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The two Chinese characters used for the name of this country (located in the "far east" on maps with Europe in the center), literally mean "sun" and "origin". So it is that Nippon, or Nihon, is considered the "land of the rising sun". In the 7th century, Japanese Prince Shotoku caused a problem when he sent a letter to the Chinese emperor: "from the Emperor of the Rising Sun to the Emperor of the Setting Sun". Of course, the sun "rises" similarly in all countries of the world, so there is no one "land of the rising sun". In fact, Asia, the name of this entire "eastern continent" (on maps with Europe at the center) probably comes from an Assyrian word for "sunrise" or "east". And one theory regarding the origin of the name of Europe, the western part of the large land mass of Eurasia, is that it is rooted in an Assyrian word meaning "darkness" or "west". If that is so, then all of Asia becomes the land of the rising sun and Europe is the land of the setting sun. But I am sure many Europeans would object to the implications of such designations. And what is to be said about the inhabitants of Africa and the Americas? Thinking about such matters should cause us to recognize that we are all residents of the same global village. -------Today, February 4th, is a national holiday in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the island nation in the Indian Ocean, southeast of India, formerly known as Ceylon. The main agricultural products grown on this island, a little smaller than the Japanese island of Hokkaido, are tea, coconuts, rice and sugar. It also exports rubber and is the world's leading producer of high-grade graphite. This year is a special anniversary year for Sri Lanka. Two hundred years ago, in 1798, that island became a crown colony of Great Britain and just fifty years ago today, it was granted independence. Before the British took control, it had been ruled by the Netherlands and by Portugal. The aboriginal inhabitants were conquered by the Sinhalese from north India in the 6th century B. C. and after Buddhism was introduced in the 3rd century B. C., the island became one of the world centers of that religion. In 1972, 24 years after gaining independence, its name was changed to Sri Lanka. The immigration of Hindu Tamils from southern India, which now make up about one-fifth of the population, has resulted in social unrest and armed conflicts as Tamil separatists seek to establish their own independent state. -------One hundred and ten years ago, in the year 1888, a patent was issued to a Scottish inventor named John Boyd Dunlop for a pneumatic tire which he attached to the tricycles he produced. The Dunlop Rubber Company he founded continues to produce pneumatic tires today. Such tires are an indispensable element for a comfortable ride in automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles or other forms of land transportation. A tire, spelled t-i-r-e in American English, is a covering for a wheel; it is the part of a vehicle that comes into contact with the ground. Solid rubber tires may be used for vehicles that simply transport material goods, but for transporting living creatures, pneumatic tires are needed. Pneumatic tires are filled with compressed air. As a result, vibrations are reduced and traction is improved. Words beginning with the prefix "pneum", spelled p-n-e-u-m, are related to air, lungs or spirit. It is derived from the Greek word "pneuma", which can be translated "breath", "air" or "spirit". In the Greek narrative of Jesus' talk with Nicodemus, in the 3rd chapter of the Gospel of John, the word "pneuma" is translated both "Spirit" and "wind" in relation to a person who experiences a "new birth" or who is "born from above". -------Are you acquainted with the word "eureka", spelled e-u-r-e-k-a? It is used as an interjection by a happy person who has discovered something or reached a goal. The word comes from a Greek word meaning "I have found (it)" and there is an interesting story behind it. It is said that a Greek king in the 3rd century B. C. asked Archimedes, a respected mathematician, physicist and inventor to examine a newly-made crown to determine whether or not it was made of pure gold. Archimedes was perplexed because he didn't know how he could tell if the gold was pure or mixed with other metals. He continued to ponder this problem even while taking a bath. As he noticed the water overflowing the bath tub when he got in, he realized he had found the answer, shouted "Heureka", and ran home without his clothes. What he had found was what has been called Archimedes' principle, or the principle of specific gravity, which states that when a body is immersed in a fluid, the displaced fluid is equal to the weight of that body. Since gold is heavier than silver, he realized that he could make a test to determine if the crown was pure gold by immersing it in water and comparing the weight of the displaced water with a crown made of other metals. -------The most exciting event that took place during our trip to Thailand last summer occurred on a visit to a farm outside of the city of Chiang Mai. It was an elephant farm in an undeveloped wooded area. After paying the entrance fee, we walked to the open space where an elephant show was about to begin and joined others sitting on benches under a roof to watch the show. Trained elephants performed a variety of tricks, including standing and walking on their front legs, sitting on a box, carrying a man with its trunk, laying logs in a row and so on. Following the show, we lined up to take our turn for a 40-minute ride through the forest on the back of a large elephant. The elephant driver sat in front of us on the elephant's head and we sat together in a small double seat fastened behind him. We were jostled as the elephant lumbered along the level paths and held on tightly as it went up inclines, but the descending paths were especially fearsome for, at times, we seemed about to slide under the seat belt and out of our seat. Fortunately, that did not happen, but my wife was very happy to safely disembark. Before leaving the park, we had our picture taken leaning against the crossed leg of a seated elephant. -------Japanese English speakers often have trouble distinguishing the words "face" and "faith". In Japanese, "face" may mean either "kao" or "menboku", and in Japanese tradition, "face" is very important. In the New Testament, however, faith is more important than face. God's blessing does not depend on the attractiveness or the color of one's face nor on one's reputation. God looks on our hearts and shows favor or disfavor depending on our faith. But there are times when our faith may be seen in our faces and, inevitably, it is seen in our attitudes and actions. Jesus frequently commended people for their faith or admonished them for their lack of faith. All people have some kind of faith and the kind of faith we have determines our basic outlook on life. The 11th chapter of the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews gives numerous examples of the effect of faith in the lives of men and women noted in the Old Testament. In the first verses of chapter 12, they are called "a great cloud of witnesses" who are surrounding us in our race, like the cheering crowds surrounding Olympic athletes, encouraging us to persevere in our efforts to attain our goal. The experience and example of faithful people in the past should inspire us in the present. -------Hazel, spelled H-a-z-e-l, is a feminine name derived from Hebrew words meaning "God sees". It is also the name of a small tree, or shrub, that bears edible nuts called "hazelnuts". In Japanese, this plant is called "hashibami". And "hazel" is also a color, which a dictionary defines as light reddish-brown or yellowish-brown. Identification documents in the United States often include an indication of the color of the person's eyes (a detail not needed in Japan where all eyes are the same color). My Illinois Drivers License specifies my sex, height, weight and eye color, and "hazel" is given as the color of my eyes. Personally, I consider hazel a mixture of brown and blue and consider my "hazel-colored viewpoint" a mixture of Japanese and American mentality. -------A male sheep is called a ram, spelled r-a-m; a female sheep is a ewe, spelled e-w-e, and a young sheep is a lamb, spelled l-a-m-b. In Jewish tradition, lambs were offered as sacrifices to God to gain forgiveness of sins and in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 29, John the Baptist called Jesus "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". Lamb is also an English surname and a famous English essayist, Charles Lamb, was born 223 years ago today, on February 10, 1775. After his elder sister, in a fit of temporary insanity, attacked and wounded their father and stabbed and killed their mother, Lamb had himself declared her guardian to save her from permanent commitment to an asylum. The two of them collaborated on several books for children, but Lamb's fame rests on the essays he wrote for various periodicals which were later collected and published under the title, Essays of Elia. The essays cover a variety of subjects in Lamb's peculiar style and include many self-observations. For example, he wrote: "I am . . . a bundle of prejudices, made up of likings and dislikings". "I have been trying all my life to like Scotchmen, and am obliged to desist from the experiment in despair." -------Today, February 11th, is a public holiday in Japan. Called "kenkoku-kinen-bi", National Foundation Day. It was established to promote national pride and a patriotic spirit among Japanese citizens. Until the end of the war, this day was called "kigensetsu" and commemorated the enthronement of Japan's first emperor, Jimmu, which was said to have occurred on this day in the year 660 B. C., though no objective historian would accept that theory now. Today is also a public holiday in the smallest independent country in the world, but there is an accurate historical basis for its celebration. Sixty-nine years ago on this day in 1929, a treaty signed by Cardinal Gasparri, representing the Roman Catholic pope, Pius XI, and Benito Mussolini, representing the king of Italy, Emmanuel III, formally established Vatican City, with an area of 44 hectares, within the city of Rome. The present sovereign of that country is 77-year-old Pope John Paul II, who recently made an historic visit to Cuba. During his visit, he made a number of important pronouncements which should be seriously considered by Catholics and Protestants, Christians and non-Christians, Communists and Capitalists, authorities and common citizens around the world. -------As you know,"translate" means to express a word or idea in another language, but "transliterate" means simply to represent the pronunciation of a word using the alphabet or characters of another language. Nowadays, many English words are transliterated into Japanese. At times, the original meaning is changed in the process. For example, in Japanese, the word "manshon" has a different meaning than the English word "mansion". The word "manpower" is sometimes translated into Japanese as "jinryoku" and at other times transliterated as "manpawa-". But the word "man hole", which could be translated as "kuguri-ana", is usually simply transliterated as "manho-ru". You have probably seen manholes on city streets or over septic tanks. A "manhole" is a hole through which a man can enter a sewer or drain. The reason that manholes are round is that their covers cannot be dropped through the hole itself. Covers in the shape of squares, rectangles or ovals could be dropped into the hole, but because the circular manhole cover rests on a lip that is smaller than the cover itself, the cover cannot fall into the hole. There are various kinds of moral holes in the world around us. Let us take care not to fall into any of them. -------Superstition is an irrational belief and today, superstitious people living in Japan have a choice of whether to follow the superstitious tradition of Japan or of western countries. Today is Friday, the 13th day of February. Superstitious people in the West consider this an unlucky day, for it was on a Friday that Jesus was crucified and there were 13 men present at his last supper with his disciples. A superstitious person in the West would not choose this day for a wedding. On the other hand, in Japan, there will probably be many wedding ceremonies today for it is a "tai-an", "big peace", day which is considered an auspicious day for getting married. "Tai-an" comes every 6th day throughout the year, but last year there was only one Friday, the 13th, and this year there will be only three of them. After a wedding ceremony, people may say "God bless you" but this phrase is also used by some people after a friend sneezes because in the Middle Ages there was a superstition that the devil could enter a person during the unguarded moment when a person was sneezing and those words were said to counter that possibility. When said sincerely, however, it is a meaningful phase and I will use it to conclude this message. God bless you! -------Our daughter first went to Thailand from Japan a few years ago to teach English at a national university outside of Bangkok. She left that position to become a free lance editor, but now she is the editor of a small publishing firm, Silkworm Books, which specializes in works on cultural, social and political aspects of southeast Asian countries. My wife and I visited her office in Chiang Mai last summer and met her female boss. She also took us to Payap University in that city, a Christian institution which was the first private university to be recognized by the Thai government. There, we were happy to meet a well-known Thai artist who depicts Christian themes in traditional Thai art forms, similar to what Sadao Watanabe does in Japan. We also enjoyed walking through a large outdoor market in the daytime, having a delicious dinner in a fancy restaurant on a high bank of the main river that flows through the city in the evening and going through small shops of the Night Bazaar afterward. Our daughter accompanied us on the plane back to Bangkok where my wife and I boarded a plane for Taipei. There my wife did some shopping in the customs-free shops before we boarded another plane for Nagoya. -------In the Bible, a prophet is a person who speaks for God. The content of the prophet's message is not necessarily about the future. It may relate to past events but it is always relevant to the present situation. A true prophet is God's representative who transmits God's word, but how can one decide whether one who professes to be a prophet actually speaks for God? On what basis can we determine whether they are true prophets or impostors? Jesus treated that problem in his so-called Sermon on the Mount. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verses 15 to 19, he warned his listeners against false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ferocious wolves. He urged his disciples to not only listen to their words but to observe their actions and attitudes. He repeated the words: "by their fruit you will recognize them." A prophet named John, who preceded Jesus and baptized people as a sign of their repentance for their sins, also told them to "produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matthew 4:8). Whether we are prophets or repentant sinners, Christians or atheists, the fruit seen in the concrete actions of our daily lives manifests our character and the basic faith that is in our hearts. -------One Japanese-English dictionary lists 26 different terms to translate the Japanese word "fuda". The kind of fuda which are sold at shrines and temples to attract good fortune or to repel evil influences may be called "talisman" in English. Spelled t-a-l-i-s-m-a-n, this word entered English from Arabic, by way of French or Spanish, and the Arabic word, in turn, was derived from a Greek word denoting a religious rite of consecration. Some superstitious people in the West carry a rabbit's foot as a talisman or good luck charm. Rabbits are born with their eyes open, which may suggest wisdom, spend much of their life underground, which may suggest a connection with the mysterious netherworld, and are prolific, which may suggest wealth and prosperity. -------The word "scope", spelled s-c-o-p-e, is rooted in a Greek word meaning something aimed at, a target or goal. It is the word used by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:14, where he writes: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize . . . ." There are a number of words ending in "scope", including microscope, telescope and periscope. These are instruments used to view objects that are very small, far away or around us. Today is the 117th anniversary of the birth of the man who invented the stethoscope. Do you know what a stethoscope is? The Greek word "stethos" means chest or breast. It is used in Luke 18:13 in Jesus' parable of the tax collector who "beat his breast and said, 'God have mercy on me, a sinner.'" A stethoscope is an instrument used by doctors to listen to sounds produced within the body. In Japanese, it is called a "choshinki". It was invented by a French physician, Rene Theophile Laennec, born on February 17, 1781, who has been called "the father of chest medicine". Nowadays, stethoscopes are used by many doctors to detect various diseases of the chest by listening to the internal sounds. It is too bad that such an instrument cannot detect abnormalities of the spirit before crimes are committed. -------A cocktail is a drink that is usually served before a main meal. There are many interesting stories to explain the origin of this word but, in fact, its origin is unclear. A cocktail often consists of a mixture of alcoholic beverages and fruit juices. One particular kind of cocktail, a mixture of vodka and tomato juice is called a Bloody Mary. In British English, "bloody" is a slang, or vulgar, adjective used to make a stronger emphasis, but this usage is avoided in polite society. Mary is the most common feminine name in English. It was the name of a famous English queen who was born 482 years ago today, on February 18, 1516 and who became known as Bloody Mary. This daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon had a very unhappy childhood and youth. During the social and religious upheaval related to the rise of Protestantism, she remained faithful to the Roman Catholic Church. It was during her short reign of five years that a widespread persecution of Protestants was conducted and about 300 Protestant believers were burned at the stake, including many noble and respected leaders. It is for this reason that this lady, who was merciful and gentle by nature, came to be known as Bloody Mary. -------The "Daily Word" message for today begins with a tricky question: What American state is round at both ends and high in the middle? Can you guess the answer? The northern border of this midwestern state is Lake Erie and its southern border is a river with the same name as the state, which means "beautiful river" in one Native American dialect. Its largest city is Cleveland and its capital is Columbus. It is the state of Ohio. Now do you understand the meaning of the question? Before my wife and I arrived in Japan over 47 years ago, we were told that the name of that state had the same pronunciation as the Japanese greeting for "Good morning" so "ohayo" was the extent of our knowledge of Japanese when we arrived. It was 195 years ago today, on February 19, 1803, that Ohio was admitted to the Union by an act of Congress. It thus became the 17th state. This state is commonly called the Buckeye State. A buckeye is a kind of tree growing there whose glossy brown nuts were thought to resemble the eye of a buck, or male deer. In Japanese, it is translated as "tochinoki." The state motto, "With God, all things are possible", is a quotation from Matthew 19:26 and a good saying for all of us to remember. -------Along with countless others in Japan and around the world, I presume you also have been watching or reading about the events which are taking place in the Japanese city of Nagano and the surrounding area where over 2,300 athletes from 72 countries and areas are participating in the 18th Winter Olympics. In ancient Greece, Olympic games were held at Olympia, where there was a famous statue of the Greek god Zeus, once every four years in the summer, from 776 to 392 B. C. Those games were centered on racing and wrestling. At the first modern Olympics, which were held in Athens in 1896, sporting events were broadened to include cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming and weight lifting along with track and field and wrestling. It was in 1924, that the first Winter Olympic games were held in France, but Nagano is the southernmost location for these winter games. You might be interested to know that there is also a Mt. Olympus in the American state of Washington. It is 450 meters shorter than the Mt. Olympus in Greece, but it is the highest point of the Olympic Mountains which are included in the Olympic National Park. And are you surprised to hear that the name of the capital of that state is Olympia? -------The hometowns of both my wife and me are in the northeastern part of the U. S. state of Illinois. My hometown is north of Chicago and that of my wife is west of the city. We met while enrolled at the University of Dubuque,in the state of Iowa, some 260 kilometers west of Chicago. During our last year at the university, she attended the wedding of her elder brother, who met his wife-to-be under very different circumstances. After graduating from university, her brother became a naval officer and, while serving in the Far East, contracted tuberculosis. Hospitalized after returning to the United States, he was attracted to one of the pretty, efficient nurses who worked there. On Valentine's Day, February 14, 1948, they were married in her hometown near Washington, D. C., some 1100 kilometers east of Chicago. Today, their children and grandchildren are hosting a Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary Celebration in their honor at a church in Walnut Creek, California. Though we are unable to attend, we wish to add our voices to those who do attend. "Happy anniversary, Bob and Shirley! We pray for God's continued blessings on your continuing ministries in which God's love is both taught and exhibited. God bless you both!" -------Sheep and goats are related mammals that are raised for their milk, meat, skin and wool or hair. The nature of these animals is quite different, as are the English expressions in which they are used. Sheep are meek and submissive while goats are lecherous. In a story told by Jesus, recorded in the 25th chapter of Matthew, in the future Judgment Day, nations will be gathered before the King and people will be separated one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The sheep, gathered to the right of the King will be blessed because of their merciful deeds toward those in need of food, clothes, medical treatment or friendship, while the goats, on the King's left, will be cursed because of their disregard of the needs of others. The Bible teaches that human beings who have been given many gifts from God will be judged according to the use they have made of such gifts. Many countries in the world today have great needs because of natural or manmade disasters. There are also many individuals, even in affluent countries, who are in need of both physical and spiritual help. How are those of us who have so much making use of the gifts God has given us? Will we be found in the group of sheep or of goats? -------If the fruit or nut of a hazel tree is a "hazelnut" and that of a beech tree is a "beechnut", what do you suppose the nut of an oak tree is called? No, it is not called an "oaknut" but an "acorn", spelled a-c-o-r-n. Originally, this word was not related to "corn", but is rooted in a Gothic word meaning produce or fruit. It may also be related to another root meaning to grow. If it is planted in the ground, a small acorn will take root and grow into a big oak tree. There is an English proverb to encourage people who begin some activity on a small scale: "Great oaks from little acorns grow". In Japanese, "kuri" is a "chestnut", but when the Chinese character meaning "group" and usually pronounced "dan" is written before the "kuri", it is pronounced "donguri" and means "acorn". -------A year is the time required for the earth to make one revolution around the sun. Precisely, this takes 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds. A month is the time it takes the moon to make one revolution around the earth. This is an irregular period averaging 29 1/2 days. To compose a calendar that divides years into months which will remain consistent with the seasons over many years is very difficult and requires very precise measurements. Over the centuries, many different calendars have been used. Solar calendars are related to the movement of the earth around the sun and lunar calendars to the movement of the moon around the earth. Most countries today follow a solar calendar, called the Gregorian calendar, but lunar calendars continue to be used by Jews, Muslims and others in calculating religious, agricultural or other traditional observances. On February 24, 1582, 416 years ago today, Pope Gregory XIII announced the introduction of the new calendar, according to which, every 4th year is a leap year having an extra day in February--except for years that begin a new century, unless they are divisible by 400. Thus the years 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years, but the year 2000 will be a leap year. -------You may be surprised to know how many terms listed in an English dictionary begin with "green". You probably know that "green tea" is tea made from leaves that are not fermented before being dried, that a "greenhouse" is a structure in which the temperature is controlled to grow plants, and that a "green light" implies permission to proceed. We may call an immature or inexperienced person "green" but that does not mean such a person has a green head, green eyes, a green heart, a green thumb or a green back. Actually, a "greenhead" is a male mallard duck,a "green heart" is a kind of tree, a person who is jealous may be called "green-eyed" and one who has a knack for making plants grow well is said to have a "green thumb". But what is a "greenback"? That is the paper money used in the United States which is printed in green on the back. One hundred thirty-six years ago today, on February 25, 1862, during the American Civil War, Congress authorized the printing of such currency. By the end of the war, the Union had issued $499 million worth of greenbacks, but due to inflation, a $1 bill was worth only 39 cents in gold. On the other hand, a $1 "blueback" issued by the Confederacy was worth only 1.7 cents in gold. -------If you happen to find something of value along the street or in some public place, what do you do? Do you just leave it there? Do you take possession of it and say nothing? Or do you report it to the police? It may depend upon the particular article and the circumstances, but a conscientious person will report to the police or attempt to find the owner if the article is very valuable. Recently, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department issued a report related to the lost and found items it handled during the past year. The report clearly indicated the affluent state of present-day Japanese. The mere fact that it handled more than 1.37 million articles in itself implies that people are not as careful as they used to be. It is not surprising that the 300,000 umbrellas topped the list of mislaid items, but it is surprising to learn that the amount of cash handed to the Lost & Found Center totaled approximately 2.65 billion yen. What surprised me most, however, was the notice that 43,000 portable phones were reported lost in Tokyo during 1997, an increase of 84 percent over the previous year. In the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told three parables about lost items to explain why he associated with sinners. -------The original aim of these "Daily Word" telephone messages was to provide Japanese students of English an opportunity to improve their ability to understand spoken English by listening to a native English speaker give a short talk at any time of day or night. Regular listeners to or readers of the messages know that I compose