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Seventy years ago today, on December 30, 1927, the first 'chikatetsu' in Japan began transporting passengers for 2.2 kilometers between Ueno and Asakusa. Over 100,000 people rode on that first day. How would you say 'chikatetsu' in English? It may depend on whether you are speaking to an Englishman or an American. In Britain, since the train runs underground it is called an underground, but in the United States, we call it a subway. "Sub" is a prefix meaning below, under or beneath. In American history, "underground railroad" was the term used for the secret, organized system to help slaves from the South escape to Canada or to free states in the North. Such slaves were called "passengers", homes where they were sheltered were called "stations" and their guides were known as "conductors". -------Today is the last day of the year. In many countries, traditional customs will be followed today as the year comes to an end. Some traditions include ways to scare away evil spirits. In Denmark, people go around their neighborhoods smashing crockery against the doors in the belief that the noise will scare evil spirits of the old year and prevent them from crossing the thresholds into people's homes. In Ecuador, families sew together an old shirt and pants and stuff them with straw. This figure, called Ano Viejo, is displayed in windows of homes on New Year's Eve. At midnight, a match is lit and the straw man is burned as people dance to welcome the New Year. In Japan, on New Year's Eve, it is customary for the large bells of Buddhist temples to be rung 108 times, corresponding to the 108 human desires which should be discarded. It is expected that the 108th peal will sound at midnight, symbolizing a purified state in which to begin the New Year. In the United States, many noisy parties are held at which horns and whistles are blown and bells are rung, but there are also many churches that hold watch night services where the New Year is welcomed quietly and prayerfully. -------Happy New Year! According to the so-called Gregorian calendar, today is the first day of the year 1997. The base line of this calendar is supposedly the birth of Jesus Christ, but the calculation, made hundreds of years after his birth was mistaken for he was born between 7 and 4 B. C. In Japan, this is the first day of the 9th year of Heisei whose base line is the accession of the present emperor. In the Islamic world, this is midway in the year 1417, for Muslims recognize the hejira, or flight, of Muhammed from Mecca to Medina, which occurred in 622 A. D., as the beginning of a new era. And, according to Jewish reckoning, today is midway in the year 5758, which supposedly dates from the creation of the world according to calculations of genealogical tables in the book of Genesis. How to divide up time into such portions as weeks, months and years depends on the standpoint and reasoning of the calculator. In whatever way we divide time, we should recognize its value and be careful how we use this precious gift. Benjamin Franklin wrote: "Dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of." And Psalm 90:12 reminds us to number our days aright in order to gain a heart of wisdom. -------In the Japanese almanac, this second day of January is listed as the day of 'hatsuyume', or first dream. Traditionally, the first dream of the year is considered especially significant as a portent for the coming year. In days gone by, a picture of a treasure ship was placed under one's pillow in the hope of inducing a dream of good fortune. According to diviners of dreams, dreams of Mt. Fuji, a hawk, a snake or fire are considered auspicious while dreams of a horse, a fish, a star or an earthquake are considered unlucky. A modern translation of one of the common sense sayings of an Old Testament sage found in book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verse 3, reads as follows: "The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish." If you dream tonight, I hope you enjoy a good dream, but I advise you not to live in a dream world. Whether while sleeping at night or while fully conscious during the day, it is nice to have good dreams, but we must try to translate dreams into reality. Let us dream of a peaceful world and then remember Jesus' words in Matthew 5: 9: "Blessed are the peacemakers." -------When I was a schoolboy, there were 48 states in the United States of America and six rows with eight stars each in the American flag. That's the way is was for 47 years after Arizona was admitted as the 48th state in 1912. I never thought that my country might continue to grow and also add more stars to its flag, but in 1959, two additional states were admitted to the Union. With the admission of Alaska as the 49th state, 38 years ago today, on January 3, 1959 Texas lost its proud place as the largest state and the U. S. increased its area by 16 percent. Alaska is over twice the size of Texas, but even though it has the largest area, over four times that of Japan, it has next to the smallest population, for only Wyoming has fewer citizens. The territory of Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7,200,000. At the time, many people considered it foolish to pay all that money for barren land, but it was later found to have abundant resources of gold, oil, coal and natural gas. People also have attractive features that lie below the surface, so we should not judge others on the basis of physical appearance alone. True beauty is a quality of spirit, not of appearance. -------On the short visit my wife and I made to Kyoto in the fall of 1952, we quickly made the rounds of the famous sites. The Old Imperial Palace and the Nijoh Detached Palace have historical and cultural importance, but most of the sites we visited had a religious character. According to the comment I made in the newsletter I wrote at that time, we were impressed with both the quietness and drabness of most of the places--from our Western viewpoint. The only site we visited that could be called colorful was the Heian Shrine with the bright red trimming on its large two-storied gateway and other buildings. In contrast, Buddhist temples in their quiet surroundings appeared quite colorless. I made special mention of the Sanjusangendo with its 33 spaces between the pillars of the structure and its image of a seated "thousand-handed Kannon" accompanied by a thousand standing images of Kannon. We also visited the temple in Nara which houses the huge bronze image of Amida Buddha, also in a sitting posture. It was very impressive. It was also quite a contrast with our Protestant Christian tradition in which images are not used because of the Old Testament commandment against the making or worshipping of idols and our belief that God is Spirit and cannot be identified with a certain form. -------The word "zodiac" is rooted in a Greek word meaning "circle". In ancient times, an imaginary circle in the heavens was divided into twelve parts and each was given the name of an animal, so the zodiac may be considered a circle of animals. According to the zodiacal cycle, this year of 1997 is the year of Taurus, the Latin word for "bull". In Japanese, it is the year of the 'ushi', which may be translated into English as "cow", "bull" or "ox". In Old Testament days, bulls or oxen were used to plow the fields and for threshing the grain. This is the background of the saying in Proverbs 14:4: "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest." I pray that this year of the ox, or bull, will be a year of abundant harvest for you. As we begin this new year, let us also remember the words found in the New Testament Letter to the Galatians, chapter 6, that the kind of harvest we will reap will depend on the kind of seeds we sow. In that chapter, we find this exhortation: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people . . . ." -------At the beginning of this Year of the Bull, you may be interested to know of different meanings of "bull", spelled b-u-l-l. First, it denotes the adult male of cattle, elephants, moose and whales. The female of these mammals is called a "cow". It may also denote a large, strong, aggressive man or a man who buys stocks on the stock market, anticipating that the price will rise and he can sell them at a profit. As a slang term, it may mean a policeman or a detective. And as another slang term, it may mean empty, foolish talk, or nonsense. Are you acquainted with the imaginary figure called John Bull? Even as Uncle Sam is the personification of America or Americans, John Bull, the personification of England or Englishmen, is said to be hearty, bluff, good-natured and slightly pigheaded. -------What did you have for breakfast this morning? Did it include rice gruel cooked with the traditional seven plants? In Japan, there are five traditional seasonal festivals which were introduced from China, known as 'gosekku', and this seventh day of the first month is the first of them, called 'nanagusa', or seven plants. On this day, it is customary to eat rice which has been cooked with seven herbs, which are considered to be good for one's health. The particular plants designated as 'nanagusa' were originally Chinese and have been changed in their Japanese setting. Also of Chinese origin is the designation of this seventh day of the first month as 'jinjitsu', or human being day. According to Chinese tradition, the first day of the first month is the day of the cock; the second day is the day of the dog, followed by the days of the sheep, pig, cow and horse, with this seventh day being the day of human beings. In the Bible, seven is a sacred number and every seventh day is a holy day for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Each of these religions observes a different day of the week as holy, but every day should be human being day in which we observe the command to love our neighbor as ourself. -------A schedule, or 'shedyool' in British English, may denote a timetable or a list of events. According to my present schedule, I will depart from Nagoya this evening for the United States where I am scheduled to officiate at the wedding ceremony of a nephew in the state of Illinois on Saturday. I am scheduled to preach at the worship service of my home church on the following day and depart for Nagoya on the day after that, arriving here on January 14th. While I am out of the country, however, I plan to continue transmitting these telephone messages from the United States, with a personal note at the end regarding my activities there. Another meeting of listeners to or readers of these "Daily Word" messages is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, January 19th at 1:30 at the Nagoya YWCA near Sakae. At that meeting, there will be opportunity for free conversation in English regarding any trips people have taken or other memorable activities during the past year and you are invited to attend. If you have any questions or comments regarding these messages or how to receive printed copies and/or their Japanese translations, you may write to me at the following address: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office Nagoya 463. -------If you are acquainted with a map of the United States of America, you probably realize that the smaller states are clustered in the northeastern part of the country and the larger states are in the west. Do you know the names of the largest states and the smallest ones? The largest state is Alaska, followed by Texas and California. The fourth largest state, with an area a little larger than Japan is Montana. The smallest state is Rhode Island. The next smallest is Delaware and the third smallest state became the fifth of the original thirteen colonies to adopt the U. S. Constitution 209 years ago today, on January 9, 1788. Its capital city is Hartford and even some Americans have trouble spelling its name correctly because it is not spelled the way it is pronounced. The name is derived from the Native American name of the long river that runs through the state. It is the state of Connecticut, spelled C-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-c-u-t. In 1639, three English settlements united to form the Connecticut Colony and adopted the 'Fundamental Orders', an early constitution in which it was recognized that the welfare of the community at large superseded the rights of the individual. Connecticut is also known as Constitution State. -------I regularly make copies of these telephone messages to send to those who request them. Using a copy machine, it is easy to make copies of documents, articles or entire books. This poses a problem for owners of copyrighted material. A copyright is the legal right granted an author, composer or publisher for the exclusive use of a certain literary or musical work. When others make use of that work, a royalty should be paid to the copyright owner. Nowadays, many things are copied or used without permission or the payment of royalties. Even the song "Happy Birthday to You" is copyrighted and, technically, every time it is sung in public, a royalty should be paid to the copyright owner. The melody of that song was composed in the 1890s by two American kindergoften used in motion pictures. Japanese are known to be good copiers. In Hebrews 13:7, readers are told to copy the faith of Christian leaders. -------On our return trip to Tokyo from Kyoto in the fall of 1952, we stopped at a number of stations along the way. The places we visited had no churches in them and ranged in size from 150,000 to 10,000 residents. Our purpose was to gain a simple, general impression of those communities to help us decide where to go to begin our pioneer evangelism activity. We rode on local trains. At those stations we had decided to stop at, we disembarked, walked out of the station and around the community for about an hour or so until the next local train came along. Then, we boarded that train, rode to the next station on our list and repeated the action there. At that time shortly after the end of the war, the sight of a strange Caucasian couple walking around a rural community or a small town was very unusual. Many people stared at us. Some of those stares we felt were friendly, others seemed a bit hostile and many seemed simply