John Hyde de Forest was an American missionary who spent nearly 40 years in Japan, working to spread Christianity and promote Western learning. This biography by his wife offers a personal look at de Forest's life and work, as well as a window into the social and political landscape of Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.