--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Thomas, Elbert D. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 14 number: 4 published: 1911-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Elbert D. Thomas, "The Gospel Preached for the First Time to the Ainu," *Improvement Era* 14, no. 4 (February 1911): 288–295.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1404unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1404unse start_page: 288 end_page: 295 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1911-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1404unse publication_year: 1911 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1911, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Gospel Preached for the First Time to the Ainu The Gospel Preached for the First Time to the Ainu. BY ELBERT I). THOMAS, PRESIDENT OF THE JAPAN MISSION. Elder M. Stewart Marriott, of Ogden, Utah, who is now presiding over the Sapporo field of the Japan Mission, has just completed a missionary journey which is indeed unique and differ- ent from the average, and one which I think is worthy of note by those who are not with us here, as the gospel has, during this journey, been preached for the first time to another of the world's peoples— the Ainu. The Ainu, improperly, but perhaps better known in the West AINU GIRLS. as the "Ainos," are a very peculiar race, now inhabiting only parts of the island or Yezo, in Northern Japan. Formerly, just as our American Indians occupied most of America in a way, just so were the Ainu spread over most of the Japan- ese archipelago. They are, accord- ing to the best authority of today, considered the aborigines of Japan. The present Japanese race had its beginning in the islands in the south- eastern part of the present empire, and they have gradually pressed the Ainu back toward the north and east, until now they live in a completely subjugated condition in the far north of Japan. The Japanese and the Ainu kept up a continuous war for many hun- dreds of years, and it was not until the eighteenth century that the Ainu was completely conquered. Just as America is marked from coast to coast with Indian names, to a certain extent have the Ainu left their names in the different parts of Japan. So far, however, as blood is concerned, the Japanese have been but little, if at all, affected by the Ainu influence. The simple reason is that the half-breeds die out. The Ainu is the hairiest race of people in the whole world, and their heavy black beards and hirsute arms and legs are a complete contrast to the smooth, hairless bodies of their Japanese masters. Chamberlain, an authority on things Japanese, says: AINU MAN EATING. The long stick is used to keep his beard out of his food. AINU HUT. They fthe Ainu] are of sturdy build, and distinguished by a flatten- THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THE AINU. 291 ing of certain bones of the arms and legs [the "humerus" and the "tibia"] which have been observed nowhere else except in the remains of some of the cave-men of Europe. The women tatoo moustaches on their upper lip, and geometrical patterns on their hands. [All that I have seen, tatoo their lower lip with a like mark, but Mr. Chamberlain, I sup" pose, would rightly object to calling the mark on the lower lip a mous- tache.] Both sexes are of a mild, amiable disposition, but are terribly addicted to drunkenness. They are filthily dirty, the practice of bath- ing being altogether unknown. [Although now the Japanese cleanliness is doing much to overcome this bad custom.] The Ainu were till recently accustomed to live on the produce of the chase and the sea fisheries. But both these sources of subsistence have diminished since the settling of the island by the Japanese. Conse- quently they no longer hold up their heads as in former days; and not- withstanding the well intentioned efforts of a paternal government, they seem doomed to disappear, though it is true that during the last dozen years their number has remained stationary at about fifteen thousand. Their religion is a simple nature-worship. The sun, wind, ocean, bear, etc., are deified under the title of kamui [god], and whittled sticks are set up in their honor. While Elder Marriott has never been without money, and has always been within reach of the Japanese excellent telegraph system, which reaches every village in the most sparsely settled part of the country, and by means of which, for seven and a half cents (C. 0. D., if necessary) he can communicate with the mission office, one thousand miles away, and receive money by return wire in less than two hours, still, during much of his journey he has — in practice, at least — traveled without purse or scrip. I must take back the scrip part of that statement, for besides his bag, he has taken with him a magic lantern, with a full set of life of Christ pictures, pictures of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and some of the other Church leaders, temples and scenes from Utah, and hundreds of tracts and books. In all, he has traveled about eight or nine hundred miles, and has been gone about six weeks. During his journey he has trav- eled by rail, by stage-coach, on horse, in jinrikisha, by boat, both on the the ocean and on rivers, and walked far enough in some of his day's journeys for some of us to call to mind some of the experiences in President Woodruff's Leaves from my Journal. He has eaten the foods of the oriental, the occidental and the barba- rian, and in his letters he declares that all have been feasts. He has stayed at country houses, fishermen's villages, and slept in good Japanese hotels. At one hotel he stayed for a night and a day, ate three meals, partly foreign and partly Japanese food, the foreign part being beefsteak, eggs and fish, for fifty sen (twenty- five cents) — which shows (now that no election campaign is on) that low prices do not necessarily mean a low scale of living. Fresh fish, good beefsteak and fresh egg meals during the day, and at night a bed with bedding made of the best cotton, and cov- ered with silk instead of ordinary quilting, and clean sheets every night, for twenty-five cents a day is just as good as the same kind of food and the same bed somewhere else for five or six dollars a day, if you let what you enjoy be the standard instead of what it costs. But to let Elder Marriott tell his own story, according to the letters I have received from him: "I suppose you will wonder what I have been doing. I will have to tell you about last week, for it certainly has been an interesting one. Brother Matsuki [a young Japanese believer who traveled part of the way with Elder Marriott, and helped him in some of the meetings which he held — he did not go as a regular companion to Elder Marriott, but went on business for his father] and I left Monday morning, and