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In the Philippines, small villages are called barrios. The orphanage I visited on the Philippine island of Leyte in 1952 was in the barrio of Visares. Around the orphanage was a large area of land owned by the orphanage. One day, I watched as one of the older boys plowed part of the land with a simple plow consisting of a long stick with a metal blade on the end pulled by a carabao. The bodies of these Philippine work animals, also called water buffalo, are often smeared with grayish-green mud from mudholes to keep them cool. The land Cristobal was plowing was to be planted with rice, corn, sweet potatoes or cassava. On other parts of the property there were pineapple plants, banana and coconut trees. The produce of these plants provided some of the food for the orphans. A fairly large section of the land was used for growing abaca. The abaca plants, related to the banana family, are cut down regularly, but new plants grow from the stumps which are left. When the large, long leaves are pulled through a vise-like device with metal teeth, the resultant long, thin, tough thread-like material, known as Manila hemp, becomes the raw material from which rope, cordage and Manila paper is made. -------Jesus taught that to love God was the most important commandment and to love one's neighbor was the second most important one [Matthew 22:37-39]. In Japanese society with its Confucianistic base, this order is reversed for human relationships are considered of primary importance. In Christian thought, however, a right relationship with God is the basis and motivating factor for right relationships among human beings. Consequently, letters in the New Testament often include instruction relating to God at the beginning but end with practical advice about attitudes toward other people. In I Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 14, we find these exhortations: "warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." There are three specific groups of people noted here: the idle, the timid and the weak. Our understanding of the character of God and our own relationship with God will stimulate such responses as warning, encouragement and assistance to those particular types of people, but we should "be patient with everyone". Some people find it very difficult to be patient with others, but when we trust in God and recognize how patient God is with us, we find we are able to be patient with others also. -------Today is a holiday in Japan, Shubun no Hi, literally meaning "day of autumn division". Because on this day the sun sets directly in the west, it is the central day of the 'higan', other shore, period when many Japanese visit cemeteries to pay their respect to ancestors who are now believed to be on the other shore in Amida Buddha's western pure land. Marking the division between summer and fall, today is the beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere, called the autumnal equinox. Equinox is derived from Latin words meaning equal night. Today, night and day are equal and from now on, days will become shorter than nights. Let us remember Jesus' words in John 9:4: "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no man can work." -------You are invited to attend a meeting of listeners to/readers of these "Daily Word" messages this coming Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta-, near the Shinsakae-machi subway station when we will talk about a favorite author, book, magazine or newspaper and tell why we like it. It was exactly 100 years ago today, on September 24, 1896, that one of the great American writers of the 20th century, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is considered the literary spokesman of the "jazz age"--the decade of the 1920s. Part of the interest of his work derives from the fact that the lively, angry, gin-drinking, morally and spiritually bankrupt men and girls he wrote about led lives that closely resembled his own. His first novel, This Side of Paradise, describes the glittering, bored, disillusioned postwar generation at Princeton and The Great Gatsby, his masterpiece, is a devastating portrait of the so-called American dream, which measures success and love in terms of money. To explain why people write books, he explained: "You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you've got something to say." -------Today, September 25th, is the birthday of another great American writer of the 20th century who was born in 1897 in the southern part of the United States. Most of his novels are set in an imaginary area in Mississippi he called Yoknapatawpha county. In them, he examined the effects of the dissolution of traditional values and authority on all levels of Southern society. A main theme of his novels is the abuse of blacks by Southern whites. One of his early novels was entitled The Sound and the Fury. During the latter part of his life, William Faulkner lived as a virtual recluse in a pre-Civil War mansion he purchased in Oxford, Mississippi. He was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in literature. In a speech delivered in 1965, he said: "To live anywhere in the world today and be against equality because of race or color, is like living in Alaska and being against snow." I don't know if you have read any of Faulkner's novels, but favorite authors, books, magazines and newspapers will be the theme at our meeting on Sunday afternoon at the Nagoya Geijutsu Sozo Senta- near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. The meeting will begin at 1:30. You are invited to attend and tell us your favorite author, book or reading material. -------Today's message is the third one this week related to a distinguished literary figure of the 20th century. This man was born in the United States 108 years ago today, on September 26, 1888, but he became a naturalized British citizen in 1927. In 1948, he won the Nobel prize in literature. After first working as a teacher and bank clerk, he began a publishing career. He is now well-known not only for his complex poetry, which includes myths and religious symbolism, but for his literary and social criticism as well. In his poem, The Four Quartets, Thomas Stearns Eliot indicated one of the difficulties that both serious writers and speakers face in their attempt to communicate precisely. He wrote: "Words strain, / Crack and sometimes break, under the burden, / Under the tension, slip, slide, perish, / Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place, / Will not stay still." T.S. Eliot may not be your favorite writer, but I and other attenders of the meeting of "Daily Word" fans on Sunday afternoon would like to know who is. The theme for the meeting is a favorite writer, book, magazine or newspaper, whether in English or Japanese, and you are invited to attend. We will meet at 1:30 at the Nagoya Geijutsu Sozo Senta-, near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. -------An election campaign is now under way in the United States. That country is both a republic and a democracy and the names of its two main political parties are the Republican party and the Democratic party. Do you know the traditional symbols of these two parties? The symbol of the Democratic party is a donkey and that of the Republican party is an elephant. I presume there are special reasons why these particular symbols were chosen, but both of them were created by a famous cartoonist who was born in Germany on September 27, 1840, 156 years ago today and was brought to the United States when he was six years old. Thomas Nast became well-known for his clever and forceful political cartoons for Harper's Weekly during the Civil War. He was also the one who created the popular caricature of the figure called Uncle Sam with his white beard, tall hat, star-spangled vest and striped trousers as a symbol of the United States. You are invited to the meeting of "Daily Word" fans on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. There, we will talk about a favorite book, author, magazine or newspaper. -------I first went to the Philippines in 1952 to observe the work of our church in that country. At that time, the work was centered in a small barrio on Leyte island where our church representative, a Filipino, had purchased land and built an orphanage with funds from America. Of course, I had a camera with me and took many pictures in the form of slides to be shown at meetings in the U. S. I also carried with me a slide projector which I had planned to use to show the slides I had brought. I did not realize that there was no electricity in Leyte barrios. One day, I took the bumpy, dusty bus ride to the nearest city an hour or so away. There, I tried to rent a generator to take back to the orphanage so I could show my slides. I also tried to buy film for my camera and stamps to mail a letter. It happened to be a government holiday, however, so the post office was closed. The film I needed was not available in that city. And I found out that the battery-powered generator did not activate the slide projector. When a man plugged the projector into an electrical outlet, it ruined the projector lamp because electric power in the Philippines was 220 volts and that was a 110-volt lamp. It was quite an unlucky day. -------A number of English words begin with a prefix derived from a Greek word for love, including "philosophy", love of wisdom, "philanthropy", love of mankind, and "Philadelphia", love of brothers. The American "city of brotherly love" was named by its Quaker founder to express his hope for that community. The Greek word, 'philadelphia', is found in the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 1. In the next verse, we find a related word, philoxenias, which means love of strangers. Readers of this letter were exhorted not only to keep on loving their fellow believers as brothers (and sisters), but to manifest their love and concern for strangers also. Even as the love of God is not limited to a certain race or class of people, people who consider themselves children of God should likewise show love to all people. Expressing an understanding, loving attitude toward foreigners as well as fellow countrymen may be especially difficult for an island nation whose citizens are basically of the same ethnic background, but in the present global village especially, we should all strive to discard traditional prejudices based on the national origin, race or gender of a certain person and to show love and respect to strangers as well as to brothers. -------A ship at sea is constantly in motion. Not only is it making horizontal progress toward its destination but it also rolls and pitches vertically as it rides the waves. As a result, passengers on the ship may experience seasickness. This temporary illness is also called nausea, spelled n-a-u-s-e-a. Nausea is a stomach disturbance which induces an impulse to vomit. This word is actually derived from the Greek word, 'naus', meaning "ship". This word is found only once in the Greek New Testament, in Acts 27:41. It should be noted that the adjective, nauseous, means "causing nausea", but the person suffering from nausea is said to be nauseated. Therefore, to say that someone is nauseous does not mean that that person is sick but that he or she makes other people sick. -------For the benefit of new listeners to or readers of these daily telephone messages, I will provide the following information. Printed copies of the messages are mailed out before they are transmitted on the telephone to those who request them by sending me a self-addressed, stamped envelope plus ¥30 in stamps for every week of messages desired. Japanese translations of the previous week's messages are also available for an extra ¥30 per copy. These messages may also be viewed on the English Forum of the NIFTY-Serve computer network and on the Internet. In my Tuesday messages, I often suggest a theme on which one may write a short English essay which I will correct and print in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. The theme I am suggesting today is related to a favorite author, book, magazine or newspaper along with the writer's explanation about why he or she likes that particular author, book, magazine or newspaper. I would also be happy to receive letters from listeners or readers with comments or suggestions regarding this telephone service. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463, Japan. -------An increasing number of Japanese students are going overseas and living with a host family while attending school in order to broaden their minds and learn from personal experience about other countries and their cultures, but did you know that a similar program is being conducted within Japan to acquaint city children with nature and living conditions in a rural area? In the cities, living things, including human beings, are not so highly respected as in the country. Local farmers of a small village in Hokkaido are inviting children from urban areas to live with a host family and learn about life on the farm while attending the local primary school, Toyokanbetsu Elementary School in the village of Hamatonbetsu, which has only 18 pupils at present. Five children from Tokyo and Nagoya are now participating in this program. Initially, the children were afraid of cattle, but now some of them are feeding calves every day after school. The school's head teacher hopes that more urban children will register for the program and learn about nature. Living close to nature and thoughtfully considering its order and beauty may become a path to belief in its Creator. The Italian poet, Dante, referred to nature as "the art of God." -------A collar is the part of a garment that encircles the neck. When used informally as a verb, it means to detain someone, as though we seized the person by the collar. When a policemen collars someone, it means that person has been arrested. In the West, the color of a collar has been used to indicate a person's occupation. A blue-collar worker is a manual laborer who usually wears work clothes during his or her work, while a white-collar worker is a salaried or professional worker whose work does not involve manual labor and who is expected to dress with some degree of formality. To "get hot under the collar" is an expression meaning to become indignant, angry or irritated. In Japan, an interesting expression was coined over a hundred years ago to mean a stylish person who was infatuated with Western fashions, including high collars, at that time. 