were asked to send in toenail clippings to a group researching the levels of selenium in vegetarians, a deficiency of which can cause heart disease. All people concerned about their own health and the health of the world at large should think seriously about their diet. -------Today is the first day of September. If one is asked what memorable event occurred on this day, the answer of people in Japan and in Europe will probably be different. On this day in 1923, an earthquake in the Kanto area occurred, causing over 100, 000 deaths and making millions of residents homeless. To commemorate that catastrophe, September 1st is designated Disaster Prevention Day in Japan. Europeans, however, are apt to think of another event that occurred on this day in 1939. That was the day German troops invaded Poland and the Second World War, which eventually involved every major power in the world, began. Before that catastrophe ended six years later, tens of millions of lives had been lost and the physical and moral devastation it caused are incalculable. Both of these events may be called catastrophes, but the first was a natural disaster and the second was caused by human beings. Natural disasters are sometimes called "acts of God" because human beings cannot be held responsible. The present drought in Japan may be considered an act of God. It should remind us that, despite scientific progress, there is still a power beyond our control in whose hands our lives are held. -------For many years, Masaru Yokomoto, a 53-year-old English teacher at Doshisha High School in Kyoto, was actively involved in taking groups of students to the United States on homestay programs. Such activities came to a sudden halt four years ago, however, following back surgery which resulted in the complete paralysis of the lower half of his body, a condition called paraplegia. Two yeas later, following rehabilitation, Mr. Yokomoto was back at work, teaching his classes from a wheelchair. Not only does he contiue his teaching, he commutes to work by car, plays tennis and engages in archery. Now, he has just returned from the United States, where he led yet another group on a homestay program. But this time the group was made up of paraplegics like himself. Each of the 17 travelers was accompanied by a spouse or volunteer helper and they stayed at homes of wheelchair users in San Diego, California. Staying at such homes not only solved problems related to mobility and restroom facilities, but made possible exchanges of practical advice and personal experiences of those facing common problems. Mr. Yokomoto and this group of travelers are an inspiring example to those with physical disabilities which need not extinguish one's zest for life, adveture and the gaining of new knowledge. -------When I was a child, I usually found some odd jobs during the summer vacation to earn money, such as mowing lawns, delivering newspapers or telegram, etc. As a high school student, I worked at a factory in the nearby city of Waukegan during the summer and continued that work on Saturdays during the school year. During part of my senior year, I needed to attend classes only in the mornings, so in the afternoons, I went to work for four hours or more even on weekdays (which was the final year of the Pacific War). My regular mode of transportation to that factory was by hitchhiking. Riding my bicycle home from school, I ate, changed clothes and walked a few blocks to the highway where I stood by the roadside with an outstretched arm and protruding thumb, soliciting passing drivers to stop and give me a ride. When the drivers left me out on the highway about eight kilometers further south, I had to walk over another kilometer to the factory. The process was repeated when I returned home in the evening. Those days, I rarely had to wait very long before a kind motorist stopped to give me a lift. Of course, sometimes, drivers from my hometown recognized me, but more often the driver was a kind stranger. -------In recent weeks and months, the attention of the world has been directed toward problems related to refugees in Africa and the Caribbean who, for one reason or another, have left their home countries. To be away from one's homeland for a long time may be a lonely, anxious and even frightening experience. In the New Testament Letter to the HEbrews, chapter 11, verse 13, faithful believers of Old Testament days are called "foreigners and refugees on earth" who were looking for a better country. In one sense, that is also the status of Christians, who, in Philippians 3:20, are called "citizens of heaven". Although the New Testament teaches that we are to obey legitimate earthly authorities, it also makes clear that our ultimate allegiance is toward God, the heavenly King. There are times when Christians feel like foreigners in there own country because they have a different outlook than their countrymen. At times, our consciences impel us to disobey customary rules or traditions because of our loyalty to a higher authority as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Nevertheless, while feeling like a refugee or foreigner at present, we have the hope of a final "return to our heavenly home land" and, in the meantime, we should work to make our present earthly habitat more like the ideal heavenly one. -------This first Monday of September is a holiday in the United States in honor of working people. Called Labor Day, it is not a day to labor or work. It is a day for relaxation, refreshment or recreation. The prefix "re" means again or anew. "Lax" means loose, not strict or firm, so to "relax" means to make loose or slacken. Relaxation implies the absence of pressure. Refreshment signifies something that makes us fresh again. It may refer to food, drink or rest that revives us and makes us ready to go back to work. Recreation comes from the verb "recreate", meaning to create again. Genuine recreation will also revive and refresh our minds and bodies. I play tennis on Monday mornings as a means of relaxation, refreshment and recreation, but in a deeper sence it is only the Creator and Source of life that can effect true revival, refreshment and re-creation. -------The main kinds of traditional religious edifices in Japan are called temples and shrines. Generally Speaking, the 'otera' related to Buddhism are called temples, as are places of worship in Hinduism and some other religions, but the 'jinja' related to Japanese Shinto are called shrines. Thus, the words "temple" and "shrine" have a different nuance and evoke different images in the minds of hearers or readers. My suggestion for an essay this week is: "Shrines". There are many kinds of shrines in Japan: the famous Yasukuni and Meiji shrines in Tokyo, the Outer and Inner shrines at Ise, the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya and the smaller common shrines in every part of the country. What do you think of these shrines? Do you ever visit a shrine? When and why? Do you have a sense of belonging to the tutelary shrine in your area? What do you think about the Yasukuni Shrine and the Grand Shrines of Ise and of government officials making visits there? I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the 47th issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes' which is scheduled to be published on October 30th. Please send all essays for that issue to reach me by September 17th. