Neesima's First Composition Assignment at Philips Academy

This morning I met a gentleman suddenly on the road to Phillips Academy. He came to me, smiling very sweet]y as an old acquaintance, and shook my hand, saying "How do you do Neesima?"--and he asked me "Do you remember me?" I looked in his face a few moments, "Are you Mr. Spring?" I asked him very doubtfully. He answered "Yes I am." "How came you here?" He said "I always come here in this season." I told him, since I left Japan, I never saw my country-man, and never expected to here. -- "I am more happy to meet you than I can describe. Where do you board, Mr. Spring? I hope to see you every day." He said, "I can't board here, because I must go round this continent, Asia, and Europe." "Are you so busy? I never thought about it, at home. I saw you in my father's little yard and many other places in Japan about twenty times, during first three months of the every year. But in the rest of the year, I never saw you, and I thought you were asleep in some quiet and secret place." He said, "No! no! you know nothing of me. I am always busy to make provisions for all the nations upon the earth. Now, I come on this side of the equator, but after six or seven months I must go to the other side. I suppose, after a while, my brother Summer will follow me, and complete my work." "Is he your brother? I know him very well; you are so mild, meek and lovely, but he is very oppressive. When we crossed the Equator, (on the voyage from China to America) he came upon us, and teased us so much that we were all over sweat, and sometimes we could not sleep at night. Mr. Spring! Besides him have you any other brother?" He answered, "Yes, two brothers more; one called Autumn and another Winter." "Are they your brothers also? I know them too; I liked Mr. Autumn indeed, but I am sorry he has always a pale looking face, and I saw Mr. Winter a few months ago in here, and I thought he grew sharper than before." Then he laughed aloud, and told me, "You must not take their appearances; they all are faithful fellows. God made us in the beginning of the world, and commanded us to make provisions for all the nations upon the earth; We did so, and never retired for our duties from the time of Adam and Eve till now. But these provisions, which we have made are of the world, and though you eat of them bountifully, you shall be hungry after a while, and you will perish after a few weeks. Therefore you must seek Living Bread, which if you eat once, you shall never hunger afterward." I was much astonished at his speech, and asked him "How may we seek that bread?" He told me, "If you desire it, you must trust in Jesus, who took away the sins of the world, and if you trust in him earnestly, He will in no wise cast you out;--and through him you may inherit Living Bread and Eternal Life, because he said, 'I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; he that believeth on me shall never thirst, and this is the will of him who sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him, may have Everlasting Life; and I will raise him up at the last day.' Therefore seek Him, He shall give you Living Bread and Everlasting Life." Then he asked me, "What time is it?" I answered, "About half past eight." He said, "Is it so late? I must go to my business." I asked him, "When will you go to Yedo in Japan?" He said, "after a short time." I told him, "If you should see my father, tell him, Be not concerned for me; I have found very good friends, who love me for conscience sake; -- and I am very well through the mercy of Him who made the world." Then he said, "I will," and departed from me, saying "good by" and went away through fields and hills, laying his hands on the grass and trees--and I went into the Academy quickly because it was the time of morning prayers.

9th May, 1866. Joseph Nee Sima