curious. Often we were followed by a group of children who may have never before seen a live American couple. The trains were very crowded and the aisles were jammed with people. At one stop we could not get to the door of the train so we had to climb out of a window and onto the platform. -------The flexible stem of a plant that creeps or climbs along a surface is called a vine. One kind of fruit produced by a vine are grapes. The word referring to the garden or yard where grapes are cultivated is a combination of "vine" and "yard", but it is pronounced 'vinyard'. The fermented juice of this fruit of the vine is called wine. In olden days, a bag for holding wine, made from the skin of a goat was called a wineskin. When a wineskin is new and supple it is able to expand as wine ferments, but if new wine were put into an old and brittle wineskin, it might burst the skin as the wine fermented. Jesus used this illustration in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 2, verse 22 in response to a question about why his disciples did not follow traditional religious customs. The meaning behind this illustration was that the new teaching that he brought to the world could not be combined with old, established customs that were no longer flexible. The vitality of his teaching would cause the old forms to burst if they could not adapt to it. Today also, when vital Christian thought is introduced into old, established traditions, it may cause disruption. If old customs are unable to adapt to new teaching, then new customs need to be formed to contain it. -------What do you suppose is the root of the word "news"? There is a mistaken explanation that it is derived from the first letters of the four points of the compass: north, east, west and south. A doggerel that British children used to repeat encouraged that misconception: "News is conveyed by letter, word or mouth / And comes to us from North, East, West and South". Actually, "news", which originally was spelled n-e-w-e-s, is simply the plural of "new" and signifies recent happenings or new information. The word used for the biblical message about Christ or the message he proclaimed is "gospel". This word, which was originally spelled g-o-d-s-p-e-l, is a translation of a Greek word meaning "good news". The message of God's love for all people is "good news" indeed. -------On August 15, 1945, Japan time, Japan informed the Allied forces that it was surrendering unconditionally. On September 2nd of that year, formal ratification of the surrender took place on the battleship 'Missouri' in Tokyo Bay, but a formal peace treaty was not signed until September 8, 1951 in San Francisco. Even now, no peace treaty has been signed with the Soviet Union, which is no longer in existence, because of disagreement regarding the so-called northern territories off the shore of Hokkaido which are claimed by both Japan and Russia. Hokkaido is the northernmost of the four main islands of Japan with an area about one-third that of Honshu. Rice, oats, barley, wheat and soy beans along with horses, sheep, cattle and pigs are raised there. It is also the home of many of the aboriginal inhabitants of these islands, the Ainu. The suggested theme for an essay this week is: Hokkaido. Have you ever visited that island? What thoughts or impressions do you have of Hokkaido and its history? I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Today, January 15th, is a Japanese holiday. On this Adults Day, young people who have reached the age of twenty are honored, officially recognized as adults and granted the right to vote. Today is also a holiday in the United States, commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the black clergyman who led the movement for civil rights and against racial discrimination. Five years before he was assassinated in 1968, when he was 39 years old, Dr. King stood before more than 200,000 black and white participants in the Freedom March to the nation's capital and gave a famous speech which includes these hopeful words. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.' I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Unfortunately, that dream has not yet come true in the United States. How about Japan? -------Have your ever heard of Moby Dick? Moby Dick is not the name of a man nor a boy but the name of a vicious white whale in the adventure story and masterpiece by the American novelist, Herman Melville. This narrative of an exciting voyage in pursuit of the elusive whale is entitled 'Moby Dick'. Though whales live in the ocean, they are mammals and include the largest animals that have ever lived. Like other mammals, they are warm-blooded, breathe air and produce milk for feeding their young. Every year, whales start off on a journey from the coast of Siberia, make their way through the Aleutian islands which lie between Russian and Alaska and, some three and a half months later, arrive off the coast of Mexico, 6,500 kilometers away, where they give birth to calves. If you made a trip last year (whether long or short), we will be happy to hear about it or about any other memorable experience of last year during the free discussion time at the meeting of "Daily Word" Fans on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya YWCA just east of Sakae on Nishiki Dori. We invite you to attend and join in the discussion and taste some of my wife's homemade cookies. -------The masculine name, George, is rooted in Greek words literally meaning "earthworker". Thus, it can denote a husbandman or farmer, but it has been the name of kings of Great Britain and other kingdoms. Lloyd is a masculine name meaning "gray" and David, the name of the famous king of the Jews, means "beloved". When these three names are combined, they identify a great British statesman who was born 134 years ago today, on January 17, 1863. David Lloyd George won recognition by his brilliancy in debate. He served as president of the Board of Trade, chancellor of the exchequer and, from 1916 to 1922, as prime minister during the final years of the First World War. His influence on the wording of the subsequent peace treaty was great since he advocated a middle position between the harsh demands of the French and the idealistic proposals of the Americans. David Lloyd George considered it the task of his government "To make Britain a fit country for heroes to live in." You are invited to attend a meeting of listeners to/readers of these messages on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya YWCA, east of Sakae on Nishiki Dori, when we will talk about trips we have taken or other memorable experiences of the past year. -------According to the newsletter I wrote in March 1953 for our church supporters in America, we finished our formal study of the Japanese language at the end of that month after being enrolled at the language school for a year and three months. Note that I did not say that we had completed our language study. We did not stop attending classes at the end of that term because we had become so fluent we did not need to continue in the more advanced classes. Not at all! In fact, we are still learning the language even now. Rather, as we were faced with important decisions about where to begin our missionary work and plans to move to that place, we decided it would be better to continue our study on our own rather than in a daily classroom situation. I noted in that newsletter that it would be the first time I had been out of school since I began kindergarten when I was five years old, after which I attended grade school, high school, university, seminary, graduate school and language school. Following the formal study in the classroom, my wife and I felt we could now review what we had learned and increase our fluency by making practical use of the language in daily life. -------Among the famous sayings of Jesus, included in his so-called Sermon on the Mount found in the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, is the following: "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." Here, Jesus is teaching about prayer and the Greek verbs imply a continuing process of asking, seeking and knocking. He then cites a couple of examples of fathers who respond to the requests of their children by giving them what is good. The loaves of bread in Jesus' day resembled round stones and the head of a snake resembled that of some fish, but a loving father would never deceive his son by giving him a useless thing like a stone or snake when the child asked for food. He concluded this teaching with the words: "How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" A basic teaching of Jesus was that the almighty God, the Creator of all, was our "Father in heaven", a God of love and justice, who hears and responds to the requests of his children. But, as a wise, loving father, he does not always give us what we desire on the spur of the moment. He knows better than we do what is good for us and that is what he gives us. -------Do you know the meaning of "stepmother", "stepfather" or "stepchild"? These terms, along with "stepbrother" and "stepsister" are unrelated to the ordinary meaning of "step". They originally denoted a relationship based on the remarriage of a parent following the death of the other parent rather than a blood relationship. In this case, "step" is rooted in a word meaning "bereaved" and was used for the bereaved child following the remarriage of the parent who had been bereft of his or her spouse. Thus, the wife of one's remarried father is one's stepmother, but I was quite confused when I first heard the Japanese term for this person: 'mama-haha'. Incidentally, children born of such a remarriage may also be called one's "half-brother" or "half-sister". -------It was surprising so many timepieces were included in our family's Christmas gifts. One of my gifts to my wife was an old wristwatch of her mother's which was broken and thought to be beyond repair. Gifts to our son and daughter from overseas included digital clocks with speakers. When a disk is pushed, a voice announces the time in Japanese. The time is also announced after the alarm sounds. Our elder son received a clock from his brother that is powered by raw vegetables. When pieces of a potato or carrot are placed in two receptacles and wires are inserted into them, they provide the acid for the chemical reaction in place of a regular battery. And I was given a clock by my elder son that consists of a vertical staff with a short, single line of tiny bulbs on it, connected to a stand. When the staff is pulled to one side and released, it oscilates from right to left and the line of tiny bulbs glow indicating the time as they rapidly move back and forth. Timepieces such as clocks or watches is the suggested theme for essays this week. What thoughts or memories do you have about them? Send them for correction and publication in '"Daily Word" Echoes' to "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463. -------Government officials accused of taking bribes have been in the news in Japan in recent months. This is not a new phenomenon nor is it peculiar to Japan. A famous English statesman, essayist and philosopher who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes as lord chancellor in 1621 and was disqualified from holding office, was born 436 years ago today, on January 22, 1561. Francis Bacon spent his remaining years writing in retirement. It was he who introduced the inductive method into logic. 'Deductive' reasoning reaches conclusions from general principles. For example, if we know that all men have two legs and that John is a man, it is logical to deduce that John has two legs. 'Inductive' reasoning moves in the opposite direction, starting from the observation of particular cases and then, as a result, formulating general principles. This is how we know that the sun rises in the east. Both methods of reasoning are useful. Bacon wrote: "The knowledge of man is as the waters, some descending from above, and some springing from beneath; the one informed by the light of nature, the other inspired by divine revelation." "A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion." -------English is a very irregular language. Even a slight acquaintance with its pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary will make that clear. The pronunciation of vowels and of many consonants is very varied and words are not always spelled the way they are pronounced. In today's message, I will note some irregularities related to prefixes. The prefix "re" consisting of the letters r and e, usually means again or anew. So "redo" means to do again and "reconsider" means to consider again. In the case of "reiterate", however, the meaning is the same as "iterate", to say over again. Usually, the prefix "in", consisting of the letters i and n, means not, so the word "intolerable" means not tolerable, but the word "inflammable" has the same meaning as "flammable", easily ignited and capable of burning quickly. Likewise, the prefix "un", composed of u and n, usually denotes the opposite of the word to which it is attached. So "fasten" means to join together and "unfasten" means to separate. On the other hand, both "loosen" and "unloosen" mean the same, to unfasten or release. I hope this doesn't make you discouraged. Remember what William Cowper wrote in his poem, 'The Task', "Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavour." -------One kind of "rush" spelled r-u-s-h, is a grasslike plant whose stems are used to make baskets and mats. But another word, spelled and pronounced the same can be used as either a noun or a verb. As a verb, it means to move or act swiftly, to hurry. The specific term "gold rush" denotes a rush of migrants to an area where gold has been discovered. In the last half of the last century, there were four major gold rushes in the United States, Australia, South Africa and Canada. The first and most famous one was the California Gold Rush which resulted from the chance discovery of golden flakes in a river on January 24, 1848, 149 years ago today. A carpenter overseeing the building of a sawmill beside the river noticed the gleaming metal in the riverbed, scooped some up and took it to be examined. After it was found to be real gold, the news soon