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------European countries with their different histories, languages and traditional customs are trying to join together in a unified group. Among the many headaches the European Union faces is clearly defining terms related to articles imported and exported between the nations. Recently, the European Court made a decision regarding what may be included in the designation "pajamas", which my dictionary defines as "a loose-fitting garment consisting of trousers and a jacket, worn for sleeping or lounging". European Union regulations impose a lower customs tax on pajamas than on sports wear so some traders were labelling track suits "pajamas" to take advantage of the lower tax. But the European Court ruled that "the fact that it is also possible to wear in bed a set of two knitted garments... is not sufficient for them to be classified as pajamas". On the other hand, it was recognized that clothing generally worn in bed could be called pajamas even if some people wore the same garment on the street. One reason for arguments and misunderstandings between individuals, groups and nations is a lack of preciseness in the meanings of words. A Christian theologian has written that "just definitions either prevent or put an end to disputes." -------In World War I, the German army bombarded Paris using huge cannons from within German territory over 130 kilometers away. Many of these howitzers were produced in the German artillery firm owned by Frau Bertha Krupp. Thus they were nicknamed "Big Bertha" which is used for any large cannon. In present-day American slang, it is also applied to a fat woman. "Big Ben" is not related to Big Bertha and is more famous. Do you know what "Big Ben" is or where it is located? It is found in the Westminster Palace in London. This enormous structure of Perpendicular Gothic design, was built between 1840 and 1860. Since it houses the legislative assemblies of the United Kingdom, it is also known as the Houses of Parliament, In its tall tower, called St. Stephen's Tower, there is a large clock which includes a huge bell weighing about 13 tons. The commissioner of works when the bell was installed in October 1858 was Sir Benjamin Hall and the bell was named in his honor. So, speaking literally, "Big Ben" signifies not the tower nor the clock but the bell which peals the hours. -------Today, September 9th, marks the 144th anniversary of the admission of the 31st state into the United States of America. Before it was finally accepted as a new state on this day in 1850, members of the U.S. Congress argued for eight months about whether or not to admit it. The basic issue was slavery. In fifteen of the states at that time, slavery was permitted and the proslavery representatives opposed the admission of a 16th free state. A couple of years before its admission, gold had been discovered in its territory which greatly increased its attraction. Now known as the Golden State, it has the highest population and the third largest area of the 50 states. you should have already guessed that it is the state of California. Its name comes from the Spanish name of an imaginary "earthly paradise" and that is what it has seemed, at least temporarily, to many immigrants who became residents there. More than 30 percent of its population is made up of immigrants, many of whom came from Asian lands. The motto of this beautiful state with many natural and human resources is "Eureka", from the Greek word meaning "I have found (it)", as an exclamation associated with the Greek mathematician, Archimedes, but which may also have been uttered by the men Jesus described in Matthew 13:44-46. -------During the summer vacation between my junior and senior years in high school, I worked in a factory about nine kilometers away from my home. Along with the other factory workers, I worked 8-hour shifts, alternating between daytime, evening and midnight shifts. My regular mode of transportation to and from the factory was hitchhiking. One morning as I was standing along the highway in my hometown soliciting a ride from passing vehicles, a car stopped a little further down the road than usual, but I ran to it and opened the back door and jumped in. There were already three passengers in the car beside the driver and they seemed a bit surprised when I joined them. To my surprise, the car did not move after I got in. Obviously, they were waiting for someone else. When I realized that they had stopped to pick up another person who appeared a few minutes later, I apologized and offered to get out, but they said I could remain. Subsequent conversation indicated that they were also workers at the same factory and that they had promised to pick up the other worker at that place at that time. Thus, they had not stopped for me, but they were willing to take me with them to the factory parking lot. Usually drivers let me off on the highway about one kilometer away from my destination, but on this day the car I got in by mistake took me right to the factory itself. I considered it a providential mistake. -------Today is election day in Aichi Prefecture. One of seven candidates will be chosen to be a member the House of Councilors. It is a good feeling to be elected or chosen from among a group for a special purpose. If a child is chosen to represent her class or an employee is selected to represent his company or a country is elected to an international organization, there is usually a feeling of pride that accompanies the selection. In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, chapter 7, verse 6, it is written that God chose the Israelites out of all the peoples on earth "to be his own special people. " From the time of their exodus from Egypt until the present day, the Israelites, or Jews, have been conscious of being specially chosen by the Lord. A similar sense of being "elected" by God is experienced by those who believe in Jesus as the promised Messiah, who are called the "new Israel" in the New Testament. But people who are chosen or elected must remember the basis on which and the purpose for which they were chosen. God does not choose people on the basis of merit but simply on the basis of his grace, which must be humbly accepted by faith. And God's people are chosen, not to be rulers, but to be servants, servants of God and of other people. This was the teaching and example that Jesus gave his disciples in Mark 10:42-45. -------Many English names have common nicknames that go with them. For example, Bob for Robert, Jim for James, Dick for Richard and Jack for John. A couple of male nicknames have developed into common informal terms for unsophisticated, country fellows (inaka-mono) who are easilly deceived, or duped, by city slickers. The words are "rube", spelled r-u-b-e, and "hick", spelled h-i-c-k. As you may surmise, Rube was/is a nickname for Reuben. Earlier, country bumpkins were alliteratively called "rustic Reubens" but the adjective was dropped and the nickname was used by itself. "Hick" was originally a nickname for Richard, but after gaining the new meaning, it was no longer used as a nickname. Unfortunately, such rustic or rural virtues as simplicity, honesty, reliability, and diligence often disappear when rustics become urbanized or citified. -------In the crowded communities of Japan where houses and apartments are so close together, problems often arise when one of the neighbors wants to keep a pet. If the pet is quiet and well-trained, it may not cause any trouble, but a barking dog may be a great nuisance to the entire neighborhood when people want to rest. The chirping, twittering, squawking, singing or warbling of a pet bird does not usually call forth a great protest, but