Angel Island : the Ellis Island of the west . se, I gave her assoon as I understood. A Christian Bridegroom.—Some days, one sees therailed-off Japanese section of this large room of the Admin-istration Building, filled, not with picture-brides, but withyoung Japanese men, waiting to see if the girls havepassed. Once I watched such a company, as the youngmen stood before the official, who had brought the list ofthirty or thirty-five picture-brides who had arrived fromJapan the previous day. The officials voice came across theroom—Passed, passed, passed, after each Japanese girlsname that he rea
Angel Island : the Ellis Island of the west . se, I gave her assoon as I understood. A Christian Bridegroom.—Some days, one sees therailed-off Japanese section of this large room of the Admin-istration Building, filled, not with picture-brides, but withyoung Japanese men, waiting to see if the girls havepassed. Once I watched such a company, as the youngmen stood before the official, who had brought the list ofthirty or thirty-five picture-brides who had arrived fromJapan the previous day. The officials voice came across theroom—Passed, passed, passed, after each Japanese girlsname that he read. The reading of the list being over, the group of Japan-ese broke up, some walking on the piazza while awaitingthe next boat to the city. As I stood inside the door, therecame toward me from the group an intelligent, gentlemanlyyoung Japanese, to whom I ventured to give a gospel inhis own language. He received it politely, telling me thathe was a Christian, and that he would use the little bookamong his own countrymen in San In the Japanese Cemetery. JAPANESE PICTURE BRIDES 31 He spoke English very well, and I asked him to tellme how he became a Christian. He said that his people inJapan were Buddhists. He came alone to California whenhe was fifteen years old, never having heard of Christianityin his native land. After arriving here, he was taken veryill. Alone among strangers, he thought he was going to die,and he had very serious hours and prayed earnestly inBuddhist form, I suppose. When he grew stronger, anacquaintance guided him to a mission, and there he heardof Christ. My heart was hungry for God, said the young Jap-anese bridegroom to me. After he had secretly accepted Christianity, he per-suaded himself that if he prayed very earnestly, he need notcome out openly and confess himself a Christian. However,he came to see that this secret course was impossible, andjoined the Methodist church. The day I was baptized, he said to me, I was sohappy to think I
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