spread to other parts of the country and around the world. During a two-year period, over 40,000 prospectors rushed to the area from near and far, hoping to "strike it rich". Only a few of them did so, but many suffered great privations in the attempt. Hopefully, some of them came to realize the truth found in Proverbs 16:16: "How much better to get wisdom than gold". -------Another reason we did not continue in language school in Tokyo in 1953, not mentioned in last Saturday's message, was my wife's physical condition. She was healthy but had gained considerable weight which was concentrated in her stomach area. In fact, she was pregnant and our plans for the birth of the baby and moving to another area influenced our decision to bring our formal language study to a close. She placed herself under the care of the same American doctor who delivered our first child, who died during the birth process just over a year previously. After the expected date passed, he advised that she have a Caesarean section, possibly to insure that this birth would be successful. We agreed and that was the first of four such operations she was to have over the next seven years. This time, both mother and son were fine. One of the problems my wife faced during her recuperation time in the hospital was related to a book I had bought for her to read. Entitled 'Cheaper by the Dozen', it was a hilarious, but true, account of a family with a dozen children, six boys and six girls. Reading the book in bed, she found it difficult not to be convulsed with laughter which would be bad for a person following abdominal surgery. -------The longest of the 66 books in the Bible is the book of Psalms, found in the middle of the Old Testament. A "psalm" is a sacred song or hymn and this book contains 150 psalms, written by Jewish poets some 3000 years ago. Because these poems express such basic and universal feelings as joy and sorrow, gratitude and need, faith and doubt, they have appealed to people of all times and places. The 42nd Psalm was written by a person living far away from his native place who felt homesick. He remembered the happy times of religious festivals of former days in his homeland. The Gentiles around him kept pestering him with such questions as "Where is your God?" They had idols as their gods, but this Hebrew had no such material object to point to. He felt discouraged, but resolved to put his hope in the God he could not see. Human beings have an innate thirst for the divine. If they do not know the true God, they will find something else to take his place. Christians believe that the living God, who is spirit, revealed himself to the world concretely in the person of Jesus, the Christ. In answer to the question, "Where is your God?", they can point to Christ, whose spirit they themselves should manifest to others. -------Do you agree with the common view that women are more emotional than men? Do you think that women are more apt to become hysterical? Wild, uncontrolled fits of laughing or crying is a characteristic of hysteria, spelled h-y-s-t-e-r-i-a. In Japanese, it may be called 'byo-teki kofun'. I am not sure if there is any reliable study to clearly show that women are more prone to get hysterical than men, but ancient people thought it was so and they assumed that the cause of hysteria was the malfunctioning of the uniquely female organ which provides the first abode for a potential human life. The Japanese word for this organ, pronounced 'shikyu', literally means "child shrine". In English, it is called a "uterus" and "hysteria" is derived from the Greek word for "uterus". -------At the end of the year, it is common for news services to choose the ten outstanding events of that year. I am sure the order of important news stories had to be changed for many such organizations just as the year was ending because of the hostage crisis that occurred in Lima, Peru. Daily, for the past six weeks, reports from Lima have monopolized headlines and crowded out other news stories in Japanese newspapers. From your viewpoint at the present time, what is your assessment of that crisis and the way it has been handled? Why did the Japanese ambassador's residence become the site of the extraordinary event? What do you think of the manner in which President Fujiimori, his government and the leaders of other nations responded to the rebels' demands? What can we learn from this experience? I would be happy to read your impressions, evaluations or comments related to the hostage crisis in Peru--along with any critical comments you may have regarding this "Daily Word" telephone service. I will correct essays sent to me related to the crisis in Peru 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. -------Today, January 29, 1997, is the 260th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Paine. Have you ever heard of him? He was born in England on this day in 1737. Until he emigrated to America when he was 37 years old, he had worked at one time or another as a corset maker, a sailor, a tax collector, a dealer in tobacco, a grocer and a schoolteacher. In the American Colonies, however, he gained fame as an effective writer. His pamphlet, 'Common Sense', which advocated immediate independence from Great Britain, was very influential in promoting the American revolutionary cause and six months after its publication, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776. Later, he wrote other influential and controversial works, including 'The Rights of Man' and 'The Age of Reason'. Although I do not agree completely with the deistic position he presents in the latter book, I am impressed with the following quotation from it. "It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what one does not believe." -------A carrot, spelled c-a-r-r-o-t, is a plant with a long, tapering orange root that is eaten as a vegetable. This vegetable is not only enjoyed by human beings, including me, but by animals, including rabbits and donkeys, as well. "Carrot-and-stick" is an English expression used when a promised reward is accompanied by a threat to encourage a certain course of action. The expression came from the strategy used to get a stubborn donkey to move ahead by putting a carrot in front of it to entice it and a stick behind him to beat it in case it did not move to get the carrot. In Japan, parents and teachers may combine 'ame' and 'muchi' to gain the desired result. There are three other English words that come from other roots that are all spelled differently, but pronounced almost the same. The word spelled k-a-r-a-t is a unit of measure for the fineness of gold. The "14K" inscribed on the inside of my wedding ring indicates that it is 14 karat gold. The word spelled c-a-r-a-t is a dif-ferent unit of weight for precious stones. And the word spelled c-a-r-e-t is a symbol, or mark, used in proofreading to indicate where something is to be added. It may be compared to the tip of an arrow and in Japanese, it is called a 'datsuji kigo'. -------In Japan, the term 'bai-bai' is often used by young people when parting. In America, however, this is considered a kind of baby talk. Since it is difficult for a baby to say "good-bye", it says "bye-bye" instead. When speaking to a small child, "to go bye-bye" may mean either to go out for a walk or a ride or to go to sleep. "Good-bye" is actually a contraction of "God be with you", and a more sophisticated greeting when parting is "farewell". Since "fare" means "to get along", this greeting is actually a wish that the person will get along well, similar to the Japanese term 'gokigenyo'. Another parting greeting, used especially by men and boys, is "So long". Although it probably came from the phrase "so long as we are parted", meaning "until we meet again", there is also the theory that it came from the Hebrew greeting 'shalom', meaning "peace". This is the common greeting among Jews when either meeting or parting. It was the greeting Jesus used when meeting his disciples after his resurrection and that the Apostle Paul regularly included at the beginning of his letters. It is a meaningful greeting for all people as an expression of our wish or prayer for the peace of individuals and for the peace of the world. "Peace!" -------Regular listeners to these telephone messages know that Saturday messages are related to my personal experiences. For a few weeks beginning today I will interrupt my reminiscences of forty-three years ago and focus on events related to a quick trip I made to the U. S. A. the middle of last month. It was the first trip back to my American homeland that I made by myself. On previous trips, I had always been accompanied by my wife and any of our children who were still living with us. The trip was prompted by a telephone call I had received over six months earlier from a nephew in the state of Illinois. This young doctor and his fiancee were making plans for a wedding to be held on January 11th and wanted me to come to officiate at the ceremony. I felt honored to be asked to do so, but that time was not very convenient for us, so I asked whether there was any possibility of the date being changed. Since it could not be, my wife was unable to go with me, so I felt a bit lonely. Further communication by telephone, letter and fax resulted in my purchasing a reduced fare ticket to leave Nagoya on January 8th and return on January 14th after officiating at the Saturday afternoon wedding and preaching in my home church, a few miles away, the following Sunday morning. -------The Christian Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament, which was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, was and is the Bible of the Jews. The New Testament, which was written in Greek, is considered by Christians to be the fulfullment of hopes and prophesies included in the Old Testament. Although the order of the books and some of their divisions are different in the Jewish Bible and the Christian Old Testament, the content is the same. It includes the Mosaic Law, narratives of historical events, messages of judgment and hope given through the prophets, poetry and so-called wisdom literature, in which human observations, experience and reflection are used to understand the meaning of life and its relation to God. A basic concept repeatedly stated in the "wisdom" books is that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" [Proverbs 9:10]. Knowledge may be gained by study and research, but the Bible teaches that true wisdom is found when human beings put their Creator at the center of their lives. According to James 3:13, there is a practical evidence of such wisdom: a "good life" and "deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom." -------Do you like ice cream? If you do, what is your favorite flavor? I suppose the two most common flavors of ice cream are vanilla and chocolate. Both of these flavors are also used in other sweets such as cakes and puddings. "Vanilla" is also the name of the plant which produces the seed pods from which the flavor is produced. The word is derived from a Latin word meaning "sheath" because that is the shape of the seed pods. Vanilla originated in Mexico, where it was used as an ingredient in chocolate. In fact, the word "chocolate" also originated in Mexico. It is derived from an Aztec word meaning "bitter water". Chocolate is made from the seeds of a "cacao" tree, which are also used to produce "cocoa". Actually, the word "cocoa" is a corrupted form of "cacao". -------There are two words in English pronounced 'shoo'. An interjection, spelled s-h-o-o, is used to frighten away animals or birds. As a verb it means to drive away. The noun, spelled s-h-o-e, denotes a covering for the foot and as a verb it means to furnish with shoes. Shoes are a kind of footwear. There are many different kinds of shoes. Some are used for particular activities or sports, including tennis shoes, basketball shoes and jogging shoes. Other kinds of footgear are used when it rains or snows, such as rubbers, boots or galoshes. High-heeled shoes are worn on certain occasions by fashionable ladies while sandals may be worn at other times. The traditional footwear of Japan includes 'geta, zori and waraji'. The suggested theme for an essay this week is: footwear. Do you ever wear 'geta, zori or waraji' these days? When are they usually worn and by whom? How many different kinds of footwear do you use and at what times? Do you prefer wearing sandals, shoes or slippers? I will correct essays on thoughts or memories related to Japanese or Western-style footwear sent to me and print them in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------A shawl is an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the neck and shoulders and, sometimes, the head. It is mainly worn by women, and on cold, winter days especially, a warm shawl makes one feel comfortable. For the past six years members of the Future Homemakers of Japan Club at Sakuradai High School in Nagoya's Minami Ward have been making shawls for elderly women who live alone in that area of the city. Last September, 36 third-year students at that school began making beige shawls suitable to wear with either a Japanese kimono or Western-type clothes using material provided by a local business men's club. Last month, 47 of these shawls were presented to the head of Minami Ward. The shawls, with a convenient pocket in them, will be distributed to elderly women who are living by themselves in a nearby area of the city. The newspaper article about these body-warming shawls stimulated a heart-warming reaction in this reader. How to teach moral education in the public school system is a controversial problem, but through such practical actions as making an article of clothing for elderly, lonely women is one way to encourage concern for those about us who are in need of both material and spiritual warmth. -------Ruth is the name of a short Old Testament book about a Gentile girl who left her native land to accompany her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, in the land of Israel, where she became the great-grandmother of the Jewish King David. It has been a popular feminine name in the United States since the coming of the Puritans who also left their native land. To baseball fans, this name will bring to mind