an Italian court recently ordered that an Indian blackbird be kept out of earshot of its next-door neighbor. The two neighbor ladies have been feuding over the boundaries of their gardens and Norina Miorin brought charges against Maria Bruna Bortolussi, the owner of the talking blackbird. Ms. Bortolussi had taught the bird to say the words, "Norina, I'm going to kill you", and Ms. Miorin did not like to hear this death threat endlessly repeated by the irksome blackbird. The judge ruled in her favor and ordered the bird to be kept indoors. In the creation story recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, human beings were given control over animals and throughout human history, animals have been trained to serve human beings in various ways -- not all of them admirable. -------In English, the meat we eat has different names, depending on the animal from which it is derived. Meat taken from cows is beef. Meat from sheep is mutton. And the meat of pigs or hogs is called pork. (Incidentally, ham is the meat taken from a hog's thigh in particular.) Pork is not eaten by Jews and Muslims because pigs are considered unclean. "Pork" has another connotation in the political language of the United States. It may refer to extra funds for local projects that are added to government bills to gain the support of certain representatives. It is a form of political patronage. During the recent debate in the United States Congress over the anticrime bill proposed by President Clinton, opponents complained that it contained too much "pork", meaning appropriations for projects in particular districts to enlist support for the bill as a whole. Pork is known to contain much fat, which is not eaten and simply thrown away, but hog growers in the U. S. are protesting against this usage of the word. They assert that a typical pork chop has 50 percent less fat than it did 20 years ago and that if the government had trimmed that much fat from its budget over that period, the country would be much better off. For the health of a country as well as its citizens, excess fat in budgets or in bodies should be sensibly eliminated. -------Today is a national holiday in Japan, called "Respect for the Aged Day". Those of us older folk with good memories will recall that this special day set apart for the elderly has had some interesting name changes along the way. These days, people are sensitive to the slightly different nuances of words so we must be careful how we speak of those of different ethnic backgrounds or having handicaps. In the United States, old people used to be called "old people", but now they are termed "senior citizens". When this Japanese holiday was instituted in 1951, it was called "Toshiyori no Hi", Old People's Day, but in 1963, the name was changed to "Rojin no Hi", which has the same meaning but possibly a different nuance. Since 1966, it has been called Keiro no Hi, which includes the idea of not only recognizeing senior sitizens but respecting them as well. In recent years, the percentage of such respectable people in Japan has been rising, raising a variety of problems which require serious attention. Although many senior sitizens in Japan seek to hide their grey hair, in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 31, grey hair is called "a glorious crown". -------The summer of this year in Japan was very hot and very dry, resulting in a serious water shortage in many areas. Warter in nutural lakes and ponds as well as in manmade reservoirs reached record low levels, so the water flowing from these bodies of water was also greatly reduced. A large, natural flow of water is called a "river". If it is a big river, it may be called an 'okawa' in Japanese, but there are various English words to translate the Japanese term for a small river, or 'ogawa'. Do you know the difference between a "brook", a "creek" and a "stream"? Which do you think is the biggest? Which is the smallest? A stream is a small river and the word "streamlet" is sometimes used for a small stream. A creek is also a small stream, but it is somewhat larger than a brook. During this past summer, I presume that a number of brooks or creeks may have temporarily dried up. The informal expressions, "up the creek" and "up the river" have special meanings. The former means to be in a difficult position and the latter means to go to prison. In the 4th chapter of the Gospel of John, while talking to a Samaritan woman by the side of a well, Jesus told her how she could have her spritual thirst quenched by a spring of life-giving water that would never run dry. -------After my frequent hitchhiking experiences during high school days, it was not strange that I continued hitchhiking after entering university. My brother and four sisters all attended public universities in the state of Illinois, but I chose to attend a private university in the neighboring state of Iowa, some 260 kilometers from my hometown. Of course, I lived in a university dormitory. Between the beginning of the school in September and its end in June, I regularly returned home Easter spring vacation and sometimes on other occasions as well, but my usual mode of transportation was hitchhiking. For about half the distance, I traveled along a state highway where most motorists were going only a short way, but the other half was along a national highway very few times when I went to and from the university by other means. My parents drove me there when I first entered and brought me home after attending my graduation ceremony. I also remember the one time when I went by train from Chicago to Dubuque. The special occasion was to accompany the girlfriend I had met at university and who had agreed to marry me. In fact, that very lady will be the speaker on next Saturday's message. -------There are two English words pronounced yo^k. One, spelled y-o-l-k, denotes the yellow part of an egg. The other, spelled y-o-k-e, means the wooden frame that links together two animals in a team. In the final verses of the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus invites people who are tired from carrying heavy loads to come to him to find rest. He further exhorts them to take his yoke and put it on themselves. The heaviest loads we human beings bear are not physical burdens. They are mental or spiritual ones. People become spiritually exhausted from bearing such inner burdens as personal responsibilities, anxieties, sorrows, fears, memories of unkind words or sinful acts. We would like to rid ourselves of such burdens and find spiritual rest. Jesus invited burdened people to come to him and he would give them rest. The exhortation to put on his yoke implies becoming a team with him. In that way, he would help them bear their loads. In fact, the New Testament teaches that Jesus took our signs upon himself and offered up his life that we might be freed from sin. In one sence, the Christian is one who has teamed up with Christ and yoked together with him. Thus, while he is helping us bear our burdens, we are working together with him to accomplish his purpose in the world. -------The present way of dividing the day into time segments is to begin with midnight and midday and mark twelve hours in morning and afternoon. In ancient Rome, the custom was to begin counting hours from sunrise, which made 12 o'clock noon the sixth hour and 3:00 p.m. the ninth hour. In ancient church tradition, the prayers recited at the ninth hour were called nones in Latin, from the word for "nine". According to the Gospel stories, when Jesus died on the cross, the whole