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There are a number of English words that begin with the prefix "omni", spelled o-m-n-i, which comes from the Latin word for "all". In Christian theology, God is said to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, which means God is all-powerful, all-knowing and present everywhere. Another word, "omnibus", now signifies a collection of writings by the same author or on a related subject, but originally an omnibus was a large motor vehicle which was designed to carry all people. Nowadays, the word for this long conveyance used to transport passengers over land has been shortened to "bus". The first omnibuses, which appeared in England in 1829, were horse-drawn wagons that carried a half dozen or so people inside and three or four on the roof. -------The Japanese term, 'ijime', has a number of translations into English with a wide variety of meanings ranging from simply teasing or bothering to tormenting, persecuting or being cruel. There are also two different Chinese characters used for this term, usually written in 'hiragana' script these days. It has recently become a widely used, often discussed term in relation to students as a result of the sad experiences of certain students who have committed suicide. In English, we call a person who is habitually cruel, who hurts, frightens or threatens others, especially those who are smaller or weaker, a bully and to behave like a bully is called bullying. "Bullying" was the topic we discussed at our meeting last Sunday afternoon and it is the suggested theme for an essay this week. What do you think are the basic causes of bullying and what can or should be done to counteract it? What are the mutual responsibilities of parents, teachers and peers? Do you think there are special factors in Japan's educational system or society at large that stimulate bullying? I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463. -------As you know, the first three letters of the English alphabet are ABC. Sometimes these letters are used to refer to the entire alphabet, so if we say that a child doesn't know his/her ABC's, it means the child doesn't know the letters of the alphabet. The letters may also mean the basic elements of something, so to say that one doesn't know the ABC's of politics implies that the person is completely ignorant of political techniques. On the other hand, those politicians who are too clever and seek to use politics for personal enrichment bring to mind an event in American history known as the XYZ Affair. In 1797 three men were sent by President John Adams to France to negotiate a commercial treaty to protect American interests. They were approached by three French agents who suggested a bribe of $250,000 to the French foreign minister and a loan of $10 million as a prelude to negotiations. The Americans adamantly refused the proposal of these agents who were designated by the letters X, Y and Z. The following year, when correspondence with these agents was made public in the U. S., this XYZ Affair almost resulted in a war with France. -------In the group-oriented society of Japan where conformity is emphasized, people are especially conscious of the lifestyle of their neighbors. In this competitive nation where face is so important, there is a natural tendency to try to maintain the standard set by those around us. If Suzuki's neighbor has a computer, a dish antenna to receive satellite television broadcasts or gets a new car, then Suzuki will try to get one also. Of course, this same tendency is found in other societies as well and, in English, there is a special expression used in such situations. It is "keeping up with the Joneses" which means to try to match one's neighbors or associates in their success or lifestyle. This expression was originally the title of a comic strip written by Arthur Momand and first appeared in the New York 'Globe' in 1913. The series continued in that and other newspapers for the following 28 years. The author first thought of calling the strip "Keeping Up with the Smiths" but decided the name "Jones" was more euphonious. Jesus taught that we should live according to the standard God has set for us rather than following that of our neighbors--even if it results in our being teased or tormented by others. -------This 3rd day of the 2nd month is called setsubun in Japan. Originally, there was a setsubun, or "season-divider" day at the beginning of all four seasons, but nowadays the term is only used for the day before the traditional beginning of spring. On this day, some Japanese will affix the dried head of a sardine to a doorway to scare away demons and throw roasted soybeans around the rooms while shouting: "Good fortune come in! Demons get out!" in the hope that their homes will be cleansed of evil influences and receptive to good ones. In some American communities where German influence is strong, yesterday, February 2nd, was observed as Groundhog Day. According to German folklore, that is the day when the ground hog, or woodchuck, ends its hibernation and comes out of its burrow. If the sun is shining on that day and it sees its shadow, it will return to its burrow and there will be another six weeks of cold weather. If the weather is cloudy, however, it will stay above ground and spring will begin. In Switzerland, people celebrate the end of winter in a festival called Homstrom, on the first Sunday of February, by burning straw men to symbolize the departure of Old Man Winter. For many people around the world, the favorite season of the year is spring. -------As I noted in my Saturday messages four years ago, I had a number of side jobs while attending university, including working as a dishwasher, library clerk and garbage collector. These were all on the university campus, but in the final term of my freshman year, I decided to look for a job downtown and received the dean's permission to substitute one class for another in order to have all my classes in the morning. Since I did not get a downtown job, however, I attended both the regular class and the substituted one. As a result, I was enrolled for more hours of classes than was ordinarily permitted. The next term when I signed up for the same number of hours, at first the dean refused to approve my schedule because it was beyond the limit of permitted hours, but when I showed him my report card of the previous term, he gave his approval. In this way, I was able to take extra hours every term and completed the requirements for a bachelor of arts degree in three years instead of four. To fulfill a science requirement, however, I had to take a class in microbiology, in which I had no interest whatsoever. I was the only boy in that class. All my classmates were student nurses from a nearby hospital. -------The day before yesterday was the "season-divider" day in Japan and yesterday was the beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar. For those who made New Year's resolutions a month ago but who haven't been able to keep them, this "old calendar" New Year's season is a good time to make a new start, especially on this first Sunday of a new month. February, the English name of this second month of the year, is derived from a Latin word denoting the feast of purification which was observed in ancient Rome at this time of year. Purification is an important concept in Japanese culture and religion. One of the main functions of Shinto priests is to perform purification ceremonies. Purification rituals were also performed by Jewish Priests in the Old Testament, but the Bible makes a distinction between symbolic, ritualistic cleansing -- including Christian baptism -- and true spiritual purification, which is the work of God. Before Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist baptized people who turned from their sins, but in the Gospel of Mark, chaptern 1, verse 8, when speaking of Jesus, he said: "I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." -------One advantage of the use of Chinese characters is that at times a reader may understand the meaning of a completely new word even if he/she does not know the pronunciation. For example, the medical term consisting of the characters meaning water(mizu) and swelling(hare) may be understood to denote an accumulation of fluid in the body causing it to swell even if the pronunciation, suishu, is not known. The english name for this abnormal condition is "dropsy", spelled d-r-o-p-s-y, but the origin of this word is not related to the "drops" of a fluid. Rather, it is rooted in the Greek word, hudrops, meaning water. The 14th chapter of Luke records the healing of a man who had dropsy. -------On January 17th a strong earthquake jolted the port city of Kobe and neighboring communities. In regard to the number of lives lost, it was the worst natural calamity in Japan in over 70 years. Earthquakes are common events in this archipelago with its volcanic mountains, but many of them are minor vibrations and even major earthquakes may not cause many deaths if they occur in unpopulated areas. The center of the recent earthquake, however, was under an urban area. The devastation resulting from the quake itself and subsequent fires along with the disruption of water, gas, electricity, transportation and communication lines caused reverberations throughout the country. Now that a little time has passed since that catastrophe, what are your thoughts or memories about it and of the response of government and non-government groups? What should government bodies and society at large learn from this experience? The South Hyogo Prefecture Earthquake and its lessons for us is the suggested theme for an essay this week. I will correct those essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------I was amused to read a recent article about an expert in "plain English" who was travelling to India from England to help eradicate the "wordy, convoluted Victorian English" used in that land. He had been invited by the Federation of Consumer Organizations which hopes to cut out "long-winded English" in business forms, letters and contracts. Such phrases as "I humbly crave your opinion" and "I beg your esteemed perusal of this letter" were cited as examples of archaic phrases commonly used in India today. Indian newspapers also tend to use old style English, reporting that the "miscreant absconded" instead of the more colloquial expression that the "thief ran away". The kind of English used in that former colony is more traditional (some Englishmen would say more "proper") than that of the homeland. Similarly, some people consider the King James, or Authorized, Version of the Bible with its Shakespearean English as the "real" English Bible, but the original Greek in which the New Testament was written was not classical Greek, but the common language of the people, known as 'koine'. For my English Bible classes, I use the Today's English Version which is a modern translation. -------The English phrase "to cry wolf" means to give a false alarm. It comes from the fable of a shepherd boy who often called "Wolf!" to make fun of his neighbors who rushed to help him, but when a wolf did come and he called out they did not come because they did not believe him. I thought of this story when I read a news article of what happened recently on a highway in the American state of Oregon. A driver with a cellular phone called the police to inform them that a child in the car ahead of him was holding up a sign which read: "Help, I've been kidnapped." Twenty minutes later, four state police cars, two country sheriff's cars and a patrol car from the town of Jefferson stopped the car to investigate. They found out that the driver was the mother of the three children who were playing in the back seat and thought it was great fun to hold up the funny sign. In the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warned his disciples against false prophets who appear like sheep outwardly but inwardly are wild wolves. He told them not to be gullible and believe whatever people say. Just as a tree is known by its fruit he advised, so "you will know them by what they do." -------Japanese speakers of English find it difficult to distinguish between ram, spelled r-a-m, and lamb, spelled l-a-m-b. A ram is a male sheep but a lamb is simply a young sheep. A sweet, mild-mannered person may also be called a lamb. Lamb is also the surname of a famous English essayist who was born 120 years ago today, on February 10, 1775. Charles Lamb endured a difficult life. When he was 25 years old, his elder sister, Mary, in a temporary fit of insanity, stabbed and killed their mother. In order to keep her from being permanently committed to an asylum, Charles had himself declared her guardian and took care of her. They collaborated on several books for children, but the shadow of her madness continued to plague their lives. Included in Lamb's Essays of Elia, is this quotation: "Not many sounds of life, and I include all urban and rural sounds, exceed in interest a knock at the door." These words immediately bring to my mind the words of the Risen Christ in Revelation 3:20: "Listen! I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in ...." Christ does not force his way into human hearts. He knocks and waits to be invited in. -------The university I attended was a small, private school in Dubuque, Iowa, a historic city located on the Mississippi River. The institution which eventually developed into that University of Dubuque was founded in the mid-19th century to train Presbyterian ministers. When I attended (from 1945-1948), there were less than 800 students, including those enrolled in the theological seminary. Regular chapel services were held in the university chapel but attendance was voluntary. My major field was Bible and English was my minor. I was elected president of the freshman class and actively participated in various Christian organizations and activities on the campus. In my home church in Zion, Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan, about 260 kilometers directly east of Dubuque, a well-known passion play was performed weekly on Sunday afternoons during April, May and June. From my childhood, I had taken part in that dramatic production and on two