The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-06-22 00:00:00

JAPANESE GIRLS.

The New York Timer 1;o:031511es the following communi-
cation
'2 was invited to the house of a friend the other day
to play croquet with three of the Japanese girls who
were sent to this country with the Japanese Embassy
to be educated. They were introduced to me on the
lawn, and shook hands, bowed, and said How are
you?' in English, so much like our own country-
women that bad it not been for their peculiar
eyes and their complexions I could not have dis-
covered any difference. Their ages are respec-
tively 10, 12, and 15 years, and they expe.t to
stay here 10 years before going home. They are
daug,hters of the nobility of Japan, and of high rank.
and are under the care of the Embassy, the chief of
which, Mr. Mori, bad to be summoned one day to
make one of the little girls behave. They were dressed
i
like our own girls of the same age. and it s not true, as

has been tinted, that they do not like our costume and
still wear their own. On the contrary, they exprcsa
great satisfaction in it. It took them some time to
understand the mysterious complications of our female
toilet, and at first they manifested a ludicrous disposi-
tion to put things on vrrong side out and upside down,
but now they can array themselves as elaborately a. a
fashionable finishing school demoiselle. Their faces are
quite pretty when not in repose, one, the largest, in parti-
cular, and their motions are graceful in the extreme.
They learn quickly and are very studious. The yotlng
lady who is their teacbmt aays they never quarrel among
themselves, and are obedient and tractable. They are
very well bred, and notice a want of it in some people
here. The vulgsr American habit of staring is very dis-
agreeable to them, and they dislike it when people go
merely out of curiosity to see them. They are very
self-pa.sessed in their manners, and impress strangers
favourably by their lady like ways and quick per-
ception. The eldest carries on conversation in English
very well. She thinks we talk very fwd.. Tory al
I think our language difficult, and their instructress said
it is hard for them to understand words that sound tdike,
; of which there are so many, such as birth, earth, fail,
pail, ote In Japan the girls are always taught at home,
and learn only I eadieg, writing, music, ant some arith-
metic. The dresses they brought with them are of
very elegant Carton elate-, richly emi.roidered, are
very narrow, and lined with silk. The sleevee reach
to the floor, and a wide sash of brocaded silk about fur
yards long extends around the waist, and is hoped at
the back. The stockings are made with a separate place
for the great toe, after the etyle of our mittens, and
the fasteniogs of their shoes go between the great toe
and the others. They wear no bead-covering in Japan,
except to carry a parasol when they go out. 1 hey
think we keep our houses very warm. They played
croquet very well, and entered into the game with
spirit. After dark we went into the parlour.; and saw
them play 'parched,' of which they are very fond,
having learnt it in one evening."