country became dark from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, so people attended churches during that period for the nones prayers and in the 14th century, the word "noon" was derived from this word to indicate the midday, when the sun is at its zenith. The simple word "noon" signifies the twelfth hour following midnight, but the term "high noon" means exactly 12 o'clock. -------The Japanese word, 'maho-bin', literally meaning "magic bottle", is sometimes called a 'sa-mosu'. Do you know the English word for this special kind of 'potto'? The word, "Thermos", is a trademark for this bottle, flask or jug which is able to keep liquids at almost their original temperature for several hours. The secret behind this "magical" quality is that the "vacuum bottle" or "vacuum flask", has two walls which enclose a vacuum. Other handy items that make use of a vacuum are vacuum cleaners, vacuum tubes and vacuum pumps. A Thermos is very convenient to take on a trip so one can enjoy a cold or hot drink while travelling. The inventor of the vacuum flask was a Scottish chemist and physicist who was born 172 years ago today, on September 20, 1842. Sir James Dewar, spelled D-e-w-a-r, was professor of experimental philosophy at Cambridge and of chemistry at the Royal Institution in London. The Dutch philosopher, Spinoza, wrote that "nature abhors a vacuum", but the American playwright, Tennessee Williams, asserted that a vacuum is "a lot better than some of the stuff nature replaces it with." -------Today is Independence Day in the country of Belize. Do you know where this former British colony, spelled B-e-l-i-z-e, is located? It is not an island and it is not in Africa. It is one of the seven countries situated between Mexico and South America. How many of those small countries can you name? Belize is situated on the Caribbean Sea and shares borders with Mexico and Guatemala. It is about 23,000 square kilometers in size, which means that it is larger than Shikoku but smaller than Kyushu. It was a deserted area until British lumbermen discovered hardwood trees there in the 17th century and began cutting them down. After overcoming a Spanish effort to oust them, the area formally became a British colony in 1862. Although it was also claimed by Guatemala, it was granted full independence 13 years ago, on September 21, 1981. Queen Elizabeth II continues to appoint a Governor-General of Belize, but effective power is held by the Prime Minister who is responsible to a 29-member parliament elected by universal suffrage. The national flag of Belize resembles that of Japan in that it has a circular form in the middle. But that circle does not represent the sun. Rather, it is a coat of arms. -------When a person knows he or she is going to die soon, the final words that person leaves behind for others to remember are especially significant. They may indicate the character of that person and the priorities in his or her life. Today, September 22nd, is the 218th anniversary of the execution of an American officer as a spy by the British during the Revolutionary War. His final words have become immortalized in American history books as an example of genuine patriotism. He is said to have said as he faced the gallows: "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country". The young man who uttered these words was the son of a prosperous farmer. After graduating from Yale, he became a schoolteacher. Joining the revolutionary army when he was 20, he became a captain the following year. When General George Washington requested a volunteer to gather intelligence behind enemy lines, he offered his services. For nine days disguised as a Dutch schoolteacher, he collected much information on the position of British troops and was returning to the American side when he was captured. British General William Howe ordered him to be hanged the following day. So it was that, at the age of 22, Nathan Hale willingly gave up his life for his country. -------Today, September 23rd, is a holiday in Japan. In English, it is called the autumnal equinox. The word "equinox" is derived from the Latin words for "equal night" for on an equinox, the length of night and day are equal. On this day, because the sun sets directly in the west, the direction of Amida's paradise according to Japanese Buddhist tradition, it is a time for remembering the spirits of departed loved ones who are on the "other shore", or 'higan'. Rituals are performed before the Buddhist altars in the home and visits are made to graveyards. In the West, the significance of the autumnal equinox is simply to mark the beginning of the autumn season. If it is true that ancestral spirits become angry if they are not remembered or placated at certain times by certain rituals, then there must be a host of furious ancestors wherever the "other shore" is in western lands. In my home, we have no altar of any kind, but we do have a small alcove with glass doors. On its shelves are various mementos and photographs of loved ones, both living and dead. Photographs of all four of our parents are displayed there, so we may glance at them at various times throughout the years--not only on special occasions. We never perform any rituals to comfort or please them for we believe that, if they are aware of our activities it would be our habitual attitudes and manner of life that would bring them joy or sorrow rather than rituals at certain seasons. -------This is Barbara Stevens Offner, who was born in the midwestern state of Illinois over 60 and less than 70 years ago. The name of this state is derived from a Native American word meaning "warriors" with a French suffix added. Of the fifty states, Illinois ranks 24th in area and 6th in population. The state is divided into 102 counties and each county is divided into townships. Cook County includes the city of Chicago and some of its suburbs, including my hometown of La Grange. This name comes from the Latin word for grain and originally denoted a granary or a farm. La Grange is located in the township of Lyons. (In this case, Lyons is spelled with a "y" instead of an "i", for it is derived from a person's name.) Fifty years ago, I graduated from Lyons Township High School in the Class of 1944. Many of my classmates have gathered this weekend to celebrate their 50th reunion and I would like to join them, but time, distance and circumstances do not permit. Nevertheless , just in case, any of those senior citizens are listening to this telephone message, I would like to wish them a happy anniversary and remind them of the verse in Proverbs 16:31 that "grey hair is a glorious crown". Barbara Stevens Offner -------Early missionaries from the West who first brought the Christian Gospel to Japan had difficulty finding a Japanese term to express the Biblical concept of God. In fact, there was no equivalent word in Japanese. It may have been wiser for them to introduce a new term, but instead, they chose to use the word kami even though it had a completely different connotation. This has resulted in confusion since there are a myriad of kami in Japan and even human beings may be called kami, not only after death but while still alive. In Old Testament writings, there are various passages that point out the essential difference between the gods, or idols, produced by human beings and the almighty Creator and Ruler of the universe. One such passage is the beginning of the 46th chapter of Isaiah where the prophet notes that when the city of Babylon fell, people had to carry their gods with them when they went into