messages on certain themes on particular days of the week. Sunday messages are related to a passage from the Bible. Monday messages, spoken a bit slower, explain the origin of certain words or phrases. Tuesday messages often include a suggested theme on which listeners or readers may write an essay to send to me for correction before it is printed in our little periodical, "Daily Word" Echoes. And Saturday messages are related to personal experiences. Now that I have completed the series on our visit to Thailand last summer, in tomorrow's message I will return to my account of experiences some 45 years ago when my wife and I moved from Tokyo to the city of Kariya in Aichi Prefecture. Our memories are no longer as sharp as they used to be so I will be referring to copies of letters I sent to our church in the U. S. at that time to make them clearer. I hope you find the messages interesting. -------My wife and I arrived in Japan in the fall of 1951, over 46 years ago. For over a year and a half, we lived in Tokyo and attended a Japanese language school. During that time, we were considering where we should go to begin our Christian ministry as the first and only missionaries of our church in Japan. We desired to begin work in a community that had no churches and from which our ministry might expand to surrounding areas. We had made a trip on the Tokaido Line, from Tokyo to Kyoto, stopping at churchless communities along the way to gain some initial impressions. At that time, we simply got off of one train and walked around the community until the next train came, which we boarded for our next destination. In some places, the attitude of people we met along the street seemed friendly as they saw these two light-skinned foreigners, which was a very unusual sight in a small town in those days. Sometimes, a group of small, kimono-clad children followed us around, smiling shyly and pointing at us. At other times, the impression we received was not so pleasant. Rather, we felt the stares of some were quite cold or a bit hostile. Finally, the town which gave us the worst impression became the town we chose. -------During the Winter Olympics, we viewed many different kinds of sporting events in which the extraordinary skills of many athletes were demonstrated. In some events, athletes performed as individuals and the result was determined by their singular ability. In team sports, however, individuals function as part of a team and teamwork is important to gain the prize. In such cases, exceptional personal skill must be combined with group effort. In the New Testament, the church is often compared to a body of which Christ is the head. Each member of the body has a particular function to perform, but all members must work together for the good of the whole body under the direction of the Head. In I Corinthians, chapter 12, Paul uses this illustration to emphasize both the individuality and unity of different parts of a healthy body, the Body of Christ. The foot, the hand or the eye cannot act on its own but must function as a part of the body, in partnership with the other parts. In an ideal church, all members work together for a common goal under the leadership of Christ whose Spirit indwells them all. Viewing team sports give us an opportunity to reflect on our attitudes as part of a group to which we belong. -------Various words are used to describe the hair that grows on a man's face. Hair that grows under the nose is called a "mustache". Hair that grows on the chin is a "beard". And the hair in front of the ears is called "sideburns". But this word was not coined because the hair grows on the sides of the face. In fact, originally, these growths of hair were called "burnsides" from the name of a general of the Union army during the Civil War. Ambrose Everett Burnside left the army after losing two important battles but was elected governor of the state of Rhode Island and then a senator from that state. He did not wear a beard, but his side whiskers, also called muttonchops, were a kind of trademark and were widely imitated during the latter part of the nineteenth century. -------Today is Tuesday, the third day of the third month. In Japanese tradition, it is called "hinamatsuri", Doll's Festival. In many Japanese homes, a set of dolls representing the imperial court--the emperor and empress and their retinue of court ladies, musicians, court guards and jesters, are on display. Since the first day of this month fell on Sunday and since this is a normal month, there will be five Sundays, unlike the abnormal month of February in which here were only four. Following our custom, we plan to hold a meeting of listeners to or readers of these "Daily Word" messages on the afternoon of the fifth Sunday, March 29th, but today I will suggest a theme for essays to be included in the issue of "Daily Word" Echoes to be distributed at the meeting on May 31st. Over a week has passed since the Olympic games in Nagano, but the memories of that extraordinary event are still fresh in our minds. For you, what was most impressive or most memorable about the Nagano Winter Olympics--including the opening and closing ceremonies and all the activities in between? I will correct essays sent to me before their publication. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463-8691, Japan. -------What is the best word to use for an unmarried woman? She may be called a maid, an old maid, a spinster or even a bachelor girl, but each of these terms seems to include a nuance that is not entirely favorable. On the other hand, "bachelor", the word for an unmarried man, rooted in a Latin word meaning "cow" and originally denoting a young knight who served under another knight, does not seem to have a negative connotation. May this difference be another effect of a patriarchal society? The metropolitan government recently reported the results of a survey conducted last year among bachelors living alone in Tokyo. About two-thirds of those responding expressed enjoyment of their bachelor life, but 47 percent confessed that they sometimes felt lonely. Only 11 percent of the respondents replied that they did not want to get married. The survey included a multiple-choice answer to the question of why they are single. Over half responded that they had not found the right woman but one third cited financial constraints. Responding to a question from Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul began his answer in chapter 7 of his first letter to them with the words: "It is good for a man not to marry." -------When this "Daily Word" telephone service began in 1980, the aim was to give Japanese students of English an opportunity to improve their comprehension of spoken English by listening to a short message by an American speaker at any time convenient to the student. Since that time, readers of the messages have come to outnumber listeners. Readers may note the number at the end of today's message is 6000, which means that this is the 6000th different message since this telephone service began. Over the years, I have made a number of overseas trips, including some of a couple of months' duration, but the taped telephone messages continued while I was absent. At such times, I often recycled previous messages, but today's message is the 6000th different message. I am amazed that this avocation has continued for such a long time and is still being utilized by people who listen on the telephone or who read the messages by means of NTT's CAPTAIN system, the English Forum on NIFTY-Serve's computer network or the home page of NAMOS on the Internet and I welcome comments or suggestions by any listeners or readers. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463-8691 Japan. -------When the colonies on the North American continent determined to become independent of Great Britain, a committee was appointed to produce a document expressing the reasons for their decision. That Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and approved by the committee, but members of the Continental Congress made many changes in it before it was adopted. Probably the most famous sentence in the Declaration is the following: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". One of the objectionable changes made by Congress was to replace the word "inalienable" in the original draft with the irregular term, "unalienable". Benjamin Franklin was a member of the drafting committee. One day in a tavern, a man who was a bit drunk complained to Franklin that the Declaration was only empty words. "Where's all the happiness that document says it guarantees us?" he asked. Franklin replied, "My friend, the declaration only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself." -------There are many factories in the city of Kariya, east of Nagoya. When my wife and I made our exploratory visit there about 45 years ago, we disembarked from the train and walked around the area near the run-down station until the next train came. It was in the late afternoon when many factory workers were walking to the station after a day's work. They were probably tired and eager to get home. Anyway, we felt uncomfortable as they stared at us as they hurried along and received the impression that it was not a friendly community. First impressions are not always accurate, however, and in the providence of God, this was the community we chose to begin our Christian witness. Kariya's location at an intersection of the national railway running east and west and a private railway running north and south and its combination of agriculture, commerce and industry were influential factors. Also, it so happened that an uncle of the wife of our landlord in Tokyo lived in Okazaki, about 20 kilometers east of Kariya, and was willing to make inquiries about a possible place for us to rent. On my second visit to Kariya, I received a better impression and asked him to let us know if he found a suitable place. -------In the New Testament Gospels, Jesus often told easy-to-understand stories, called parables, to illustrate spiritual truths. In the Old Testament, prophets sometimes performed symbolic acts to make their messages more meaningful. In some events recorded in the Old Testament, there are truths that can be deduced from the events themselves. Such a story is found in the last part of the 34th chapter of Exodus when Moses descended from Mount Sinai where he had spent forty days and forty nights with the Lord, from whom he had received the Ten Commandments. There it is written that "his face shone because he had been talking with God", but he himself was unaware of it. We may learn from this incident that there will be an obvious change in the appearance or disposition of people who have been in close communion with God. Physically, our faces may not shine, but the influence received from our contact with the divine source of light will certainly be evident in both our words and actions. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus told his disciples "You are the light of the world". Like Moses, through our communion with the Lord, we gain light which we are to share with others--even if we are unaware of our own "shining faces". -------In traditional armies, there were troops that rode horses into battle. These men were called cavalrymen and the branch of the army they belonged to was the cavalry. This word comes from a similar word, "cavalier", which denotes an armed horseman. a knight. The branch of the army consisting of troops trained to fight on foot is called the infantry and those foot soldiers are called infantrymen. Can you guess the origin of this word? It is rooted in the word "infant" which, in modern English, usually signifies a very young child, a baby. Legally, it is used for a person under the legal age, a minor. In the old days, foot soldiers were young men who served under the command of older, more experienced knights on horses and that is why they were called infantrymen. -------Recently, there has been an increase in violent crimes committed by young people in Japan. Knives have been used to kill or wound others. Some schools have devised rules to restrict or prohibit knives on school premises and inspect students' belongings to enforce them. How do you explain this increase in violent crimes by young people using knives? Do you think Japanese young people today lack a respect for life or are unable to control their emotions? Do you think they have not received adequate moral education? Where do you think basic moral education should be given, at home, at school or elsewhere? Do you think television programs and computer games are contributing factors in this unfortunate state of affairs? What role does religion or religious education play in the moral development of young people in Japan today? If you wish to write an essay on this theme for publication in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes, please send it to me. I will make necessary corrections in it before its publication on May 31st. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463-8691, Japan. The theme for our meeting on March 29th is: Impressions of the Nagano Olympics. -------At the Nagano Olympics, one of the major attractions was skiing. Of the 24 countries whose athletes gained medals, athletes from the country with the smallest population gained the second highest number of medals. It was Norway, whose athletes gained 11 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze medals, for a total of 25, a few less than the Germans who got 29, one more gold and three more bronze medals. But Germany has a population almost 20 times that of Norway. Skiing, is the national sport of Norway and may have originated in that land. There is a rock carving in a Norwegian cave of two men on skis that is dated about 2000 B. C. and skis have been discovered in Scandinavian bogs that are over 4000 years old. In the middle ages, skiing was used as a military technique in warfare by Sweden and also by Finland in the Russo-Finnish War sixty years ago. Over the years, the length and width of skis, the material of which they are made and how they are fastened to the feet have changed, but their basic function of enabling skiers to slide smoothly over the snow is the same. According to researchers, skiing is the second most dangerous sport, after football, and far more women break bones skiing than men. -------Today, March 12th, is the 117th anniversary of the birth of the man who is now known as Kemal Ataturk. The name of this founder of modern Turkey, who was born on this day in 1881, was originally Mustafa, but he obtained other names as a result of his activities. As a youth, he secretly enrolled in a military academy where, because of his excellence in mathematics, he was given the name Kemal, which means "perfection". After serving in the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire, he led the revolutionary force that overthrew the sultanate and established the constitutional republic of Turkey. In 1923, Kemal was elected the first president of that new nation and was reelected three times by the unanimous vote of parliament. During his 15 years as president, he instituted many reforms. He disestablished Islam as the state religion, abolished monasteries, ancient modes of dress and polygamy. He substituted the Roman alphabet for Arabic and introduced the Gregorian calendar. In recognition of his achievements in the Turkish nationalistic cause and in the creation of the present secular state, the National Assembly gave him the name Ataturk, meaning "chief Turk" or "father of the Turks". -------On the west side of South America is the long, narrow country of Chile. Over 4,600 kilometers from north to south, it's width, from east to west, averages only 150 to 400 kilometers, for it is squeezed between the Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. The Andes, with peaks almost 7,000 meters high, form the eastern border between Chile and Argentina, but the precise demarcation of that border became the cause of serious disputes which frequently resulted in military battles. These border clashes ended following a series of peace and boundary treaties in 1902. To commemorate the peaceful settlement of this long-lasting problem, a large statue was erected in a 3,900-meter-high pass through the mountains. It is a bronze statue of Christ holding a large cross in his upraised hand. Standing on a pedestal roughhewn from natural rock, the material for this statue, more than twice life-size, was obtained from melted cannon. Called "Christ of the Andes", it was dedicated 94 years ago today, on March 13, 1904, and bears this inscription in Spanish: "Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust than Argentines and Chileans break the peace sworn at the feet of Christ the Redeemer." -------In the summer of 1953, after the wife of our Tokyo landlord received word of a place we could rent in the city of Kariya from her uncle in Okazaki, I went to look at it. My wife remained in Tokyo with our newborn son. The house, with paddy fields nearby, had two stories. The landlady, who lived upstairs with her young adult son and daughter, was willing to rent the major portion of the first floor to us. (This would be opposite our situation in Tokyo where we lived on the second floor, above our landlord and his wife.) A large room, having a "tokonoma", a middle-sized room and a small room all had wooden floors instead of "tatami" mats because the daughter had been teaching sewing classes there using sewing machines. In another small room extending off of the large room, the landlady was willing to put in a sink and a faucet so we could use it as a kitchen. The large room could be used as our living room and for small meetings. The middle-sized room could become our bedroom and the small room I could use as a study. There was also a Japanese-style toilet. A small room and kitchen used by the landlady's family was on the opposite side of sliding doors from the large room and we would share the Japanese bath. -------A salary is money paid to employees for their work. This word comes from the Latin word for "salt" for in ancient times, Roman soldiers were paid in salt, which was considered very precious. Two qualities of salt make it valuable. One is the flavor it adds to food. The presence or absence of a bit of salt makes a big difference in the taste of both common victuals and exquisite cuisine. Salt is also used as a preservative, to keep food from decaying. Cooks and diners use salt to enhance the flavor of food; fishermen use it to keep fish from spoiling. Both qualities are implied in Jesus' statement to his disciples in Matthew 5:13: "You are the salt of the earth". The fishermen who had become Jesus' followers would immediately think of the function of salt to stop corruption while others thought of the better taste of food. These two qualities of salt should also be characteristic of Jesus' followers today. Along with the physical pollution of our natural environment, there is much moral or spiritual corruption of society. Jesus' disciples should be actively involved in attacking and seeking to eliminate such corruption. Likewise, their presence should add a positive influence, to any group, exuding love and justice. -------The word "dote", spelled d-o-t-e, may have two different meanings. It may mean to show excessive love or fondness for someone or something. A man may dote on his only child. The other meaning is to be foolish or feeble-minded, especially because of old age or senility. A person who dotes may be called a dotard and a dotard is a person in his or her dotage. The Roman orator, Cicero, wrote in the first century B. C., "that which is called dotage, is not the weak point of all old men but only of such as are distinguished by levity and weakness." And in Shakespeare's drama, King Lear, in response to the king's question about his age, the Earl of Kent replied; "Not so young, sir, to love a woman for singing, nor so old as to dote on her for anything." At the time, he was 48. -------Today is Tuesday, the day I suggest a theme on which listeners or readers may write a short essay and send to me for correction and publication in the May 31st issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. Those who keep a copy of their original essay may compare it with the printed version to see what changes have been made. The theme for this week's essays is: Vehicles. A "vehicle" is a device for carrying people or things. It may have wheels or runners. Bicycles, motorcycles, cars, busses, trucks, trains and sleds are all vehicles. Some vehicles cause pollution in the atmosphere because of the fuel they burn. Others do not. The size, style, speed and efficiency of vehicles have changed over the years. What kind of vehicle do you prefer when you go a short distance? when you make a longer trip? Why? Do you have a license to operate a vehicle? Do you use it often? How have vehicles changed during your lifetime? Do you have any special memories related to vehicles? What are the advantages and disadvantages of gasoline or electric powered vehicles? Send your essays to me for correction and publication at the following address: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463-8691, Japan. -------Bill Clinton, the present president of the United States, is listed as the 42nd president. Actually, however, he is the 41st person to hold that office. The reason for the different number is that one president served for two terms which were not consecutive. Many presidents have been elected to a second term, but only one served for a non-consecutive second term. That man was born 161 years ago today, on March 18, 1837. His surname is the same as the name of the largest city in the American state of Ohio. Though born in the state of New Jersey, he was raised and spent most of his life in the state of New York. Grover Cleveland was the fifth of nine children of a Presbyterian minister. Following his father's death, he gave up plans to go to college in order help support his mother and the younger children. While working as a clerk in a law firm, he studied on his own and became a lawyer at the age of 22. Before being elected president, he had served as sheriff of Erie County, mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York. Recognized as an honest and sensitive politician, he stated: "A government for the people must depend for its success on the intelligence, the morality, the justice, and the interest of the people themselves". -------There are two English words pronounced "teil". The one spelled t-a-i-l denotes the long, slender back part of some animals. The other, spelled t-a-l-e, denotes a story, which may be true, partly true or completely false. It is used for a simple story for children or for an unfounded and unfavorable rumor, and superstitious folklore is sometimes called an "old wives' tale". But there are important "tales" in the early literature of both Japan and England. "The Tale of Genji" has been called "the most renowned masterpiece of Japanese literature". This "tale", written in the 11th century by a court lady, Murasaki Shikibu, is about an adventurous prince and his descendants in old Japan. It includes both tragic and romantic episodes which provide insights into the lifestyle and outlook of the Japanese nobility of that day. Over three hundred years later, an official in the English court, Geoffrey Chaucer, wrote his famous "Canterbury Tales", a long poem consisting of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way from London to Canterbury. The unfinished poem contains twenty-four "tales" told by men and women from various backgrounds each of which reflects the thinking and activity of different segments of English society at that time. -------People are given names when they are born. In Japan, the name given often expresses a quality the parents hope will characterize the child in the future. Automobiles are also given names by the manufacturer when they are first produced. In the case of automobiles, however, names are not given to each automobile but to a whole class of them. These names may also imply a hope of the manufacturer regarding their future. Three of the names of passenger cars produced by the Toyota Motor Company are related to crowns. A crown is an ornament worn on the head. In Greek, there are two different words for "crown". One denotes the wreath worn by athletes who have won a race or by honored guests at a celebration. The other denotes the golden emblem worn on formal occasions by monarchs. "Crown" is the name of the top-class car produced by Toyota. "Corona" also means "crown" in Latin and, in English, is used for various things in the shape of a crown, including the circle of light around the sun or moon. "Corolla" is the Latin term for a small crown. In English, it denotes the petals, or inner leaves of a flower. According to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15, verse 17, the kind of crown worn by Jesus was "a crown of thorns". -------It was the latter part of April in 1953 when I made a quick trip from Tokyo to Kariya to look at the house there described in last Saturday's message. (At that time, even a "quick trip" took four hours on an express train.) The uncle of the wife of our Tokyo landlord, who lived in Okazaki, met me at Kariya station, accompanied me to the house and introduced me to the landlady and her daughter. I was favorably impressed with their shy, but friendly, attitude. It had been just a year-and-a-half since I had arrived in Japan, but during that time I attended a Japanese language school, lived in the home of a Japanese couple and had daily contact with Japanese people, so I was able to carry on simple business in Japanese, but when I asked what the rent would be, I was surprised at their response, for they asked me how much I was willing to pay. In a corner of the room, I quietly asked the uncle what would be a reasonable price. He suggested ¥ 5000 would be reasonable, so I told the landlady and her daughter that we would be willing to pay that amount. They went to another corner of the room and whispered to each other. Then I was even more surprised when they told me that they would rent the rooms to us for ¥3000. -------All religions have certain distinguishing characteristics. A basic religious doctrine is related to the concept of divinity. Are there many gods or only one God? Biblical religion, both the Judaism of the Old Testament and the Christianity of the New Testament, teaches that there is only one true and living God. The Old Testament emphasizes the righteousness or justice of God and the New Testament emphasizes God's love and mercy, but these divine qualities are evident throughout the Bible from beginning to end. The primary confession of faith in Judaism is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." In Matthew 22: 37-38, Jesus called this: "the first and greatest commandment". Both Jews and Christians believe there is only one God and that the basic commandment is not negative but positive. The New Testament also clearly states that "God is love" and that love for God is given concrete expression in our love for other people (I John 4: 8). In both Judaism and Christianity, the just and merciful God, our Creator and Savior, is the center of faith and love is the primary duty of human beings. -------I'm sure you know the meaning of "voice", spelled v-o-i-c-e. Those who call this "Daily Word" telephone number regularly will recognize the sound of my voice. But do you know the meaning of "invoice"? This word, which has no relationship with "voice", denotes a detailed list of goods shipped or services rendered, with an account of all the costs involved. It is a kind of bill. The root of this word is in a couple of Latin words meaning "on the way", as is the word "envoy", spelled e-n-v-o-y, meaning a messenger or agent. The official representative to a foreign government ranking just below an ambassador is an "envoy". There was a similar Old English word, spelled with an "i", instead of an "e" and it was the plural of that word that became "invoice" in modern English. -------The theme of today's message is the narrow, ribbonlike strips of dried dough called noodles. Noodles have different sizes and shapes and different raw materials from which they are made. There are also different Japanese words to designate them, including "udon, soba, kishi-men and ra-men." In certain areas, small noodle shops are very popular places to get some quick, hot food on a cold day. Do you enjoy eating noodles--whether at a noodle shop or at home? Do you have any thoughts or memories related to noodles that you would like to write in an essay and send to me for correction and publication in the next issue of " Daily Word" Echoes, scheduled to be published on May 31st? It is interesting that "ra-men", which has become very popular in recent years in Japan and elsewhere, is also called "chuka soba", Chinese noodles, even though it is now basically a Japanese dish. You are invited to attend our meeting next Sunday afternoon at the Nagoya City Josei Kaikan, east of the Higashi Betsu-in subway station at 1:30. The theme for that meeting is: Impressions and/or Memories of the Nagoya Winter Olympics. We would be happy to see you there. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463-8691 Japan. -------"Grease", spelled g-r-e-a-s-e, is an oily substance that helps machinery run smoothly. As a slang term, it is used for money or other benefits given as bribes to make business deals function smoothly. Unfortunately, there seem to be many politicians these days with greasy palms. The name of a European country is also pronounced "gres", but it is spelled G-r-e-e-c-e. The achievements of ancient Greek art, architecture, science, mathematics, philosophy, drama, literature and democracy have been basic elements of Western civilization, but the nation later came under the domination of foreign powers. Today is a national holiday in Greece, commemorating the day, 177 years ago, in 1821, when the Greeks began their long struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire which had ruled the country for almost 400 years. Finally, with the help of Britain, France and Russia, Greece became an independent kingdom in 1829. The surname of two brothers who lead the revolt was Ypsilanti and there is a city in the American state of Michigan named in their honor. The expression, "It's all Greek to me", which means "I cannot understand what is being said" comes from a comment made by Casca in Shakespeare's drama, Julius Caesar. -------The U. S. state of Hawaii is comprised of eight major islands and over 120 smaller ones scattered over a wide area in the Pacific Ocean between North America and Japan. Today, on the fourth largest and oldest island of Kauai, a festival is being held to commemorate the birth of Prince Kuhio, who was born on that island on this day 127 years ago, in 1871. His parents died when he was young, but he was adopted by his aunt, the wife of the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii. As a possible successor to the throne, Prince Kuhio was sent to colleges and private schools in Honolulu, California and England to receive the best education possible, but in 1893, the monarchy was overthrown and the Republic of Hawaii was established. Subsequently, the Prince spent a year in prison for his acts of treason in attempting to restore the monarchy. After Hawaii became a territory of the United States, however, he was elected the first representative of Hawaii to the U. S. Congress in 1903 and reelected for the next ten consecutive terms until his death in 1921. You are invited to atttend the meeeting of "Daily Word" fans at the Nagoya City Josei Kaikan, east of the Higashi Betsuin subway station on Sunday afternoon at 1:30. -------The British expression "it runs like a Rolls", meaning that a vehicle runs very smoothly, is a tribute to the superior quality of cars produced by Rolls-Royce Limited, a company formed in 1904, from a union of companies founded by C. S. Rolls, an aviator, and Henry Royce, an engineer. Both of these men were born on the 27th day of the month--Rolls in August, 1877 and Royce in March, 1863, 135 years ago today. For 94 years, Rolls-Royce has been manufacturing highly refined and very expensive automobiles of only nine different models. Recently, a new model, the Silver Seraph, smoothly rolled off of the assembly line. Priced at £155,000 (about ¥33 million), it is the world's costliest production car. Buyers can choose from 23 shades of leather for the seats and 16 colors of carpet. Despite its weight of 2.5 tons, it can accelerate to a speed of 100 kilometers an hour within seven seconds. Rolls-Royce has been a shining example of British craftsmanship, but times are changing and the company is now up for sale. The color of the angelic beings an Old Testament prophet saw in the vision recorded in the 6th chapter of Isaiah, is not stated, but it is from the Hebrew word for that creature that the word "seraph" was derived. -------While living in Tokyo, I taught an English Bible Class at the research laboratory of the Furukawa Electric Company whose technicians were interested in improving their ability in English. I began teaching that class through the introduction of a Christian engineer who worked there and who was a member of the Japanese church we attended. A month before we left Tokyo, a farewell dinner was held for us at the laboratory. The dinner included eel and other delicious food we had never tasted in the United States. After dinner, I was given a very useful book which I have used regularly ever since. It is still on a bookshelf next to my desk and I continue to refer to it at times even now. It is a "Kan-Wa-Ei Daijiten", or A. B. C Japanese-English Dictionary. In this dictionary, compiled by Oreste Vaccari and his Japanese wife, Chinese characters are divided into 26 classifications corresponding to the letters of the English alphabet. When the system is memorized, Chinese characters may be located directly without first locating their radicals. They also may be located by radical or pronunciation, however. Throughout the years, it has been extremely helpful in my comprehension of Chinese characters. -------In some churches, this second Sunday before Easter is called Passion Sunday. It is the beginning of the week called Passion Week and of the season of Passiontide, which lasts until the day before Easter. The word "passion" comes from a Latin word meaning "suffering". It is used once in the King James Version of the Bible, in Acts 1:3, in relation to Jesus' suffering. When spelled with a capital "P", it denotes Christ's sufferings after the Last Supper until his death on the cross. There are many New Testament references to the sufferings of Christ. His physical sufferings included being whipped and nailed to a cross. But the Bible makes clear that his suffering and death was not punishment for his sins. Rather they were vicarious, meaning they were endured on behalf of others. The final verses of the 2nd chapter of the First Letter of Peter indicate that his suffering and death was for us, that he bore our sins on the cross, and that, as a result of his sacrificial death, we are able to die to sins and live for righteousness. Believers are described there as sheep who had gone astray but have now returned to their true Shepherd. Passiontide is a time to consider the profound meaning of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. -------In modern English, the word "romance", spelled r-o-m-a-n-c-e, is usually related to love. For most people, a romantic story is a kind of love story. As a literary term, however, a romance is a fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary events. Can you guess the root of this word and can you imagine why some languages are called Romance languages? Do you know which languages they are? They are the languages derived directly from Latin: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian. Originally, these languages were dialects of the Roman language and were called "romans" to distinguish them from classical Latin. While serious works continued to be written in Latin, a love story or other imaginative tale written in a popular "romans" dialect came to be called a "romance". -------Fire is a chemical reaction that produces both heat and light. In ancient Greece, fire was considered one of the four basic elements. There is a mysterious element in fire that has resulted in its being considered sacred by some peoples and it is often used in religious ceremonies. In the Bible, fire is frequently used as a symbol of purification or judgment. When it is controlled, fire can be very useful in human society to provide light and heat, to purify or refine and to dispose of discarded materials. When uncontrolled, however, fire can be very destructive. Many homes and communities have been destroyed because of fires and we must be very careful in our use of fire, both at home and out-of-doors. "Fire" is the suggested theme for essays this week for those who wish to compose one and send it to me for correction and publication in "Daily Word" Echoes. I and others would be interested in reading any thoughts, experiences or memories you have on this subject. You may also desire to include advice about safety measures to avoid causing destructive fires or comment upon the pollution problem caused by fires. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463-8691, Japan. -------A piano is a common musical instrument. When a key is struck, a small hammer hits a metal string, causing it to vibrate and produce a sound. The tone depends on the length and thickness of the string. When the word "piano" is written on a sheet of music, however, it does not signify the musical instrument. It is a musical direction indicating that the music should be played "softly" and "pianissimo" means "very softly". In fact, the name of the musical instrument itself is a shortened form of "pianoforte", from Italian words meaning "soft and loud", for when the piano was invented in Italy around 1709 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, it was called a "harpsichord with soft and loud". The forerunner of the piano was a harpsichord, in which tones are produced by plucking the strings rather than striking them. Bach and Mozart composed music for the piano, but one of the greatest pianists of the past century was a Russian musician who composed music and conducted orchestras as well as played the piano. His name was Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff and he was born 125 years ago today, on April 1, 1873. Forty years ago, a French statesman made the statement: "It's a pity to kill the pianist when the piano is out of tune." -------What do you associate with the word "mint", spelled m-i-n-t? Many people will think of candy flavored with mint which is derived from a plant called "mint". But there is another word with the same spelling and pronunciation that has an entirely different meaning. This "mint" is derived from the Latin word meaning "money". It is the place where coins are manufactured. Before the Revolutionary War, the American colonies used both English and Spanish money to transact business, but after their independence, a new American currency was required. At first, paper money was printed, but 206 years ago today, on April 2, 1792, Congress authorized the establishment of a mint to coin American money. This mint in Philadelphia began producing copper cents and half cents. Next came silver dollars and gold $10 coins called eagles followed by half dollars, 25¢ quarters, 10¢ dimes and 5¢ nickels. The U. S. Mint in Philadelphia was the first public building erected by the young United States. The present mint in that city is able to produce up to 8 billion coins a year. Visitors to the mint can now view the entire coin-making process from a glass-enclosed balcony that runs the full, two-block length of the mint. -------While riding my bicycle along a busy street or a lonely road, sights I see often stimulate thoughts to occupy my mind. For example, if I see a cat cross the road in front of me, I may wonder why some people consider it unlucky if a black cat crosses their path and whether the unlucky cat must be completely black. If it is all black except for a white spot on its leg, is it still a bad omen? And I wonder how that superstition began. Checking a reference book after returning home, I find that cats are mentioned in various ancient legends and myths. They were considered sacred animals in ancient Egypt; mummies of cats along with human mummies are found in many ancient Egyptian tombs. According to one ancient writer, in Egypt, whoever killed a cat, even by accident, was punished by death. Obviously, cats are very different in nature than dogs and may seem a bit mysterious. In medieval Western thought, black cats were associated with the devil and with witches. Even now, at Halloween, we may see pictures of a black cat riding on a broomstick with a witch. But superstitions related to black cats, lucky and unlucky days, directions and so on do not trouble me because of my respect for reason and my faith in God. -------Another English Bible Class I taught in Tokyo 45 years ago met on Sunday evenings in a Japanese church near Yoyogi station which my wife and I usually attended on Sunday mornings. A couple of weeks before we left Tokyo to begin our mission work in the city of Kariya in Aichi Prefecture, a farewell dinner was held for us at the church following the morning worship service at which I preached. My English sermon was translated by the pastor into Japanese. At the dinner, I recall a remark of the pastor who sat next to me. While we were eating with our chopsticks, he jokingly said that they did not put such dangerous implements as knives on the dinner table. They were kept in the kitchen. As we made preparations for our move to the country, we planned to take with us on the train the large woven basket we had used as a baby bed for our infant son. This basket, in which the top part fit nicely into the bottom part, was very convenient. Our landlord's wife, however, adamantly refused to let us do so. She said that kind of basket was only used by country folk and was not suitable for a respected American couple to carry with them on a train. Very reluctantly, we felt compelled to follow her inflexible advice. -------In the church calendar, this Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday. It commemorates what is commonly called Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem a few days before his crucifixion. This event, described in all four of the New Testament Gospels, marks the beginning of what is called Holy Week. As a noun, the word "triumph" denotes success or being victorious, but there is a slight difference in meaning between the adjectives "triumphal" and "triumphant". Jesus' "triumphal entry" was celebrated by crowds of people who surrounded him and entered the city with him. Some people laid their cloaks on the road in front of him. Others cut branches from palm trees and laid them in his path or waved them as he rode into the holy city on a donkey. The people did not understand the full significance of Jesus' final visit to Jerusalem and it was only after his death and resurrection that this event came to be called the Triumphal Entry. Later, Jesus' disciples came to realize that his shameful, painful death was not a defeat. Rather, it was the manifestation of God's infinite love for all people and ended in victory or triumph. Thus his entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday is now called the Triumphal Entry. -------What do you associate with the term "bonfire", spelled b-o-n-f-i-r-e. A bonfire is a large outdoor fire that, nowadays, is usually associated with happy times of fellowship. Boy scouts, campers, athletes and people who attend certain festival celebrations often gather around a bonfire and enjoy the cheerful atmosphere. Songs may be sung and inspiring stories told. Originally this word conveyed quite a different feeling, however, for it was actually a pyre, spelled p-y-r-e, which is a fire for burning a corpse. Bonfires were originally "bone fires". In the old days, when a plague occurred, the bones of corpses were sometimes burned as a precaution against the spread of the disease. In contrast to the crematories of today, these bone fires were held out in open fields. -------Last December, I became 70 years old and next month, I will retire as pastor of the church in Takahama. My wife and I are planning to make a trip to the United States from late June to late August, after which we expect to return to Nagoya. I am now thinking about the future of this "Daily Word" telephone service. Should I continue it during the two months I am in the U. S., making daily calls from there? Should I submit such recycled messages for uploading onto the English forum of the NIFTY-Serve computer network and the home page of NAMOS on the Internet? As the final essay for the 60th (and possibly final) issue of "Daily Word" Echoes, expected to be published on May 31st, I would like to receive comments from listeners and readers of the messages especially from those I am unacquainted with who read them on -- the computer monitors. Have the messages been helpful to you? in what way? Would you like them continued during the summer and in the future? Why? I am looking forward to receiving your comments and suggestions as I consider the future of this service. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463-8691 Japan. -------Letters used in a language arranged in the customary order are called an alphabet. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, beginning with a and ending with z. As a native born American, I never knew that the final letter of the alphabet was pronounced "zed" in British English until I came to Japan. The word "alphabet" is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, "alpha" and "beta". A famous saying in which the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet are included is found in the last chapter of the Christian Bible, in Revelation 22:13: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." As foreign students of English are well aware, one of the problems is that letters do not always have the same pronunciation. The letter a, for example, may have a dozen different pronunciations. In the Japanese writing system, symbols used in the syllabary, called "kana", always have the same pronunciation while Chinese characters, called "kanji", may have entirely different pronunciations. What do you suppose are the most frequently used letters in English? According to a reference book, they are e, t, o, a, and n. Contrariwise, the least frequently used letters are k, j, x, z, and q. -------There are many different kinds of living creatures that people keep as pets. The most common pets are dogs and cats. In some homes, we may find cages in which a bird is kept, such as a canary, a parakeet or a parrot. Other homes have a fish bowl or tank in which different kinds of fish are swimming around. Pets are kept to provide companionship or amusement for their owners. A recent news article noted that a new kind of pet is becoming popular in Japan--especially among single women in their 20s and 30s. These pets also are kept in fish tanks for they are a kind of fish, called "kurage" in Japanese. It is interesting that two different sets of Chinese characters are used to designate this fish. One set means "sea moon" and the other "water mother". In English it is called a "jellyfish" for it resembles jelly. The article noted that these pets do not slobber or bark or leave claw marks on the sofa. They do not require much attention and may even be left for a week without ill effects. But a major reason for their present popularity is the calmness their slow, soothing movements exude as they float around the tank. Watching them is said to help a tense person relax, and relaxation is important in this stressful society. -------In Christian churches, this Friday before Easter is called Good Friday. It commemorates the day of Jesus' death on the cross. Christians believe that the meaning and result of that death was "good". Many churches will hold special services today to quietly meditate on the significance of the death of this man who, in the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 29, was called "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". This tenth day of April is also known as Humane Day in some American communities. The word "human", spelled h-u-m-a-n, denotes a human being, but when an e is added to the end of this word, it becomes "humane" and signifies the highest qualities expressed by human beings: kindness, mercy and compassion. Humane Day commemorates the incorporation of the A.S.P.C.A., 132 years ago today in 1866. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was patterned on the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in England which had been founded 42 years earlier. Its purpose is to shelter homeless animals, to assist farmers in caring for their livestock and to help enforce laws related to the protection of animals. -------It was the first part of August in 1953, one year and nine months after we arrived in Japan, that my wife and I and our 6-week-old son, left the metropolis for the city of Kariya, about 30 kilometers east of Nagoya, where we were to begin our missionary work. The day before we departed from Tokyo, a truck came to pick up many things to take to our new home. They included trunks of clothes and the appliances we had had shipped from the U. S. when we came to Japan: a small, electric refrigerator, a 3-burner kerosene stove, an electric roaster which could also be used as an oven, a tiny electric-powered washing machine and a fold-up bed which was a little smaller than a double bed. Such items were not available on the regular Japanese market in those days, but we had made good use of them while living in Tokyo and we wanted them in Kariya also. Our last evening in Tokyo, we ate dinner with our landlord and his wife and slept on futons they provided. Many Bible Class members and other friends came to Tokyo Station to bid us farewell on the morning we left. We almost felt like we were going again to a foreign land. The sky was cloudy when we departed from Tokyo, but the sun was shining when we arrived in Kariya. -------The most important day of the church year is Easter which falls on this 12th day of April this year. The exact days of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection are not known. His birth is celebrated annually on December 25th, or Christmas Day. This day was chosen because it coincided with Roman celebrations honoring the sun as the days become longer at that season of the year. Jesus died during the Jewish feast of the Passover and to keep the commemoration of his death and the celebration of his resurrection synchronized with that Jewish festival, which is based on the lunar calendar, the following complicated method was devised. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox in Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. In some places, Easter sunrise services are held out-of-doors early on Easter morning for it was early in the morning on the first day of the week that women followers of Jesus went to the tomb to pay their respects to him and found it empty. According to the first verses of Paul's Letter to the Romans, Jesus Christ, "as to his human nature was a descendant of David" but "was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead". -------The long, narrow band of fabric worn around the neck and tied in the front is commonly called a necktie--in both English and Japanese. A more fashionable necktie may also be called a cravat, spelled c-r-a-v-a-t. The translation of "cravat" in an English-Japanese dictionary, is simply "nekutai". "Cravat" is related to Croat; Croatia is now a troubled area in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Croatian soldiers serving in Austria in the 17th century wore silk or muslin scarves or neckpieces which attracted the attention of French officers who served with them. In a newly-organized French regiment, this neck piece was imitated and the regiment was called The Royal Cravat. Then, civilians copied the style and cravats became fashionable among stylish people. -------Researchers at a medical school in the United States recently reported the results of a survey conducted on the exercise habits of 4,063 children ranging in age from 8 to 16. They found that a fourth of all U. S. children watch 4 or more hours of television everyday and these children weighed more and were fatter than those who watched fewer than two hours per day. But it is not only the lack of exercise that results in added weight. While sitting in front of the television set, they often eat high calorie, high fat snack foods and see commercials for such foods which may encourage them to eat yet more. The study found that the hours spent in front of a TV set were higher for children in neighborhoods where the crime rate is high for in such areas parents consider it unsafe for children to go outside. The report found a dramatic drop in physical activity among girls aged 11 to 16 and advised parents and educators to encourage children and adolescents to be active before, during and after the school day. To keep physically and mentally healthy, it is important to exercise both our bodies and our minds. Those of you writing essays for the May 31st issue of "Daily Word" Echoes, should send them to reach me by Saturday, April 25th. -------A dictionary is a list of words in alphabetical order giving their meaning and pronunciation or, in the case of bilingual dictionaries, their translation into another language. Two of the most famous names related to English language dictionaries are Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster. Today is the 243rd anniversary of the publication of Dr. Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, which contained 40,000 words. This "first comprehensive lexicographical work on English ever undertaken", the result of eight years of work, was published on April 15, 1755. Dr. Johnson's sense of humor is evident in some of his definitions. He defined "angling", for example, as "a stick and a string, with a worm on one end and a fool on the other". Noah Webster's The American Dictionary of the English Language was first published 170 years ago yesterday, on April 14, 1828. It originally contained definitions of 70,000 words, but it has gone through many revisions since then. Living languages continue to change, all dictionaries require revisions as old words are dis carded and new words are added. Dr. Johnson once said: " Dictionaries are like watches; the worst is better than none and the best cannot be expected to go quite true." -------Today, April 16th, is a national holiday in the country occupying the peninsula in northern Europe that separates the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Can you tell its name? The holiday is in honor of the country's queen, who was born 58 years ago today, on April 16, 1940. She became queen in 1972, when she was 31 years old. She is Margrethe II, the queen of Denmark. Denmark has an area about 20 percent greater than the Japanese island of Kyushu and includes almost 500 islands lying off of the Jutland Peninsula, most of which are uninhabited. Its total population is less than half that of Tokyo. There are no mountains in Denmark and almost all of the land is in productive use. Denmark, or Danmark, is the country of the Danes, which have a history dating back thousands of years. "Danish", as an adjective, denotes something pertaining to Denmark, the Danes, their language or culture. As a noun, it denotes the language of the Danes. But this noun is also used informally to mean Danish pastry, which is the meaning of "denisshu" in Japanese. Danish pastry is a sweet, buttery pastry made with raised dough. The term, Great Dane, however, denotes a large, powerful dog having short, smooth hair and a narrow head. -------The 1998 baseball season has begun, so baseball fans will be rooting for their favorite teams. Many Japanese baseball fans are also acquainted with the names of American professional teams, which include the names of birds (Cardinals, Orioles and Blue Jays), animals (Tigers and Cubs), and fish (Marlins). Other teams include Angels, Giants, Pirates, Brewers and Mariners as well as Red Sox and White Sox. In the past couple of years, probably the most popular American professional baseball team, from the Japanese viewpoint, has been one of the three teams located in southern California on which there is a Japanese pitcher whose face is also seen in advertisements. Also, games in which he pitches are regularly broadcast on national television in Japan. The team, of course, is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Can you imagine why this name was given to a baseball team? That team originated in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City, when trolleys, or street cars, were