one of the greatest baseball players of all time, who was known as Babe Ruth. George Herman Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland 102 years ago today, on February 6, 1895. When he was seven years old, his parents placed him in an industrial school for underprivileged children where he studied to be a tailor and practiced baseball in his spare time. In 1914, he entered professional baseball as a pitcher and enjoyed a number of very successful seasons, but because of his outstanding hitting ability, he was transferred to the outfield so he could play every day. For several years, he hit the most home runs per season and some of his records stand even today, 70 years later. Babe Ruth is also known for his charitable acts, visiting sick children in hospitals and endowing a foundation to aid underprivileged youth before he died. -------Among citrus fruits, which include oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits, lemons are the most sour. Lemons are used to add flavor to certain foods and drinks, but in informal English, a "lemon" signifies something undesirable or unsatisfactory. In Japan, however, lemons are highly prized by some people and, therefore also highly priced, as are most other items on the market in this land. Ventura County, near Los Angeles, is the largest lemon producer in California which is the largest producer in the United States. The highest quality lemons grown there, all yellow, perfectly oval with symmetrical tips, are shipped to Japan. In Japan, these lemons, whose wholesale price is about ¥25, are wrapped individually or in pairs in cellophane bags, placed on supermarket shelves and sold for more than ¥110. In fact, at "top-of-the-line fruit boutiques" where high-priced melons and strawberries are also on sale, they may cost up to ¥240. In Japan, it has been said that people "eat first with their eyes" and that food presentation is a work of art. Is it because they are considered works of art that the high-quality lemons fetch such exorbitant prices among affluent Japanese? -------Last month, I made a quick trip to the United States. The purpose of the trip was to officiate at the wedding ceremony of a nephew, the son of one of my younger sisters. My wife, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters accompanied me to Nagoya Airport. Before entering the waiting room for departing passengers, I had to pass through an arch which emits a beep if it detects any metal on the body of the passenger. It beeped the first time I passed through, so I took out my coins and keys and went through again. Again, it beeped, so I took off my metal pen and pencil set and tie clasp and tried again, but again it beeped. I could not think of any other metal I had in my clothes or on my body, so an attendant examined me with a hand-held detector. He found a large, metal badge in my coat pocket that I had forgotten about. It was a campaign button which had been sent to me a couple of years earlier when my brother-in-law was running for mayor of my hometown and bore the words "Elect Chuck Paxton Mayor". I presumed his honor, the mayor and close friend from my childhood days, would meet me at the Chicago Airport along with my sister so I planned to have the button pinned to my coat when he greeted me. -------Japan and other Oriental countries are noted for their group consciousness. The particular group to which one belongs or society as a whole seems to take precedence over the individual, whereas in America, emphasis is placed upon individuality. Both of these traditions have their particular strengths and weaknesses. In an ideal society, the group and the individual will be harmonized into a mutually beneficial union. Such a blending of unity and diversity is described by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians, chapter 12, using the illustration of a human body. Each part of the body is different and unique. Some parts are more important, more beautiful or more honorable than others, but each part has a peculiar function to perform and in a healthy body all parts work together for the common good under the leadership of the head. In this chapter, Paul is describing an ideal church, which is called the "body of Christ". Each member of the church is expected to make use of his or her God-given character and gifts, in cooperation with others to promote the healthy working of the body in order to accomplish its mission in the world. Individual Christians should regularly reflect on how they are fulfilling their responsibility. -------Some people speak in rhapsodies when they are very happy or when they describe some great success they have achieved. And some musicians compose music called rhapsodies. "Rhapsody", spelled r-h-a-p-s-o-d-y, may denote an excessively enthusiastic expression of feeling in speech or writing. And in music, it is a composition in a free, irregular form. This word is derived from two Greek words: a verb meaning "to sew" and a noun meaning "song". Thus, the root meaning is "songs sewn or strung together". It was originally applied to the ancient Greek epic poems, the 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey', which at one time were in fragments. Certain ancient bards, or singing poets, collected a number of such fragments and strung them together to make a ballad which they sang. -------Today, February 11th, is a holiday in Japan called 'kenkoku kinen-bi', a day set apart to commemorate the establishment or foundation of this "land of the rising sun". According to mythological records, which are not accepted as historical by present-day historians, the first emperor of Nippon was enthroned on the 11th day of the 2nd month in the year 660 B. C. During the Pacific War, this day, called 'ki-gensetsu', was a day of great nationalistic fervor, but times have changed and many people today consider it simply another holiday to enjoy. But it may be a good time to consider seriously not only the foundation of our country but of our lives. At the end of the 7th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus taught the importance of building one's life upon a solid foundation that can withstand the storms of life one is certain to encounter. Such a foundation is based on faith, a quality that all people possess, whether they call themselves atheists or theists; the difference between these two is simply the content of their faith. Since callers to this telephone service are fewer on holidays, I will suggest the theme for an essay this week in Thursday's message rather than today. -------Two famous men were born on this 12th day of February in the year 1809. The one, born in the English town of Shrewsbury, lived until he was 73 years old. The other, born in the American state of Kentucky, was assassinated when he was 56. The name of the latter was Abraham Lincoln and that of the former was Charles Darwin. Lincoln was a self-educated man who became a lawyer and served as president of the United States during the American Civil War. In his second inaugural address, he stated: "with malice toward none, with charity for all . . . let us strive to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds." Unfortunately, his untimely death made it impossible for him to carry out his plan. Darwin first studied to be a doctor and then a minister but lost interest in both of these professions during the training. His interest in natural history resulted in the formulation of the theory of organic evolution for which he is famous. In 'The Descent of Man', he notes some peculiarly human characteristics which President Lincoln manifested: man's "noble qualities", including "sympathy that feels for the most debased . . . benevolence which extends . . . to the humblest living creature" and "god-like intellect". -------Today is Thursday, the 13th of February. Although I usually suggest a theme for listeners to or readers of these messages to write an essay on on Tuesdays, since Tuesday was a holiday this week when the number of callers is much lower than on other days, I am suggesting a theme today instead. Essays sent to me will be corrected and printed in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes' which will be available at our next meeting on March 23rd, the 'fourth' Sunday of next month because the fifth Sunday when we usually meet is Easter Sunday and I will be busy on that day. The suggested theme for an essay this week is: "Hospital". This word is derived from a Latin word meaning "guest" and is related to hospice, hospitable and hospitality. I'm sure you have had experiences of being either a guest in or a visitor to a hospital and you may write about personal experiences, memories or ideas related to hospitals. Some foreigners confuse the Japanese word for hospital ('biyoin') with that for beauty parlor ('biyoin'). That word gives rise to quite different thoughts or memories and, if you prefer, you may write on that subject instead. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------One of the main tourist attractions in the United States is the Grand Canyon. This gorge, cut by the Colorado River, is up to 1.6 kilometers deep, 6-29 kilometers wide and more than 320 kilometers long. It is located in the northwestern part of the southwestern state which became the 48th state 85 years ago today, on February 14, 1912. This state, known as the Grand Canyon State, has the largest number of Native American residents, belonging to more than 14 tribes dwelling on 20 reservations. Most of the territory belonging to this state was ceded to the United States following the Mexican War. The capital of the state is Phoenix, which is the name of the mythological bird that rises from its ashes into new life. By now, you probably know the name of that state, whose name is derived from Native American words signifying "place of the small spring". It is Arizona and its motto is a Latin phrase meaning "God enriches". Arizona history is rich in legends of explorers seeking such riches as gold and silver but copper is the main mineral mined there. The state motto is true, but we must remember that the riches given by God are not primarily material ones, as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:19-20. -------On my trip to the United States last month, my plane departed from Nagoya on schedule at 6:45 in the evening of Wednesday, January 8th. After a nine-hour flight, we arrived in Portland, Oregon at 10:45 Wednesday morning, Portland time. During my short trip, I rode on six planes, three on the way to Chicago and three on the return trip. On each plane, I had a seat on the aisle, which was convenient for me. At Portland Airport, I had a layover of about 1 1/2 hours before boarding a plane for Salt Lake City. During that time, I wanted to make three telephone calls and looked for a quiet place from which the calls could be made. Fortunately, I found such a place, a special room with desks, copy machines and fax machines as well as telephones. The first call I made was to the NTT number in Nagoya which I call nightly to record the "Daily Word" message for the following day. Thus, I recorded the message for January 9th at about 4 o'clock in the morning Japan time. The second call was to my wife's brother, who lives near San Francisco in California to relay our greetings to him and his family since I was less than a thousand kilometers away. The third call has an interesting story behind it which I will relate in next Saturday's message. -------The English name for the first book of the Bible is Genesis. This word means "origin" or "beginning". This book begins with a story of the beginning of the world. Needless to say, this 3000-year-old story is not written in modern scientific language. It is a reflection of the basic faith that underlies the whole Bible. It affirms that the physical universe is not the meaningless result of chance. According to that ancient story, light and darkness, sea and land, plants, celestial bodies, animals, birds and fish were all created in an orderly fashion by a purposeful and intelligent Creator. The final act of creation was the special creation of beings in the image of God. These human beings, with their peculiar gifts and ability to believe in God, were given responsibility over the rest of creation. The story affirms that the original creation was good, but the rest of the Bible relates how the world was upset by the rebellious actions of human beings in turning away from their Creator and going their self-centered ways. Yet, the Bible teaches that the almighty, eternal God continues to be in control and that human happiness can be found through freely returning to the Source of our life and following the divine will. -------The word "exodus", spelled e-x-o-d-u-s, is derived from the Greek word for "way" and a prefix meaning "out". Thus an exodus is a "going out" or "departure". For example, there is always an exodus of people from Tokyo before the New Year's holidays. The Old Testament book of Exodus relates the story of the Israelites departure from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The 16th chapter of Exodus contains the story of a divine provision of food while they were in the wilderness. When they first saw this strange, white substance, the people said "What is it?" From the Hebrew words for this expression, the term "manna", spelled m-a-n-n-a, was coined. This word may also be used today for "something of value that a person receives unexpectedly." -------One meaning of "code" is a set of signals used to represent letters or numbers in transmitting messages, but its primary meaning is a systematically arranged collection of laws or regulations. Many organizations have codes of one kind or another that its members are expected to follow. Schools have dress codes which indicate the kind of clothes students are permitted to wear. And some companies also have dress codes for their employees. The modern dress of young people especially has become very informal. But even some teachers, other respected professionals and elected representatives are dressing less formally than previously. What do you think about the trends of modern dress--of young people, middle-aged or older folks? How and why has it changed from previous times? Do you dress differently than you did ten years ago? Thoughts, memories, comments regarding present fashions related to dress is the suggested theme for an essay this week. Essays sent to me by the deadline of March 1st will be corrected and printed in the issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes', which will be available at our meeting on Sunday afternoon, March 23rd. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Do you know the difference between an "ocean" and a "sea"? Checking an English-Japanese dictionary, the first translation given for "ocean" is 'taiyo' and the second is 'umi'. In the case of "sea", the first translation is 'umi' and the second is 'taiyo'. It is obvious that there is ambiguity regarding these two words. In an English dictionary, the first definition of "ocean" is: "the entire body of salt water that covers about 72 per cent of the earth's surface" and the first definition of "sea" is: "the continuous body of salt water covering most of the earth's surface". So it is no wonder we are confused. But further definitions of "sea" include "a tract of water within an ocean" and "a relatively large body of salt water completely or partly landlocked". How many oceans can you name? World maps contain the names of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic oceans, but the number of seas is much larger. How many seas can you name? Some of them have colorful names such as: Red, Black and Yellow. Larger seas include the South China, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Bering seas along with the Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Japan, East China Sea and North Sea. Finally, when you hear their names, can you tell where they are located? -------Today's message is related to the names of automobiles. How many names of foreign automobile companies do you know? Just as the major Japanese companies of Toyota and Honda bear the family names of their original producers, many American and European cars and car companies have been named after their inventors or producers. Henry Ford was not an inventor but the first manufacturer of cars that bear his name. Before the production of Fords in the United States, two German engineers, Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, had produced automobiles powered by gasoline engines under their names. Such well-known American car manufacturers as Buick, Chevrolet, Packard, Oldsmobile, Studebaker and Nash all bore the names of their manufacturers. And the Italian car, Ferrari, was named after its first producer, Enzo Ferrari, who was born 99 years ago today, on February 20, 1898, in Modena, Italy. Although reference books at hand make reference to an ecclesiastic, a poet, a painter, a sculptor, a philosopher and a dramatist named Ferrari, none of them provided more information about Enzo than his birthday and birthplace but that was enough to provide the inspiration for today's message. -------An obelisk is a slender four-sided tapering monument with a pointed top. In ancient Egypt, obelisks, dedicated to the sun god, were placed at the entrance to temples. But the world's tallest and most famous obelisk is found in Washington, D. C. It is called the Washington Monument, in honor of the country's first president. The original plan was to erect an equestrian statue, meaning a statue of a man on a horse, but following Washington's death, plans were changed. Later, 33 years after his death, a private group was formed to promote the building of a magnificent monument. Funds and blocks of stone were received from states, foreign governments and private individuals and such "tribute blocks" carry inscriptions on the inside walls of the monument. Political quarreling, insufficient funds and the Civil War delayed its completion, but on February 21,1885, 112 years ago today, the monument was dedicated and three years later, it was opened to the public. Now more than a million persons visit it every year. Visitors may ascend to the observatory at the top of the 555.5 foot (169.3 meter) high monument in an elevator or walk up 898 steps if they prefer to do so. -------The third telephone call I made from Portland Airport during my layover there last month was prompted by an incident that occurred three months earlier. My son, Mark Offner, has a home page on the internet through the university where he is on the faculty. A researcher at the University of Montana, named Rick Offner, saw Mark's name on the internet and sent him a letter by e-mail in which he noted that Offner is not a common name and he wondered if they might be related. He informed Mark of the names of his deceased father, grandfather and grandfather's three brothers. Mark replied by e-mail that Rick's grandfather was my uncle and, consequently, that Rick's father was my (first) cousin. When I was young, I knew Rick's father but we had lost contact over the decades. Rick had also informed Mark that his mother lived in Portland. I found her name in the telephone directory and decided to give her a call. Needless to say, she was surprised to hear from me, though she had been informed of the e-mail correspondence. She said she remembered me and that she and her husband used to receive our newsletter for a while after we came to Japan. It was interesting and enjoyable to talk to her and to renew our relationship by way of the internet and the telephone. -------As you know, the Old Testament begins with an account of the genesis of the world and the beginning of the human race. Subsequent historical narratives in the Old Testament are primarily related to the descendants of Jacob, or Israel, who were chosen to be God's special representatives in the world. The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their experiences in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land of Canaan were crucial events in Jewish history. These and many other Old Testament stories provide the background to the continuing activity of God related in the New Testament. In the 10th chapter of his First Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul gives a spiritual interpretation of these Old Testament stories, which he called "examples" and "warnings" from which his readers should learn. Today also, it is important to look back upon the history of our own nation and of other nations of the world and to reflect upon their meaning. We need to look at history objectively, to learn from the past and to resolve that former mistakes not be repeated. George Santayana, an American philosopher, poet and novelist has written: "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it." -------Do you know what "chow" or a "chow" is? Spelled c-h-o-w, one kind of "chow" is a slang term for food. American servicemen in World War I spoke of "chow time" instead of "meal time" and the one who always stood first in the "chow line" was called a "chowhound". This word is probably derived from the pidgin English pronunciation of a Chinese term meaning to stir-fry. A relish consisting of chopped vegetables pickled in mustard is called "chow-chow" and a popular American dish of fried noodles is called "chow mein". A completely different kind of "chow" or "chow chow", which is derived from a different Chinese word for "dog", denotes a particular breed of dog that originated in China. It has long, reddish-brown or black hair and a blackish tongue. -------Today, February 25th is the 61st anniversary of the notorious attempt by extreme militarists to seize control of the Japanese government in 1936 following a general election in which strong support for parliamentary government was expressed. Although the attempt failed, despite the assassinations of government officials, the power of the extremists continued to advance and the nation was, incident by incident, edging closer to an aggressive war which the general public failed to fully comprehend. In a true democracy, an alert, perceptive and vocal citizenry is essential. For those listeners/readers who are writing essays for publication in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes', which will be available at our meeting on Sunday afternoon, March 23rd, please send them to reach me by March 1st. The six themes are: Hokkaido, Timepieces, Peru Hostage Crisis, Footwear, Hospitals or Beauty Parlors and Dress Codes and Fashions. The meeting will be held at the Higashi Shakai Kyoiku Center, which is located next door to the Geijutsu Sozo Center near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Cody, a town in northwestern Wyoming, is named after the man who founded it, established its first newspaper and built its leading hotel. William Cody, born 151 years ago today, February 26, 1846, in the state of Iowa, spent his early years in the state of Kansas. At the age of 14, he became one of the first riders of the Pony Express, the unique, American mail transportation system which used relays of ponies to transport mail to the west coast before the advent of the railroad. As the railroad was being built, Cody was employed to provide bison meat to the workers and killed an estimated 4,280 bison, which are mistakenly called "buffalo", within 17 months. His expertise in hunting and killing these animals earned him the nickname "Buffalo Bill", under which he became famous as a showman. His traveling "Wild West Show", which included cowboys and Indians, buffalo and bronco riding, entertained enthusiastic audiences throughout America and in Europe as well. Now, in Cody, there is a Buffalo Bill Historical Museum. Just outside the town are the Buffalo Bill State Park and the Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir. And one can drive to Yellowstone National Park along the scenic Buffalo Bill Highway. -------Most people think of Tokyo only as a crowded, busy metropolis, but included in this metropolitan unit is a sparcely-populated chain of islands off the Izu Peninsula, called the Izu-Shichito or Seven Islands of Izu. The largest of these islands, called Oshima, or Big Island, is 88 square kilometers. A main tourist attraction of the island is Mt. Mihara, a 758-meter-high active volcano, whose smoke can be seen from far away, providing a conspicuous mark for navigators on the sea. Around the mountain are many volcanic rocks, or lava, which provide the material for a special kind of pottery, Izu Oshima Yaki, made by Jun Oba, a 70-year-old ceramic artist who moved to Oshima 20 years ago from the Tokyo suburb of Chofu. After crushing the lava into powder, Mr. Oba mixes it in a certain proportion with ordinary soil. When burned in a kiln, the iron in the lava turns brown on the surface, giving the pottery a unique color. To Mr. Oba, Mt Mihara is not scenery nor an object of religious faith. It is the source of his livelihood. The 121st Psalm begins with these words: "I look to the mountains; where will my help come from?" And the answer is: "My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." -------As technological advances have made our daily lives more convenient, they have also made them more impersonal and mechanical. We can now buy many items, purchase tickets and deposit or withdraw money from savings accounts without any contact with another human being; and we can type letters or manuscripts on word processors that are very businesslike. There are occasions, however, when even modern Japanese prefer to write announcements, greetings or invitations in a more artistic style, using a writing brush, and now, even Japanese calligraphy has become mechanized. The Janome Sewing Machine company's Fudegaki MP-2000 can write characters like a professional calligrapher. It comes with a computer-operated pen that reproduces characters in the semicursive writing style or printed style. Included in the 3,925 characters it is able to write are most Japanese names as well as 78 types of condolence or congratulatory characters. So now even art can be produced by a machine. I am sure T. S. Eliot did not have this machine in mind when he wrote: "No generation is interested in art in quite the same way as any other; each generation . . . makes its own demands upon art, and has its own uses for art." -------When I went to the United States in January, I used the only airline that has direct flights from Nagoya to the American mainland. Although it has daily flights to Portland, Oregon the ongoing trip to Chicago, Illinois requires another change of planes at Salt Lake City, Utah. During the two-hour layover at Portland, I made three phone calls, but at Salt Lake City, there was only a half-an-hour interval between arrival and departure times, so I went almost immediately from the one airplane to the other. My suitcase, of course, was checked through to the final destination so there was no need to bother with it. Upon my arrival in Chicago, I did not see my sister and brother-in-law when I disembarked, so I began walking toward the baggage pickup area by myself, but they had spied me and came up behind me. While greeting them, however, I realized that I had forgotten to pin the campaign button on my coat--the button that had caused me trouble at the metal detecting device at Nagoya Airport. My brother-in-law, the present mayor of my hometown, had come to meet me and I especially brought that button, urging his election, to wear at that time, but I had forgotten to pin it on before leaving the airplane. -------A basic teaching of the Bible is that there is one, and only one, God. But since God is spirit and, consequently, invisible to physical eyes, it is difficult to describe or define God. The Bible uses various figures taken from human experience to describe God. Sometimes material objects are used to express certain divine qualities. God is called a changeless Rock and a Dwelling Place or Refuge in times of trouble. To indicate other aspects of God's character, human figures are used. God is called a Judge, a Shepherd and a heavenly Father. But some descriptive terms are difficult to define--not only by common people in ancient times but by modern scholars as well. In the First Letter of John, near the end of the New Testament, we find the declarations that "God is light" in chapter 1 and "God is love" in chapter 4. Although we understand the meaning of such terms, precise definitions seem beyond the ability of both scientists and philosophers. But John notes that