'Hai-kara' is not an English term. This Japanese word has been translated into English as smart, chic, fashionable, stylish, modish and dandyish. The word "collar" is found once in the King James Version of the Bible, in Job 30:18. According to a modern translation, Job bemoans his sickness with these words: "God seizes me by my collar and twists my clothes out of shape." -------Millet, spelled m-i-l-l-e-t, is a kind of grass. In Europe and Asia it is cultivated for its seed, but in America it is used as hay. The surname of a famous French artist is spelled the same, but is pronounced 'milay'. Jean Francois Millet was born into a poor farming family in a French village on October 4, 1814, 182 years ago today. He first worked as a farm laborer, but his aptitude for painting was so evident that he was sent to study with a painter in Cherbourg and later studied in Paris. Eventually, he settled in a small village and shared the life of the peasants there. His paintings depict peasant life with such simplicity, dignity and truth that he has been called a social realist. His most famous paintings include The Sower, which reminds us of Jesus' parable in the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Mark and of the trademark of Iwanami Publishers, The Gleaners, which reminds us of the story in the 2nd chapter of the book of Ruth, and The Angelus, depicting a peasant couple standing in the field, pausing during their work to pray, as a church bell sounds in the distance. These paintings, which are well-known not only among Christians, are now found in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Louvre in Paris. -------During my visit to the hinterland of the Philippine island of Leyte in 1952, I ate with thanksgiving the meals set before me. As in Japan, the main part of the meal was rice, though it was of a different variety and cooked differently than in Japan. Chicken, fish and eggs often accompanied the rice along with some vegetables. What I particularly enjoyed was the wide variety of fruit. Bananas, pineapples and mangoes were plentiful as well as other kinds of fruit. My main complaint during my trip was related to beverages. It is hot in the Philippines and after a long walk or ride under the burning sun, my dry throat longed for a cool drink, but none was available. Many small shops along the road had large signs or billboards advertising Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola or an orange drink, but since there was no way to keep them cool, they were all lukewarm. At the orphanage where I was staying, special consideration was given to provide me with milk, but it was condensed milk from a can which was also lukewarm. Though gratefully received, it was not satisfying. Even the fresh water that had been carried in large tin cans from a spring some distance away was tepid by the time it reached the table. I thus gained a new appreciation of Proverbs 25:25 about a drink of cold water when thirsty. -------In Japanese tradition, fall is the most enjoyable season of the year. Many festivals are held around harvest time and the harvest moon is considered so special that moon-viewing ceremonies are held on certain nights when the moon is full. Looking up at a clear autumn sky with its twinkling stars and bright shining moon can be a deeply moving experience. Almost 3000 years ago, one man expressed his feeling upon looking up at the heavens in a poetic prayer found in the 8th Psalm: "When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" It was the conviction of the biblical writers that the universe was the creation of God. They also believed that human beings, created in the "image of God", held a special place in the divine plan, that God cared for them and that only in relationship with their Creator could these creatures find true happiness. If you have a chance to gaze at the night sky during this season, what are your thoughts regarding how the beautiful, orderly, purposeful universe came into being and regarding the place of human beings, including yourself, in the universal drama? -------A number of words in English are rooted in a Latin word meaning "to stand", including "state", "status", "statue", "statute", "stature" and "station", and "station" itself has a variety of meanings. The place or position where one is assigned to stand, one's post, may be called a station as well as a building from which operations are directed, such as a police station, or a stopping place along a route to refuel or take on passengers, such as a gas station or a train station. The word pronounced 'stashunere' has two different spellings and different meanings. When the final three letters are a-r-y, the word means fixed, or not moving, but the word ending in e-r-y signifies writing materials or a store that sells such materials. The status of a stationery in a station may not be stationary. -------In the United States and Canada, this week is known as Fire Prevention Week. It is a commemoration of the disastrous fire that erupted in Chicago, Illinois 125 years ago today and has since been known as the Chicago Fire. The fire began in the barn of Patrick O'Leary on Sunday evening following a hot, dry summer. By the time it was extinguished 27 hours later, it had destroyed about 18,000 buildings over some 850 hectares of land, causing almost 300 deaths and $200 million in damages. Over 98,000 people were left homeless. On the same day, a forest fire destroyed the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, leaving some 600 dead. The theme suggested for an essay this week is "Fire". The discovery of how to make fire was important in the development of civilization and some religions consider fire as divine. According to the 3rd chapter of Exodus, God first spoke to Moses through a fire. Fire can be used for both beneficial and destructive purposes. What uses have you made of it? What thoughts, memories or ideas do you have related to it? 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 Japan. -------The English language has an alphabet of 26 letters. The word "alphabet" is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. Theoretically, each letter of the alphabet represents a particular sound, but the English alphabet is very confusing for the same letter may represent a variety of sounds. One reason for this is that English words are derived from other languages using the same letters but with different pronunciations. In Japanese, a different problem exists. The two Japanese syllabaries in which symbols represent syllables are regular in their pronunciation, but there are many Chinese characters with a variety of pronunciations. The Korean language has similarities to and differences from both Chinese and Japanese. As in Japan, Chinese characters were first used to write in Korean, but in the 15th century a Korean alphabet was devised, called Hangul, and today is a public holiday in Korea commemorating the proclamation of that Korean alphabet by King Sejong in 1446. The last letter in the Greek alphabet is omega and in the last chapter of the Christian Bible, we finds these words attributed to Jesus: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." -------Today is a holiday in Japan called Tai-iku no Hi, Day of Physical Training. It is the only one of the four traditional spheres of education (moral, intellectual, aesthetic and physical=toku, chi, bi and tai-iku) that has a special day dedicated to it. October 10th became a legal holiday in 1966, two years after the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics was held on this day. Keeping our bodies in good physical condition is important and should be encouraged for children and young people and for senior citizens also. The physical stamina of children and youth in the affluent conditions of modern Japan is less than before, but is not this also true in regard to their moral and aesthetic development? A truly well-rounded education must include moral and spiritual training as well as physical and mental education. And the basic place for such education is in the home with both parents serving not only as instructors but also as examples. A wise person has written these words: "Education does not commence with the alphabet; it begins with a mother's look, with a father's nod of approbation or a sign of reproof, with thoughts directed in sweet and kindly tones and words to nature, to beauty, to acts of benevolence, to deeds of virtue, and to the source of all good--to God Himself." -------Being the wife of a national leader can be very frustrating, especially when the wife has convictions of her own. Hillary Clinton has been the object of both adoration and vilification, but she may be encouraged by the example of one of her predecessors who was born 112 years ago today, on October 11, 1884 in New York City. Eleanor Roosevelt did not need to change her surname when she married her distant cousin, Franklin, who became governor of New York, then president of the United States. She was an active worker in social causes both before and after her marriage. After her husband was stricken with poliomyelitis and became an invalid, her political activity increased. While raising her five children, she was active in women's organizations and encouraged youth movements. She worked vigorously to promote consumer welfare and the civil rights of minorities and to combat poor housing and unemployment. She wrote a syndicated newspaper column and served as the U. S. delegate to the United Nations. Of her, it was written, "No woman has ever so comforted the distressed nor so distressed the comfortable." And she herself made the significant statement: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -------The small village on Leyte Island in the Philippines where our church orphanage was located had no waterworks. There was a community well, but water from a spring further away was considered more sanitary, so everyday children from the orphanage carried water from the spring to the orphanage. The water was carried in the large 20-liter cans used for kerosene in Japan. Larger orphans carried a can on their shoulder. Two-person teams of smaller ones carried a can between them that hung from a pole resting on their shoulders. There was also a simple one-wheeled device similar to a wheelbarrow in which a can of water was placed. Clothes were washed in a nearby stream where they were beaten with sticks on rocks in the stream and then hung on nearby trees to dry. Baths were also taken in that stream, but special arrangements were made for their visitor from Japan. A very large container of water was filled and placed in the orphanage yard. A curtain was hung over a simple frame on one side to give a semblance of privacy. With a smaller can, I was able to dip water from the large can and pour it over my body, as I had done in furoba in Japan, but the water in this case was unheated. -------When the word "justify" is used by printers, it means to adjust lines to the proper length. When used by lawyers, it means to demonstrate good reason for an action taken. But when used by theologians, it means to free a person from the guilt and penalty of sin. A basic question in religion is how a person is "justified" or "saved", how one becomes spiritually healthy or whole. Some religions teach that people must perform certain ceremonies, repeat sacred words or engage in ascetic training to gain salvation or enlightenment. The New Testament letters to the churches in Rome and Galatia in particular emphasize the Christian position that a person is justified by faith, not by performing ceremonies or obeying commandments. According to Galatians, chapter 2, verse 16, a person "is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ." "Justification by faith" was the provocative cry of Martin Luther in his attempt to restore the New Testament emphasis to the church of his day. Today also, Christians recognize the inability of weak and sinful human beings to save themselves or to reach heaven through their own efforts alone. We need divine help received through humble faith in the grace of a just and loving God. -------Have you ever been invited to a barbecue? To answer this question, of course, you must know what a barbecue is. Spelled b-a-r-b-e-c-u-e, it is a social gathering, usually held outdoors, at which food is prepared on a barbecue. In the United States in the summer, barbecues are often held on spacious lawns of suburban homes. The cooking utensil called a barbecue is a grill having metal bars on which meat and other food is broiled. This word, which can also be used as a verb, is rooted in a word originally used on the island of Haiti for a simple framework of sticks on which a whole animal was roasted over an open fire. The word entered English by way of Spanish. It has been said that at a barbecue, "the food is apt to be rare and the guests well done." -------In Japan these days foreign-made articles, including handbags, satchels, briefcases and the like are quite popular. Though expensive, some people are willing to pay for the added prestige or sophistication which they represent. In the old days, such containers were not needed because of a unique Japanese article which was much simpler and more convenient. The square piece of cloth called a furoshiki, or bath cloth, was originally used in connection with the public bath. This wrapping cloth, like Japanese philosophy, is flexible and can be used to carry many different kinds of articles, for its shape changes depending upon its contents rather than keeping the firm form of Western-style bags or concepts. In former days, take-home presents for wedding guests were usually tied in a furoshiki. Furoshiki is the suggested theme for an essay this week. What do you think of these wrapping cloths. Do you ever use one these days? Did you use one in the past? What thoughts or memories does this word bring to your mind. What are its advantages? Why is it not so popular these days and what do you think about its future? Essays sent to me will be corrected and printed in "Daily Word" Echoes. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463, Japan. -------Leaders or rulers of nations and other groups are chosen in different ways depending on the constitution or rules of the particular organization. On this coming Sunday, Japanese voters will elect representatives related to certain political parties who will then choose the country's prime minister. Sixteen days later, on the first Tuesday of November, an election will be held in the United States when American voters will vote directly for their president and vice-president. Eighteen years ago today, on October 16, 1978, the present head of the Roman Catholic Church, John Paul II, was elected pope following the sudden death of his predecessor a mere 34 days after his election to the papacy. The pope, who is actually the bishop of Rome, was originally elected in the same manner as other bishops. Both the clergy and laity of the diocese, the district under a bishop, participated in the election, but now the election is carried out by a limited number of cardinals who have been appointed by the pope. The present pope, who was born in Poland in 1920, is the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years. The 76-year-old pontiff has recently undergone an operation but we wish him a speedy recovery. -------Election campaigns are now under way in Japan and the United States. In both countries, political views are being expressed by candidates, who may be called "radical", "extremist", "liberal", "progressive", "moderate" or "conservative". Today, we will consider the roots of such words. Actually, "radical" is rooted in a Latin word meaning "root". A person who advocates fundamental changes in government which will affect its very root may be called a radical. An "extremist" is one who holds an extreme position, whether it be extremely liberal or extremely conservative. "Liberal", from the Latin word for "free", is used for people who emphasize freedom from traditional ideas and individual freedom to try new methods. Some liberals prefer the term "progressive", from the Latin word for "walking forward" or making progress. A "moderate", from a Latin word meaning "reduce", seeks to take a position between two extremes and to reduce the excesses of radicals. Finally, "conservative", from Latin words meaning "keep with", is used for those who seek to conserve or preserve traditions. Voters should listen carefully to the views of candidates and make wise decisions to choose those best-fitted to serve the people. -------Students of a foreign language must recognize that words with proper meanings are sometimes used in a slang or vulgar way to denote something entirely different and even improper. In recent months, the word "bitch" has been the source of controversy in Japan because it was used on T-shirts along with the figure of a man holding a pistol to the head of a woman. "Bitch" literally denotes a female dog but it has become a slang term for a spiteful or lewd woman. Consequently, it must be used with care. Recently, the name of a Japanese company has caused a problem in China because the name, Nojiri, considered a proper name in Japan, was determined to be indecent in China. Literally it means "field buttocks", usually interpreted as the "backside or end of a field" in Japanese. A vulgar word in English used for the buttocks is "ass", which is a proper word for a donkey and a figurative term for a foolish person. My niece was given a name which meant "bright, happy, lively" when she was born. But since "gay" has come to mean homosexual, she now uses her middle name instead. Serious language students must be aware of the delicate nuances of words and the changes that continue to occur in living languages. -------The residents of the orphanage I visited on the Philippine island of Leyte in 1952 ranged in age from pre-school age to teenagers. During the day, all of them had certain assigned tasks to perform. Some helped in the kitchen, setting and clearing the tables or preparing the food. Others worked in the surrounding field: plowing, cutting or harvesting. Water had to be carried from the spring and the rice required grinding. Rice with the husks still on was placed in a hole cut out of a large block of wood. It was then pounded with the ends of long poles by two or three pounders standing around it--similar to the mochi-pounders in Japan. After sufficient pounding, it was winnowed by placing it in a shallow wicker basket and tossing it into the air to let the wind blow away the chaff. To clean the upper, wooden floor of the orphanage, children pushed half of a large coconut husk across the floor under their bare feet. The dining tables on the first floor had long seats on both sides on which the diners sat, but since there were only a few chairs available, at other times most of the orphans sat on the wooden floor which was covered by thin mats for them to sleep on at night. -------In Japan, some people change their names in the hope that it will change their fortunes. The Bible contains stories of men whose names were changed for other reasons. Well-known examples in the New Testament are Simon, who was called Peter, and Saul, who became known as Paul. The 32nd chapter of the Old Testament book of Genesis ends with a strange story of how the name of Jacob was changed to Israel. It tells of an all night wrestling match between Jacob and an unknown man. Jacob sensed that the man was more than human and refused to let him go unless he gave Jacob his blessing. Before his departure the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." "Israel" here was interpreted to mean "he struggles with God", but it may also mean "God struggles". The history of the descendants of Jacob, or Israel, makes clear that while people may struggle with God to gain blessing, it is God who prevails. Today, "Israel" is the name of the country where Israel's descendants are in control, but the mutual struggle continues. The Israelis are struggling with God and men and God and men are struggling with them. -------Drugs may be used as medicine in treating diseases, but illegal drug use is an insidious problem in the United States and is becoming a problem in Japan as well. The most common narcotic drugs are opium, morphine and heroin. Opium is derived from the dried juice of unripe pods of the poppy plant. The word itself is derived from a Greek word meaning "juice". Morphine is derived from opium. Used by doctors to deaden pain and thus permit patients to go to sleep and dream, the word is derived from the name of the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus. Heroin is derived from morphine, but instead of putting people to sleep, it tends to inflate their egos and make them feel like conquering heroes. And that is how it got its name, from the Greek word 'heros', meaning "hero". -------Those who receive written copies of these telephone messages will see the figure 5510 at the end of today's message. That means that this is the 5510th different message composed and transmitted through this "Daily Word" telephone service. Today is the day I suggest a theme for an essay for the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. It will be the 317th such theme. I try not to duplicate themes, but thinking of new themes is becoming difficult. The inspiration for today's theme came while looking at a Japanese reference book which stated that on this day (October 22nd) in 1933, a 'ringo jiken' occurred in connection with a Sokei-sen, (Waseda/Keio University competition). I have no idea what the "Apple Incident" involved, but I am suggesting "Apples" as the subject for essays this week. Apples are a popular fruit in Japan, but the United States is accusing Japanese officials of raising unreasonable barriers to their importation from the U.S. Do you like apples? Do you eat them often? These days, I usually eat an apple every day. What thoughts or memories do you have regarding apples, how they are grown and how they are used? This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463 Japan. -------Matter exists in three different states, as a solid, a liquid or a gas. The most common liquid in the world is water. When water is frozen, it becomes a solid called ice. When it is heated, it changes into a gas called steam. In its true gaseous state, steam is invisible. The steam that we can see is actually tiny droplets of water that are formed when the steam begins to cool. If one looks closely at the spout of a boiling teakettle, one can observe a small empty space between the spout and the mist. That is the invisible water vapor, or steam, in its pure state. An interesting characteristic of water is that it expands when it freezes. That is why ice floats on water. But water expands much more when converted into steam when its volume increases about 1,600 times. The force produced by this conversion is the basis of the steam engines that have had such an influence in the industrial world. In the Bible, water is a symbol of God's Spirit, related to its bringing satisfaction to thirsty souls, stimulating life and growth and cleansing from uncleanness. In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus taught that one must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. -------One of the most famous nursery rhymes in English begins with these words: "Mary had a little lamb, / It's fleece was white as snow; / And everywhere that Mary went / The lamb was sure to go." When Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, he repeated this poem as the first words to be recorded in sound. The poem was composed by an American writer who was born in Newport, New Hampshire 208 years ago today, on October 24, 1788. Following her husband's death in 1822, Sarah Josepha Hale devoted herself to writing and to the advancement of women and their rights. She became the editor of the Ladies' Magazine and, later, of Godey's Ladies Book. Ms. Hale strongly influenced fashions and manners of her day, cultivated female authors, encouraged the employment of women medical missionaries and constantly urged the higher education of women. Her frequent editorials, letters to governors and presidents became the main incentive for the establishment of a national Thanksgiving Day by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The poem about Mary's Lamb which appeared in 'Poems for Our Children', published in 1830, ends with advice to be kind to animals, which should be given to children today also. -------Many years ago in an English composition class I remember being told that a proper newspaper report of a current event will include answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why. Today I will focus on the usage of the word "where". As an interrogative adverb, the basic meaning of this word is "at or in what place". But, as you know, the use of prepositions in English is a difficult problem which is often governed by common usage rather than grammatical rules. When "where" refers to "the place from which" it requires the preposition "from", so we ask "where do you come from?" But when it refers to "the place to which", it requires no preposition, so we simply say, "where did he go?" There are a number of words with "where" as their base, including whereas, whereby, wherein, whereto and wherefore, which are not necessarily interrogatives. This last word is found in a famous quotation from Shakespeare's drama, Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet cries out, "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?" Some readers mistakenly understand this "wherefore" to mean "where", but actually it means "why". "Wherefore" may also mean "therefore", as in Jesus' words in the classical translation of Matthew 7:20. -------When I visited our church's orphanage in the Philippines in 1952, I flew from Manila to Tacloban, the provincial capital on the eastern coast of the island of Leyte. From there I took a bus to the village in the middle of the island where the orphanage was located. When I left there to return to Japan, I took a bus to a city on the western coast of the island and boarded an overnight ferry to the island of Cebu to take a plane back to Manila. While waiting to board the ferry, I had a meal in a restaurant owned by a man who was enrolled in a Master of Arts course at a university. In my conversation with him, I was happy to hear that he was considering the church orphanage as the subject of his thesis, for he had heard stories of children residing there whose behavior had been changed, not through the conventional methods of force or strict discipline, but through kind, sympathetic understanding and prayer. On the plane to Manila, I met a gentleman from Switzerland, who kindly took me in his car to the hotel where the airline had made a reservation for me. I was able to spend the next day and a half walking around Manila until my plane left for Tokyo. At the stop in Okinawa, I saw a number of jet fighters returning from their trip to Korea during the war there. -------One definition of a sheep is a mammal raised for its wool, edible flesh, or skin. But another definition is a person "who is meek and submissive, one who is easily swayed or led". A common characteristic of sheep is their need for a shepherd to follow. Without such a leader, they easily become confused and get lost. The end of the 9th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew tells of Jesus going through towns and villages, teaching, preaching and healing. It states that "when he saw the crowds he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Then he urged his disciples to pray for more workers to help in his ministry of demonstrating God's love to troubled people, but after urging them to pray for more workers, Jesus sent out those very disciples to engage in such a ministry themselves. As we look at people around us today, what impression do we receive of their spiritual condition? If we have the compassionate eyes of Jesus and see people in need, we will also desire to alleviate their distress. We may pray for more workers in the spiritual harvest field, but we should also be willing to become ministers of God's love to them ourselves. -------Readers of the King James Version of the Bible know that "ye", spelled y-e, is the classical English form of the plural "you". Another old English word, however, is spelled the same but is pronounced 'the'. This word is found in the names of some quaint