a means of public transportation. A "trolley dodger" was a person who was able to easily slip through traffic. That same kind of agility is needed by baseball players and that is said to be the reason that Brooklyn team was given that name. -------My wife and I and our 6-week-old son arrived in the city of Kariya on Tuesday afternoon, the 4th of August in the year 1953. We knew we could not squeeze into one of the small taxicabs that were lined up outside the train station, so we got into a large taxi and went to the house which was to be our home for the next four years. It was an old, wooden, two-storied house in a rural setting, surrounded by rice fields and a vegetable garden. Although I do not think we ever signed a contract, we had agreed to rent four rooms on the ground floor. The rooms, with wood floors, were empty when we arrived, which is to say, there was no furniture of any kind in them. But they were clean, and we unpacked our suitcases and awaited the arrival of the truck which had left Tokyo the previous day with the rest of our belongings. The truck arrived in the evening and, according to a newsletter written to our supporting church soon afterward, "there was a gathering of a couple of dozen children to watch the strange proceedings of an American couple moving into their town. After the truck left, they continued to peer in the windows to watch us unpack. Fortunately we are not downtown or there would have been a bigger crowd." -------If a stranger wants to meet an important person, it is helpful to be introduced by a friend or associate of that person. It was probably for that reason that some Greeks who were attending the Jewish festival of the Passover in Jerusalem approached Philip, one of Jesus' disciples and asked him to introduce them to Jesus. This story is recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 12, beginning with verse 20. Although all twelve of Jesus' disciples were Jews, Philip is a Greek name, meaning "fond of horses", and it may be that Philip spoke Greek, which would make him a suitable intermediary for the Greeks. Philip then conferred with his hometown friend, Andrew [1:44] and together they told Jesus. The account does not record the details of their meeting with Jesus, but it seems that Jesus considered their presence a sign that the time of his death was near, for he responded, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" and added these meaningful words: "unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest." Jesus not only verbally taught that self-sacrifice may bring wondrous results, he demonstrated it by his own life and death. -------This fourth month of the year is called April in English. The origin of this name is uncertain, but the most common explanation is that it comes from Latin words meaning "to open", for it is the month when buds of flowers and trees open or blossom. Another theory is that it is derived from the name of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, for, as an English poet has written, "In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." The old Japanese name for this month is "uzuki", meaning "month of u." In this case, "u" denotes a flower, "u-no-hana", which one dictionary defines as "a kind of Japanese sunflower". During this Eastertide season following Easter, Christians rejoice in the new life manifested both in the resurrection of Christ and in nature. -------98/04/21 (Tuesday) "Yellow Journalism", Spanish-American War (5977) The color yellow in Western thought is often associated with cowardice. A cowardly or untrustworthy person may be called "yellow". But "yellow journalism" has a special meaning although it also is often untrustworthy. The first comic strip to run successfully in an American newspaper was called "Yellow Kid". It first appeared in the "New York World" in 1895. To attract the attention of readers, yellow ink was used in printing this comic strip. And after that, the term "yellow journalism" came to mean journalism, or news articles that exploit, distort or exaggerate the news to create sensations aimed at attracting readers. In recent months, we have often seen this type of "yellow journalism" in the mass media of the United States in the treatment of scandalous stories related to President Clinton. Looking back over American history, we can see the unfortunate results of such journalism, especially during times of crisis. It was at least partly due to yellow journalism that the United States Congress declared war on Spain 100 years ago today, on April 21, 1898. As a result of that Spanish-American War, Cuba was granted independence and Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines came under United States' control. -------Today is the 128th anniversary of the Russian revolutionary leader whose ideas and career laid the foundation for Soviet totalitarianism. Until the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, his birthday was celebrated yearly in the U. S. S. R., but I doubt that it is widely observed these days. The name of this son of a civil service official whose words and actions changed the history of the 20th century was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. He became a revolutionary as a young man and was sent to exile in Siberia when he was 17 years old. Following that exile, he left Russia when he was 30 and continued his revolutionary activities abroad. An earnest believer in the teachings of Karl Marx, Lenin emphasized the necessity for a violent revolution by the proletariat, the workers who must earn their living by selling their labor. In 1917, he returned to Russia, following the revolution he had instigated, and became the leader of the Soviet government. Called the dictatorship of the proletariat, it was actually the dictatorship of the Communist Party, of which Lenin was the dictator. He was succeeded by Joseph Stalin, whom he had sought to remove from leadership but who became Russia's ruthless ruler for the next 30 years. -------Recently I was a bit amused to find a similarity in the original meanings of a Japanese word for "wife" and the English word "husband". Of course, a husband and wife are a married couple. But a Japanese word for "wife", kanai, literally means " within the house", and that is where some traditional husbands think their wives should remain. The English word "husband", however, has a similar root, for it is derived from words meaning "house" and "dwell". Thus, a husband may be a man who dwells in a house, but he is traditionally considered the householder. Furthermore, it is interesting that there is another word formed by adding the word "man" to "husband". A "husbandman" is a farmer, a man who cultivates land or raises animals. It is from the Greek word for husbandman, or farmer, which is found in the New Testament Letter of James, chapter 5, verse 7, that the English name "George" is derived. Today, April 23rd, is the feast day of St. George, the patron saint of England. There are a number of stories, legends or myths relating to St. George, but historical information concerning him is very limited and there is even disagreement regarding who the man now called St. George really was. -------Are Japanese banks trustworthy? In today's message I will report on a recent personal experience. Last month, I visited a local branch of a well-known bank to close an account in the name of my church which listed me as the representative. I filled out the required forms in front of a bank clerk and affixed my personal seal as requested. Later, I received a telephone call from the clerk informing me that I had mistakenly written my home address instead of the church address on the form, so she was sending me the form on which I was to fill in the correct address and affix my seal, which I did. A couple of weeks later, another phone call from the bank informed me that a mistake had been made in the amount of money I had received related to some tax regulation, I believe. The bank had computed 1.4 yen as one yen, but it should have entered it as two yen. Thus I should have received one yen more than I was actually given. The next day, a bank employee made a special trip on public transportation (taking almost one hour) to bring me that one yen in a special envelope. Of course, I needed to again write the church name and address on a form, along with my name and seal to confirm that that one yen had been received. -------In the first floor apartment we rented in the city of Kariya 45 years ago, a tiny room off of our living room served as the kitchen. The landlady had arranged to have a small sink with one water faucet installed in this room for us. Of course, only cold water came out of that water faucet. When hot water was needed, we had to heat it in a pan on the small kerosene stove that was on another side of the room. Following the advice of our landlady, we did not drink water that came from the faucet until after it was boiled. After boiling it and then waiting a while for it get cool, the water was put in a container and placed in the small electric refrigerator on the third side of the room. This proved to be a somewhat irritating procedure on hot summer days when we preferred cold water to hot tea. The kitchen floor was a little lower than that of the living room, so we stepped down to go into the kitchen. The single sliding door between the two rooms was also the door that opened or closed the adjacent closet space we used as a pantry. So when the kitchen door was open, the pantry door was closed and vice versa. For better or for worse, the kitchen was too small for two people to easily work together in it, so I didn't spend much time there. -------The 4th chapter of the Gospel of Mark records three parables related to sowing seed. In the first one, the seed sown fell on four different kinds of soil. That which fell on the hard ground along a path was eaten by birds and thus had no effect. Seed falling on rocky places sprang up quickly but, because it had no root, was quickly scorched by the sun and bore no fruit. Seed that fell among thorns was choked and also bore no fruit. Only the seed that fell on good soil produced a harvest and the amount produced varied according to the quality of the soil. Jesus himself gave the interpretation of that parable. The seed is the teaching of Jesus and the different kinds of soil are the hearts of those who hear his teaching. His words have no effect on hearts that are closed. The emotional response of the shallow soil people is only temporary. The hearts of those so busy with many other concerns, while not rejecting the word, do not give it priority and thus bear no fruit. It is only the hearts of those who willingly accept the truth and let it take root in their lives that will produce a harvest. Seeds are also being sown through these "Daily Word" messages and what effect they have depends on the hearts of the listeners or readers. -------Have you ever eaten at a cafeteria? At a cafeteria, different kinds of food are displayed on a long counter. Customers choose which foods they want, pay for them and carry them on a tray to a table where they are eaten. Can you guess the root of this word? It begins with c-a-f-e. Have you ever eaten at a cafe? Actually "cafe" is the French word for "coffee", which is derived from the Turkish word for the tree, the seeds or beans the tree produces and the beverage made from those beans. In English, a cafe, or coffee house, is a casual restaurant in which light meals are served along with coffee. In Spanish, a coffeepot is called "cafetera" and it is thought that it was from this word that "cafeteria" was derived. This term was first used in England in 1839. -------In Japanese history, since the year 645 A.D., it has been customary to give names, called "nengo", to historical eras rather than to give a number to every year as is the custom in the West. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the same "nengo" is used for the entire reign of an emperor, so this year of 1998, according to Western calculations, is the 10th year of Heisei in Japan, the 10th year of the reign of the present emperor. In the 12 centuries before Emperor Meiji, names of eras were often changed during an emperor's reign, following some significant event. The first 16 years of the reign of Emperor Higashiyama, who reigned from 1688 to 1710, was named Genroku, which literally means "basic stipend". It was during this peaceful Genroku era that Japanese culture blossomed as samurai warriors turned their attention to Confucian philosophy, literature, poetry, music and other cultural forms. During this period, the traditional Noh theater was eclipsed by Kabuki and Bunraku (puppet theater). In art, a simple style of painting and woodblock printing called ukiyo-e, pictures of the floating world, and in poetry, the 17-syllable haiku was perfected. Many benefits may result when warriors turn to peaceful pursuits. -------At the present time, this 29th day of April is a national holiday in Japan called "Green Day". Previously, it was a holiday to celebrate the emperor's birthday, but after his death in 1989, the holiday was continued under a new name which reflected the emperor's interest in greenery. Today is also the birthday of another sovereign who was born on this day in 1818, named Alexander. Can you guess of what country he became the ruler? There are a number of different Alexanders listed in a biographical dictionary. It was the name chosen by eight popes of the Roman Catholic Church. Greek, Serbian and Scottish kings have also borne this name. But the man who was born 180 years ago today in St. Petersburg became Alexander II, czar of Russia, in 1855, during the Crimean War, in which Russia was fighting against armies of Turkey, England, France and Sardinia. He immediately began peace negotiations and sought to institute reforms in his country. As a result, Russian peasant farmers, who were similar to the slaves in the southern United States, were emancipated. Five men with this name are noted in the New Testament, one of whom was the son of the man who carried Jesus' cross, according to Mark 15:21. -------There is a common tendency among older people to criticize both the attitudes and actions of young people. Their lack of respect for the traditions of their elders, their impolite