his long school vacations when the dormitory was closed and when Neesimama got sick. Through Professor Seeley's kind personality, Neesima learned how he should be a good person, a Christian, and an educator. Seeley also highly praised Neesima, saying, "You cannot gild gold." He appreciated Neesima's character. Neesima’s roommate was Holland. He wanted to be a roommate with Neesima, who was considered the best Christian in the college. "Quiet as a house mouse" was what Holland thought of Neesima. Holland and Neesima shared the same hobbies: painting and collecting minerals. Every evening, he and Neesima read a chapter of the Bible and said prayers together. In July, 1870, Neesima graduated from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Science degree. Neesima became the first Japanese to graduate from a university in the United States. Later, his classmates sent a portrait of Neesima to his alma mater to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their graduation. The portrait of Neesima is displayed today in Johnson Chapel. While at Amherst, Neesima wanted to become a pastor, so he entered Andover Theological Seminary in September, 1870. While he was living in the dormitory and studying theology there, Arinori Mori, who took up the post of the Japanese Minister to the U.S., contacted Neesima about meeting in Boston. Thanks to Mori’s arrangement, Neesima was able to obtain a passport and permission to study abroad from the Japanese government, which opened the way for him to return to Japan. However, he did not like the idea of receiving public funds and being bound by the government. The Japanese government ordered Neesima to return to Japan, but thanks to Mori's efforts, he was able to stay in the U.S. until he graduated from the seminary. This was because Mori wanted Neesima to play a role in explaining the American educational system to the Iwakura mission. When the Iwakura mission visited the US to learn about things there in March 1872, Neesima was called by Arinori Mori to help Fujimaro Tanaka, who was a member of the Iwakura Mission and the commissioner of the Ministry of Educational Bureau of Japan. Twelve Japanese students who were sponsored by the Japanese government to study in America were also present. When Chapter 3 Tour of Europe and his Ambition 1. His Time at Andover Theological Seminary
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