occasions, during my second and third years at the university, I organized a trip for students to go by a chartered bus to attend that passion play. -------The word "fruit" has a broad meaning which may be translated into Japanese as kudamono, kajitsu or simply mi. There are many different kinds of fruit depending on the kind of plant which produces them. Even the same tree may produce different kinds of fruit -- some of better quality than others. Nevertheless, the basic nature of a tree is evident in the kind of fruit it bears. In the 7th chapter of Matthew, Jesus compared people to trees and taught that the true character of people is seen their actions, which he compared to fruit. He warned his listeners not to indiscriminately accept what people -- especially religious teachers -- say. They should carefully observe how they act, how they live. Even as a tree is known by its fruit, so a person's true character is seen by the person's deeds, not only by words. In the 3rd chapter of Luke, when John the Baptist was preaching that people should repent of sins, he told them to "bring forth fruits worthy of repentance". Parents teachers, religious and political leaders in particular should be aware of the relationship between word and deed and such people should be judged on the basis of their actions rather than their speeches. -------When Christopher Columbus arrived at an island in the West Atlantic Ocean off the North American continent, he mistakenly thought he had arrived in India and called the natives he encountered there "Indians". Even today, these native Americans are often called American Indians. A similar mistaken identification is the origin of the word "Gypsy", spelled either G-y-p-s-y or G-i-p-s-y. When the dark-skinned, nomadic people from India who called themselves Romany arrived in Europe in the 15th century, it was mistakenly thought that they came from Egypt. They were called Egyptians, but that name was later shortened and changed to Gypsy. The informal word "gyp", spelled g-y-p or g-i-p, meaning to swindle, cheat or defraud, is a shortened form of Gypsy. -------Many present-day Japanese customs, including festivals, have been introduced from abroad and since the Meiji Restoration, the influence of western nations has been great -- for better or for worse. Foreign customs that are observed often acquire a peculiar Japanese character. This 14th day of February is now celebrated as Valentine's Day in Japan as well as in the West, but few people know or care about the saint who is commemorated on this day. Rather, it has become a romantic festival and, in Japan, it is customary for girls or women to give candy, especially chocolates, to boys or men. I would be interested to know your impressions of this custom and what you think of chocolates. Why have chocolates become so popular in Japan for Valentine's Day? Do you like chocolates? Do you like them better than other kinds of sweets? Which do you prefer, salty or sweet refreshments? Ebi-senbei or chocolates? Valentine's Day customs in Japan in general or chocolates in particular are suggested themes for an English essay this week. Essays sent to me at "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463, will be corrected and printed in '"Daily Word" Echoes'. -------To reap means to cut stalks of grain and harvest a crop. In the old days, reaping was done by men using scythes and sickles, but for the past 150 years in the United States mechanical reapers have been used. It has been said that the reaper was second only to the railroad in its importance to the development of the United States. The man who invented this labor-saving machine, Cyrus McCormick, was born 186 years ago today, on February 15, 1809. Cyrus' father was a farmer and inventor who had spent two decades trying to develop a grain-cutting machine but was unsuccessful. His son, after careful study, used different principles and constructed a "horse-powered" machine that was publicly demonstrated in a Virginia wheat field in 1831. Viewers were amazed to see it cut as much grain as six men with scythes. Eventually, McCormick reapers revolutionized American agriculture, affected the nation's economy and stimulated western migration as more land could be farmed with fewer laborers. Cyrus McCormick became a wealthy man and a philanthropist. A theological seminary in the city of Chicago which he endowed continues to bear his name. -------In 1800, a Frenchman entered the United States with the aim of setting up a trading and land company. His plans did not work out, however, and he established a gunpowder plant instead. Located in the state of Delaware, sales of his high quality explosives increased greatly during the War of 1812. This plant, founded by E. I. Du Pont de Nemours, has since developed into one of the outstanding industrial institutions in the country and one of the largest corporations in the world. It is especially known for its research in and production of chemicals and synthetic fibers. On February l6,1937, fifty-eight years ago today, after ten years of research, the Du Pont Company received a patent for a new synthetic material characterized by strength, elasticity and resistance to abrasion and chemicals. This new product was arbitrarily named "nylon". Nylon is not only used for ladies' hose. It may take the form of bristles and fabrics, sheets, coatings and molded plastics, surgical sutures, rope and tire cords, nets, screens, gears and bearings. In some ways, the world is better as a result of the establishment of a gunpowder plant that ended up producing nylons, but producing artificial materials may create a different set of problems. -------The word "scope", spelled s-c-o-p-e, denotes the range of one's perceptions, thoughts or actions. It is rooted in a Greek word meaning to see. A number of English words contain this suffix. How many do you know? The more common words are: telescope, used for viewing distant objects, microscope, used for viewing tiny objects, and periscope, used for viewing objects around one in various directions. Two hundred and fourteen years ago today, on February 17, 1781, Rene Laennec, the French physician who invented the stethoscope, was born. And what do you suppose is viewed with a stethoscope? This is a device used by doctors to listen to sounds produced within the body by the heart and lungs. The Greek word stethos means chest or breast and with a stethoscope the doctor is able to visualize what is going on in the chest of a patient. This Greek word is used in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18, verse 13, where a tax collector "beat on his breast and said, 'God, have pity on me, a sinner.'" God does not need a stethoscope to perceive the condition of a person's heart, however, for his eyes penetrate into the depths of a human soul. -------Near the end of my second year in university, I realized that if I continued to carry the abnormally high number of class hours I had been taking, I could complete graduation requirements in three years instead of four. I had planned to take two years of Greek in order to enroll in an advanced Greek class when I went on to a theological seminary but I could not do so if I graduated in three years, so I explained my situation to the Greek professor and asked if it would be possible for me to study Greek on my own during the summer vacation, using the regular textbook, and enter the second year class in Greek in the fall. The young, new professor unwisely agreed to this plan, so I entered the second year Greek class without having enrolled in first year Greek. To my surprise the main focus of that second year of Greek was the Gospel of John. During my six-week stay in Mexico City the previous summer, I had decided to memorize as much of that Gospel as I could and by the time I returned to the U. S., I had memorized the first 11 chapters. Thus, I had little trouble reading the Greek manuscript of that Gospel in that class. The reverse side of this story is that my basic knowledge of Greek is not as strong as it should be. -------The OLd Testament book of Job is a drama related to the perennial question: "Why do good people suffer?" If history were a logical system ruled by the principle of cause and effect in which good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished, good people would always be happy and only bad people would suffer. But that's not the way things actually are. In a disastrous earthquake, both good and bad suffer alike and there are many cases in which morally upright people seem to have to endure an abnormal amount of suffering. Such was the case with Job, a good man who suffered greatly. After losing both his property and his children, his response was: "I was born with nothing and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!" [1:21] When he became seriously ill and his wife advised him to "curse God and die", he replied: "When God sends us something good, we welcome it. How can we complain when he sends us trouble?" [2:10] This is the reaction of a man faith who recognized the purpose of God in all events of life and accepted both blessing and suffering as gifts from God. How different our lives would be if we looked at life from this perspective. -------There are three English words pronounced sent. The one spelled s-e-n-t is the past tense of send. Another word, which includes a "c" between the "s" and "e" of the previous word denotes a distinctive odor or perfume. If the "s" is eliminated from this second word, the result is a word signifying a copper coin, the smallest unit of American currency. In England, a small copper coin was called a "penny", but American forefathers who wanted to eradicate British influence chose the word "cent" to replace "penny". "Cent" is derived from the Latin word for "hundred" as are such other words as centimeter, centigram, centipede and century. The attempt to eliminate the word "penny" was unsuccessful, however, for it is still commonly used in American English. -------If my recollection is correct, in my elementary school days in the state of Illinois, we had two holidays in the month of February to commemorate the birthdays of two important presidents: Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is on February 12th, and George Washington, who was born on February 22nd. At that time, I think that all states celebrated Washington's birthday but many southern states did not celebrate Lincoln's. Nowadays, the third Monday of February is celebrated by all states as Washington's Birthday, Washington-Lincoln Day, or President's Day, depending on the particular state. I presume that these two presidents are well-known in Japan also and my suggestion for an English essay this week is one or the other of these men. What do you remember about either of them? What is most impressive to you regarding their lives, their characters or their beliefs? Can you recall any particular words they said or actions they took that made them famous? I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Among the famous people who were born on this 22nd day of February was an American writer and critic who had a varied career as a poet, essayist, crusader, editor, professor and diplomat. James Russell Lowell, who was born on this day in 1819, the son of a minister in Massachusetts, became a professor at Harvard and the first editor of the 'Atlantic Monthly'. He also served as the American ambassador to Spain and to Great Britain, but his fame rests upon his writings, which include pertinent criticism in both the literary and political fields, and his poetry, which developed from sentimental idealism into a more serious realism. He took a strong anti-slavery position during the Civil War, composing a poem, entitled "The Present Crisis", which is found in many Protestant hymnals. It begins with these words: "Once to every man and nation / Comes the moment to decide, / In the strife of truth with falsehood, / For the good or evil side". In the Japanese hymnal (#276), this is rendered as follows: 'Hikari to yami to no / yukika uchimata, / Izure no kata ni ka / tsukubeki waga mi.' We also must make difficult, moral decisions between right and wrong. -------To most people, wolves do not evoke a positive image. Although they once roved freely over most parts of the northern hemisphere, the advance of human civilization has pushed them into smaller, wilder areas. Their attacks on livestock provoked strong reactions on the part of farmers and ranchers in the western United States, so now they are practically exterminated in that part of the country. This has caused a change in the natural balance and vitality of other wild animals in Yellowstone National Park. This national park in northwestern Wyoming covers almost 900,000 hectares, which is more than the entire area of Hiroshima Prefecture. Without a natural predator, the number of bison, deer and elk in this wildlife sanctuary are reaching record numbers. Some die of starvation in the winter and the rest are not so fast and strong as before. Consequently, wild wolves from Canada are being reintroduced into the park in an attempt to restore a natural balance. Strangely enough, to keep things in balance and to stimulate robustness, vigor and sensitivity, even disagreeable animals, people and events may serve a positive purpose. -------I was surprised to see a short new item, circulated by the UPI-Kyodo news service, in The Japan Times a couple of weeks ago. It was about a small village in northern Illinois and caught my attention because that village is located on the highway between my hometown and the university I attended. Thus I passed through it regularly when hitchhiking to college. The name of the village is Capron and the reason for its current "fame" is that there is no candidate for mayor in the election scheduled for April 4th. According to the article, the village presently has only 782 residents, but a housing development is under way which is expected to double the number of households in the near future. The present mayor is not running for reelection and no one seems interested in taking his place. Since no office, secretary or travel expenses are provided and the salary is a mere $1,800 a year, only someone with a separate income and a genuine interest