captivity. The God of Israel, on the other hand, is the One who has been carrying them ever since they were born. The kind of God/gods we believe in (whether spelled with a capital or small "g") makes a crucial difference in the way we think, speak and act, how we live our daily lives, whether our lives are meaningful and whether or not we have joy in the present and hope for the future. -------In Spain and some Latin American countries it is customary for people to take a rest following the midday meal. In fact, some stores close during this hottest time of day. According to the old, Roman method of counting the hours of the day, beginning at sunrise, noon was designated the sixth hour. In Latin, the word for six is sexta, and it is from this word that the Spanish word, siesta, was derived. From Spanish, the word entered English, originally meaning a rest or nap taken after the noontime meal, but now the meaning has been broadened to include a time of rest or a nap taken at anytime of day. Thus, it is translated into Japanese as hirune. Of course, hiru may denote noontime or anytime between sunrise and sunset. Although I would like to take a siesta after playing tennins on Monday mornings, usually I cannot spare the time. -------Forty-nine years ago this month, formal surrender ceremonies took place on the deck of an American battleship in Tokyo Bay which marked the official end of the Pacific War. When General MacArthur arrived in Tokyo to begin his reign over the Japanese Occupation as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, or SCAP, many Americans in and out of the armed forces, were demanding that the Japanese Emperor be tried as a war criminal. On September 27, 1945, 49 years go today, when the Emperor called on the General, their attire reflected two contrasting cultures. One was wearing a cutaway, striped trousers, button shoes and a top hat while the other wore no necktie and a shirt unbuttoned at the collar. But the General was deeply moved by the Emperor's willingness "to bear sole responsibility for every political and military decision made and action taken by [his] people in the conduct of the war" and later wrote that, although he was an "Emperor by inherent birth...in that instant I knew I faced the First Gentleman of Japan in his own right." The attitudes of these two men at that crucial moment had a decisive effect upon the subsequent years of the Occupation and of Japanese-American relations. -------In the 'Kojien' Japanese dictionary, there are over forty different words listed with the pronunciation of 'koshi'. One of them is the name of a very important figure in the history of Oriental thought and life. In English, he is called Confucius. In Japanese, the ethical system he propounded is called 'jukyo', literally meaning "the teaching of a scholar", but in English it is simply called Confucianism. Since this Chinese sage was born in the 6th century B. C., the date of his birth is not certain, but this 28th day of September is a public holiday in Taiwan (the Republic of China) celebrating his birthday. It is also called Teachers' Day. At the heart of Confucianism are the five basic relations between ruler and subject, parent and child, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend. Although Confucianism did not develop into an organized body in Japan, its influence continues to permeate Japanese social relationships. If you wish to receive written copies of these telephone messages before they are spoken, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope plus ¥30 in stamps for each week of messages desired to the following address. Japanese translations are also available for an additional ¥30. "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Four years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, the first ten amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified. Earlier this month, when President Clinton signed an anti-crime bill that included restrictions on the possession of certain kinds of firearms, some people objected that it violated their constitutional right to own guns of any kind. They maintain that this right is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, basing their argument on the Second Amendment which states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." A "militia" is a military force composed of common citizens rather than professional soldiers. Clearly, the aim of this militia was the security of the state. To use this statement to justify the right of citizens to own and use any kind of firearm to protect their property or themselves seems to me to go beyond the evident intent of this amendment. When Jesus was arrested, Peter tried to protect him using a sword, but Jesus refused such help, saying in Matthew 26:51, "Put up your sword. All who take the sword die by the sword." -------The continent with the largest number of countries in it is the one that many people, including me, are the least well acquainted with. It is the continent of Africa and it is presently divided into 52 countries. Even though we may recognize the names of most of them, few of us would be able to tell exactly where they are located. Today is a national holiday in Botswana, a landlocked country in the southern part of the continent. Only South Africa is further south. Although it has a third more area than Japan, It has a population of only 1,400,000. When the infant mortality rate of these two countries is compared, their different living conditions can be imagined. In Japan, there are an average of 4.4 deaths per 1000 births, whereas in Botswana there are 45, over ten times that of Japan. Most of the country is almost a desert but there are many kinds of important minerals underground, including diamonds, copper and nickel. Until it achieved independence 28 years ago today, on September 30, 1966, it was a protectorate of Britain known as Bechuanaland. Because it has no land bordering the ocean, it is dependent upon its neighbors for access to ports and overseas trading. Its national flag has a horizontal black stripe in the middle with narrow white stripes on both sides of it on a light blue background. -------The longest trip I took by hitchhiking was in the summer of 1946, following my first year in college. I had taken two years of Spanish in high school and enrolled in the advanced class of Spanish in my freshman year at the university. since I had that language background, the college dean asked me to meet regularly with a couple of students from Central America to help them with their English. Thus, along with washing dishes in the dining hall and taking out the garbage from the girls' dormitory, serving as a tutor to these students from Mexico and Puerto Rico was another kind of student employment to offset part of my college expenses. The student from Mexico was the son of a wealthy lawyer who lived in a fashionable residential area of Mexico City and he invited me to visit him during the summer vacation. It was my usual custom to work during the entire summer to earn money for the coming school year, but I decided his invitation was an opportunity I should not pass up, so I took off part of the vacation to visit his home and stay there as a guest while I attended a six-week summer session at the University of Mexico. Of course, the cheapest way to go from northern Illinois to central Mexico, a distance of about 2,800 kilometers, was to hitchhike, so that's what I did. -------In Japan, the number 4 is not very popular. In the past, some hotels did not have a 4th floor and some