st as much afraid of these "Dangerous Thoughts" in
Japan as they are in Korea. A good illustration of this fear is the fact
that a certain picture corporation of America called "The Liberty Film
Company" sent several films to Japan. The Government would not allow
these pictures to be shown until that word "Liberty" was cut from the
film.

Certain Japanese spies reported a Mission church in Seoul for singing
"Rock of Ages."

"But why may we not sing 'Rock of Ages'?" asked the American preacher in
charge.

"Because it starts off with 'Mansei!'" replied the officer.

He interpreted the thought of "Rock of Ages" to be a direct imputation
that the Japanese Government was not able to take care of the Koreans
and that they were flying to some other protecting power.

"It would be funny if it were not so serious!" said a missionary to me
one day in Seoul.

Later they stopped the churches from singing "Nearer My God to Thee,"
because there seemed to be an implication in that, that those who sang
that hymn, were swearing allegiance to a higher power than that of
Japan.

"Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!" I said in disgust.

"Yes, ridiculous, but serious," replied the missionary, "when you have
to live with it year in and year out."

"Crown Him Lord of All," insisted the Japanese spies, when they
seriously reported a certain church for singing that old hymn was
"Dangerous Thought." It seemed to this ignorant spy that "Crowning Him"
was putting some other power before that of the Japanese Government.

"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" has been put under the ban and when
a certain missionary woman was asked to sing at the Korean Y.M.C.A. and
announced that she was going to sing "Oh, Rest in the Lord" she was
advised not to sing it because it was considered by the gendarmes to be
"Dangerous Thought" and to suggest "Liberty," "Freedom" and such
dangerous words and ideas.

When one Protestant preacher prayed about "Casting Out Devils" he was
reported by Japanese spies, who insisted that he was talking about
Japanese in Korea and meant that these should be cast out of the land.

"'It is to laugh!' as the French say!" I responded to this story.

"No! It is to weep!" said the American missionary.

When Dr. Frank W. Schoefield spoke against Prostitution the Japanese
papers declared that he had made a virulent attack on the Government.

One Korean preacher who preached on a theme from Luke 4:18, which reads
"Setting t