in serving the community would be attracted to that post. Of course, that is the kind of public servants that are most desirable. How many candidates for public office would there be in Japan if the perquisites and opportunities for personal enrichment that accompany it were eliminated? -------From my childhood, I have enjoyed sports and was a member of both basketball and baseball teams in both elementary school and high school. I did not try to join the football team, however, for two reasons. First, the purposely bumping into, shoving or tackling other people, which characterizes American football, did not appeal to me. And, second, football practice began at the end of the summer vacation before classes began and I wanted to work at my summer job until the very end of the vacation. In university, I also played basketball, but since I entered the university the year the Second World War ended and there were a fewer number of male students than usual, I found myself practicing with the football team as well. I enjoyed the special menus at the school cafeteria provided for the football players before a game and travelled with the team on football trips. I was not a member of the starting lineup, however, and while sitting on the bench, I was always worried that the coach might actually put me in a game. Fortunately, this only happened a couple of times when my presence wouldn't make much of a difference one way or the other. As a basic principle, it is well for us to recognize what abilities we have or do not have and to make plans accordingly. -------Following the destructive earthquake in the Hanshin District last month, devastating fires burned an area of Kobe, leaving only rubble and ashes. Ashes are what is left after something is burned up. In the Old Testament, ashes are used as symbols of mouring, grief or humiliation. People outwardly expressed deep sorrow by rubbing ashes on their faces or throwing them into the air. To symbolize their grief or humiliation they would sometimes sit in ashes. After suffering the loss of property and family and becoming sick, Job sat in ashes, according to the book of Job, chapter 2, verse 8. In subsequent chapters, Job raised various questions about God's justice in permitting him to suffer so greatly, followed by the response of God himself. By a series of questions, the Lord caused Job to realize his lack of knowledge, that he was unqualified to question God. The final words of Job are found in chapter 42, verse 6: "I am ashamed of all I said and repent in dust and ashes." Here, ashes symbolize Job's humility and these words should remind all of us fallible human beings of our natural limitations and inability to completely understand the acts and purposes of the omnipotent, omniscient God. -------As you may know, a believer in the religion known as Islam is called a Muslim, spelled M-u-s-l-i-m. Both "Islam" and "Muslim" are rooted in an Arabic word meaning submission, surrender or safe. If the last letter of the latter word is changed to an "n", the new word, which denotes a kind of sturdy, plain-weave cotton fabric, has a completely different root even though many Muslims wear clothes made of muslin. As is the case with fabrics called cambric, damask, denim and jean, muslin also comes from the name of the place where it was first produced. The Japanese name for this fabric, mosurin, is closer to the name of the Iraqi city of Mosul, where it originated, but the word came into English by way of Italian and French and its pronunciation changed along the way. -------Tomorrow is the first day of a new month, the third month of the year. March, the English word for this month, comes from Mars, the Roman god of war. The name of the third day of the week in Latin-related languages is also derived from this god. In Japan, the 3rd day of the 3rd month is the day of one of the five traditional festivals, or 'sekku'. This 'momo no sekku' is commonly called Doll's Festival for the main decoration is the group of special dolls displayed on a tiered stand. The Doll's Festival, or 'hina-matsuri', is the suggested theme for an essay this week. What are your thoughts or memories related to this special Japanese festival? Do you have a set of such dolls in your home? Have the customs related to this festival or the kinds of dolls displayed changed since the time you were a child? Does the festival have a special significance? Do you think Japanese children have a different attitude toward dolls than European and American children? English essays related to the Doll's Festival sent to me will be corrected and printed in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is composed of four political units: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Probably the least well-known part of the United Kingdom is Wales, located on a peninsula west of England. Today, March 1st, is the day of a national festival celebrated in Wales and by Welsh groups around the world in honor of St. David, their patron saint. This St. David is not the David we read about in the Bible. Rather, he was a zealous missionary in the 6th century who founded or restored many monasteries and greatly influenced the religious life of Wales. Many Welsh Societies in the United States hold dinners or other festive events enlivened by Welsh tunes and choral singing on this day. The national emblem of Wales is the leek, which is a kind of onion like the Japanese 'negi'. It is said that St. David ate many leeks as part of his vegetarian diet. On this day, many Welshmen will have a leek, spelled l-e-e-k, in their hats. According to a legend, during an ancient war with the English, Welshmen wore leeks in their helmets so they could distinguish their comrades in battle. -------Originally, Caesar, spelled C-a-e-s-a-r, was the surname of early Roman emperors. This word became a common noun signifying an emperor, ruler or dictator and was transliterated into other languages. Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from the 10th through the 18th centuries, were called kaisers, spelled k-a-i-s-e-r, as were the subsequent rulers of Austria and Germany. In Russia, the name applied to the emperors was czar, spelled c-z-a-r, or tsar, spelled t-s-a-r. Ivan IV was he first Russian ruler to assume this title in 1533. The last Russian czar was Nicholas II, who was forced to give up his position during the Russian Revolution on March 15, 1917, 78 years ago today. Nicholas became czar when he was 26 years old. Educated by private tutors, but given little training in the affairs of state, he proved to be a charming but ineffective and easily influenced ruler. During his reign, Russia suffered its humiliating defeat by Japan in the Russo-Japanese War. The surprising outcome of that war stimulated both the Russian Revolution of 1905 and Japan's imperialistic expansion. According to a Russian proverb, "When the czar has a cold, all Russia coughs." -------In April, the Fukutake Publishing Company, which publishes literature, textbooks and dictionaries, will change its name to Benesse Corporation. Benesse is a combination of Latin words meaning "good" and "to be". In keeping with this new name, the company's office environment is being bettered. Its new 21-story office building in Tokyo's Tama district is unique in that there are no telephones on the desks of its creative staff members bcause hearing telephones ring and receiving telephone calls interrupt one's thinking processes. When calls come in, floor secretaries take the calls and bring headsets over to those employees' desks. Those without telephones on their desks must make calls from a common telephone booth. Furthermore, the hours between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. have been designated "quiet time", when no telephone calls are taken, no meetings or other appointments are scheduled and no orders are received from one's boss. In my religious tradition, we are taught to observe a daily "quiet time" when we read from the Bible, meditate and pray, which strengthens our faith, gives us a healthier outlook on life and helps us meet problems, frustrations and disappointments with hope. -------In the small, private university I attended, there were five buildings on the campus surrounding an open grassy plot of land. Four of the buildings had a unitary function. They were the gymnasium, the dining hall, the girl's dormitory and the theological seminary. The oldest and main building, however, housed a number of separate units, including administrative offices, classrooms, the library and the boys dormitory. The college chapel was also connected to this main building. During my three years at this university, I lived in the boys dormitory. It was very convenient for those of us who lived there since we could go directly to classrooms, the library, business offices or the chapel without going outdoors. One of my part-time jobs at the university was in the library, to sit at the desk and check books in and out, so it was easy to simply go downstairs to work and upstairs to my room. During my third year, however, I sometimes went after library hours to a coffee shop across the street with a pretty girl who had ostensibly come to the library to study. At the coffee shop, she drank coffee and I drank orange juice and, although she has tried, she has still not made a coffee drinker out of me until this day. -------A few weeks ago, a lady called our church in Takahama and, after Listening to the Kyo^ no Messeji tape, asked me if the Hanshin District Earthquake was God's judgment on the people there gor their wickedness. I replied that I did not think so and referred her to the words of Jesus found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 13, verses 4 - 5. There Jesus Spoke of an accident in which 18 people were killed when a tower fell on them. He then posed the question: "Do you suppose this proves that they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem?" Thereupon, he answered his own question: "No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did." We cannot satisfactorily explain why natural disasters occur at a certain place at a certain time resulting in the deaths of certain people. But from the Biblical perspective, all such "acts of God" should be considered stark reminders of our own vulnerability. They should stimulate us to reflect on our own lives and to recognize that, because of our sins (against God and people), we are liable to receive divine judgment. Along with the opportunity to show love and to help to relieve suffering, if we are prompted to turn from our sins, the disaster will not be meaningless. -------There are two different English words spelled f-r-i-t-t-e-r. Both are pronounced the same, but they come from different roots and have completely different meanings. One is a noun and the other is a verb. When fried by a good cook, a fritter is delicious. It is a small cake of fried batter usually containing corn, fruit, fish or other filling. This noun is rooted in a Latin word meaning "to fry". "To fritter away", on the other hand, means to waste or squander little by little. This verb is rooted in a Latin word meaning "fracture". Conscientious people try to avoid frittering away time or resources. In his famous journal entitled Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote: "Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify simplify." -------There are a number of English words that contain the root, l-o-g, which comes from the Greek word 'logos', meaning "word". Logic, logical and logistics are examples of words beginning with this root. Branches of science that include this root at the end of their names include biology, geology, psychology and anthropology. The word "apology" may denote a formal argument to show that a certain idea is right or an acknowledgment that an action was wrong and expressing regret. There is now a debate in Japan about whether or not the Japanese government should make an official apology to other Asian countries for the actions taken by the government and its military forces over fifty years ago. What do you think about this problem? Should Japan make such a statement or not? As usual, there are seemingly logical reasons for doing so and for not doing so. What is your opinion and what are the reasons for it? This is the final theme suggested for essays to be included in the April 30th issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. I will correct essays sent to me before they are printed. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. Please send essays to reach me by Saturday, March 18. -------There are two important figures in American history named Oliver Wendell Holmes. As you may surmise, one was the father of the other. In such a case, the father is called "Senior" and the son is a "Junior". Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr, a respected physician who became dean of the Harvard medical school, is also well-known for his writings, which include novels, biographies and poetry. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr, was born in Boston 154 years ago today on March 8, 1841. This man studied law, lectured at Harvard Law School and served as a justice on the supreme court of Massachusetts for 20 years before being appointed to the U. S. Supreme Court on which he served for 30 years. He is recognized as one of the court's greatest members, a critical thinker who was willing to question tradition. Justice Holmes delivered so many dissenting opinions that he was known as the Great Dissenter. This quotation from a speech he delivered in Boston in 1897 is particularly relevant to Japan. "Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our fathers have done them or our neighbors do them, and the same is true of a larger part than what we suspect of what we think." -------In recent weeks Japanese newspapers have been filled with articles related to the devastating earthquake that occurred in the Hanshin District. To "quake" means to shake or tremble, and when the earth quakes, buildings may collapse. But did you know that there is a religious group that is commonly called Quakers? Contrary to what one might imagine, however, meetings of this group are not characterized by emotional displays of trembling. Rather, quiet meditation is the central feature of their worship for they believe that there is a "divine light" within the hearts of all people which they should recognize and follow. The formal name of this group is the Society of Friends and its members, called Friends, seek to cultivate a life style in keeping with the "inner light". According to its founder, George Fox, they were first called Quakers in the year 1650 because he had exhorted people to "tremble at the word of the Lord." Because they rely upon the inner light" as their guiding principle rather than the church or the Bible, Quakers are considered outside of the mainstream of Christian tradition, but their emphasis upon peace, equality and social work to relieve suffering certainly reflects the spirit of Christ. -------A recent newspaper article contained a word I had never seen before. It was spelled a-b-a-t-t-o-i-r. Looking it up in the dictionary, I learned that it meant slaughterhouse. That is what is being built near the capital of the African country of Zimbabwe at a cost of $1.56 million. This new abattoir is for the large birds with long, bare necks and legs called ostriches. It is expected that 40,000 ostriches a year will be slaughtered there and that the new ostrich-related industry wi11 improve the economy of Zimbabwe which has suffered a record drought. In Europe and America, ostrich meat is considered a delicacy because it is high quality meat that does not have cholesterol. In addition, ostrich skins can be made into fancy shoes, handbags, purses and jackets. The Zimbabwe farmers promoting this project expect to earn around $12 million from exports of ostrich meat and skins this year. Printed copies of these telephone messages are mailed each week to those who request them by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope plus ¥30 in stamps for each week of messages desired to: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. Messages may also be read on NTT's CAPTAIN System and on the English Forum of NIFTY-Serve computer network. -------In each of the three years I lived in the university dormitory, I had a different roommate. My roommate during my first year was of Armenian lineage, a few years older than I, who had attended a Bible School before enrolling in university. He graduated that year. My second year roommate was a boy my age of Scandinavian extraction. He left the dormitory the next year to live in a fraternity house off campus. My third year, I made a special request to room with a foreign student who has just enrolled the previous term. He was a Muslim from Iran and I thought it might be a meaningful experience and give me an opportunity to share my faith with him. I was informed, however, that he would not be in school that term and was asked if I would be willing to have an Afro-American roommate instead I agreed to do so. Thus, for my final year at the university, my roommate was a young freshman from Chicago, the only resident of the dormitory with such a dark-colored skin. I enjoyed my association with him and hope that our sharing the same room helped others to recognize the foolishness of racial prejudice. Many years later, I met him in Washington, D.C., where he had a government position. -------The organized teaching of a religion related to God is called theology. In Christian theology, it is recognized that finite human beings cannot fully define God, who is infinite spirit, but the Bible teaches that God is the Creator of the world and has revealed himself in his creation, so we may understand something of God's nature by observing the order and evidence of purpose in the world of nature. Christians believe that the character and purpose of God is more clearly seen in the inspired words of biblical prophets. We further believe that it is in the person, teaching and ministry of Jesus, the Christ, that the character of God is most clearly perceived. Jesus regularly used the word "Father" to refer to God. This word implies that God is a person who shows both power and love in his relation with his children. In the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus asserts that he and the Father are one and describes himself as the good shepherd who is willing to give up his life for his sheep. These are important texts for Christian theologians. They indicate that sacrificial love is at the heart of God's character. This same quality should be characteristic of those who claim to be Jesus' disciples and children of God. -------In Japan, people who live in a 'manshon' which is not a mansion may visit a 'paresu' which is not a palace. The basic meaning of "palace", spelled p-a-l-a-c-e, is the official residence of a royal person. Secondarily, it may denote a large or splendid residence. But now, other large, ornate buildings used for entertainment or exhibitions are sometimes called palaces. This word is derived from the site where the mansion for Caesar Augustus was erected in Rome. The palatial residence was built on the Palatine Hill and was called 'Palatium' in Latin. The name of this hill was derived from Pales, the name of the Roman god of shepherds and their flocks. According to the famous song, "Home Sweet Home" although we may roam through palaces, "There's no place like home." -------In the middle ages there were a number of different political units on the peninsula which extends like a boot from southern Europe into the Mediterranean Sea. Although the French general, Napoleon, crowned himself king of Italy in 1805, the country was not truly united until 1861 under a man who was born 175 years ago today, on March 14, 1820. King Victor Emmanuel II had succeeded his father as the King of Sardonia, but following the Crimean War, in which he joined with England and France, and the defeat of Austria, neighboring states were annexed and Victor Emmanuel II became the first king of a united Italy. All four of his children became either a king, the wife of a king or the wife of a pretender to the throne. His eldest son and successor to the Italian throne was born on his 24th birthday, so today is the anniversary of the birth of the first two kings of Italy: Victor Emmanuel II and Humbert I. When Humbert I was assassinated in 1900, he was succeeded by his son, Victor Emmanuel III, who abdicated following the Second World War. His son, Humbert II, reigned for only one month in 1946, until Italians voted to change the country into a republic. -------This 15th day of March was called "the Ides of March" in the ancient Roman calendar but the well-known saying, "Beware the Ides of March" is not related to the fact that on this day, income tax returns are due in Japan. Rather, this warning of impending danger is a quotation from one of Shakespeare's most famous dramas, 'Julius Caesar'. In the ancient Roman calendar, not only the 15th of March but the 15th of May, July and October and the 13th of all other months were called Ides. The historical source material for Shakespeare's drama was the biography of Julius Caesar written by the Greek essayist, Plutarch a few decades after Caesar's death. In this biography, he wrote: "What is still more extraordinary, many report that a certain soothsayer forewarned [Caesar] of a great danger which threatened him on the Ides of March, and that when the day was come, as he was going to the senate-house, he called to the soothsayer, and said, laughing, 'The ides of March are come'; to which he answered, softly, 'Yes; but they are not gone.'" The warning given to Caesar by the soothsayer turned out to be accurate. That was the day of his assassination and the saying, "Beware the Ides of March", is now a warning of impending danger. -------In Japan, "O.B." is the peculiar Japanese abbreviation of "Old Boy" or 'senpai'. In some hospitals, "O.B." is the abbreviation of "obstetrics", denoting the department specializing in the care of women during pregnancy and childbirth. The word "obese", spelled o-b-e-s-e, is not related to either of these "O.B."s. It denotes a very fat person. Obesity is linked to such health problems as heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Doctors distinguish between obesity and simply being overweight. A person is considered obese if his or her weight is at least 20 percent higher than the recommended range. A recent study indicates that the number of obese Americans is increasing: 58 percent were overweight in 1983, 64 percent in 1990 and 69 percent last year and 22 percent of Americans are obese prompting one doctor to call obesity "an alarming epidemic. "Everything is so convenient these days that it is possible to spend very little energy in a typical day unless one makes a special effort to exercise. In Deuteronomy 31:20, God predicted that after the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, "have plenty to eat and grow fat", they would turn away from the true God and worship other gods and that's what happened. -------The characteristic feature of the plant called clover, spelled c-l-o-v-e-r, is its compound leaves having three leaflets. In a pack of playing cards, or 'toranpu', those cards called "clubs" bear the figure of a three-leafed clover. Pastureland that has much clover is enjoyed by cattle, so the expression "in clover" denotes a life of ease, comfort or prosperity. Rich people may be said to "live in clover". Four-leafed clovers are rare and to find one is considered a sign of good luck. One particular kind of clover is called shamrock spelled s-h-a-m-r-o-c-k. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who founded many churches and schools in the 5th century after returning to his homeland from abroad is said to have made use of the shamrock when explaining the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. That belief that the one God includes the three "persons" of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is impossible to explain rationally, but St. Patrick sought to illustrate it using the shamrock, which became the emblem of Ireland. Today is the feast day of St. Patrick and many Irish men and women may be identified by the shamrocks or some green-colored apparel they wear on this Irish national holiday. -------The University of Dubuque is located in the city of Dubuque, Iowa on the western bank of the Mississippi River. This picturesque city has been called "Little Rome" because, like Rome, it is situated on a group of hills. I never counted whether or not there were actually seven hills for which Rome is famous, but on one of them there was a pretty park which overlooked the river and on another, the campus of the University was located. Sometimes, on Sunday afternoons during my student days there, I used to go for walks along the streets and boulevards that wound through the quiet residential community with my girlfriend, but I remember one Sunday morning when we met at the worship service of a church in the downtown area. It was a fine day and I had planned to walk to the university for the noon meal in the dining hall--an uphill climb which would take about 45 minutes. In fact, I did not have bus fare since I had put all my money in the offering plate. Upon meeting my girlfriend, however, I asked her whether she would rather take the bus or walk back to the university. I was relieved when she responded, "Let's walk". Both of us still wonder today what my response would have been if she had wanted to take the bus. -------Japan has made an amazing recovery after the war and has become an economic superpower as the world watched in awesome wonder. How is this "miracle" to be explained? Industriousness, perseverance, united effort, submission to authority, Confucian ethics and other reasons may be suggested. But certainly, there are also external factors that must be taken into consideration. How different would it have been if the Soviet Union had occupied Japan after the war ended, for example, and if the United States had not given assistance? In our explanations of present excellence, we often overlook divine providence--beneficial factors that are beyond our influence or control. Before the children of Israel entered the Promised Land from slavery in Egypt, they were warned by God in Deuteronomy 8:17-18: "You must never think that you have made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength. Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to become rich." All of us should bear in mind this word of the Lord when we feel proud of our personal, group or national attainments. We need to humbly recognize that without the mercy and blessing of God, such attainments would not have been possible. -------The early, harmonious period of a relationship, whether of a married couple or of business or political partners may be called a honeymoon. There are various explanations for the origin of this word. "Honey", of course, is sweet and is sometimes used as a word of endearment between lovers, meaning "sweetheart" or "dear". I am amused to find the words 'anata' and 'omae' as Japanese translations of this term. It is said that in ancient times it was the custom for a newly married couple to drink a potion containing honey on each of the first thirty days -- or moon -- of their marriage. It is also said that just as the moon begins to wane as soon as it becomes full, so does the affection of lovers as soon as they get married, but I know of at least one case where this was not so. -------This 21st day of March is one of two days in the year when day and night are approximately equal. In English, it is called an "equinox", spelled e-q-u-i-n-o-x, from Latin words meaning "equal night". The equinox that occurs in March is called the vernal, or spring, equinox. Astronomically, today is the first day of spring, but in Japanese, the term 'haru ichiban' does not mean this day. It denotes the first strong south wind that blows near the end of winter, portending the coming of spring. The English noun "spring" has a number of different meanings, one of which is the season of the year between winter and summer, when the weather becomes warmer and signs of new life appear in nature. Another meaning of "spring" is a device that returns to its original form after being forced out of shape. Beds and cars, old style watches and many kinds of machines have these types of springs. A natural fountain or flow of water is also called a spring and so is a sudden upward motion. The 4th chapter of the Gospel of John contains the story of Jesus' conversation with a Samaritan woman beside a well. It may have been in the spring when he told her about the inner spring of living water that would spring up and bring eternal satisfaction to those who believe in him. -------Platinum is a silver-white metal called 'hakkin', "white gold", in Japanese. A component of many electrical appliances and also used by dentists, its greatest use in Japan is for jewelry. Last year, 45 tons of platinum were used for this purpose in Japan. A jewelry factory in the city of Uozu, on the Japan Sea in Toyama Prefecture is the world's leading platinum jewelry maker. Last year, it used 3.7 tons of the "white gold" along with 12.6 tons of gold, making it the world's second-largest gold jewelry maker. The factory was founded in 1964 to make gold chains by craftsmen but now its platinum and gold chains are produced by automated machinery. Security measures at the factory are surprisingly relaxed. One elderly guard stands at the factory gates and employees need not go through metal detectors when leaving as is common in jewelry factories in the West. Founder/President Kuwayama noted that "small-town ways of checking up on neighbors and quickly spreading local gossip turned out to be just the right thing for a jewelry factory." Regarding the popularity of platinum jewelry in Japan, he suggested "the subdued glow of platinum matches the Japanese aesthetic values of reserve." -------In preparing my message for today, I was amazed to find the many different definitions of a simple four-letter word. It is the word "turn", spelled t-u-r-n. In my American Heritage Dictionary, there are 28 separate definitions of the transitive verb, 19 of the intransitive verb and 21 of the noun. Many of these definitions have subdivisions within themselves. Moreover, there are a number of phrasal verbs in which "turn" is followed by a preposition, such as turn off, turn on, turn in, turn out, turn up, turn down, turn to turn over, turn back and turn away. Wow! Even native speakers of English have trouble speaking precisely. But the theme of my message today was meant to be the sea bird, similar to a gull, which is called a "tern", spelled t-e-r-n. Because of their graceful flight, long pointed wings and forked tails, some terns are called sea swallows. What amazes me about terns is their migratory habits. Terns that migrate from a summering ground in the Arctic to a wintering ground in the Antarctic travel more than 11,600 kilometers one way. How do they know the way? Do they ever make a wrong turn? In the amazing orderly rhythm of nature, theists see evidence of a purposeful Creator. -------From the name of the scientist who was born 161 years ago today in New York, I presume his parents belonged to the Methodist Church, for he was named after the church's founder. His name was John Wesley Powell. After the Civil War, in which he lost an arm at the Battle of Shiloh, he was appointed professor of geology at Illinois Wesleyan College. John Wesley Powell was both a geologist and an ethnologist. Geology is the science dealing with the structure of the earth and ethnology is the science dealing with the cultures of various peoples. Powell served as an early director of the U.S. Geological Survey and as the first director of the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology. As a geologist, Powell is known for his geographical and geological survey of the Colorado River during which he made a daring trip by boat through the Grand Canyon in l869. As an ethnologist, he studied Native American cultures in Utah and Arizona and published the first classification of Native American languages. John Wesley Powell is recognized as a scientist who made significant contributions to the understanding of both the physical and cultural character of America. -------A university professor both my wife and I respected very highly was a Jew who knew almost no English when he first arrived in the United States from Germany as a young man. He studied at the University of Dubuque, earned a Doctor of Theology degree from its theological seminary and became a professor at the College of Liberal Arts. During our last year at the university, he began to lose his sight due to diabetes and soon after we graduated, he became completely blind. Years later, after graduating from seminary and living for over five years in Japan, I stopped at a seminary in Chicago and happened to see his name on a notice board indicating that he was participating in a conference there and was staying in the seminary dormitory. I found his room, entered and informed him that I was one of his former students at the University of Dubuque. I asked if he remembered me. Although he could not see, he told me to keep on talking and he would see if he could identify me. After a few minutes of conversation, he said: "You are Clark Offner. How is Barbara?" I was amazed that he was able to distinguish me by my voice from among the many students he had taught, nine years after we had last met, and remembered the name of the student I had married. -------In modern English, a "testament" is a written document indicating how to dispose of one's possessions after one's death. It is a will, a 'yuigon' in Japanese. In old English, however, it was another word for "covenant" which is a solemn agreement between two or more parties, a 'keiyaku'. The Christian Bible is divided into an 01d Testament and a New Testament which reflect two different kinds of covenants between God and human beings. According to the old covenant, people had to obey God's commandments to have their sins forgiven and gain salvation. An important ritual they were required to perform was the offering of an innocent lamb as a sacrifice for their sins. In effect, the iamb received the judgment which the sinner deserved. During his last supper with his disciples, Jesus spoke of a new covenant to be sealed with his blood. According to this new covenant, as explained in the 9th chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews, Christ himself became the lamb sacrificed for the sins of all people. Under the new covenant, forgiveness and salvation is gained not by obeying commandments but by accepting Christ's sacrifice for us through faith. This sacrifice is symbolized in the Communion Services of Christian Churches today. -------What do you associate with a "school"? Actually, there are two different words with different roots, having the same pronunciation, spelled s-c-h-o-o-l. The more common word denotes an educational institution. It is interesting that this word is rooted in a Greek word meaning leisure. 'Schole' originally signified a place where spare time was employed for discussion. This word is found once in the New Testament, in Acts 19:9, where it is translated "lecture hall" in modern translations. The other word is derived from a German word meaning crowd. It is used to indicate a large number of fish swimming together. As you may know, the same Japanese word, 'mure', may be translated school, flock, herd, pack or swarm depending upon the particular animals involved. -------Today's message is devoted to announcements regarding the weekly schedule of these "Daily Word" messages and to Bible Classes I teach in the Nagoya area. My Saturday messages each week are related to personal experiences. Sunday messages are related to the Bible. Monday messages are spoken slowly and are related to the meanings of words. On the six Tuesdays following a meeting of "Daily Word" fans, usually held on the fifth Sunday of a month, I suggest themes for essays which listeners/readers write and send to me for correction and publication in '"Daily Word" Echoes'. On the first and third Tuesdays of the month, I teach a Bible Class at the Nagoya City 'Kyoikukan' at Sakae. From 6:30-7:30, I teach in Japanese and from 7:30-8:30, we consider the same passage in English. On Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:00, I teach in Japanese and from 8:00-9:00 in English at the 'Kaneyo Senta-' in the town of Higashiura. On Thursday and Sunday afternoons at 5:00 o'clock at the 'Kirisuto Kodo Kyokai' in the city of Takahama, I teach an English Bible Class and on Thursday evenings at 7:00 o'clock at that church we study the Bible in Japanese. Anyone who is interested is invited to any of these classes. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463. -------The beliefs, practices and way of life of Jewish people is known as Judaism. Traditionally, these elements had a predominately religious character, but the term "secular Judaism" is now used for the life style of Jews who seek to adhere to the values expressed by Judaism removed from their religious context. Religious Judaism is divided into three main categories. Orthodox Judaism considers both the written law (the Scriptures) and the oral laws related to it as authoritative and seek to follow them religiously. Reform Judaism is much more liberal in outlook. Conservative Judaism takes a position in between. The founder of Reform Judaism, Isaac Meyer Wise, was born 176 years ago today, on March 29, 1819, in Bohemia. He settled in the United States in 1846 and served as rabbi of Orthodox congregations, which he turned into Reform synagogues. He founded the Hebrew Union College, organized the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. He also founded and edited two periodicals, wrote novels and religious and historical works. Comparing Greek and Jews, Rabbi Wise wrote: "The Greek grasped the present moment, and was the artist; the Jew worshipped the timeless spirit, and was the prophet." -------In my message of March 1st, I said that a "leek" was "a kind of onion like the Japanese 'negi'." A reader of these messages on the NIFTY-Serve computer network noted that his dictionary defined "leek" as 'nira no rui' and that there is quite a difference between 'negi' and 'nira'. This raises the pertinent question about how to translate words for plants, birds and animals which do not have exact counterparts in other places. The English-Japanese dictionary I used translated "leek" as 'seiyo no negi'. What is the correct translation for the Japanese songbird 'uguisu'? One of my English-Japanese dictionaries gives the translation "Japanese nightingale", but the Japanese bird is of an entirely different species. A more accurate translation is a "bush warbler". And what of the Japanese 'tanuki'? The same dictionary translates it as "badger", but this also is obviously incorrect. There is a big difference between a badger and a 'tanuki', which is a raccoon dog. A Japanese 'anaguma' may be identified with a badger. Biblical translators face the same problem. According to the classical English translation of Matthew 6:28, Jesus spoke of "the lilies of the field", but he was probably speaking of wild flowers in general or of anemones in particular. -------If you have ever taken a course in chemistry as a high school or college student, or if you have worked in a chemical laboratory, then you have made use of the special kind of gas burner which is called a Bunsen burner in English. Are you familiar with this term? The hollow metal tube of a Bunsen burner is attached to a stand and connected to a source of gas. It has adjustable holes at the base for admitting air to be mixed with the gas and produces a hot, blue flame but no smoke. This principle is also utilized in gas stoves used for cooking purposes. The reason it is called a Bunsen burner is because it was invented by a German chemist named Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, who was born 184 years ago today, on March 31, 1811. Bunsen made a number of discoveries or inventions in the field of chemistry which continue to be useful today. Speaking of burning, in the Gospel of John, chapter 5, verse 35, Jesus spoke of John the Baptist as a "brightly burning lamp" who gave off light for the benefit of those around him. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus called his followers the "light of the world". If we have a burning faith, we also will emit beneficial light, but we must be careful not to give off too much emotional heat at the same time. -------As I look back at my college days, I recall my professors with their strengths and weaknesses. My major in college was Bible and my most highly-respected teacher was the Bible professor who my wife-to-be and I asked to hear our vows at our wedding ceremony. My minors were English and Spanish. Though I took only one year of Spanish at that university, I had had two years in high school and the courses I took at the summer school of the University of Mexico gave me enough credits for a Spanish minor. The spoken Spanish of my Spanish professor, who was born in Germany and spoke English with a German accent was not as good as that of my high school teacher. One of my English professors was a Harvard graduate but another was a better teacher even though her educational background was not so prestigious. Once in a literature class, she quoted from a paper I had written and asked the class if they could tell what was wrong with it. In it I had quoted Jesus' words that a kingdom divided against itself will fall. One student said these were Lincoln's words rather than Jesus'. That was not the problem and now, I forget what the problem was. As a matter of fact, however, those words were both Lincoln's and Jesus', for Lincoln quoted them from the Bible, Mark 3:24. Goodbye. -------One blessing of a simple, healthy faith in God, who is pictured in the New Testament as a loving, heavenly Father, is that we no longer fear nor worry about the future. The person who consciously places his life -- present and future, into the hands of God can enjoy genuine peace of mind. To encourage his disciples to develop this kind of faith, Jesus told them to observe and consider the divine providence in nature. According to both the 6th chapter of Matthew and the 12th chapter of Luke, Jesus told them to look at the birds of the air and the flowers in the field. Without worrying about the future, these living things are provided by God with both sufficient food and beautiful clothes. He taught that as God cares for birds and flowers, he will care for human beings who are of much greater value and he chided his disciples for their little faith. If we study the natural world, there is much we can learn from it regarding the nature of the Creator. My brother used to teach a mechanical engineering course at the University of Illinois on engineering principles that were derived from nature. He used the term "Grand Omnipotent Designer" for the Mind behind these principles from which he derived the acronym: G-O-D, which, of course, is God. -------If you have been to a circus or watched a gymnastic performance, you probably know what an acrobat is. This word, spelled a-c-r-o-b-a-t, has nothing to do with bats. It denotes a person skilled in agility and balance, an expert performer on the trapeze and tightrope. The word entered Englsh through French, but it is rooted in two Greek words, the second of which denotes a walker and the first may mean high or pointed or tip. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 16, verse 24, it means the tip of a finger and in Hebrews 11:21, it is used for the top of a staff. In the case of anakrobatos, however, it points to a person who walks on tiptoe, the tips of his toes. Also, people who are very agile in changing their stated positions may be said to engage in verbal acrobatics. -------As you know, Japan ranks top in the world in regard to life expectancy. People aged 65 and over now account for 14 percent of the total population. A Confucian scholar of the Edo Period associated long life with good fortune and happiness, but a recent poll indicated that the aging population in Japan projects an image of "uncertainty" and "burden" rather than of "brightness". In this poll, carried out in 37 countries, Japan ranked in the middle in regard to feelings of happiness and well-being and 27th in terms of those who consider themselves to be in good health. Good relations with one's spouse is usually considered an essential element in a happy married life. Since the divorce rate in Japan is low, it may be surmised that Japanese couples share common values. The poll indicated, however, that in comparison with other countries, Japanese couples rank at the bottom of those sharing common views on various matters. The article in the Japanese magazine raises the question of how Japanese families appear so peaceful despite a big gap in the thinking between spouses. The answer it suggested is that there is in fact so little communication between Japanese husbands and wives that there is little opportunity for friction to arise. -------Today, April the 5th, is the birthday of an important figure in American history named Washington. Booker Taliaferro Washington was born in the cramped slave quarters of a plantation in Virginia on this day in 1856. His mother was a slave, a mulatto, meaning a person having one white and one black parent, but his father was a white man. During the first seven years of his life, he also was a slave, but after emancipation and working in a coal mine, he determined to become educated. At the age of 16, with $1.50 in his pocket, he walked over 800 kilometers to the Hampton Institute, where he worked as a janitor while studying at that school. Eventually, Booker T. Washington became principal of the just-established Tuskegee Instutute, the first school in Alabama to train Afro-American teachers. During his more than thirty years of dedicated service at that school, it became a nationally respected institution and he became a nationally respected educator. In attaining that status, Washington had to overcome many obstacles. He once stated, "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." -------An election will be held in Nagoya on this coming Sunday for all 78 municipal assemblymen. My wife and I are permanent residents of Japan, but as citizens of the United States, we are not permitted to vote in Japanese elections. In Japan, it is common to hold elections on Sundays, but in the United States, Tuesday is the usual day for an election. On Tuesday of this week, an election was held in our hometown of Zion, Illinois. We do not usually vote in local elections, but this election was special for us because my brother-in-law and close friend from elementary school days was running for mayor, so we had absentee ballots sent to us. The ballot was about the size of a standard Japanese envelope. It had 228 tiny numbered boxes printed on it, each with a tiny perforated square that could be punched out. A punching device and a foam backing sheet was also included. We punched out seven of the tiny squares: one for mayor, two for city commissioners, and four for other local offices. Although we know and respect his opponent, whom under different circumstances we would have supported, we naturally hope my younger sister's husband is now the new mayor of our hometown. -------Among the countless variety of English names of birds, some are descriptive of the appearance or character of the bird. Even if you have never seen the bird, you may get a mental image of it from its name. Consider the following examples: blackbird, bluebird, flycatcher, sapsucker, hummingbird, mockingbird, roadrunner, nutcracker, warbler, trumpeter, whistler and woodpecker. A characteristic of the woodpecker is its long, sharp, chisellilke bill, used for pecking holes in tree trunks and wooden poles. The Union Electric Company in the United States is upset that so many of its utility poles are weakened because of woodpeckers drilling holes and hollowing them out for their nests. It has reportedly spent millions of dollars replacing poles weakened by woodpeckers and it recently offered to pay the World Bird Sanctuary $25,000 to conduct a two-year study to find out why woodpeckers seem to prefer their utility poles to trees. Another characteristic of woodpeckers is their long, barbed, extensible tongues used to impale their insect prey. Although woodpeckers cause damage to utility poles, they serve an important function in destroying harmful insects. -------During my three years at university, there were a few occasions when I invited or brought fellow students to my hometown some 260 kilometers away. On two such occasions a large bus was chartered to take groups to the well-known passion play presented in my home church. Another time, I invited a foreign student from Colombia to spend part of the winter vacation, which extended over Christmas and New Year's Day, at mg home since the school facilities were closed during that period. During another school break, my roommate hitchhiked with me to my home. That was the one time my hitchhiking was unsuccessful. We had started out later than we should have and after 10 o'clock at night we were still about 30 kilo meters from my hometown. Almost no cars were travelling on that dark and lonely stretch of road, so I called my father from a public telephone--getting him out of bed and asked him to come and pick us up. On another occasion, I invited my girlfriend to my home to meet my family. My home was north of Chicago and her home was in a western suburb of that city, not so far away. In fact, the one time I went to the university by public transportation was after I had hitchhiked to her home and met her parents. Then we took the train together from Chicago. -------It is well known that Jesus often used parables in his teaching. A parable is a simple story which illustrates moral or spiritual truth. "Parable", spelled p-a-r-a-b-l-e, is derived from Greek words meaning "to throw beside" in order to compare. By telling easy-to-understand stories, Jesus taught difficult-to-comprehend truths. But Jesus' teaching was not limited to his words. His actions may also be considered parables at times, for through them too he illustrated spiritual truth. Today is the beginning of Holy Week in the church calendar, commemorating the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem which is recorded in all four Gospels. Because people waved palm branches to welcome him into the city, today is known as Palm Sunday. At that time, Jesus indicated by actions rather than by words the kind of king he came to be. He purposely chose a donkey rather than a horse on which to ride into the city. Through this symbolic act, Jesus taught that his authority was not of the imperious kind associated with (white) horses. Rather, as he stated in Mark 10:45, "the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give up his life as a ransom for many." And that is what he did at the end of this Holy Week. -------Due to Confucian concern for higher and lower social rankings, in Japanese one does not normally speak simply of one's brother or sister. More explicit terms are used to make clear whether the sibling is older or younger, with the implication that an elder one is to be given more respect than a younger one. This same idea seems to be behind the change of meaning of the English word "puny", spelled p-u-n-y, after entering the English language from French. The two French words at the root of this term literally mean "next born" or "born later", but the meaning of "puny" in English is "of inferior size, strength or significance; weak". It is not a compliment to say that someone or something is "puny", but obviously, not a few younger siblings are more robust than their elders. -------The oldest college in the United States is Harvard University in Massachusetts, founded to train men for the Christian ministry. The second oldest institution of higher learning was established in Virginia with the following purpose: to "furnish Virginia with a seminary of ministers, to educate the youth in piety, letters and good manners and to propagate Christianity among the Indians." Can you guess for whom this College of William and Mary was named? It was founded in 1693, four years after the so-called Glorious Revolution was accomplished in England whereby King William III and Queen Mary II became joint sovereigns. The unique coronation ceremony in which husband and wife were crowned as joint monarchs took place 306 years ago today, on April 11,1689. Because of the refusal of the Archbishop of Canterbury to crown this Protestant couple, the ceremony was performed by the Bishop of London. The Declaration of Rights and the Bill of Rights accepted by William and Mary defined the relationship between monarch and subjects, barred any future Catholic succession to the throne and encouraged the shift of power from the monarch to Parliament. -------An important element in maintaining good health is to have regular periods of sleep. During such times of physical and mental rest and relaxation, both body and mind are restored. But how much sleep is required for normal functioning depends upon the individual. Obviously, some people need more sleep than others, but some sleep longer than necessary. It is said that when Thomas Edison, the American inventor, was young, he sometimes worked for several days in a row, catching up on sleep later. He is quoted as saying: "Sleep is an acquired habit. Cells don't sleep. Fish swim in the water all night. Even a horse doesn't sleep. A man doesn't need any sleep." This is an extreme position which would not be recognized by doctors, but it may be true that some of us spend more time in bed than we need to. Napoleon was said to have slept only three or four hours a night and the Duke of Wellington, who defeated him at Waterloo, regularly slept between three and six hours. In Ecclesiastes 5:12, there is an interesting contrast between the laboring man who sleeps well whether he eats much or little and the rich man who cannot sleep because he has so much to worry about. -------This week before Easter Sunday in the church calendar is called Holy Week in many churches. Since Jesus is believed to have been crucified on Friday, this Thursday of Holy Week corresponds to the day before his death, the day he shared his Last Supper with his disciples. It was at that time that Jesus instructed them to remember his death whenever they ate bread or drank wine. In keeping with that "commandment", some churches today celebrate the Lord's Supper, Communion or Eucharist on this day. It was also during that Last Supper, as noted in the 13th chapter of John, that Jesus tied a towel around himself, poured water into a basin and washed the feet of his disciples, giving them a concrete example of how they should be the humble servants of others. He then gave them the "new commandment" to love one another as he had loved them. In some ritualistic churches, a foot-washing ceremony is also performed on this day, also called Maundy Thursday. "Maundy", spelled M-a-u-n-d-y, comes from the same Latin root as "mandate", meaning "command" and the Latin word, 'mandatum', was the first word of the liturgical song sung during that ceremony. -------One hundred and thirty years ago today, on April 14, 1865 at about 10:30 p.m., American President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the back of the head as he sat in a box at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. (I presume you know that the word "box" has a number of meanings and in this case it does not mean 'hako'.) President Lincoln was inaugurated just one month before the Civil War began. He died one week after the war ended, one month after being inaugurated for a second 4-year term. Thus during his entire presidency, the country was at war with itself. Lincoln was buried in Springfield, the capital city of my home state of Illinois. Upon leaving that city four years earlier to assume the presidency, he stated: "I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, and with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail." The famous words in his second inaugural speech, "with malice toward none, with charity for all", reflect the spirit of Jesus, whom Lincoln sought to follow and whose death also is commemorated on this Good Friday. -------The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which initiated the Pacific War between Japan and the United States occurred when I was a freshman in high school. As a result, compulsory conscription for military service, commonly called the "draft", was instituted. When a young man became 20 years old, he was required to register