people even today would not be pleased to have this number on their car licence plate or in their telephone number. The simple reason is that it may have the same pronounciation as the character for "death". Since death, however, is an inevitable event that all people must face, it is wiser to prepare fo rit rather than to avoid thinking about it. All people have some kind of faith and our attitude toward death depends the nature of our faith. In his Letter to the Romans, chapter 14, verse 8, the Apostle Paul wrote: "If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Whether therefore we live or die, we belong to the Lord. " For Paul, this was not only a theory. When he faced death in a Roman prison for example, he wrote in the first chapter of his Letter to the Philippians that it made no difference to him whether he lived or died if the result brought honor to Christ [1:20]. In fact, Paul preffered to die because he believed that he would then go to be with Christ, but he recognized that he still had more work to do here on earth. A healthy faith in God changes our view of both life and death. It makes life meaningful and eliminates the fear of death. -------In Japanese, the word hiniku is used to translate both "irony" and "sarcasm". Sarcasm, spelled s-a-r-c-a-s-m, however, is the stronger word. It is rooted in the Greek word sarkazein, meaning "to tear flesh". Sarcasm denotes a sharp, taunting, contemptuously ironic statement intended to wound another. Thus, we may call it a biting or caustic remark. Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish essayist, called sarcasm "the language of the devil" and refused to make use of it. But the Russian novelist, Dostoevsky, recognized that there were times when sarcasm was justified, referring to it as "the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded." A fluent orator may make skillful and effective use of sarcasm, but it is wise for us common folk to avoid using it because of its unhappy results. -------The year after this "Daily Word" telephone service began in 1980, the first meeting of listeners was held to enable the speaker and listeners to meet each other. Subsequently, it became our custom to schedule a regular meeting on the fifth Sundays of the month. On October 30th, we will hold our 56th such meeting at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center at 1:30. The theme for the meeting will be: Fine Arts. Consulting a dictionary, we find that the word "art" has a number of definitions, and so does the word "fine". When these two words are put together, they mean "Art produced or intended primarily for beauty rather than utility." In particular, the fine arts usually include painting, music, sculpture and architecture. People with artistic ability gain pleasure from producing works of art. Others, without that ability, are pleased to enjoy the works of artists. Even those persons who deny having any artistic sense are affected by certain kinds of music and approve or disapprove of certain kinds of art. Which of the fine arts do you enjoy? Have you ever produced artistic works yourself? Do you ever attend concerts or go to art exhibits? It will be interesting to hear the opinions, feelings and experiences of those who attend that meeting. -------On October 5, 1829, 165 years ago today, a child was born into the home of a Baptist preacher in the northeastern American state of Vermont. He was given the name of Chester, which may also be used as a surname. His family name was Arthur, which is also a common given name. Thus, his name was Chester Arthur. Have you ever hear of him? After graduating from college in 1848, he became a schoolteacher, but within a few years, he left teaching and became a lawyer. He was involved in an important case that came before the state of New York regarding the legal status of slaves passing through the state. A group of slaves were being transported from the state of Virginia, where slavery was permitted, to the state of Texas. Arthur prevailed upon the court to make the ruling that slaves passing through a free state automatically become free and the slaves were released. When he was selected as the Republican candidate for vice-president, one newspaper editor wrote: "There is no place in which the powers of mischief will be so small as in the Vice Presidency". He became vice-president in the spring of 1881, but six months later, upon the death of President Garfield, Chester Arthur became the 21st president of the United States. -------Usually, I don't pay much attention to news reports about the annual pageant in which beautiful young ladies compete for the title of "Miss America" because I question various implications of the bases on which the selection is made. News of the recent pageant attracted my attention, however, not because of the beauty of the winner but because she was the first person with a physical disability to win the crown. The new Miss America is 21-year-old Heather Whitestone who became deaf as a result of receiving a diptheria-tetanus shot when she was 18 months old. What was especially impressive in her competition trials was the ballet routine she performed to the accompaniment of music which she could not hear. A spokeswoman for Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the world's only liberal arts university for the deaf, stated:"Her winning the Miss America competition will give inspiration to deaf children that they can also fulfill their dreams of who they want to be, whether it be Miss America or a lawyer or a teacher." Miss Whitestone commented that "the most handicapped (person) in the world is a negative thinker" and noted that, when she was a child, her mother pointed out to her that the last four letters of "American" spell "I can". -------
For my message today, I will read a poem written by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, an American journalist and poet who, for many years, wrote a daily poem for a group of newspapers. I hope the poem, entitled "A Morning Prayer", will be an inspiration to all who hear or read it. After accepting the invitation of a Mexican student to visit his home in Mexico City during the summer of 1946, I found another university friend who was also interested in attending summer school at the University of Mexico and was willing to join me in hitchhiking there. So it was that one Sunday afternoon in June, my parents took me and my suitcase to the home of that friend north of Chicago, where I spent the night. The next morning his mother took us to a state highway that went to St. Louis and left us on the roadside. There, the two of us stood by the side of the highway with our suitcases beside us. After waving goodby to her, we raised our right arms with thumbs protruding in the traditional hitchhiking style. (Incidentally, as a verb, "thumb" can mean to hitchhike.) In those days, there were no superhighways or expressways as there are today and many of the lifts we received were not for long distances, but we were grateful for even short rides that took us a little closer to our goal. I kept a simple diary of that trip, noting the progress we made each day and some of the interesting people we met. Unfortunately, that diary is not at hand, but in subsequent Saturday messages I will note some incidents along the way that I recall even today. -------According to an English proverb, a man is known by the company he keeps. The Japanese proverb, zen-aku wa tomo o mi yo, has a similar implication. Certainly, the character or interests of a person may be discerned, to