language, their rude or crude behavior and lack of concern for others are all viewed with disdain. Nevertheless, it must also be recognized that young people learn from their parents, teachers and other adults who have provided them with examples--whether good or bad. How or why did the morals or values of some young people become objectionable? Before criticizing others, we should reflect on our own behavior and the kind of example we have set before them. It is easy to preach to others, but we should remember such sayings as the following: A good example is the best sermon, Actions speak louder than words. The British statesman, Edmund Burke, called example "the school of mankind"; Herodotus, a Greek historian of the 5th century B. C., wrote: "we are less convinced by what we hear than by what we see". And, in Matthew, chapter 7, Jesus told his disciples: "Do not judge others . . . for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and he will apply to you the same rules you apply to others." -------This first day of May has been and is celebrated by many different people in many different ways. Primitive agricultural civilizations expressed their joy and thankfulness to the gods for the arrival of spring and the rebirth of nature on this day and May Day traditions have continued in Western lands. Although the connection of May Day with laborers began in the United States in 1884 and it later became a special day for honoring workers in many countries, it is not observed as such in the U. S. where Labor Day is the first Monday of September. In some U. S. communities, May 1st is observed as Loyalty Day or Law Day and in the state of Hawaii, it is known as Lei Day. A "lei", spelled l-e-i, is a necklace of flowers. But today is also the national holiday of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This group of about 1225 coral islands (also called atolls or reefs) lying south of Japan and east of the Philippines was named after a British captain who visited them in 1788. In 1914, they were seized from Germany by Japan which ruled them until the Second World War, when they were occupied by the United States which later conducted nuclear weapons tests on a couple of them: Enewetak and Bikini. -------While living in Tokyo over 45 years ago, we made use of buses, streetcars, trains and subways, but when we moved to the city of Kariya, such conveyances were not available. The house in which we lived was about a 15-minute walk from the downtown area over an unpaved road. Not long after moving there, my wife and I both purchased bicycles to facilitate our movement around the community. We had regularly used bicycles when we were children and I had used one as both a newspaper and telegram delivery boy as well as for commuting to both elementary school and high school. But that was many years before, so we had to get readjusted to bicycle riding. Needless to say, in those days when we rode downtown on our bicycles, we were the focus of attention for people who caught sight of us. And when we took our baby son to the park in a baby buggy, we were immediately surrounded by children and some adults who were interested in seeing a baby with blond hair. When our son got a little bigger, I also bought a baby seat for him to sit in front of me on the bicycle, a device I had never seen in America. A couple of years later, after our daughter was born, he graduated to the seat behind mine while she sat in the baby seat. -------In Japan, the week beginning April 29th is called Golden Week, for during this 7-day period there are four national holidays. This term originated among theater owners who enjoyed an increase in income during that time because of an increase of attenders. From ancient times, gold has been considered a precious metal. In the New Testament book of First Peter, chapter 1, the faith of the readers is compared to gold, which must be refined by fire to remove impurities. The readers at that time were experiencing various kinds of trials but they were urged not be discouraged, for the final result of such trials is good. In verses 6-7, we read: "now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine." Throughout the history of the Christian Church, Christians have endured persecution from without and controversy within. Considering the social and political situation and the perversity of human nature, this is not surprising. We should remember, however, that there is a good purpose even in the trials of life and we should become better people with a more mature faith because of them. -------On Japanese calendars, this 4th day of May is a red letter day, a holiday. But it is a peculiar holiday, with no special significance. This "kokumin no kyuujitsu", was designated a holiday simply because it fell between two other holidays. The word "holiday" is derived from the two words "holy day" and originally denoted the holy days in the Christian Church calendar when special religious ceremonies were held. Nowadays, it signifies a day when people need not go to work or to school, a day of rest, relaxation, sports or other activities. For most pastors, however, Sunday is a busy holy day and Monday is considered their weekly holiday. In Shakespeare's Henry IV, we find these words: "If all the year were playing holidays, / To sport would be as tedious as to work." -------This 5th day of the 5th month is a national holiday in Japan called Children's Day. On this day, parties and ceremonies are observed at which children are wished happiness and prosperity. In Mexico, it is also a national holiday called Cinco de Mayo, meaning Fifth of May, celebrating the victory of 2000 Mexican soldiers over 6000 French invaders at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Today is also the 185th anniversary of the birth of the Danish philosopher and religious thinker, Soren Kierkegaard, who was born on May 5, 1813. His outwardly uneventful life contrasted with his intensive inner examination of himself and the society of his day, as a result of which he became the originator of the philosophical system called existentialism, or "jitsuzonshugi" in Japanese. Kierkegaard was concerned about the individual's relationship to God. He bitterly attacked what he considered the sterile metaphysics of philosophers and the worldliness of the church of his day. For him, the important thing in religion was not truth as objective fact, but the individual's relationship to it. Thus it is not enough to believe Christian doctrine; one must live it. I agree that a genuine, healthy faith will be evident in the life of the believer. -------When we hear the word "Yale", we naturally think of the famous American university with that name. It was named after Elihu Yale, who was born in Boston, educated in London and became a British colonial official in India. After returning to England, he made a couple of large gifts to the Collegiate School of Connecticut, which had been founded in 1701. The nine bales of fabrics, including muslins, calico, poplins and silk crepe, he sent along with other items were sold and the proceeds were given to the struggling school. Two years later, in 1718, he also contributed 450 books to the school and, to honor him, the school changed its name to Yale College. In a small English-Japanese dictionary, I find the word "Yale" listed with the simple translation "ie-ru jo", Yale lock. Different than the kind of padlock named after a city in China, "nankin jo", or Nanking lock, a Yale lock is a cylinder lock. And what does this lock have to do with Yale University? The simple answer is: nothing. It got its name from the locksmith who invented it. It was 147 years ago today, on May 6, 1851, that Linus Yale, president of Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, also located in Connecticut, patented the lock that bears his name. -------Do you know what kind of work a secretary does? It depends on the meaning given to this word. The work of Madeleine Albright, the U. S. Secretary of State, is quite different than the work my wife did in an office in New York City while I was attending seminary. Looking at that word, can you guess its origin? The first part of the word is "secret" and the original "secretaries" were "confidential officers" in the Middle Ages who could be trusted with secrets in communications between heads of state. Later it came to denote a person who handles correspondence, keeps files and does clerical work in an office. A recent report indicated that the number of people called "secretary" in American businesses is declining. There are now 700,000 fewer "secretaries" than there were 15 years ago. It was noted, however, that other names are being used for persons doing "secretarial" work, such as "administrative assistant", "executive assistant" or "office coordinator". The 36th chapter of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah contains an interesting story of a prophet who dictated his words to a secretary, and of a king who burned the scroll the secretary had written and ordered the arrest of the prophet and his secretary. -------Can you imagine what it is like to be completely deaf, to not be able to hear anything? Modern society is characterized by noise. Even if we wish to withdraw from distracting sounds for a short "quiet time", it is almost impossible. At home or in public places, our ears are constantly bombarded with sounds. Even a cup of coffee at a cafe is usually accompanied by music or the conversations of others. A sign outside of a newly-opened cafe in the Nakano Ward of Tokyo, however, bears the words: "No voice conversation please." There is no background music in this cafe and not even whispering is permitted. It is a cafe for deaf people called Deaftopia. All nine employees are deaf, including the manager, who said, "I want people to know what it is like to live in a world without sound." Communication is carried on by sign language and deaf people are able to relax and talk with friends using such language. For nondeaf people who do not know sign language, there are boards on the tables for people to write on. Nondeaf people visit the cafe to learn sign language or to improve their signing ability so they can better communicate with friends who cannot hear. Those of us who can hear should listen carefully to cries of the needy. -------In September 1953, my wife and I formally began our Christian ministry in the city of Kariya. A simple announcement of the times Bible Classes, one in Japanese, another in English, would meet in our home had been inserted in newspapers. We had rearranged the furniture in our living room and put many wooden stools on the wooden floor which had previously been used by our landlady's daughter for her sewing classes. Of course, we had no idea how many would attend, but for the first few classes the room overflowed with people, most of whom were young. Obviously, they came with different motivations. Some were interested in English. Others were interested in having contact with Americans. But there were also some who had a sincere interest in the Bible and in Christian thought. After the first classes, I made a trip to Tokyo to go to a large Christian book store to obtain suitable textbooks. Leaving Kariya after the evening Japanese Bible Class on Friday, I spent the night in an uncomfortable straight-backed seat on an overnight train. After finishing my business on Saturday, I slept at the home of our former landlord in Tokyo and attended church with them on Sunday morning before returning to Kariya. -------
For my message on this second Sunday of May, Mother's Day, I will share a poem about mothers that obviously was written many years ago. It is entitled "No Occupation". One of the traditional games played by Japanese girls gaily dressed in long-sleeved kimonos during the New Year season is "hanetsuki", literally meaning "feather stab", in which a rounded cork with a flat end stuck with feathers, called a shuttlecock, is batted back and forth with a flat, wooden paddle called a battledore. The game, which is similar to badminton, is sometimes called battledore and shuttlecock. The shuttlecock is also called a "bird" because it resembles a cock flying swiftly in the air. The word "battledore" probably comes from a word meaning "beater" in a language spoken in southern France in the Middle Ages. And the game of badminton got its name from the name of the estate of the Duke of Beaufort in the English county of Gloucestershire. -------
Haiku is a traditional Japanese poem having a fixed three-line form consisting of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively. Haiku express the feeling of the poet and relates nature to human nature. The most famous haiku poet is Matsuo Basho. In English, the poetic form called limerick, is a light humorous or nonsensical verse of five lines. The most famous limerick poet is Edward Lear, who was born 186 years ago today on May 12, 1812 in London. He was also a well-known artist who specialized in paintings of landscapes and of animals. One of his famous limericks published in 1846 in his "Book of Nonsense", is the following: Checking my atlas, I find there are ten American states that have a city named Jamestown, but the most famous place that bore that name no longer exists as a community where people live. Rather, it is included in the Colonial National Park in Virginia. That Jamestown, named after England's King James I, was located on the James River, the main river running through the state of Virginia. It was 391 years ago today that a colonizing expedition sponsored by the London Company established the first permanent English settlement in America there. The group of 105 settlers, consisting mainly of disbanded soldiers and fortune hunters, arrived with dreams of getting rich, but during the next seven months, 75 of them died from disease or famine. More men and supplies were sent from across the ocean, but it was with the introduction of tobacco that the colony's fortune really changed and tobacco continues to be one of the main agricultural products of Virginia. The site of the old colony of Jamestown is now an island in the James River and the only surviving ruin of the original settlement is the Old Church Tower. Annual commemorative services are held on the Sunday nearest May 13, called Jamestown Day. ------- |