stayed in Asahikawa over night, where we talked with several of the friends whom Elders J. Preston Cutler and Robert H. Barton have made there. Then we went to Nayoru, where we met Brother Osaki. In that town I was invited to play the violin in a benefit concert, and in return for this, they let m^ speak to the audience and give out tracts. In this meeting alone I distributed five hundred tracts, and had splendid talks with many of the people afterwards. The next night we went to an Ainu village and showed our magic lantern pictures to about one hundred old people and many children, after which we talked with them for about two hours on religion. We had a wild d^ck supper, our breakfast and a bed here, and it cost us nothing. We held meetings in the school- houses in the villages around here, with an average attendance of about two hundred. ***** THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THE AINU. 293 "Tonight I decided to try a street meeting, so I went down with my violin and played it. The people came together in a hurry. One man tried to get them to go home, but we kept them there, though it was very cold. P.rother Matsuki spoke first. About twenty-five grown people were there when 1 spoke. They came from all over. I stopped for fear too many would come out. I told them about the Bible and God. It has been a- new experience for me. I believe that I have held the first meeting among the Ainu people by our Church, and probably the first street meeting in Japan. 1 believe the elders could go out preach- ing without money, and have good success, but it is much harder than staying in Sapporo. In the first place, a person cannot get to sleep long enough, and when he does get to sleep his feet stick out on the further end of the bed, giving the cold breezes a good start up his body. * * * * "We got in Taikimura tonight, after walking twenty- seven miles. We were pretty tired, as the roads were sandy, and we carried our grips part way. Last night we stayed with ten or fifteen fishermen. The floor was so hard that my bones still ache. * * I have been here six days now, and as soon as a boat comes I will leave for Yubari. The boat may not come for three or four days, but I have got to wait, or walk one hundred and fifty miles, or go out of my way a hundred or two miles. I am having a fine time here, I am staying with Sister Kumagai and her mother and niece. They are an ideal family. * * * I have tracted the whole town, and announced meetings, but I don't know how they will come out yet. Brother Matsuki will leave me here. * * I am quite a rare man up in these parts, that is, they have never seen anybody quite so large before. * * * It is now 2:80, and the next village is ten miles away, so 1 have decided to stay here over night. I came twenty-three miles today, but rode a horse half way. I decided to go without dinner and ride a horse, and it would only be thirty-five sen difference and be much easier. Any- way, breakfast and supper are plenty. It is surprising how they feed a person up here. I was surprised at the cheapness. Up Asahikawa way it was all eighty-five sen a day, but down this beach it is fifty and sixty sen a day — fine hotel, too. * * * This is a pretty place, down this eastern shore. There are small towns all along, and the people seem clean and have quite a bit of money, by the looks of their houses, and the way they drink sake (Japanese wine). About one-third of the people are Ainu. Talk about your hairy people — one of them could easily spare sev- eral of us sleek-faced people a moustache and beard, and still have enough left for an ordinary man. They farm and fish mostly. The women take the produce to market on dandy little pacer horses. * * * They seem a lazy people. Last night I rode with one on horseback for several miles, and tried to get him to tell me all about his people, but he would not tell very much. However, he told me what they did, and said they "nihonjin wo kirau,'' (hate the Japanese). They all understand Japanese, and they can grasp my speech better than the Japanese can. They all, without exception, speak Japanese as well as their own language. They even use Japanese when talking among themselves." Tokyo, Japan, November, iqio. Apostrophe to Water. (For the Improvement Era.) BY ELDER JOSEPH E. ROBINSON, PRESIDENT OF THE CALIFORNIA MISSION. I. Water! Thou nectar of the immortals! Sustainer and purifier of living things. — Upon thy face first moved the breath of God, And the world was born of thee, And girdled with thy swaddling bands. Thy mists did freshen Mother Earth And make her fit abode for man; And when he grew unfit for her, Thou didst wash away with floods The stubborn race, and baptized anew The home of embryotic gods. APOSTROPHE TO WATER. 295 Thy waves did lave the "Tree of Life,'' And gladden Eden's garden; Whilst Adam, with patriarchs Who lived a thousand years, Quaffed thee for their drink, And asked no cups beside. And Noah, with the mighty ark And all its precious burden, Was upborne upon thy breast To peace and safetv. Again, when death did threaten From Horeb's rock, thy gracious flood Burst forth by power of God And saved his chosen flock. Beneath thy crystal tide, The Christ was laid "All righteousness to fulfil," and Saints Were born anew from thy chaste womb, Their sins all washed away. By thy hand the mighty king— The ice— carves out the continents, And paints pictures on the window pane. The Niagara's wondrous force, The dewdrop's gentleness — The Colorado's deepest chasm, And the lines of tears on baby's Face, alike are thine. II. Thou dost crown the oldest hills With locks of hoary snow, And gladden all the fruitful fields And kiss the flowers that blow. For thee the wilderness doth sing. And barren places bear; And ships upon thy billows ride In peace and safety there. And in the mists of tears and rain God sets the "Bow of Promise" bright; And Hope is made alive again, And Faith renews her fight. Oh, who would turn from thee to rum? Rum, with its deadly blight, That binds the soul for aye to come In chains of endless night! No nectar of the gods art thou, oh rum! But Satan's fatal draught — Brewed by the cunning of his hand And by his minions quaffed. Thou dost not come from "Tree of Life," But Sodom's hated plain, And washing not men's sins away, Reneweth them again. Rum giveth not to soul and eye Glad tears of joy and hope; But breaketh hearts and damneth lives, With fruits for hangman's rope. And so, in tears of bitterness, Steeped down in wormwood's gall, Both Hope and Faith are crucified, And Hell would conquer all! III. Fell demon bold, unloose thy hold From my loved country's throat! Break loose thy bands, Let fall thy hands — Nor on her writhings gloat! For she shall be among the free Who put their trust in God, Who drink their fill, Not from the still, But from the Rock and Sod. Los Angeles, California.