some extent, by considering the friends that person has. Since they may exert a powerful influence on us, it is important to choose friends with care. In the New Testament Letter of James, chapter 2, verse 23, Abraham, the patriarch of both Jews and Arabs, is called "God's friend". To have the feeling that we are a friend of God or to consider God our friend is a very meanigful idea. In Jesus' final talk with his disciples, following his last supper with them, as recorded in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John, he called those disciples his "friends" and a well-known English hymn begins with the words "What a Friend we have in Jesus". This poem was written by a Irishman whose young bride-to-be suddenly died in an accident the day before their wedding. Joseph Scriven then emigrated to Canada where he associated with poor people and devoted himself to doing odd jobs for widows and the sick. He remained single until his death in 1886, but throughout his lonely life, he found encouragement in his friendship with Jesus, whom Christians today also consider their Freind. -------Today is Taiiku no Hi, a holiday in Japan. There are two different ways to translate this into English. Literally, it is "Physical Education Day", but it is commonly called "Sports Day". In this sence, "sports" are a kind of recreation, involving physical exercise and having a set form and stated rules. Either the singular or plural form may be used when speaking of sport in general. For both our physical and mental health, it is important to regulary exercise both our bodies and our minds. In amateur sports, it is important to recognize the aim of this form of recreation. Winning, by itself, should not be the primary goal. I recall the following words on a sign which hung in the dining room of the YMCA camp I attended in my childhood: "When the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, he writes not that you won or lost but how you played the game." -------A recent editorial in an English language newspaper stated "a quiet revolution" is taking place in Japan and suggested that it "may have more success in helping Japan achieve 'internationalization' than all the bureaucratic directives and public relations handouts issued over the last 10 years." It called it "a marriage revolution", in reference to the increasing number of Japanese men and women who are marrying non-Japanese. According to a report of the Health and Welfare Ministry, a record 26,657 international marriages were registered in Japan in 1993, more than twice the number of such marriages in 1985. Twenty-four years ago, international marriages accounted for 0.5 percent of all marriages. Ten years ago, the percentage rose to 1 percent, but the recent report indicates that 3 percent of marriages were between Japanese and foreigners. In these marriages most of the brides of Japanese men came from the Philippines, Korea or China. Mates of Japanese brides came primarily from Korea, China and the United States. Needless to say, various problems accompany such marriages related to domestic and social adjustments and the status of children born to these couples, but in one way or another, Japan is becoming more and more international. -------The traditional Japanese term, 'benri', is a convenient word meaning convenient, handy or useful. But how should one define the newer term, 'benri-ya'? In English the word "handyman" denotes a man who does odd jobs or various small tasks. Japanese 'benri-ya' also may be called upon to make minor repairs around the house, but there are other peculiarly Japanese tasks such "multi-purpose agents" are asked to perform. One of them is to provide additional guests at weddings or funerals. In Japan, such formal occasions are important indicators of status and it is important to keep up appearances. At weddings and the following receptions, the family and friends of the bride and groom are usually seated separately and it is considered preferable to have approximately the same number in each group. When, for whatever reason, the groups are too unbalanced, 'benri-ya' may be called upon to pose as guests to make up the difference. Likewise, when the family or company of a person who has died desires to have a large number attend the funeral, 'benri-ya' are willing to help out --at a stated fee, of course. At such times, these outsiders may be considered something like paid performers, but it is unfortunate that such deception is considered necessary in an attempt to maintain one's prestige or to save face. -------Do you think the term "cornerstone" consists of one word or two words? In this case, whichever answer you choose is correct, for it may be either, but the single word is more common. Literally, a cornerstone is the stone at the corner of a building where two walls meet. In the West, there is often a special ceremony at the beginning of the erection of an important building when the cornerstone is laid. Two hundred and two years ago today, on October 13, 1792, the cornerstone was laid for the first federal building to be erected in the district which had been designated the capital city of the United States of America. After the structure was completed, it was called the White House and it has been the official residence of every president since John Adams, the second president, moved into it when it was still unfinished on November 1, 1800. The White House has undergone many internal and external changes since that time, including a complete renovation in 1948 when the entire interior of the building was removed and a new basement and foundation on were constructed under its original walls. On the mantel of the State Dining Room these words of its first resident are carved: "May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof." -------A recent news article reported that Asian languages are increasing their popularity among the Japanese. This reflects the stronger political, economic and cultural ties that are developing between Japan and Asian nations. One major language school in Tokyo reported that 58 percent of its students now attend classes for Asian languages and of the top ten languages, eight are Asian, including Mongolian and Thai. More than twenty different languages are being taught in some schools and, although English continues to be the most popular language, French and Spanish are no longer in the top ten. Women in their 20s and 30s are the most enthusiastic students of Asian languages. Some want to better enjoy trips to Asian countries and others have Asian boyfriends. Business corporations and government offices which have branches in Asian countries also encourage employees to learn regional languages before serving in those areas. The police departments in certain districts direct their staff to learn Asian languages to help them in their contacts with residents from those countries. But a major problem faced by language schools is to find qualified instructors and suitable text materials. -------While hitchhiking to Mexico City from Chicago 46 years ago, my friend and I received rides in a wide variety of vehicles by many different kinds of drivers. Some of the rides were for comparatively short distance, but we were especially pleased when we got a long ride. Most of the drivers were talkative and were interested to know where we were going, so we told them our plans and asked about theirs. Of course, our two suitcases indicated that we were making quite a long trip and room for those suitcase had to be found in the cars we got in. A few times we had