for the draft and serve in the army. To avoid army service, some boys enlisted in the navy or air corps before their 20th birthday. Draft classifications ranged from 1-A, for those who could be immediately inducted, to 4-F, those having physical or mental disabilities, who were excused. The war ended the year I graduated from high school, but the draft continued so most of my male classmates served in one of the military services for a period of time. College students in certain courses were given deferments until their graduation and conscientious objectors were permitted to serve their country in a non-military position. Those of us studying for the ministry were given a 4-D classification which permitted us to continue our studies without interruption. Consequently, for better or for worse, l never experienced military service and my college career was not affected by the draft. -------Humanly speaking, it would seem that the ministry of Jesus had come to an end with his death on the cross. His discouraged disciples hid themselves for fear of persecution by those who had crucified their lord. But then, something happened which is very difficult to explain, humanly speaking. These few, frightened men were somehow changed into bold, confident, dynamic individuals who fearlessly proclaimed their faith in public and before ruling councils, even when they were commanded to refrain from doing so. They were willing to sacrifice their lives for their faith, at the center of which was the, humanly speaking, unbelievable assertion that their crucified lord had risen from death. It is, furthermore, difficult to understand, humanly speaking, how such a strange faith could take hold and spread around the world, continuing to inspire people, including sophisticated men and women with advanced education, for two thousand years. Today is the day Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and celebrate the new life which is not only Christian doctrine but Christian experience. New life, victory and hope despite discouraging circumstances is the divinely-spoken message of Easter. -------There are many English words that begin with p-a-t-e-r or p-a-t-r, derived from the Latin word for "father". They include such words as: paternal, paternity and paternoster, patriarch, patrimony, patricide, patron and patriot. All of them have, or had, some relationship to "father". A patriot is a person who loves, supports and defends his or her country, or fatherland. This third Monday of April is a holiday in the American state of Massachusetts, called Patriots' Day. It commemorates the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, which began with the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775 and, since 1896, a main event held on this day has been the Boston Marathon in which runners from all over the world run the 26-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston. -------Fifteen years ago, when this "Daily Word" telephone service began, the daily messages were simply taped and transmitted orally from a 'rusuban denwa'. Over a year later, in response to listeners' requests, written copies of the messages were mailed out each week to those who requested them. Thus, listeners were able to read the messages before, during or after they heard them on the telephone. In January 1988, the messages were introduced into NTT's CAPTAIN system, so they can be read on the terminals connected to that system around the country. For the past four-and-a-half years, they have also been uploaded onto the English Forum of the NlFTY-Serve computer network. Consequently, there are now more readers of than listeners to these daily messages. It is our custom to hold a meeting of "Daily Word" fans on the 5th Sunday of a month. On the afternoon of April 30th at 1:30, we will hold the 58th such meeting at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. The theme for this meeting will be: "Green". What does this color bring to your mind and what do you think about Green Day? Plan to join us at this meeting if you can. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------There are a number of counties and towns in the United States named Sherman. They are named after four different men in American history that bore that surname. One of them was a famous Union general in the Civil War. Another was this man's brother, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate and as Secretary of the Treasury. Another General Sherman was a hero in the Texan War of Independence. But today, April 19th is the 274th anniversary of the birthday of Roger Sherman who became involved in the political affairs of the Colony of Connecticut, serving in the Connecticut legislatures, as judge of the superior court and mayor of the city of New Haven. After the Revolutionary War, he served in both the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Prior to that war, he had helped draft the Declaration of Independence and, after the war, the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution. In fact, he is the only person to have signed all three of these documents plus the earlier Articles of Association. Thus he holds a unique place in American history due to his connection with all four of the major documents of American independence. -------Recently, the media in Japan has been providing detailed information about a strange religious cult. Many people wonder how or why intelligent people become attracted to such an organization and engage in cruel or criminal activities. Similar questions arise when we try to understand the irrational, immoral actions of soldiers during a war and of bullies, whether young or old, during peacetime. Moral or psychological weaknesses can be utilized by a charismatic personality for unethical purposes. Today, April 20, is the birthday of the man who wrote: "The great masses of the people ... will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one." Do you know the man's name? He was born in Austria in 1889 and became the founder and leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, known by the contraction, Nazi. Adolf Hitler also had grand ideas that he was able to instill into the minds of a dejected nation which resulted in the nation's downfall. These days, as we read stories about the "Supreme Truth Religion", we should recall the words of Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verses 31-32. The truth that comes through his teaching does not result in confinement, restrictions nor suppression. TRUTH sets people free! -------A recent news item entitled "Eating cooked red meat may cause cancer" caught my attention. It noted that the "consumption of cooked red meat is associated with the development of bowel cancer". What attracted my attention, however, was the term "red meat" and I wondered what was included in this category. To my eyes, 'maguro no sashimi' looks like red meat, but I checked my dictionaries to make sure. I was surprised that the dictionary I use most often did not have "red meat" listed, even though it had over 40 entries of compound words beginning with "red". From a couple of other dictionaries, I learned that "red meat" denotes meat, such as beef or mutton but not including pork or veal, that in its raw state is distinctly red. But this term is limited to mammals and does not apply to poultry or fish. According to the article, vegetarians have a lower rate of cancer and heart disease than meat-eating people, but it is not clear if this is because they did not eat meat or because they eat more fruits and vegetables. The article noted that it was during the process of cooking red meat that compounds which can cause cell mutation were formed so eating raw meat is not blamed. -------As you may know, the major graduation ceremonies of most American universities take place in June, which is also the favorite month for weddings. In the case of myself and my wife we share a common graduation date as well as a common wedding date. And for us, both of these events occurred in June, but not in the same year. In contrast with traditional Japanese custom, we were not introduced by a go-between or a matchmaker. We met at college, and after a couple of years' acquaintance, including over a year of dating, or going steady, we became engaged. As we recall, it was at our graduation ceremony in June of 1948, that our parents met each other. They had driven for three or four hours to the university to watch us receive our diplomas and then to take us back to our homes. Happily, although they came from somewhat different backgrounds, they were not repelled by each other and both couples supported the decision of their children. In the case of my family members, my brother and three of my sisters met their future mates at university and the hometown boy my fourth sister married will be sworn in as the new mayor of that town on May 1st. -------In modern English, the most common meaning of the word "tide", spelled t-i-d-e, is the alternate rise and fall of the surface of oceans, seas, and the bays and rivers connected with them, but the original meaning was a "time" or "season", as in the proverb, "Time and tide wait for no man". Certain seasons in the church calendar are identified by this term. For example, this season which began last Sunday on Easter is called Eastertide. Commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Eastertide is a season characterized by joy and the faith that life will triumph over death, that good will be victorious over evil. In the sermons recorded in the New Testament book called The Acts of the Apostles, Jesus' resurrection from death was always emphasized and the apostles spoke of themselves as "witnesses to the resurrection" [1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32]. That joy and faith should be evident in the lives of Christians today also who are called to be witnesses to and for Christ. Christian baptism itself, as noted in the 6th chapter of Romans, is a symbol of death and resurrection as the believer is identified with Christ. As spring is the season of new life in nature, Eastertide is the season of new life in the church. -------Do you know the English saying used to translate the Japanese expression 'honmatsu tento'? We say "put the cart before the horse". That, of course, is the reverse of the correct order. Putting the cart before the horse is contrary to common sense, absurd or preposterous. In this final word, spelled p-r-e-p-o-s-t-e-r-o-u-s, you may recognize two Latin roots: pre and post, meaning before and after. The implication is that putting something before that should come after is absurd or preposterous. Some of the sayings of Jesus may seem preposterous when we first read or hear them for he often spoke in a way to cause people to think. After meditating on his words, however, we often find them to contain truth on a deeper level than so-called common sense. -------Thirty-six years ago today, on April 25, 1959, the Queen of Canada, Elizabeth II, and the President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower, joined together to open a new seaway, linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, ocean-going vessels with a capacity of 28,000 tons are able to visit such ports as Chicago, Illinois on the southern end of Lake Michigan and Duluth, Minnesota, on the western end of Lake Superior. This St. Lawrence Seaway is a system of canals, dams and locks in the St. Lawrence River and connecting channels which permits ships to bypass rapids and the Niagara Fails. In the 290 kilometers between Lake Ontario and the Canadian city of Montreal, the river drops 67 meters, but the system of locks enables ships to sail there. This is an example of international cooperation that benefits both sides. Next Sunday at 1:30, we will hold another meeting of "Daily Word" fans at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. The theme of the meeting is: Green. What do you think of this color? What meaning does it have for you? What do you think about Green Day and how did you celebrate it? My wife and I will be happy to meet you there if you are able to attend. -------Recently, while riding my bicycle to and from the Nagoya International School, two incidents stimulated my thinking. First, on the way there, along a narrow road, a truck passed me so closely that it hit the back mirror on the handlebar of my bicycle and I realized that riding a bicycle on a busy road can be dangerous. On the way back, I rode on the paved sidewalk beside the road where it was available. I was disappointed that the sidewalk was not as smooth as the road. It was wavy and not so easy to ride on. I wondered if I could call it 'nami-nami' in Japanese. Then, I mused: 'Nami-nami de wa nai, ne" and wondered what was the meaning of 'nami nami'. Checking the dictionary, I found that there are two different kinds of 'nami-nami' neither of which are related to the 'nami' meaning "wave". One means "ordinary" and the other means "full to the brim". Thus, my knowledge of Japanese continues to grow. An opportunity for your English knowledge to grow will be provided on Sunday afternoon at the meeting of "Daily Word" fans. We will meet at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center and talk about green, greens, greenery, Green Day and other green things. You are invited to attend. -------A new dictionary was published this month in England. Its aim is to explain to nonnative speakers of English exactly how the English language is spoken. As you well know, English is a complex and confusing language because of its mixture of rules, spelling peculiarities and dialects. The Cobuild English Dictionary is drawn from a computer list of words called the Bank of English. Entries are written in explanatory English rather than the terse style used in most dictionaries and indicate subtleties of meaning which may escape the nonnative speaker. Both spoken and written varieties of English as used in the United Kingdom, the United States and other predominantly native speaker communities are included. Native speakers may also find the dictionary helpful to avoid embarrassing themselves in other dialects of their mother tongue. You are invited to the meeting of "Daily Word" fans on this coming Sunday afternoon