English shops and is usually followed by a word spelled o-l-d-e, meaning "old". The reason for this strange pronunciation of the letter "y" is because early printers used a "y" for a different symbol that represented the "th" sound. The Mayflower Contract, signed on the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620, begins with the words, "In ye name of God, amen." I presume you know that the definite article spelled t-h-e is pronounced 'the' when it comes before a vowel and 'the' when it comes before a consonant. -------Today is a national holiday in Turkey, commemorating the 73rd anniversary of its becoming a republic on this day in 1923. Since that time, however, it has changed its constitution twice and there continues to be tension regarding the place of religion in its society. Although the Japanese Constitution, which was put into effect almost fifty years ago, has never been changed, an election of representatives was recently held under a new electoral system. As a result, there is a new alignment of political forces and a new government has been formed. Looking back on this election, what are your thoughts regarding the present state of democracy in Japan? What is your reaction to the results of the election? Are you happy with the new government and do you feel comfortable in regard to the direction Japan seems to be headed? Do you think changes are needed in election procedures, the government bureaucracy, the Constitution or the way the Constitution is interpreted or applied? I will correct essays sent to me on the theme of the present state of Japan's democracy and print them in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------One of the characteristics of recent American presidential campaigns has been the televised debates between the two candidates. This year, there were two debates between the presidential candidates and one between the vice-presidential candidates. Many commentators have suggested that the vice-presidential debate this year was the beginning of the presidential campaign four years from now for both Mr. Gore and Mr. Kemp are possible candidates of their respective parties in the next presidential election. The first vice president of the United States, who served under George Washington and was born 161 years ago today, on October 30, 1735, became the second president. His name was John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth president. Regarding the post of vice president, John Adams offered his opinion that it was "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." But in regard to the character of democratic government, he made the following important statement: "As the happiness of the people is the sole end of government, so the consent of the people is the only foundation of it." -------Today, October 31st, is a legal holiday in one of the American states. It was admitted as the 36th state on this day in 1864 by proclamation of President Lincoln in the closing months of the Civil War when it was recognized that senators from the new state were needed to push through legislation abolishing slavery. Much of the state is desert, but there is also a mountain range in the western part of the state from which it got its name, which comes from Spanish and means "snow-clad". The state is famous for its legalized gambling and the speedy marriages and divorces which it permits. It is the state of Nevada, which lies between Utah and California. The largest city in the state is the gambling center of Las Vegas and the second largest is Reno, the city of quick marriages and divorces. Carson City, the capital, is the sixth largest city in the state with a population of less than one-sixth that of Las Vegas. Although its mines produce large quantities of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc, its gambling industry provides the greatest income for the state. Dice are used in many gambling games. "Dice" is the plural of "die", and there is a pertinent saying that "The best throw of the dice is to throw them away". -------Interesting articles related to smoking have recently appeared in the newspaper. One noted that, in the United Kingdom, people in Northern Ireland are the heaviest smokers. Another reported that the town council in a suburb of Washington, D. C. had voted to ban smoking in all public places, both indoors and outdoors, which would prohibit smoking even on the street. But the most interesting article was about a survey conducted among 1,325 executives in Brazil's financial center of Sao Paulo. It found that smokers earned substantially less than their non-smoking counterparts and that this wage discrepency increased with age. Among smokers aged 40 to 44, the average monthly salary of smokers was $801 less than nonsmokers. Between the ages of 60 to 64, the gap had widened and smokers received $2,100 less than nonsmokers. The survey coordinator suggested that "smokers have less energy, less desire and a character that is resistant to change." The survey implied that quitting smoking was the best way to improve a smoker's salary and status within a company, noting that 56 percent of nonsmoking executives were once smokers. It would be interesting to compare this survey in Brazil with a similar one conducted in Japan. -------Following my two-week visit to the Philippines in 1952, I returned to Japan and to my language school classes in Tokyo. My wife also attended the same school but was in a different class. At that time, classes were held in a church building a few minutes' walk from the Suidobashi train station. In a newsletter I wrote at that time, I noted two events that occurred during our language school classes one day in the middle of May. First, classes were recessed for about ten minutes to give the students an opportunity to view a procession which was passing down the street in front of the church. In the procession were robed priests walking slowly and men and boys boisterously carrying a couple of portable shrines (mikoshi) on their shoulders. It was the first such shrine festival we had seen, so we were very interested. Next, soon after returning to our classrooms on the upper floors of the building, we were suddenly shaken by the strongest earthquake we had experienced until that time. It was a strange sensation to feel the building vibrate, to see lights and pictures on the wall sway and to view the building next door trembling also. In language school days, we learned more about Japan than its language. -------The writings which have been collected into the book called the Bible were written over hundreds of years hundreds of years ago in a particular area. Needless to say, those writings reflect conditions of the time and place in which they were written. Nevertheless, they continue to be read, studied carefully and considered an ethical standard even today by many educated people around the world. Christians perceive divinely inspired truth in those writings which is relevant to all times and places. Exhortations relating to proper relationships within the home found in the Letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, verses 18 and following, for example, reflect the social order of that day, but a couple of peculiar emphases are included. First, there is a recognition of a mutuality of responsibility. Both husbands as well as wives, fathers as well as children and masters as well as slaves are to act in a moral manner. Second, all are to act in recognition of their responsibility to God, who is the supreme authority. Despite the difference in social conditions, in time and place, these basic emphases remain valid. We are to act with due consideration for the rights of others, recognizing our own subordinate position under a righteous, loving God. -------A person who is foolishly and tearfully sentimental may be said to be "maudlin", spelled m-a-u-d-l-i-n. This word is derived from the name of Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus. Because she is first mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 8, following the story of a sinful woman who wept at Jesus feet and anointed them with perfume, she was early identified with that woman. As a result, Mary Magdalene has been unjustifiably represented as a reformed prostitute whose eyes were red from weeping, so now, a person who whines or cries easily, sometimes after drinking too much, may be said to be "maudlin". Incidentally, both Oxford and Cambridge have a college named after Magdalene. Although the former spells it with no final e, both of them are pronounced 'modlin'. -------In many ways, the United States is considered to be progressive, rational and innovative. But in at least one area, it appears to be conservative, irrational and backward. It is the only technologically advanced country in the world where the metric system is not in general use. Actually, the metric system is the nation's official system, but it is generally ignored by most citizens, who prefer an old, complicated English system of miles, yards, feet and inches, gallons, quarts and pints, pounds and ounces. In Japan, the metric system is in general use, but such terms as 'ken, shaku, sun, tsubo, koku, sho' and 'go' continue to be used at times, especially in certain areas. The metric system and the traditional measurement system is the suggested theme for an essay this week. What are the advantages of the former? Why is the latter still used in some cases? Do you ever use terms related to the old system? What thoughts or memories do you have related to these measurement systems? I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. My address is: "Daily Word" Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463, Japan. Please send all essays to reach me by November 26th. -------The English word "basket" denotes a container made of woven material or something resembling a basket in shape or function, but the Japanese word 'basuketto' is often used to mean "basketball". The "baskets" now used in that game are metal hoops from which an open-bottomed, circular net is suspended, but when the game was invented back in 1891, actual bushel baskets were used. The inventor of the game was a physical education instructor at the international YMCA Training School at Springfield, Massachusetts in the United States. His name was James Naismith and he was born 135 years ago today, on November 6, 1861 in Ontario, Canada. He invented the game in the hope of relieving student boredom in his classes and he succeeded. At first, a soccer ball was used, but kicking the ball was not permitted. The basic rules of the game have continued throughout the years, but the original peach baskets were soon changed to net baskets and open-bottomed nets, which made the game much faster, began to be used in 1912. An American coach stated that basketball requires "balance, coordination and speedy reactions, not great physical strength, but mental stability and courage". -------The word "obese", spelled o-b-e-s-e, is derived from a Latin word meaning "to eat". An obese person is one who is very fat. Many people get fat from eating too much and not getting enough exercise. Recent statistics reveal that, for the first time, overweight people in the United States outnumber those of normal weight. U. S. government guidelines suggest that people should keep their body mass indexes under 25. Body mass index, or BMI, is found by dividing one's weight by one's height squared. My weight, for example, is 77 kilograms and my height is 1.77 centimeters. The square of 1.77 is 3.13. When 77 is divided by 3.13, the result is 24.6, which is just under the limit. According to the statistics, 59 percent of American men and 49 percent of women have BMIs over 25 with people in their 50s being the fattest. In 1961, President Kennedy said: "We are under-exercised as a nation. We look instead of play. We ride instead of walk. Our existence deprives us of the minimum of physical activity essential for healthy living." Juvenal, a Roman satirist in the first century wrote, "We should pray for a sane mind in a sound body". Both our bodies and minds are gifts from God which should be kept healthy and used conscientiously. -------The railing in a courtroom, behind which judges sit, is called a "bar". Lawyers represent their clients before the "bar" and the legal profession itself may also be called the "bar". In England lawyers who are qualified to plead at the bar in superior courts wear gowns and wigs and are called "barristers". One such white, curly-haired wig covers the black hair of a 26-year-old man from Tokyo, the only Japanese barrister practicing law in English courts. In 1989, Yutaka Yazawa took a year off from Keio University to travel around Britain to improve his English. After obtaining a law degree from London School of Economics, he became a qualified barrister, but not being a graduate of Oxford or Cambridge and not having attended a prestigious private boarding school (which in Britain is called a public school), he had a difficult time finding a job. Now, working in a law firm of a London barrister who has a Japanese wife, he feels he is overcoming the initial reluctance of clients to be represented by a foreigner. It seems that Britain, that important island nation off the European continent, needs to make further progress in the area of internationalization, as does this important island nation off the Asian continent. Mr. Yazawa is helping in that important effort. -------At present, my Saturday messages are based on information found in newsletters sent to our church in the U. S. over forty years ago. Today, I will mention difficulties noted at that time to find the house of a particular family in Tokyo simply by knowing its address. Streets did not have names as in the U. S. Districts had names; at times, lots on one side of a street had a different address than that on the opposite side. Moreover, house lots in a particular district were not given consecutive numbers. I was told that lot numbers were given in order of their registration rather than their location. Thus, lot #1 may be next to lot #10, far away from lot #2. Furthermore, at the time of registration, some lots covered a huge area upon which many houses were built and all of those houses had the same lot number. Thus, even when the district and lot number were found, help was often required from a local policeman, mailman, shopkeeper or resident to find the house of a particular family. Our first address in Tokyo was: Suginami-ku, Mabashi, 4 Chome, 500 and I think there were scores of other homes with the same address. In fact, even now, in our area of Nagoya, lot numbers are not consecutive and quite confusing. -------In many Christian churches, the first part of this 11th month is a time of commemoration or remembrance of faithful men and women who have departed this life. "All Saints Day" and "All Souls Day" are the names given to the first two days of the month in some churches. On the first Sunday of this month, in the church I pastor in the city of Takahama, we remember those members of our congregation who have passed away in our annual Eiminsha Kinen Reihai. There are different kinds of memorials established for people. Some of them are material structures such as gravestones, statues, buildings, bridges, etc. Memories are also stimulated by pictures or stories of the departed. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, verse 13, Jesus spoke of a verbal memorial of a certain woman who had shown her great love and respect for him by pouring expensive perfume on him while he was reclining at a table. He said: "wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." By our daily deeds of kindness or of hardheartedness, we are, in effect, establishing a kind of memorial to ourselves. After we are gone, what memories will people have of us? -------'Reigi-saho' is the Japanese translation for the English word "etiquette", spelled e-t-i-q-u-e-t-t-e. The French root of this word, from which "ticket" is also derived, means "to stick". Originally, an etiquette was a target, stuck to a post. Later it signified a military order prescribing the duties for the day, which also was stuck to a post for all to see. Then it was used for a card which contained instructions about how to behave at court. And finally, it has come to mean the conventional requirements of social behavior and may include mode of dress, style of entertaining, and manner of using eating utensils. A 10-year-old American girl wrote: "Etiquette is what you are doing and saying when people are looking and listening. What you are thinking is your business." -------Yesterday's message was related to "etiquette" and today's message contains a true story taken from a Japanese periodical which provides an example of both extraordinary courtesy and improper manners. One day, a 51-year-old Yokohama lady, after getting off a train, noticed a bent-over old lady walking toward the stairway and breathing heavily. The kindhearted lady offered a hand to help her. Rejecting her hand, the old lady instead stepped behind her and grabbed her neck, obviously wanting to be carried piggyback, so she hoisted the old woman onto her back and started climbing the 39 steps to the ticket gate. To her dismay, the old woman did not dismount after passing through the gate. Rather, she pointed in the direction of another flight of stairs and, after 42 more steps, pointed to a bank some 200 meters away. Finally, at the bank entrance, the old woman got down, and without a word of thanks, hurriedly scurried into the bank. As a result of her kindness, the Yokohama lady suffered a slipped disc and spent two weeks in a hospital. Both expressions of gratitude and apologies are important elements in etiquette both for individuals and for nations. -------In the Roman Catholic Church, each person who has been designated a "saint" has a certain feast day. Today is the feast day of a saint named Frances. A famous saint, Francis of Assisi, was the founder of the Roman Catholic order of Franciscans. Saint Francis Xavier was the famous 16th century missionary to Japan, and today is the feast day of another Saint Frances Xavier, but in this case, "Frances" is spelled with an e instead of an i, which means it is the name of a woman. Her full name is Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini and she was the first American citizen to be proclaimed a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Italy, Francesca Cabrini hoped to become a missionary to China and chose the name of Francis Xavier at her confirmation when she was seven years old. Although she never got to China, she was sent to the United States as a missionary to the Italian immigrants there, after founding the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a religious order that ministers among the very poor, establishing orphanages, schools and hospitals in various places. Mother Cabrini became an American citizen in 1909, when she was 58 years old. She was canonized in 1946 by Pope Pius XII, 29 years after her death. -------In Japan, an X is a negative symbol, called a 'batsu' or a 'batten'. In the West, however, when people mark ballots with a pencil, they put an X beside the name of the person they vote for. In a letter to a loved one, an X is used as a symbol for a kiss. Parents' letters to their children, children's letters to parents and lovers' letters to each other may include a number of X's at the conclusion of the letter or on the seal of the envelope. Such X's on the envelopes may have been the reason why three love letters were intercepted by nuns in charge of the hostel where a 17-year-old girl was staying 41 years ago. Recently, that girl, now a 58-year-old widow who lives in a suburb of London, received the still-unopened letters from the convent which managed the hostel. The letters were from a young man she evidently had met while staying in the hostel. The young man fell in love with her and sent her those letters with X's both on the outside and within. Unfortunately, she does not remember the man and has been unable to locate him after all these years. The X in "Xmas" may also be considered a symbol of love--of God's love for us manifested in the birth of Jesus, but actually it is the first letter in the Greek word for "Christ". -------What image comes to your mind when you hear the word "pit"? In fact, there are two different words spelled and pronounced the same. One denotes a hole in the ground or a depressed area in a theater or in the human body. The other signifies the hard kernel in the center of certain fruits, such as a peach, plum or cherry. But when "Pitt" is spelled with a capital P and with two t's, it becomes the surname of two famous British statesmen, father and son, both named William. William Pitt, the elder, also known as the earl of Chatham and as "the Great Commoner", was born 288 years ago today, on November 15, 1708. Entering Parliament when he was 27 years old, he once made the following response to an official 32 years older: "The atrocious crime of being a young man . . . I shall attempt neither to palliate nor to deny." He opposed various government policies of his day, including the stern measures taken against the American colonies, with whom he sympathized. A statement he made in 1770 that "There is something behind the throne greater than the King himself" should be remembered by monarchies and governments that resemble monarchies even today. -------When my wife and I arrived in Japan in November 1951, our aim during our first year was to get adjusted to Japanese life and to concentrate on learning the Japanese language (which, actually, is a lifelong task). Therefore, our Christian activities at that time were limited. Two months after our arrival, however, I began teaching an English Bible Class on Sunday evenings at a church in the Yoyogi area of Tokyo. A regular member of that class and a member of that church, was a scientist who worked at the research laboratory of the Furukawa Electric Company. Through his introduction, I began teaching an English Bible Class to interested scientists and other workers at that laboratory on Friday afternoons. Of course, the major interest of most of those who attended was in learning English from a native speaker, but at that time there was also a serious interest on the part of many regarding Christianity and its "Holy Book" which has been so important in the history of Western civilization. It was a challenge to me to explain Christian concepts and the meanings of Bible passages in simple English to scientists with no Christian background. This Bible Class was an enjoyable time for both students and teacher and continued as long as I was in Tokyo. -------Jesus often used figures of speech or parables in his teaching to illustrate spiritual truth. Because many of his listeners were simple farmers, he often spoke of planting seed and the natural result of such activity. He emphasized that the growth of the seed and the kind of fruit it bears depends both on the nature of the seed and the kind of soil in which it is planted. The message he proclaimed was a kind of seed that was planted in the hearts of his listeners. Whether or not it took root and grew into a healthy plant that brought forth good fruit was related to the condition of the heart of the listener. He taught that the true character of people will be recognized by the kind of fruit they bear. That fruit is seen in attitudes and actions. In the New Testament Letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22-23, there are nine qualities listed that should characterize Christians. They are called "the fruit of the Spirit". If the seed of God's Word or of God's Spirit is living within a person's heart, the fruit listed here will be evident in the person's life. It is the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Christians should compare this list with their attitudes and actions. -------In English, the fifth day of the week is called Thursday. This name is derived from the name of the Norse god of thunder, Thor. In English, the word "thunder" denotes a loud sound in the sky. The Japanese term for this phenomenon, 'kaminari', literally means "god roars" and in the Old Testament book of Psalms, chapter 18, verse 13, thunder was considered the voice of the Lord. Although many Japanese include lightning, which may accompany thunder, in this word, it is a separate phenomenon. The word for "lightning" in Japanese, 'inazuma', literally means "rice plant husband", although nowadays, 'tsuma' usually means "wife". Since lightning often occurred in the season when the rice plant was about to ripen, it was thought to be related to that fruit-bearing process. -------The turning point in the four-year American Civil War occurred at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania in July 1863 in which some 7000 combatants were killed. At the consecration ceremony of a military graveyard near the battle site on November 19th of that year, 133 years ago today, a noted orator, Edward Everett, a clergyman who had been a state governor, president of Harvard, a representative and a senator, gave a masterful two-hour address, after which President Lincoln was asked to give "a few appropriate remarks". Lincoln's 270-word speech, which took about two minutes, was ignored by most newspapers. Those that did mention it were critical. The Chicago 'Times' spoke of his "silly, flat, dishwatery utterances" and the London 'Times' wrote that a speech "more dull and commonplace it would not be easy to produce". It was only later that the exceptional character of this Gettysburg Address was recognized. An Oxford University chancellor has called it "a pure well of English undefiled . . . one must confess astonishment at its choice of words, the precision of its thought, its simplicity, directness, and effectiveness." So it is that the true value of the unspectacular is often not immediately perceived. -------Hebrew is the classical language of the Jews. Most of the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. Over the centuries, it has been the Jewish language of religion, learning and literature and now a modern form of Hebrew is spoken in Israel. But a more popular language spoken by Jews throughout the world is Yiddish. Although it uses the Hebrew alphabet, with certain modifications, actually, it is a Germanic language that arose in the ghettos of Central Europe in the 12th century. Before the annihilation of Jews by the Nazis in Europe, it was spoken by some 11 million Jews in many parts of the world. The name of this language is derived from the Anglicized pronunciation of the German word "Jewish" and originally meant "Jewish German". The following are some of the many Yiddish words that have entered English. A "schlemiel" is a habitual bungler, a "schnook" is a stupid person who is easily duped, and a "klutz" is a clumsy, dull-witted person. "Schmaltz" denotes excessive sentimentality while "schtick" is a characteristic attribute, talent or trait. "Chutzpah" means brazenness or gall and "kitsch" signifies something of poor quality even though it may be popular. -------The masculine name, Charles, has given rise to a number of feminine names, including Carol, Caroline and Charlotte. Charlotte is the name of the largest city in the American state of North Carolina, named in honor of Charlotte Sophia, the wife of King George III. It is almost twice as large as the state capital of Raleigh, named in honor of Sir Walter Raleigh. And it was in honor of King Charles that the territory south of Virginia was called Carolina. On November 21, 1789, 207 years ago today, North Carolina became the 12th of the original 13 colonies to ratify the U. S. Constitution, over a year after the new republic officially had come into existence. The cause of the delay in ratification was due to the controversy between Federalists, who advocated a strong central, or Federal, government and Antifederalists who emphasized the rights of individual states. This controversy was also related to the dispute about slavery which gave rise to the Civil War between the Confederacy in the south and the Union in the north. And the recent election campaign in the United States made clear that the argument regarding how to harmonize the power of the federal government with that of the states continues even today. -------Many things about our wonderful universe are very difficult to understand or even imagine. It truly is a wonder-full universe. It is amazing, for example, that of all the billions of human beings who are now alive or who ever lived, none are exactly the same. All are separate individuals with distinct physical features and dimensions. Some