genuine belief in a God who is light and who is love will be evident in the lives of those who believe. They will not walk in darkness but in the light and they will show love to those around them. In regard to religious faith, "Actions speak louder than words". -------This 3rd day of the 3rd month is known as 'hina-matsuri' in Japan. The Chinese character for 'hina' is made up of elements meaning grass (used to build a nest) and a bird. Its basic meaning is a young bird, or chick, but it is also used for a doll. On this Doll's Festival, special dolls, 'hina-ningyo', are arranged on a special doll-stand, 'hina-dan'. In contrast with dolls in the West, these dolls are not to play with but only to look at. The English word "doll" basically denotes a children's toy representing a human being, but it may also mean a pretty girl or woman. This word was originally a nickname for Dorothy or Dorothea, the Latin version of a Greek name literally meaning "gift of God". These Greek words are found in Ephesians 2:8, where salvation is said to be "the gift of God". -------In the old days, there was no fixed capital of Japan so the seat of government changed with the accession of each ruler. But in 710, the city of Nara became the first permanent capital and remained so until 784. Consequently, Nara is an important city with many places of historic interest. Along with the older temples and shrines, there is a prestigious national university for women with roots extending back to 1908. Tradition will be broken in that tradition-conscious city next month when the new president of Nara Women's University is installed. At that time, Masako Niwa will become the first female president of a national university in Japan. The 63-year-old professor, who has lived in the ancient capital all her life and graduated from the school's Home Economics Department with a major in apparel science, continues to sew wearing apparel for herself and her family. In her new post, she hopes to encourage women to follow her example in successfully combining family responsibilities with a challenging career. She emphasizes that, after child-rearing, there is no difference in the way women and men work and that women should be provided with the same opportunities for productive activities as men. -------Today's message is the first in a series of three messages related to the order in which names are written. In modern societies it is customary for people to have at least two names: a family name, or surname, and at least one given name. The customary order in which these names are written depends upon the tradition of a particular country. In the United States, except for lists of names in which surnames precede given names, the normal order is for the given name to precede the surname, but in Japan, it is customary for the surname always to precede the given name. Most Japanese who visit the United States follow the American custom while there, in keeping with the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". Thus, Suzuki Taro becomes Taro Suzuki while in the U. S. But in Japan, it is not uncommon for Westerners' names to be written in the Western order. Since I feel that this is an unnecessary accomodation to a Western custom that may imply an egocentric insistence on the part of Westerners to do things the "right" Western way, I deliberately follow the Japanese custom of putting my surname first when writing in Japanese (katakana), but keep the American order when writing in romaji. -------As noted in yesterday's message, I reverse the order of my given name and surname when I write it in Japanese. Thus, the English side of my calling card gives my name as "Clark Offner", but on the Japanese side it is written 'ofuna- kura-ku', with the 'ofuna' printed in Gothic type to alert perceptive readers that it is my surname. Japanese who only read my name in 'katakana' may be confused regarding which is my given name and which is my surname, especially since my given name is the same as the surname of a famous American teacher at the agricultural school in Sapporo over a hundred years ago. Nevertheless, I consider it more logical for the name order to be the same regardless of national origin or citizenship and I follow the Japanese tradition in this regard. Also, when my name is listed among Japanese names, if my name is given in the Western order, it is out of order--in the group of surnames beginning with 'ku' instead of 'o'. The name of an American friend of mine was previously listed in the telephone directory under 'e' because 'esu'[S] was the initial of his first given name (which he never used), so no one was able to find his name in the directory no matter how hard they looked for it. -------The first 'hanko', or personal seal, I had made in Japan was a simple, unofficial 'mitome-in' with 'katakana' symbols for 'ofuna-' on it. Later, I had an official 'jitsu-in' made with my name in Chinese characters meaning "big ship, storeroom nine" (ofuna kuraku). I also added the character for "beautiful", since the initial of my middle name is B. This seal was subsequently registered at the ward office. Years later, a new regulation required that the officially registered name on a 'jitsu-in' also appear on the alien registration certificate foreigners are required to obtain, so on my 'gaikokujin toroku shomeisho', the Chinese characters for my name appear under my name in English. When I first received my national health insurance certificate, my name was written in 'katakana', but later a change in regulations required that when Chinese characters are used for a name on an alien registration certificate, the name must appear in that form on the health insurance certificate. So now, the latter certificate contains my name only in Chinese characters. Consequently, when I present the certificate for the first time, the recipient is always confused to see a man with an American-type face using a certificate with a Japanese-type name. -------The week before I left for the U. S. in January, the frame of my glasses got broken during a tennis match. Those glasses were purchased on a visit to the U. S. some years previously. In Japan, I could not find a frame that would fit the shape of the lenses, so the frame was simply glued together temporarily. On my visit to my hometown, I planned to go to the same shop where the glasses were purchased to see if they still had frames that fit those lenses. The morning after my arrival, I borrowed my sister's car to drive to the optometrist's office. After backing out of the driveway, I drove for over a hundred meters before I realized I was driving on the wrong side of the street. In America, the right side of the street is the right side of the street. Fortunately, I did not meet another car during that time. At the optometrist's office, I asked if they still had glass frames that fit my lenses. The clerk told me that my frames were an older style but she would check and see if she could find a suitable pair. Fortunately, she did find such a pair that originally had some kind of attachment on them which she had removed, leaving two small holes on both braces near the front, but I was happy to pay the requested $3.00 for them. -------Anyone who knows more than one language recognizes the difficulty of translating words or ideas from one language to another. Often identical words, idioms or concepts in one language cannot be found in the other, so the same word must be translated differently, depending on the context. The Greek word, 'doulos', for example, is translated as both "servant" and "slave" in modern English translations of the Bible. And in the 'shin-kyodoyaku' Japanese translation, there are four different words used. Three of them are found in the Gospel of Matthew. When used by a Roman army officer, in chapter 8, verse 9, the word is translated 'buka'. In two parables of Jesus, recorded in chapters 18 and 21, the word is translated 'kerai'. But the more common translation is 'shimobe'. In chapter 10, verse 27, Jesus instructs his disciples to remember, when they are persecuted, that a servant, or slave, is not greater than his master. In the letters of Paul, this word is often translated 'dorei' and it is a word used for loyal followers of Christ. Whether to translate it as "servant" or "slave" depends on the translator, but in either case, as 'duloi', true Christians recognize Christ as the true Lord, or Master, of their lives. -------Jeep, spelled j-e-e-p, is now a trademark name for a civilian motor vehicle, but the word originally denoted a small, rugged, military vehicle with a four-wheel drive used by the United States armed forces in World War II. This very useful vehicle, which was used for many different purposes, was designated a "g. p.", meaning "general purpose", car. From these initials, the word "geep", spelled g-e-e-p, was coined. At that time, there was a cartoon character in the comic strip, Popeye, called "Eugene the Jeep", a tiny creature with supernatural powers, so this small, all-purpose vehicle with its surprising power was given the same spelling. Similarly, veep, spelled v-e-e-p, an American slang term for vice president, was derived from the initials v. p. -------Today is March 11th. On this day in the year 1888, 109 years ago, the most famous snowstorm in American history occurred in the northeastern part of the country. An unfortunate combination of severe cold, a heavy snowfall and strong winds which continued for 36 hours resulted in the deaths of over 400 people. In New York City, a 52-centimeter snowfall was blown into 3-meter high drifts and people lost their sense of direction in the swirling winds. Transportation and communication was discontinued and telegraph messages from New York to Boston had to be transmitted by way of England. Some years later, an organization was formed whose members met each year to recall their experiences during that Blizzard of 1888. On Sunday, March 23rd, beginning at 1:30, we will hold a meeting of listeners to or readers of these "Daily Word" messages at the Higashi Shakai Kyoiku Senta- which is next door to the City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- north of the Shinsakaemachi subway station. The topic for short talks by those who attend will be "Memories of Elementary School Days". You are invited to attend and tell us about a memorable teacher, classmate, activity or event during your elementary school days. -------Animals that nurse their offspring are called mammals. Mammals that eat meat are carnivorous; those that eat plants are herbivorous. A feline is a carnivorous mammal of the cat family. Beside the domesticated cat, felines include wild cats, panthers, pumas, jaguars, lynxes, leopards, tigers, cougars and lions. Because male lions have long, magnificent manes that give them an imposing appearance, they have been called king of the beasts. Actually, a number of kings have been called "Lion" as an honorable nickname, including Louis VIII of France, William the Lion of Scotland and Richard Lion-Heart of England. Since a lion is a symbol of Britain, the expression "to twist the Lion's tail" means to make insulting statements against Great Britain. In Biblical times, lions were found in Palestine and there are no fewer than six words to designate them in different stages of growth. The two most important words occur over 80 times in the Old Testament. In the vision of John recorded in the 5th chapter of the last book of the New Testament, Christ first appears as a Lion and then as a Lamb, indicating both his royal power and his humble, sacrificial nature. -------Living on islands surrounded by sea, it is natural that Japanese eat much fish. Since coming to Japan, I have been amazed at the great variety of fish that are available and at the large number of Chinese characters that include the radical for fish. Do you know the plural of fish? You may choose either fish or fishes, since both plural forms are acceptable, but in my experience the former form is more common. Fish are an important source of protein and some people consider fish to be "brain food", probably because fish provide phosphorus for the nerve tissue in the brain. The fish is one of the earliest Christian symbols. It has been found in catacombs and other ancient monuments. The New Testament Gospels contain a couple of stories of miracles Jesus performed related to fish. Also, Jesus' first disciples were fishermen and he told them he would make them "fishers of men" [Mark 1:17]. The basic reason for this symbol, however, is that the Greek word for fish, 'ichthus', was considered a kind of acronym, the letters of which are the first letters of the title: "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior", which may be considered an early confession of faith and continues to express the heart of the Christian faith even today. -------Today is the 129th anniversary of the birth of the man who is considered the father of Soviet literature. He was born on March 14, 1868 in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, about 400 kilometers east of Moscow. This historic city, a major river port on the Volga and Oka rivers founded 776 years ago, became an important industrial city and the site of Russia's largest automobile factory. In 1932, it changed its name to honor this writer who was born there and who died three years after the city's name was changed. (Incidentally, in 1959, the Japanese city where the nation's largest automobile company is located changed its name, but not to honor a writer. Its name is now Toyota.) The Russian writer's name was Aleksey Maximovich Pyeshkov and he worked at various trades before he started writing under the pseudonym of Maxim Gorky, which, in Russian, means "Maxim, the bitter". Gorky wrote romantic tales about peasants and workers of his day and then novels of social realism which promoted the revolutionary movement. In 'The Lower Depths', the best-known of his 15 plays, he wrote: "When work is a pleasure, life is a joy! When work is a duty, life is slavery." Do you agree? -------When I made a short visit to the United States in January, there were two items I wanted to buy which were not available in Japan. On the first morning in my hometown, I purchased new glass frames, but after wearing them for a day, I realized