where my wife and l will speak in our native tongue, midwestern American English. The time is 1:30. The place is the Nagoya Geijutsu Sozo Center. And the theme is: "Green". We would be interested in hearing your impressions, memories, etc. related to this color. -------"Flora", spelled f-l-o-r-a, may denote plants in general or the plants of a particular region in particular. It is also used as a feminine name. In fact, one of my sisters is named Flora, derived from the Latin word for "flower". Flora was the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and fertility and in old Rome her festival, called Floralia, began today. This month of April is the month of both 'hana-mi', "flower viewing" and 'hana-matsuri', "flower festival", in Japan. In the United States also, certain areas have festivals related to flowers. Probably the best known is the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. which takes place when the cherry trees donated by the city of Tokyo in 1912 are in bloom. In the state of Washington, a Daffodil Festival is held in early April and an Apple Blossom Festival around this time at the end of the month. In Michigan, a Tulip Festival is held in May and in Oregon, a Rose Festival is held in June. Pretty flowers give color to the greenery of nature and "Green" is the theme for the meeting of "Daily Word" fans to be held on this coming Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center. You are invited to attend, express your thoughts about that color and enjoy the fellowship and refreshments. -------As I reminisce about my personal experiences in these Saturday messages, I hope they are not too boring for you listeners and readers. For me, they are quite easy to compose for I need not search for a topic, do any research or consult reference books--although at times, I do check on some details with my wife. After graduating from college in the late spring of 1948, I again spent the summer working to earn money for my continuing education. I had paid all my college expenses, including dormitory fees, without financial help from my parents or getting a loan and I was determined to continue that record while attending a theological seminary in New York City. In those days, the highest paying temporary jobs available were those performed by common laborers for construction companies, so I went back to the same company I had worked for previously. The work involved hauling lumber, carrying bricks, pushing a wheelbarrow full of cement over narrow plank pathways and other kinds of manual labor. It took a few days to get used to this exhausting work after the basically mental activities I had been engaged in at the university. In her hometown, about 90 kilometers away from mine, my fiancee began working as a clerk in her father's men's clothing store. -------The ancient folk faith of the Japanese people was given the name 'Shinto', the way of the 'kami', to distinguish it from the foreign thought of 'Bukkyo', the teaching of Buddha, and 'Jukyo', the scholarly teaching of Confucius. The name eventually applied to the Christian religion was 'Kirisuto-kyo', the teaching of Christ, but personally, I prefer the term 'Kirisuto-do', the way of Christ. In the New Testament book of 'Acts', the term "way" is frequently used to signify the belief or behavior of followers of Christ. Nowadays, the " way of Christ" is used to mean an ethical ideal such as that Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount. The "way of love" or the "way of self-sacrifice" have a similar implication. In the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John near the beginning of his final discourse to his disciples, Jesus made the statement, "I am the way." In this case, he was not talking about an ethical standard. He was informing his disciples how they could find divine truth and new life through a personal relationship with God their heavenly Father. In the Old Testament, the way to God was by obeying commandments. Christians believe that the way to God is through belief in Christ which will result in a new way of life following his example. -------Today is the first day of May, the fifth month of the year. This English name, spelled M-a-y, is probably derived from the name of an ancient goddess. Mae is the nickname of one of my younger sisters, whose name is Mavis, but in her case it is spelled M-a-e. From ancient times, festivities related to the arrival of spring and making use of mayflowers have been held on what is now called May Day. In many industrial countries, May Day has become a day dedicated to the interests of workers. In the state of Hawaii, however, today is known as Lei Day, and the vowel sound in this word has yet a different spelling. Lei, spelled l-e-i, is the characteristic garland of flowers which Hawaiians place on the necks of visitors and guests to express friendship and the aloha spirit. -------At the meeting last Sunday afternoon, we talked about the color green. Even a small English-Japanese dictionary contains many terms that begin with this word. The day before that meeting was the holiday called Green Day and at the meeting the 49th issue of the publication, "Daily Word" Echoes, was available. In the six Tuesday messages following such a meeting, I suggest themes on which listeners or readers write essays and send to me. These essays are corrected and printed in the next issue of the Echoes. The next, special 50th issue should be available at the special July 30th meeting which will commemorate 15 years of this telephone service and over 5000 different messages. You are invited to submit an essay on the theme of "Green" for that issue. What impression does the word have for you? What memories does it stimulate? What do you think of Green Day or of other terms beginning with "green"? It is common to associate "green" with "grass", but a famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby, will be held this week in the state known as the Blue Grass State because of the peculiar color of the meadow land in that area. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------The following quotation may be a bit difficult for you to understand, but I hope you will recognize its source. It is the translation of a Japanese document which I hope you can easily locate if you wish to read the original words, which should not simply be read, but deeply considered. "We ... desire peace for all time and are deeply conscious of the high ideals controlling human relationship, and we have determined to preserve our security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace-loving peoples of the world. We desire to occupy an honored place in an international society striving for the preservation of peace, and the banishment of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance for all time from the earth. We recognize that all peoples of the world have the right to live in peace, free from fear and want. We believe that no nation is responsible to itself alone, but that laws of political morality are universal, and that obedience to such laws is incumbent upon all nations who would sustain their own sovereignty and justify that sovereign relationship with other nations." This Constitution Day in Japan is a proper time to consider the significance of the Preamble and the entire Constitution of Japan. -------Today, May 4th, is the birthday of the man who became known as the Father of American Public Education. This man's name was Mann, spelled M-a-n-n. His given name was Horace, derived from the legendary Roman hero, Horatius. Horace Mann was born in Franklin, Massachusetts on May 4,1796. His early formal education was sporadic, totaling eight or ten weeks a year under poor teachers, but through his regular visits to the public library and occasional tutoring by an itinerant schoolmaster, he was able to enroll in university when he was 20 years old. He became a lawyer and a state legislator, but left the fields of law and politics to become secretary of the newly established state board of education. During his twelve years in office, he aroused public interest in education, fifty new public schools were opened, training schools for teachers were established, appropriations for education more than doubled and educational methods were greatly improved. The following quotation from a lecture 136 years ago is still relevant today when some well-meaning young people are led astray by unethical leaders: "Virtue is an angel, but she is a blind one and must ask of Knowledge to show her the pathway that leads to her goal." -------In recent weeks, as a result of antisocial, criminal acts in the Tokyo-Yokohama area, we have frequently read the word 'gasu' in Japanese newspapers. The English word, " gas ", may have different meanings. The primary meaning is that used in physics, in which gas is one of the three states of matter along with solids and liquids. Gas maybe changed into a liquid or a solid when compressed. Gas cannot be seen, but some gases may be smelled and their effects can be felt. Poisonous gases may cause pain, lasting injury or death. The mustard gas produced by Germany and used in the First World War as a military weapon is not really a gas. It is a colorless, oily liquid, having a sweet, agreeable odor. The burning sensation it causes on contact with the skin is similar to that caused by oil from black mustard seeds, but it may cause eye irritation, blindness and death. In the United States, "gas" is the term commonly used for the fuel for automobiles, gasoline, which is called "petrol" in England. In the U.S. "gas stations" are the places where cars are gassed, called "service stations" in Japan. Cars require fuel to function properly and so do human beings. Where do we get the spiritual fuel to live morally righteous lives? -------Following graduation from college and working as a construction laborer during the summer of 1948, I left my hometown north of Chicago to go to New York City to attend seminary. Although I had hitchhiked south to Mexico and through western and midwestern states back to Illinois, this was my first trip to the east coast. As was my custom, I hitchhiked there, carrying my suitcase. This mode of transportation was chosen primarily for financial reasons but I also enjoyed the educational, mind-broadening experience it provided. New York City is over 1400 kilometers from my home, but on that first trip there, I made a detour of about 500 kilometers to go through a city where a friend lived whom I had met a couple of years earlier at the University of Mexico. I spent the night at his home and attended church with him on Sunday morning before continuing on my trip to the metropolis. I remember getting a ride into the city with a Jewish couple who were amazed at my naive faith that "God will provide" as I planned to begin my graduate study in the big city, marry while still a student and bring my wife to join me there. The wife commented to her husband, "we also should have more faith like this young man." -------The 18th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke includes Jesus' parable about two men who went up to the Temple to pray. One belonged to the religious sect of the Pharisees, who were very conservative, nationalistic and insisted on strict observance of the Old Testament Law. The other was a tax collector. Because tax collectors were agents of Rome, the foreign government occupying Palestine, and because most tax collectors were also dishonest, they were despised by the Pharisees. The prayer of the Pharisee was filled with self-praise, noting how religious he was and included a disparaging reference to the tax collector. In contrast, the tax collector with downcast eyes simply beat on his breast and said, "God, have pity on me, a sinner." Jesus said that it was the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who was accepted by God. His concluding statement was that "everyone who makes himself great will be humbled and everyone who humbles himself will be made great" [14]. It is a repeated emphasis in Jesus' teaching that his disciples should be humble. He himself left us an example of humility and to speak of a "proud Christian" must be considered a kind of oxymoron, an incongruous or contradictory term. -------A "drug" denotes a substance used as a medicine in the treatment of disease. Therefore, it is natural to think of a drugstore as a store where drugs are sold. In the United States today, drugs are indeed sold at drugstores, but that seems a somewhat minor part of their business. Stationery, household goods, radios, refreshments, snacks and many other things are on sale there. This brings to mind the word "apothecary", spelled a-p-o-t-h-e-c-a-r-y. The present meaning is one who prepares and sells drugs, a pharmacist, but until the 17th century, it meant simply a place where things, including drugs, were stored. It is rooted in the Greek word 'apotheke', found in Matthew 6:26, where Jesus taught that the heavenly Father cares for the birds which do not sow, reap nor store in barns. -------A dictionary on my bookshelf, entitled 'Gairaigo Jiten', is filled with words that have entered Japanese from foreign languages and are written in 'katakana'. I haven't verified the number, but I have no reason to doubt the statement on the cover that there are 23,500 entries. In the Japanese mass media, such loan words abound. In France, there are laws to protect the debasement of the language by the use of foreign words. Signs on imported products must be in French, including the words "play" and "timer set" on a cassette player. French state firms may not give products a foreign name and advertising slogans in a foreign language must be translated into French. All signs in public places must be in French or carry a French translation in characters as large as the original. What do you think of the countless words in 'katakana' seen in newspapers, magazines, advertisements, etc.? Why are there so many? Why are foreign words preferred to Japanese? Do they enhance or hinder the knowledge of foreign languages? "Words of foreign origin" is the theme suggested for an essay this week. I will correct and publish essays sent to me in "Daily Word" Echoes. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. ------- |