features are shared by ethnic groups, including skin color, the amount, color and texture of body hair, and height. By and large, comparatively speaking, Orientals tend to be shorter than Occidentals. This is clearly evident in news photos of Japanese officials meeting with officials from Western nations. Some short people tend to develop an inferiority complex in the company of those who are tall. Recent research indicates, however, that there may be a heretofore unrecognized advantage in being short. The study suggests that animals and human beings that are smaller tend to live longer than those that are larger. This has been clear in the case of mice, dogs and horses. A recent study also indicated that shorter men lived about five years longer than taller, heavier men. These words of a 13th century Persian poet are certainly true: "A short wise man is preferable to a tall blockhead". -------In my newsletter from Tokyo in July 1952, I noted that my wife and I had purchased some summer kimono material at Tokyo's major department store on the Ginza. Our landlady kindly used it to make 'yukata's for us which we wore during our first summer in Japan and for many years afterward. We also purchased two pairs of the wooden footgear called 'geta', which I described for the benefit of the uninformed American readers. I noted that wearing the 'geta' would save some shoe leather when we walked on stony roads in the summer. Actually, however, we seldom wore them. Since verbal descriptions alone would have been difficult for readers to understand, diagrams of a 'yukata' and 'geta' along with 'zori' and 'tabi' were included in the letter. We never tried to find 'tabi' for our large feet and even when we made use of 'geta' or 'zori', our heels usually extended beyond the back end. In fact, this continues to be the case when we slip on the normal-sized slippers in Japan even today. Since Japanese people are generally larger than they were 45 years ago, we now are able to buy suitable wearing apparel here, not only because of larger sizes but because of the greater variety and better quality of goods as well. -------A well-known story in the Old Testament is about a man named Jonah. Many people associate this name with a whale, but there is no mention of a whale in the Bible story. According to that story, when Jonah tried to evade God's command to go and preach in an important city in a foreign country, God sent a storm on the sea and Jonah was swallowed by the great fish that God had prepared. The fish vomited Jonah onto the shore and then Jonah went and preached as God had commanded. Jonah's message was very effective. People repented of their sins and asked God's forgiveness. God had compassion on them and forgave their sins, but Jonah was angry that God showed mercy to Israel's enemy. The point of this interesting story is not related to miraculous events related to a fish that swallowed a man, a plant that suddenly grew up or a worm that destroyed it. Its essential message is related to the character of God. The almighty God of the Bible is in control of all events. God gives guidance to people which they are free to obey or disobey, but it is to their advantage to obey. The basic truth, however, is that God is a God of love who shows compassion on all who repent and seek forgiveness, regardless of their nationality. -------A number of words in English are related to the prediction of future events. They include predict, foretell, forecast, prophesy, prognosticate, presage, portend and forebode. Each of them has a particular nuance, but the latter two have the implication that the future event will be unfavorable even though their Latin roots have no such connotation. Similarly, "predicament", which comes from the same Latin root as "preach", meaning to announce before or to proclaim, has come to mean a particularly troublesome situation. Whereas the noun, "omen", signifies a prophetic sign which may be either good or bad, the adjective "ominous" is used for an evil or threatening omen. I hope no foreboding or ominous events today portend a predicament for you in the days ahead. -------It was in 1620 that a group of Pilgrims boarded the 'Mayflower' for their trip from England to North America in search of religious freedom. Dissatisfied with the state of the state church in their homeland and thwarted in their attempt to purify it, these Puritans aimed to establish a more ideal church in the new world. The colony they established was in New England and they quickly recognized the need of an educational institution to train Puritan ministers. For that purpose, the first American college was established in 1636. It was decided to erect the college in the town of New Towne in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but the name of the town was changed to Cambridge, after the famous college town in old England. A plain house was its first home, but shortly after it opened its doors, a young man who had served as assistant to the pastor of the church in Charlestown and as the teaching elder there died and left half of his estate of about £1,700 towards the erection of a college and donated his library of 320 volumes to that school. As the school's first benefactor, it was decided to name the school after him. His name was John Harvard and he was born 389 years ago today, on November 26, 1607. -------A thermometer is an instrument for measuring temperature. Liquid in a thermometer rises when heated and the temperature is indicated by the point reached by the liquid on the scale marked on the tube. Both alcohol and red wine were used in old thermometers, but in those devised by the German physicist, Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1714, mercury was used and continues to be the most common liquid used in thermometers today. In the Fahrenheit system of measurement, which is still in general use in the United States, the melting and boiling points of water are divided into 180 equal intervals called degrees. The freezing point of water is 32 degrees and its boiling point is 212 degrees. A different, more logical scale was introduced by a Swedish astronomer, Anders Celsius in 1742. According to the Celsius (or centigrade) scale, there are 100 degrees between the freezing and boiling points of water, from 0 to 100. People raised in the United States who live in Japan are sometimes confused when they hear or read the Celsius temperature, but they can find the equivalent degree in the Fahrenheit system by multiplying the Celsius temperature by 9, dividing by 5 and adding 32 to the result. -------This fourth Thursday of November is a legal holiday in all fifty of the United States of America called Thanksgiving Day. From the time settlers from Europe arrived on the North American continent, special days were set apart to give thanks to God for their safe arrival, divine protection and abundant harvests. This 28th day of November is also a legal holiday in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Do you know on which continent this country is located? If you think it is in Asia, you are mistaken. It has a coastline of almost 600 kilometers on the Atlantic Ocean in northwest Africa. Its early inhabitants were a nomadic people of Berber and Arab stock, called Moors. In the 8th century the Moors were converted to Islam, invaded Spain and introduced their culture and religion into Europe. Later, Mauritania came under French control and gained its independence in 1960, 36 years ago today. The area of Mauritania is about three times that of Japan but its total population is about that of the city of Nagoya. Most of the country is a desert, but there is a fertile valley in the south and some grazing land in the north which provide its farmers and livestock raisers also reasons to give thanks for nature's blessings. -------Today's message is about the group of islands off the northwest coast of Europe which are given various names. The broadest term, British Isles, is a geographical designation which includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The Republic of Ireland occupies 80% of the island of Ireland; the Isle of Man is situated in the Irish Sea, equidistant from Scotland, England and Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands are a small group of small islands in the English Channel, closer to France than to England. The political unit known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy whose sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II and whose prime minister is John Major. Great Britain, the main island in the British Isles, is the eighth largest island in the world, about 500 square kilometers smaller than the Japanese island of Honshu. The southern and greater part of Great Britain is England. Scotland lies to the north and Wales to the west. Wales may be considered a principality for the eldest son of the monarch and heir apparent is given the title: Prince of Wales. -------For the first six months of 1952, my wife and I attended a language school in Tokyo, but summer school classes were held in a cabin in the foreign settlement on the shore of Lake Nojiri in Nagano Prefecture. Our first trip out of the Kanto area was by car on unpaved roads through the countryside to that lake in the mountains. It was a long, tiring, but enjoyable, trip through beautiful scenic areas. We and three other young missionary couples who were also students in the same school rented a large cabin near the language school. Classes were held two hours a day, five days a week, which left time for swimming, hiking and relaxing with English speaking friends. On two Saturdays, I joined other men in climbing to the summits of Mt. Kurohime and Mt. Myoko. It was my first mountain climbing experience for there are no mountains within 800 kilometers of my hometown in the United States. In our cabin, the wives prepared the meals, but the husbands carried drinking water in buckets from a spring at the bottom of the hill and water for cooking and washing from a well part way down the hill. Cooking was done on charcoal braziers and the hole cut in a mound behind the house and filled with snow in the winter was used as an ice box. -------In the Christian Church calendar, this Sunday closest to November 30th marks the beginning of the season called Advent and of the entire church year. Derived from a Latin word meaning "to come to", "advent" denotes the coming or arrival of something or someone of special importance. In the church calendar, it signifies the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. The Advent season includes the four Sundays before Christmas and lasts until December 25th, Christmas Day. It is the season when Christians prepare themselves for the celebration of Jesus' birth. During this season, some churches and homes display an Advent wreath, made of small branches with green leaves attached, in which four candles are placed. One candle is lit on each of the four Sundays in Advent. One way Christians prepare for the coming of Christ is to read Old Testament prophecies pointing to his advent, such as that in Isaiah, chapter 7: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government, there will be no end." -------A gazette, spelled g-a-z-e-t-t-e, is a newspaper or an official journal. It is found in the names of certain newspapers or government journals, such as The Phoenix Gazette or The London Gazette. This word is rooted in the Italian name for an old Venetian coin made of tin, a 'gazetta'. In the 16th century, the Venetian government issued monthly papers reporting on the war between Venice and the Turks. The paper was not sold, but it could be perused for a fee--a gazetta. Sometimes it was read out loud to a group of people, who also had to pay a gazetta to listen. Since 'gazetta' is the diminutive of 'gazza', which is a magpie, some scholars say "gazette" is related to "magpie", but why this bird, similar to a crow, is called a "magpie" will be noted in a later message. -------Originally,"transplant" was used by horticulturists to mean the removal of a plant from where it had been growing and replanting it in another location. Trees are sometimes transplanted and, in Japan, rice seedlings are regularly transplanted from small rice nurseries to paddy fields. The same word is used by doctors to signify the transfer of tissue or an organ from one body or body part to another. The first successful transplant of a human kidney was performed in Chicago in 1950 when a kidney was taken from a living person and transplanted into the body of another. A heart transplant, of course, can only be done after the donor is dead, but the dead person's heart must be extracted as soon as possible after death, so how to determine when death occurs is a critical problem which continues to be a subject of controversy in Japan. On December 3, 1967, 29 years ago today, Christian Barnard, a South African surgeon, performed the first successful human heart transplant. Through an organ transplant, the healthy organ of a dead donor may keep another person healthy or alive for many years, but the spiritual influence of each one of us continues after our death in the lives of those around us. -------In the Roman Catholic Church calendar, today is the feast day of Saint Barbara. Regarding this saint, there are many legends, some of which are mutually contradictory. It is not even certain whether she lived in the 3rd or 4th century, but she is said to have been a virgin martyr. According to one legend, after she became a Christian, she tried to convert her father who was a fanatical heathen. He reacted forcefully and tried to compel her to deny her faith. He treated her cruelly, imprisoned her in a tower. Finally, he killed her by cutting off her head. Then he himself was struck down by lightning. Saint Barbara is considered the patron saint of firemen, artillery men, architects, stonemasons and mathematicians and the protectress against lightning, fire, storms and sudden death. The name, Barbara, like "barbarian", comes from a Greek word meaning "foreign" or "strange" and was used for people who could not speak Greek. In the New Testament, the word translated "saint" is used for all Christians and in modern English, we may call a meek, kind, patient, virtuous person a saint. My wife's name is Barbara and she fits both of these descriptions, so she may be considered