to hold our suitcase on our laps. I remember one vehicle, in particular, that had plenty of room for both of us and our luggage. It was a large truck and the driver in the cab told us to board the trailer he was pulling. After climbing up on the trailer, however, we wondered if the driver really wanted to help us to play a trick on us, for that long, open trailer had obviously very recently carried a load of live sheep and its floor was full of sheep droppings. We tried to find the cleanest place to set our suitcases upright and then we sat on them. In this case, we were not disappointed that the ride was not a very long one for it was not a very enjoyable ride to say the least. -------In the Old Testament history of the Jewish people, their miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery under the leadership of Moses is of crucial importance. Centuries later, a second deliverance from foreign oppression occurred when Jews returned ti their homeland from Babylonian capativity. These events are interpreted as direct acts of God on behalf of the chosen people. A leader of the group that returned from Babylon was Nehemiah. Under his direction, the walls of the old city of Jerusalem were rebuilt despite the opposition of nearby communities. At a Jewish festival held following the rebuilding of the walls, a prayer of confession is recorded in chapter 9 of the book of Nehemiah in which the repeated acts of rebellion against God by God's own people are recalled. Confession of human weakness and sin a necessary first step to gain divine forgiveness, but what is of greater importance is the character of God to whom the confession is made. In verse 17 of that chapter, we find the following affirmation: "you are a God who forgives ... gracious and loving, slowto be angry. Your mercy is great; you did not forsake them. " Belief in such a God continues to encourage Jews and Christians even today. -------As you probably know, the English translation of kotaishi, denoting the eldest son of the emperor, is "crown prince", but do you know the translation of kotaiko, denoting the mother of the emperor? She is called the "Empress Dowager". "Dowager", spelled d-o-w-a-g-e-r, is rooted in a Latin word meaning to endow, to give a gift. It is related to the word "dowry", which is the money/property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage. In the ancient traditions of various countries, dowries were required of the bride or her family, which is one reason parents in those countries are not happy to have many daughters. One purpose of the dowry was to provide support for the wife on the husband's death and, even today, the word "dower", spelled d-o-w-e-r, signifies the part of a deceased man's property alloted by law to his widow for her lifetime. -------The continuous body of salt water that covers most of the earth's surface is designated by a variety of names depending upon the particular area. There are four recognized oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic. There are many more seas. How many can you name? The Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean Sea are located between continents. Three seas are named for colors: Black, Red and Yellow. Seas near Japan are the Sea of Okhotsk to the north, the East and South China Seas to the south and the Sea of Japan, which lies between Japan and Korea. In Korea, this Sea of Japan is called the East Sea and, in 1992, South Korea complained to the United Nations about the use of the name Sea of Japan, which may imply that it belongs to Japan. The South Korean government is now stepping up efforts to win international support for its "East Sea" designation. We may understand the feeling of the Korean government, but a similar complaint can be made regarding the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. On Sunday, October 30th at 1:30 we will hold a meeting of listeners to / readers of these "Daily Word" messages at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center. You are invited to attend. The theme for meeting is "Fine Arts." -------The media in the United States is focussing extravagant attention on the trial of an Afro-American former football star who is accused of murder. A century ago, the decision of a French court eventually attracted the attention of the world on what came to be called the Dreyfus Affair. On October 19, 1859, 135 years ago today, Alfred Dreyfus was born in France of Jewish parents. He became an army officer and was accused of providing a handwritten list of secret documents to the German Embassy. In 1894, in a secret trial by a military court, he was convicted of treason and was sentenced to deportation for life. He protested that he was innocent and it was suspected that anti-Semitism was involved in his conviction. Two years later, it was discovered that the list had been written by another officer, who was tried and immediately acquitted. After it was recognized that evidence against Dreyfus had been forged, he was retried, but the military court did not admit its earlier error, but found him guilty with extentuating circumstances. Twelve years after his original conviction, he was finally exonerated. The Dreyfus Affair is a shameful reminder of the extreme reluctance of authorities to admit they were wrong and of the fearful result of irrational prejudice. -------I recently read an interesting article by a Japanese university professor who had been encouraged to eat 'ryoku-o-shoku yasai' to improve his health. He was surprised to learn that carrots were included in this designation. He later found out that 'ryoku-o-shoku yasai' was simply a literal translation of the English term "green and yellow vegetables" and wondered if the color of carrots is considered yellow by Westerners. He recalled that in pictures drawn by children in Europe and America that sun is often colored yellow while Japanese children color it red and he wondered if the sense of color is different between Japanese and Westerners. As for me, in my childhood drawings, I colored the sun orange, the same color as carrots, but "yellow" is not the only ambiguous word in the above-mentioned term. What is the accurate definition of "vegetable", which may be called 'aomono' in Japanese? According to an encyclopedia, "There is no clear distinction between the vegetables and fruits." Whether we are speaking of vegetables or human beings, color designations cannot be taken too literally. There are too many varieties of so-called White-, black-, or yellow-skinned people and we should remember that, underneath our skins, we are all the same color. -------
Earthquakes occur frequently in and around these Japanese islands. When they occur under the ocean, they produce huge ripples on the ocean's surface called 'tsunami'. The city of Tsu, located on the Ise Bay, is the capital of Mie Prefecture and is the only station of the JR railway system with only one 'hiragana' character on its station sign, but 'tsunami', composed of Chinese characters meaning 'tsu' wave, does not refer to a wave related to this city. It is simply means "port or harbor wave" for it is these coastal areas that are most threatened by such waves. 'Tsunami' may not be perceptible on the open ocean but they can form waves up to six meters high in the shallow water near shore. The common English translation of 'tsunami' is "tidal wave", even though these waves are not related to the tide, which is the periodic variation in the surface of the ocean caused by the gravitational attraction of the moon. Shakespeare has written, |