they were too loose so I went back the next day to have them tightened. I returned again the following day for the same reason, but it was only after returning to Japan and going to a 'megane-ya' here that they were tightened satisfactorily. The other item on my list was desired by my wife. The mixer she used for making cookies, cakes, etc. which we had brought from the States some twenty years before was no longer functioning properly. She had been informed of a more powerful mixer that would simplify her culinary activities and fervently desired one, so I was given the order to procure one. In the evening of the day following my arrival, my sister took me to a shopping mall a few miles away where we found such mixers on hand at two different department stores. We compared prices and, after she made a phone call to a discount store, we bought the one at the first store. I brought it back to Japan with me and both my wife and I have been very happy with it. -------Easy-to-understand stories are sometimes used to give moral or spiritual instruction. Such stories may be called fables, parables or allegories but there is a slight difference in the use of these terms. Characters in a fable are usually animals and the moral is usually clearly stated at the end. A parable is a short, simple story of a familiar event in nature or life that illustrates a spiritual truth. A number of Jesus' parables are related to sowing seeds and their subsequent growth. In an allegory, there is a figurative meaning to each element of the story. The 15th chapter of the Gospel of John begins with an allegory of a vine and its branches. In this allegory, Jesus is the vine, his Father is the gardener and his disciples are the branches. Branches that do not bear fruit are cut off and discarded, while those that bear fruit are pruned that they may bear more fruit, but Jesus emphasized that branches cannot bear fruit unless they are connected to the vine. In this allegory, Jesus taught that fruit is expected and required of his disciples, that the trials experienced by fruit-bearing disciples are meant to make them more fruitful and that a constant relationship with their Lord, the source of their life, is essential. -------The three letter-word "pat", spelled p-a-t, may denote a gentle tap or touch of the hand on something or someone. I may pat my desk, the head of my son's dog or the shoulder of my wife. Another meaning of "pat" is a small lump of something, like a pat of butter. If the word begins with a capital letter even when it is not at the beginning of a sentence, it is a nickname for Patrick or Patricia. Today, March 17th, is both a holy day and a holiday, the most important day of the year, in Ireland, called Saint Patrick's Day. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, entered that country as a bishop in the year 432 and began one of the most successful missionary careers on record. Today parades and other festivities are held by Irish men and women wherever they may be. -------Automobiles are powered by a particular kind of engine called an internal combustion engine (nainen-kikan) because the combustion, or burning, of its fuel takes place in a confined space within the engine. One particular kind of internal combustion engine is called a diesel engine. I am not an engineer so I will not try to describe this engine, but, as you may know, the fuel for a diesel engine is crude oil, or fuel oil, rather than the more expensive gasoline. Can you imagine how the diesel engine got its name? If you imagine that it was derived from the name of its inventor, then you are right. Rudolf Diesel was a German mechanical engineer who was born in Paris 139 years ago today, on March 18, 1858. Thirty-four years later, in 1892, he received a patent for the new kind of engine he had invented. On this coming Sunday afternoon, March 23rd, at 1:30, a meeting of listeners to/readers of these "Daily Word" messages will be held at the Higashi Shakai Kyoiku Senta- located next to the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- north of the Shinsakaemachi subway station. You are invited to join us and to share some of memories of your elementary school days. -------A recent article in an English-language newspaper was titled: "Rednecks and blue bloods wage war." The article was not about a real war, but a figurative battle between differing viewpoints of individuals and groups which make up "the American right". I wonder if you understand such colorful, descriptive terms. "Right", of course, denotes the conservative side in political jargon. In contrast, the "left" side is considered more progressive or radical. This is the result of the custom in certain European assemblies for conservative parties to be seated on the right and liberal parties on the left (when viewed from the standpoint of the speaker). The term "blue blood", which was originally used by pure-blooded Spanish nobles who asserted that their blood was blue, not black like that of the Moors, is now used for people of noble descent or aristocrats. "Redneck" is a somewhat disparaging label for poor white laboring men in rural areas of southern states in the U. S. A. for men who work outdoors daily tend to develop toughened, reddened necks. The aforementioned article noted that poor conservatives and rich ones in the United States have very different positions in regard to the abortion debate. -------Today, March 20th, is a holiday in Japan. In English, it is called the vernal, or spring, equinox. "Equinox" is derived from Latin words meaning "equal night" for today is one of two days in the year when the length of day and night are equal. Because of the wobbling motions of the earth as it rotates on its own axis and as it moves on an elliptical course around the sun and due to the additional day added in leap years, equinoxes do not fall on the same day every year. Last year also, the holiday was celebrated on March 20th, but the year before that it was on March 21st as it will be next year too. In Japan, the equinox is the middle of the season of 'higan', literally meaning "other shore", when people visit cemeteries and remember deceased loved ones, for it is on this day that the sun sets directly in the west, the direction of Amida Buddha's "Pure Land". While the "other shore" is the focus of attention in Japan, March 21st has been designated Earth Day in the West to focus attention on the critical need to preserve the earth's resources, so I would urge people to consider 'shigan', or "this shore" as well as 'higan' during this season and show concern for descendants as well as ancestors, not only in Japan but around the world. -------Those of you who regularly listen to or read these "Daily Word" messages know that they often include explanations of the background or roots of words or expressions which are not widely known. The American company that produces Reebok athletic shoes should have listened to one of those messages or used a dictionary to ascertain the meaning of "incubus", spelled i-n-c-u-b-u-s, before giving that name to a new line of shoes. They have now discontinued that name after being informed that the word denoted a spirit or demon that sexually molested women in their sleep. (This demon was called "mare" in Old English and that is the reason a fearful dream is called a "nightmare". Although over 50,000 pairs of the Incubus shoes have been sold, fortunately, the name does not appear on the shoe itself, but only on the shoe boxes. On this coming Sunday afternoon, March 23rd, at 1:30, a meeting of listeners to/readers of these "Daily Word" messages will be held at the Higashi Shakai Kyoiku Senta- located next to the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- north of the Shinsakaemachi subway station. You are invited to join us and to share some of memories of your elementary school days. -------I was not prepared for the cold snowy weather that greeted me when I visited my hometown in northern Illinois in January. On the day before my nephew's wedding, I left my sister's house to walk to another nephew's home over a kilometer away. The ground was covered with snow and walking was a bit dangerous, but, fortunately, I was able to borrow a pair of heavy boots. Even so, I walked on the road rather than on the sidewalk where the snow was deeper. But I had no hat and my ears became so cold in the minus 22 degree weather that I decided to change my plan and walk to the church office instead, for it was not as far away. As I was walking, I happened to meet my sister who was returning home in her car. She then took me to the church and left me there to talk with members of the church staff. A short time later, she returned to the church office with a pair of ear muffs for me to wear when I walked back home. While at the church office, I viewed the "Daily Word" messages for that week on the Internet and, for the first time, I heard my own voice introducing the "Daily Word" telephone service which I had recorded ten months earlier when the messages were first put on the Internet. -------In some places it is customary to prepare a special red carpet for important guests to walk upon. Thus, the expression "roll out the red carpet" means to welcome with great respect or ceremony. Each of the four Gospels relate the story of Jesus' final entry into Jerusalem a few days before he was crucified, riding on a donkey, a symbol of humility and peace. This event is traditionally called the Triumphal Entry, for he was welcomed by a crowd of people shouting praises to him. There was no red carpet laid out for Jesus, but the first three Gospels mention that people spread their cloaks on the road in front of him. The first two note that others spread branches on the road and in the 12th chapter of the fourth Gospel it is written that people went out to meet with 'palm' branches, symbols of joy and victory. It is for this reason that this Sunday before Easter is called "Palm Sunday" in Christian churches. On that first Palm Sunday, the crowd shouted "Hosanna", a Hebrew word meaning "save (us)". Almost 2000 years have passed since then, but people around the world continue to unceremoniously welcome this respected peacemaker as their Savior even today. How can this be explained? -------In common usage, "paradise" is an ideal place of beauty or loveliness, a state of delight. The word is rooted in an Old Persian word for an enclosed area. In Greek, it came to mean a walled-in pleasure park. There is a related Hebrew word translated "garden", "orchard", "forest" or "park" in the Old Testament, but that word is not used for the Garden of Eden. The Greek translation of Genesis, however, did use the word for that garden and so it became associated with that ideal place before human sin defiled it. In the New Testament, which was written in Greek, the word is found three times as a synonym for heaven. In Luke 23:43, just before his death, Jesus promised the criminal on the cross next to his who had repented: "today you will be with me in paradise." -------Five months ago, a new shop opened in the Kanda district of Tokyo. It is called QB House. "QB" stands for "Quick Barber" or "Quick Beauty" and it provides customers with quick and cheap haircuts. Getting a haircut at a traditional barbershop costs about ¥4000 and takes from forty minutes to an hour, but at QB House, it takes only ten minutes and costs only ¥1000. The QB house specializes in cutting hair. There are no additional services such as shampooing, shaving or hair-arranging. Upon entering the shop, customers insert a ¥1000 bill into a machine, pick up a ticket and sit down to wait their turn at one of the four barber chairs. All chairs are equipped with sensors which regulate the lights on an electric pole outside the shop. If a blue light is flashing, it means that hairdressers are ready to serve you immediately. A yellow light indicates that two or three people are waiting inside and a red light flashes when four or more people are ahead of you. Most customers are businessmen in their 30s, but they include children attending cram schools and busy cab drivers. Ten percent of the customers are women and the owner hopes to open a chain of such shops throughout the country. -------What does the word "sandwich" bring to your mind? Nowadays, most people will think only of something to eat, but there are other meanings of the word. An old town in southeastern England, on the Stour River which served as the chief military port in the late 15th century, is called Sandwich. In 1660, the title of 1st earl of Sandwich was conferred upon Edward Montagu, a highly-respected English admiral. One of his descendants, John Montagu, became the 4th earl of Sandwich. It was in his honor that a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean were first named the Sandwich Islands by the explorer, James Cook. These islands, now known as the Hawaiian Islands, have become part of the United States of America. One of a number of moral flaws in this man's character was his addiction to gambling. He spent so much time at the gaming table that he did not stop for meals. At times, he ordered a servant to bring him some meat between slices of bread so he could continue his gambling without interruption. Although he was not the first person to eat food in that form, it was from his custom and his name that meat, fish, eggs or vegetables placed between slices of bread are called a "sandwich". -------Have you ever heard of a "fylfot", spelled f-y-l-f-o-t? It is said to have originated from "fill foot", denoting an old device to fill the foot of a stained-glass window. A fylfot may also be called a "gammadion", spelled g-a-m-m-a-d-i-o-n, because it has the form of four capital gammas in the Greek alphabet radiating from a center. Actually, it is another word for "swastika", spelled s-w-a-s-t-i-k-a. You may be acquainted with that word which comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "well being" or "it is good". In Japanese, it is called a 'manji' ("10,000 letters") or a 'kagi-juji' ("bent cross"). It is an ancient symbol in the form of a cross with the arms bent at right angles that was used by Native Americans, Persians, Indians and Greeks. It is commonly used in Japan as a Buddhist symbol and is the mark on maps to designate Buddhist