a Saint Barbara of the 20th century. -------To "prohibit" means to forbid, or refuse to permit. All reputable organizations and societies have certain prohibitions. School rules include prohibitions and those against murder, adultery, theft and false testimony included in the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament (in Exodus, chapter 20), are generally accepted by all intelligent, morally-sensitive people. But true morality cannot be legislated nor controlled by rules or laws, as recent scandals on the Japanese political scene have made clear. In 1919, the United States ratified the 18th Amendment to its Constitution, thereby prohibiting the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" within its borders. It was hoped that this prohibition would encourage a healthier atmosphere, but actually it seemed to have the opposite effect. Violations of the law could not be curbed and criminal activity increased to the point that, 13 years later, 63 years ago today, on December 5, 1933, the 18th Amendment was officially repealed by the 21st Amendment. As cries for reform are heard in both Japan and the United States these days, we need to remember that what really needs to be reformed or changed is the sinful, selfish human spirit and that is why Jesus taught about the need for spiritual rebirth. -------The word "stereotype" basically denotes a metal printing plate used by printers, but its meaning has been extended to signify a fixed or conventional expression or idea. Some people often use stereotyped expressions, or cliches, when they speak. Some have mental stereotypes of people from particular nations, so to speak of an Englishman, a Korean or an Iranian will immediately stimulate certain stereotypes in their minds. A recent study by a German institute entitled "Coping With Stereotypes", indicated that teenagers in Britain and Ireland who had never visited Germany and did not know the German language, considered Germans to be nationalistic, arrogant and aggressive. But among those young people who had been to Germany or who were studying German, impressions were more favorable. Seventy-seven percent of those who had visited Germany and are learning the language said they liked Germans, compared with 37 percent of those teens who have never been to Germany. This study points up the importance of personal contact with people of different nations in order to gain a more objective perspective. In John 7:24, Jesus urged people to "stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." -------Sparta was one of the leading city-states of ancient Greece. Its citizens were known for their frugality, courage and stern discipline. Thus, the adjective, Spartan, came to be used for people having such characteristics. It often has been used as a description of traditional Japanese. As a noun, it may describe someone of Spartan character and is the name given to athletic teams of the University of Dubuque in the American state of Iowa, the place where I met the girl who became my wife. My first year at that university, I was on both the football and basketball teams, but I spent most of the games sitting on the bench. Nevertheless, for that one year, I was a "Spartan" and recently I received an invitation to the "Spartan Men's Basketball Alumni Weekend" at my alma mater. Today is the day for a basketball game between the present Spartan team and that of Aurora College, followed by an alumni game. Although they will not hear our cheers for them across the ocean, we hope the current Spartans win their game, but there is no doubt about the alumni game. The alumni will surely win "hands down" (which means "easily") for they are the only players. -------In regard to most events, questions such as what? who? when? and where? usually can be answered without great difficulty. It is the question why? that is most perplexing and to which clear and complete answers may never be found. This is true regarding scandals or crimes reported in a newspaper as well as of actions of our own children, relatives or friends. It is also true on a broader level. 'Why' does an earthquake or typhoon, a plane crash or a traffic accident occur that kills or maims many people? Or on a more personal level, 'why' do I or my loved one get sick or meet with some other misfortune? It should be noted that these "why" questions usually are related to misfortunes. We seldom ask 'why' am I so blessed and healthy when others in the world are suffering. A satisfactory answer may never be found in this life, but the reply of Jesus to the question why a man was born blind may be applied to all events or experiences in our lives, whether we consider them fortunate or unfortunate. In the Gospel of John chapter 9, verse 3, Jesus answered: "this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life". Then, he healed the man. Happy and sad events in our lives also can be used to manifest the work of God. -------When Americans hear the word "pie", they usually think of a dessert, such as apple pie or lemon pie, but in England, main dishes which include meat or fish and a variety of vegetables under a pastry covering, are also called pies. It is said that the name of this stew with a variety of meats and vegetables was called a "pie" because it resembled the nest of a bird with that name that collected many useless odds and ends. That bird is now commonly called a magpie. "Mag" is derived from the name "Margaret". A magpie is a kind of crow, with black and white feathers, a long, tapering tail and a chattering call. Thus, a person who chatters may be called a magpie and bishops have been called magpies humorously because of their black and white vestments. -------
The first day of this month was a Sunday, which means that there are five Sundays this month. We usually have a meeting of "Daily Word" fans on the fifth Sundays of a month, but since December 29th is at the busy yearend season, we will not have a meeting on that day. Instead, we will meet on the third Sunday of next month, January 19th. This 10th day of December is the 166th anniversary of the birth of one of America's greatest poets, Emily Dickinson, who was born on this day in 1830. Her entire life was spent in New England and during her lifetime, she was virtually unknown. She began writing poetry seriously when she was about 30 years old and treated such themes as permanence and transiency, life, death and love in her own peculiar manner which could be either playful or sad. It was only after her death, at the age of 56, that hundreds of her unpublished poems were discovered. In one of them, entitled 'Time and Eternity', we find these words: When Christopher Columbus landed on an island off of the North American continent in 1492, he mistakenly thought he had reached one of the Indies islands in Asia. As a result, the inhabitants of that island and others in the area were called Indians. Consequently, ever since that serious mistake, the word "Indian" has had two very different meanings. Its primary meaning is a native of India, but it became the term used for the native inhabitants of the American continents as well. Nowadays, it is considered preferable to speak of "Native Americans" rather than "American Indians". In the United States, thousands of place names are derived from Native American words, including the names of over half of the states. Adding an "a" to the word "Indian", which is said to mean "land of the Indians", gives us the name of the state which was admitted into the Union as the 19th state 180 years ago today, on December 11, 1816. The name of its capital of Indianapolis is made up of the state name plus 'polis', the Greek word for "city". Native Americans were forced out of their Indiana homeland by the superior military force of the European invaders, but many mounds built by the so-called Mound Builders still remain. -------A writer, actor or artist who sells his or her services to employers without a long term commitment to any one of them may be called a "free lance". A free lance writer does not work for one particular publisher and thus is not bound by a long-lasting contract. He or she is free to change publishers or to write for whoever is willing to pay for the writing. "Free" does not mean the writer works without compensation but is free to choose to whom to submit his or her manuscript. But what is the meaning of "lance"? A lance is a weapon that was used in the Middle Ages, a kind of spear with a long wooden shaft and a sharp metal head. In medieval Europe, there were so-called free companies of mercenary soldiers who were willing to fight under the banner of whatever group paid them the highest fee. Thus, their lances were not "free", but the warriors were "free" of loyalty to any one power and could change sides as conditions changed. In the present day, an effective free lance speech writer could be employed to write speeches for candidates of opposing political parties. According to Galatians 5:13, Christians are called to be free but they should use their freedom not for selfish purposes but to serve others. -------A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education related to the teaching of math and science in 41 different countries, in which more than half a million junior high school students participated, revealed that American students lag behind their counterparts in Japan, South Korea and Singapore even though they spend more class time on these subjects and are assigned more homework. According to the study, eighth-graders in the U.S. typically spend 143 hours during the school year studying math in contrast to 117 hours for students in Japan. The implication is that the method of teaching these subjects in American schools needs to be changed. It was suggested that American math teachers emphasize basic mathematical formulas rather than helping students understand the deeper concepts behind them and try to accomplish too much too soon in class. But it was noted that most Japanese eighth-graders also attend after-school classes in math for a few hours each week. And even though Japanese students ranked high in their knowledge of math and science, they also ranked highest in indicating their dislike of these subjects, which clearly shows that they do not study math and science because of their own interest in them. -------For over a month during our first summer in Japan, in 1952, we enjoyed the beauty of nature around the mountain lake, Nojiri, in Nagano Prefecture. It was there that we first observed the uniquely Japanese 'Bon' festival. We heard the drums in a lakeside village and went to see what was happening. I wrote in my regular newsletter following that experience that the circular dance around the central stand to the accompaniment of drums and folk singing reminded me of the tribal dances of native Americans or Africans. But what was most impressive was to see the lake gradually being filled with single candles floating on tiny rafts that were being set afloat from a place along the shore. I presume the candles were lit and set afloat to guide ancestral spirits, but I wonder how far the spirits followed the candles. On our way back to Tokyo from Lake Nojiri, my wife and I stopped at mountain town of Karuizawa to attend an annual missionary conference that was held there. While there, we stayed in a Japanese inn and had our first experience of sleeping in a 'futon' on a 'tatami' mat floor. We both enjoyed the experience but we found the pillows to be very small and much harder than what we were used to until that time. -------During this Advent Season, many Christians ponder a question frequently raised in the four Gospels relating to the nature of the man whose birth is celebrated at Christmas:"Who is this man?" Who was that person born in a Palestinian village two thousand years who is now so highly esteemed or worshipped by people around the world? The well-known answer of his disciple, Peter, in Matthew 16: 16, is "the Christ, the Son of the living God", but that same disciple, in John 6: 69, calls Jesus "the Holy One of God". The Chinese character for "holy" consists of three characters meaning "ear","mouth" and "king". When standing alone, this character may denote a sage or saint whose ear can perceive divine words that others disregard, but in the case of Jesus, we may say he himself is the Word of God, the King, to those with ears to hear. Many non-Christians are familiar with the first words of the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word", but that prologue further states that "the Word was God" and reaches its climax in the statement that "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us". It is this person whom Christians believe was God in human form, whose birthday is celebrated this month. -------Have you ever heard of a mongoose, spelled m-o-n-g-o-o-s-e? What kind of creature do you imagine it is? Do you think it has four legs or two? Is it a bird or a beast? Do you suppose it resembles a goose or a cat? Actually, it is a small, furry mammal of the cat family. Its English name is derived from its name in India, where many mongooses are found. Fierce, active hunters, mongooses feed on a variety of animals, and in India, they are famous for their ability to kill snakes, including cobras. They were imported into the West Indies to kill rats, but they also destroyed many other kinds of small animals, so it is illegal to import them into the United States, even for zoos. Killers of pests and other harmful elements can be useful but they must be controlled. -------Since the end of the Pacific War, Japan has changed in many ways. As the life style has changed from a frugal rural setting to an affluent urban one, traditions have also changed. In the past, when a family member died, funeral rites were usually held in the home. The body of the deceased was laid with its head toward the north. The kimono in which it was dressed was overlapped in the opposite way than for a living person, and the Japanese socks, or 'tabi', were put on the opposite feet. A folding screen was set, in a reverse way, around the head of the deceased and white paper was put over all framed pictures in the room. Now, in keeping with a very different life style, over half of the funerals during the past ten years in Tokyo were held in funeral parlors and the average price for a Tokyo