temples. The arms on a swastika can be bent either to the right or to the left. The arms on the particular swastika used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis are always bent to the right, while those on most Buddhist symbols in Japan are bent in the opposite direction. The swastika is also one of many patterns of crosses that have been used in church history to remind us of the cross on which Jesus died. -------In Japanese, the names given to the days of the week are related to the sun, the moon and five planets following the same order as that of ancient Rome. The Latin name for this sixth day of the week was related to the planet Venus, or 'kinsei', so in Japanese it is 'kinyoubi'. The English name "Friday" is derived from the Scandinavian goddess, Frigg. Among Scandinavians, or Norsemen, Friday was traditionally considered the luckiest day of the week, but in Christian tradition, it has been considered quite the opposite. This is because Jesus' death on the cross occurred on a Friday. Among superstitious people in the West, when the 13th day of a month falls on a Friday, it is considered especially unlucky because of the association with Jesus' last supper with his twelve disciples on the evening before his death. Nevertheless, today, the Friday before Easter, the day commemorating Jesus' death is called Good Friday. The reason for this paradoxical name is that Christians consider the result of Jesus' death on the cross to be good, for it was through that sacrifice of the "Lamb of God" that salvation for sinful human beings was made possible. In I Corinthians 1:18, the message of the cross is called "the power of God". -------During the five nights and four days I spent in the United States in January, I stayed at the home of my younger sister, the only one of our parents' six children who has remained in our hometown. Her husband is now the mayor of that town and it was to officiate at the wedding of their youngest son that I made that trip. Their two older sons and their daughter are married. The married sons also live in the same town. One of them is a chiropractor who has a clinic in the downtown area. The large basement under his clinic was only partly used, so he permitted me to transfer to that place a large trunk and a large barrel full of old records, souvenirs, keepsakes and other memorabilia of my wife and me that had been stored in the basement of our home church over the decades. I had met my nephew's fiancee once before, but a day or two before the ceremony we had breakfast together at a restaurant, where we sat in a secluded corner and talked. As is my custom before officiating at a wedding ceremony, I explained the Christian view of marriage and the significance of the ceremony itself--even though both of them were born and raised in Christian homes and the bride-to-be was the daughter of a minister. -------After Buddhism entered Japan, it adopted the traditional Japanese custom of ancestral veneration and is now mainly associated with ceremonies related to death. The recent 'higan' observances, for example, are peculiar to Japan. Christian festivals have also been influenced by the cultures into which they were introduced, but the main Christian festivals are related to life. In Japan, the major Christian festival is Christmas, commemorating the birth of Jesus, but the present date of that celebration was purposely synchronized with an older Roman festival in which the sun and longer days were welcomed. Within the Christian Church, however, the major festival is Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the hope of new life. The English name of this festival is taken from the name of a Teutonic goddess associated with spring and fertility. This year, today is Easter Sunday in Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. It is a day to joyfully celebrate the victory of life over death. In the 6th chapter of the Letter to the Romans, baptism is portrayed as dying with Christ and being raised with him into new life. New life now and a bright hope for the future are blessings derived from Christ's resurrection for believers. -------The English word for the color which is a mixture of white and black is "gray". The common American spelling is g-r-a-y, but the British spelling is g-r-e-y. When this word is combined with "hound", meaning "dog", a large hunting dog in particular, it is always spelled the British way. But a "greyhound" is not always gray. A dictionary defines "greyhound" as "a tall, slender, swift hound with a narrow pointed head. In regard to color, it may be black, white, or various shades of fawn, brindle, blue or red. As a matter of fact, "grey" in the name of this dog is rooted in an old English word meaning "bitch". Greyhounds are often bred as racing dogs and in the States, Greyhound is the name of a famous bus company whose buses travel long distances, even from coast to coast. -------Today is the first day of the fourth month of the year. In English, it is called April. There are two theories about the derivation of this name. According to one, it is derived from a Latin word meaning "to open" and is related to the opening, or blossoming, of buds of trees and flowers. Another theory connects it with the Latin name of the Greek goddess of love, whom Romans equated with Venus. The old Japanese name fo this month, 'uzuki', also has different explanations. Literally meaning the month of the Hare, it may mean the month when a certain flower,(u-no-hana), begins to blossom or the month when rice seedlings are planted ('ueru'). In Japan, it is the month when schools begin classes and when beautiful cherry blossoms are viewed. In his prize-winning poem, 'The Waste Land', the English poet, T. S. Eliot, called April "the cruellest month." Most Japanese would find it difficult to understand why he would describe it thus, but many Americans who must file their income tax returns this month would agree with such a description. In many parts of the U. S., April is a month of frequent rain and when I was a child, I was told that "April showers bring May flowers", so April was a month of hope and expectation. -------The person who settles matters that are controversial or who decides whether or not rules are properly followed may be called a judge. Officials employed to make judgments in sports contests are called referees or umpires, depending on the kind of sports involved. In football, basketball, hockey and boxing, officials are usually called referees, while in baseball, cricket and tennis, they are called umpires. On the rosters of Japanese professional baseball teams this year, a record number of foreigners are listed: 42 foreign players and one foreign coach. But another record is being broken by the presence of a foreign umpire in the Central League. There should be no language problem for this native New Yorker to make such calls as "strike", "ball", "foul" and "out", which are the same in Japanese, but he may have difficulty explaining a disputed play to the fans over the microphone, which is a responsibility of homeplate umpires in Japan. According to the New Testament book of II Timothy, chapter 2, verse 5, in a sporting contest, athletes must observe the rules to win the prize. And in the game of life, in which we are all participating, God is the Judge, or Umpire, who never makes a mistaken decision. -------On April 3, 1783, 214 years ago today, the man who was said to be the first American writer to gain international fame was born in New York City. Washington Irving was the youngest of 11 children of a prosperous merchant. In frail health and pampered by his parents and older siblings, he avoided the rigors of a formal education and often traveled in the United States, Canada and Europe. Such travels not only brought him improved health, but a cosmopolitan attitude and much source material for writing. According to a reference book, "During the period when cultivated Europeans still considered Americans a band of unwashed barbarians, they nevertheless fell under the spell of the witty, urbane Irving, who had a true zest for living and an unerring instinct for elegance and good taste." The writing that made him internationally famous was his humorous, fictitious 'History of New York', published in 1809 under the pseudonym of Diedrich Knickerbocker, but such essays as "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", included in his 'Sketch Book', published ten years later, are, perhaps, better known today. In his 'Tales of a Traveler', he wrote: "I am always at a loss to know how much to believe of my own stories." -------In Japanese tradition, odd numbers are considered more auspicious than even numbers. The first day of the first month, the third day of the third month, the fifth day of the fifth month and so on are traditional festival days. But today is the fourth day of the fourth month. Because this number has the same pronunciation as the word meaning "death", it is considered an unlucky number by superstitious Japanese who try to avoid any association with it. In an African country, however, today is a national holiday, commemorating the day in 1960 when agreements were reached to grant sovereignty to that former French colony which surrounds the smaller country of Gambia on three sides, is a little smaller than the Japanese island of Honshu and has a population less than the city of Tokyo. Its capital of Dakar is the westernmost point of the African continent. There are various ethnic groups in that country of Senegal, each with its own language, but the official language is French. Ninety-two percent of the population is said to be Muslim and 2% Christian with the remaining 6% following indigenous religions. The Senegal flag has green, gold and red vertical bars with a green star in the center of the central gold bar. -------In January, I returned to the United States to take part in the wedding of my nephew. The wedding was scheduled to be held in the church at which the bride's father is the pastor in a town about 50 kilometers away from my hometown where I was staying at my sister's home. On the afternoon of the day before the wedding, all those involved in the ceremony gathered at the church for a rehearsal. They included the bride and groom, their attendants (two bridesmaids, a best man and a groomsman), three junior bridesmaids, three ushers (who also lit the candles), musicians (an organist, a pianist, an oboist, a trumpeter and a soloist) and three scripture readers as well as the officiant, which was the part I played. There was also a lady who was in charge of the guest book, which was to be signed by all those in attendance. In order for everyone to be acquainted with the entire ceremony and to perform their part in it properly, such a rehearsal is necessary. Except for four of the musicians, who were friends of the bride, all participants were relatives of either the bride or the groom. Following the rehearsal, all those involved gathered together at a restaurant for a dinner provided by the parents of the groom. -------The second letter of the Hebrew alphabet is 'beth'. This is also the Hebrew word for "house" and there are over fifty names of places in the Bible that begin with "beth". The town in which Jesus was born was Bethlehem, which means "house of bread" and Bethany, a town he often visited, means "house of dates". But the most common name in the Bible beginning with "beth" is Bethel, which means "house of God". The story explaining the origin of this name is found in the 28th chapter of Genesis. There, Jacob was fleeing from the wrath of his brother, Esau, whom he had cheated. He spent the night in a lonely place where he had a meaningful dream, in which God promised to bless him. When he awoke, he felt sure that he had met God there and he named that place Bethel. In the Bible, the Jewish temple was called the "house of God" and Christians today may use that term for the church. But as King Solomon recognized in his prayer of dedication for the magnificent temple he built (I Kings 8), no material building can house the Biblical God. The place where we come into personal contact with God may be called the "house of God", whether it be a church, a home, a lonely place under a starry sky or where you are right now. -------Some English words with different roots and very dissimilar meanings may be spelled and pronounced the same. For example, two different words are spelled r-a-r-e and pronounced 'rar'. One word, rooted in Latin, means occurring infrequently, uncommon, and, as a result, it may also denote something highly valued or special. Thus, it is rare for Japan to mint commemorative coins, so they are considered rare. The other word, spelled and pronounced the same, comes from an Old English word meaning half-cooked or lightly boiled. This adjective may be used in a restaurant when ordering steak. Although I rarely eat steak at a restaurant in Japan, when I do, I usually ask for it to be well done, but people who enjoy eating raw fish may prefer rare beef as well. -------On Wednesday evenings, I teach a couple of Bible Classes in the town of Higashiura on the Chita Peninsula about 40 kilometers south of Nagoya. During the first hour, I teach in Japanese and the following hour, we consider the same Bible passage in English. It is interesting to compare how the original Greek text has been translated into both Japanese and English. We are now studying the Gospel of Mark and at a recent class, we read Jesus' instructions, given in chapter 6, to his twelve disciples before he sent them out to minister in the surrounding villages. He told them (in verse 8) not to take anything on the trip "except a walking stick". I noted that the same Greek word translated "walking stick" in English and 'tsue' in Japanese is translated "scepter" or 'shaku' in Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 8. A scepter, or mace, is a staff held by a sovereign as a symbol of authority. On certain ceremonial occasions, the Japanese emperor or Shinto priests hold a 'shaku'. When I mentioned that the kind of 'tsue' used by President Clinton these days is called a "crutch", I was informed that the Japanese term, 'matsuba-zue', was coined because a crutch has the shape of a pine needle, or 'matsuba'. Very interesting, indeed. ------- |