funeral was 3.8 million yen, according to a metropolitan government survey. Funeral rites and related customs differ according to the culture and religion of those involved. According to my belief, funeral rituals do not and cannot affect the soul of the departed nor its destination which already has been determined by that person before death. The aim is to remember the departed loved one and to comfort the bereaved. -------Slavery, the institution in which some human beings are considered the possession of other human beings, was practiced in ancient empires, but the newly-opened North American continent also became a marketplace for African slaves. The American Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. The Confederate States of the South approved of the institution, but President Abraham Lincoln and the northern states considered the practice inhuman. During the Civil War, President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation in which he proclaimed that all slaves in the rebellious states "are, and henceforth shall be, free", but it was two years later, as the war was drawing to a close, that he signed the official document abolishing slavery, which was then submitted to the 36 states for their ratification. On December 18, 1865, 131 years ago today, the Secretary of State officially announced that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution had been approved by the required three-fourths majority and thus became effective. It stated that slavery shall not exist in the United States. Unfortunately, though it may not be legal, a more sophisticated kind of slavery is still practiced in many places in the world today. -------A scone, spelled s-c-o-n-e, is a small biscuit or tea cake. This word is a shortened form of a Scottish word for fine, or beautiful, bread. When the word is capitalized, however, it is pronounced 'skoon' and denotes a village in Scotland. From the 9th to the 17th century, it was the site of the coronation of Scottish kings. Those kings were crowned while sitting on a special stone that legends claim was brought from the Holy Land. In 1296, that 208 kilogram stone was carried to London by an English king and was placed under the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey, where it has remained during all coronations of British monarchs since then. On November 30th, the feast day of St. Andrew, Scotland's patron saint, this Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland exactly seven centuries after it was stolen. A special ceremony was held at which Prince Andrew represented his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Old Scottish legends claim that that was the stone Jacob used as a pillow when he had the dream recorded in the 28th chapter of Genesis in which God promised to be with him wherever he went and that all peoples on earth would be blessed through his offspring. -------One hundred and ninety-three years ago today, on December 20, 1803, the area of the United States doubled as the country took possession of the Louisiana Territory. This area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, equal to about six times the area of Japan, was not gained through war but was purchased from France. The territory which included the Mississippi River, "all the rivers that enter into it, and all the country watered by them" was originally claimed for France by a French explorer in 1682 and named Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV. It was later ceded to Spain but when Spain decided to return it to France, American President Thomas Jefferson became concerned and sent a representative to Paris to try to purchase the port of New Orleans. Because of the political and military problems confronting the French government at that time, the entire Louisiana Territory was offered to the United States for the amazingly low price of $15 million. At the time of the purchase, the United States consisted of 17 states, but from this territory, all or parts of another 13 states were created. An American historian has written, never "did the United States government get so much for so little." -------It was in our language school class in Tokyo that my wife and I learned that we should not use the Japanese word 'kekko' until we had seen 'Nikko'. Among the English translations of 'kekko' are good, fine, superb, splendid and magnificent. It was in September of 1952, almost a year after our arrival in this land, that we made a trip to that scenic, mountain town. In or nearby that historic site, there are magnificent shrines, fine temples, good hot springs, a superb lake and a splendid waterfall. We were invited to make the three-hour trip by the chief of the planning section of the Furukawa Electric Company's research laboratory where I taught an English Bible Class. While on the train, he told us that the trip was being financed by class members who contribute money each month. In Nikko, we toured the Nikko Copper Works, a branch of the electric company, where we saw copper being liquefied, poured into molds and pressed into pipes, tubing and wires of all sizes. I was asked to give a spontaneous lecture (through a translator) to the 30 male students of a school for high school graduates connected to the factory. We visited the main sightseeing attractions in the area and returned to Tokyo and to our language school classes the following day. -------Many words relating to a specific area of study end in "l-o-g-y", from the Greek word 'logos', meaning "word". "Theology" is the study of the nature of God, and "Christology" is the study of the person of Christ, both of which are very important in Christian doctrine. In Western culture, philosophical and theological concepts tend to be defined with much more precision than in the Orient. At times, Western definitions are too precise and Oriental descriptions are too broad. Christians consider the Bible to be the standard for their doctrine, but there are different ways to interpret biblical passages in formulating doctrines regarding God and Christ, who is called both the Son of God and the Son of Man. A crucial passage relating to both theology and Christology which is relevant during this pre-Christmas season is Philippians, chapter 2, where it is written that "Christ Jesus . . . being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!" -------The situation in Japan 63 years ago was confused and somewhat unstable as nationalistic military influence continued to increase despite the personal reservations of her respected ruler. But on December 23, 1933, when sirens sounded throughout the land, they did not instill fear nor anxiety in the hearts of citizens, but happiness and contentment, for they signaled the birth of an heir to the imperial throne. During the ten years of their married life, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako had been blessed with the birth of four daughters, but only a male ruler could occupy the throne, so the hopes and prayers of the people were answered by the birth of the Crown Prince who is now the Emperor. Today is a holiday in Japan to celebrate his birthday and, along with Japanese citizens, I wish him a "Happy Birthday". -------Regular listeners to or readers of these "Daily Word" messages know that it is our custom to hold a meeting on the afternoon of the 5th Sunday of a month. There are five Sundays this month, but since it is at the busy yearend season, our meeting will be held on Sunday afternoon, January 19th instead. The meeting place will be announced later. In Christian churches throughout the world, a special service will held on this evening before Christmas, called Christmas Eve. Many churches, including the one in the city of Takahama where I serve as pastor, will hold a candlelight service. Both candles and stars are common decorations during the Christmas season, reminding us of Old Testament prophecies about the light from heaven that would come into the world. Christians believe that in the birth, life and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, God's light shone into the darkness, bringing new life and salvation. Jesus once spoke of himself as the "Light of the world" but, in Matthew 5: 14, he called his disciples the "light of the world" and encouraged them to let their light "shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven." -------In over three-fourths of the countries in the world today, this 25th day of December is a holiday. In Taiwan, it is called Constitution Day, in commemoration of the adoption of a constitution that was drawn up to govern the whole of China in 1946. It is also the day in 1926 that Crown Prince Hirohito became the Japanese emperor upon the death of his father. In 1991, it was the day of President Gorbachev's resignation which marked the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in most countries it is called Christmas Day and is considered not only a holiday, but a holy day. Though we are not certain of the exact date of his birth, it is on this day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom Christians call Christ, Son of the living God, the Savior. The story of his birth is recorded in the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke, where it is noted that he was born in such humble circumstances that he was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. This reminds us of the verse in II Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 9: "But you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." Today, I wish you a merry and meaningful Christmas. -------In some ways, the use of Chinese characters in the neighboring countries of China, Korea and Japan is convenient because an idea can be coumunicated directly by the character itself even if the pronunciation is not known. But a problem arises when the names of Chinese or Korean individuals appear in Japanese newspapers or on television screens, for the pronunciations of those characters are different in all three languages. For example, how would you pronounce the name of the man whose name is made up of the three characters meaning "hair", pronounced 'ke' or 'mo' in Japanese, "swamp", pronounced 'sawa' or 'taku', and "east", pronounced 'higashi' or 'to'? A man having this name was born into a peasant family in the Chinese province of Hunan on December 26, 1893, 103 years ago today. In the 1920s, he organized peasant and industrial unions and eventually became the head of the Communist Party and sought to establish a Chinese form of communism. In Japanese, he is called Motaku-to. In English, he was called Mao Tse-tung, but with the revised pronunciation system, he became Mao Ze-dong. However his name is pronounced, it was his famous saying that "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. " -------The word "but", spelled b-u-t, is quite versatile. It may be used as a conjunction, a preposition, an adverb or a noun. Yet more surprising, when another "t" is added to the end of this word, not one, but eight other words are formed. In the 1970 edition of Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, there are eight separate words spelled b-u-t-t and pronounced 'but'. They include verbs meaning to push against with the head or horns and to join end to end. They include nouns meaning a target, a kind of fish and the larger end of something like the butt of a rifle, and the stubs of partially smoked cigarettes. How to dispose of cigarette butts safely and without polluting the environment has become a problem. More than sixty local authorities in Japan, including the city of Yokohama, have passed laws against discarding cigarette butts in public places other than in ashtrays. Violaters may be fined up to ¥20,000. Now that public interest in this problem has grown, portable ashtrays have become increasingly popular. Ashtrays built into purses, fountain pens and wrist watches are now available in a variety of colors and prices. All citizens need to cooperate to protect the environment. -------When my wife and I arrived in Japan in the fall of 1951, we aimed first to gain a basic knowledge of the difficult language spoken in this country. While attending a Japanese language school in Tokyo, we had little time to go sightseeing in distant places. A year after our arrival, however, during a short school vacation, we made a quick trip to Kyoto. The purpose of the trip was twofold. Of course, we wanted to see some of the famous sites both in that historic city and in the older capital of Nara, but we planned also to use the return trip to make stops at certain cities or towns along the way. As our church's first missionaries to Japan, we had to decide where to begin our missionary activity. We did not want to establish a church or begin evangelistic activity where other churches were located, where others were already serving. That is to say, we did not desire to work in competition with other groups. Rather, we wanted to work in an unevangelized area. Therefore, before our trip to Kyoto, I checked with senior missionaries and church offices to determine what places along the Tokaido Line were wihout churches. Impressions received during this trip of Kyoto, Nara and churchless communities will be related in subsequent Saturday messages. -------On this final Sunday of the year, we will consider some Bible verses that contain the word "end". First is the word of an Old Testament philosopher, found in Ecclesiastes 7:8: "The end of a matter is better than its beginning and patience is better than pride." At the beginning of the year, we had various hopes and fears regarding the year, but it is only at the end that we can look back and make a thoughtful judgment about its events and our own accomplishments or failures. And it should be emphasized that, for politicians or for common citizens, "patience is better than pride." In Proverbs 14: 12-13, we find these meaningful words: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief." Our lives have their ups and downs, but we must make decisions, considering the end result. Jesus emphasized the need for endurance when he stated, in Mark 13:13 that "whoever holds out to the end will be saved." As the year approaches its end, we are reminded that our lives also will have an end and we should endure in the way we believe to be right to truly make the end better than the beginning. ------- |