Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-07
JAPANESE GIRLS AT vASSAR.
They Were Popular mt College and
Both Have Married Since.

From the New York Sun.
Nassar students of 10 and 80 doubtless re-
member the japanese girls Statmatz and
Singh, who were sent over by the govern
ment, along with half a dozen more little
maids. to be educated in America. 1t was
at the time when Japanese people were be-
ginning to be eager to acquire everything
That was good in western thought and west
ern methods Of life. The boys were encour-
aged to visit Europe and America and seek
degrees in schools. The girls. to the num-
Der of eight or ten, were sent over at the
expense of the government All of these
girls were of gentle birth and several be-
longed to the nobility. 1t is interesting to
learn the result Of the experiment from q
lady who recently visited these girls In
their japanese homes, and who writes
about her visit to the Pail Mall Gazette
Al Vassar Stamatz was brilliant and ex-
elusive and very beautiful She took high
honors in English literature, wrote charm
ing essays and spoke English, with a slight
accent, OF course but her vocabulary and
her use OF 1t were fiawless. She was presi-
cent OF her class in her sophomore year.
and was member of the Shakespeare"
a club always confined to the girls who were
nrst intellectually. Stamatz played a won
der1ul game OF chess and excelled at whist
Singh was never president Of anything
but every one loved her. She was inval-
liable at the fortnighty candy pulls"
splendid on a sleigh ride, and she spent
ha,1 OF her time in the infirmary coddling
SICK girls She got through her examine
tons with eminent responsibility, spoke
very broken English and wrote 1t stiffiy but
correctly. Singh was plain, dumpy and
near-sighted. with a wee fiat nose and in
every feature broadly Japanese.
StamatZ. on her return to Japan. made a
briiliant marriage. Her husband was an
old man OF high position, great power and
immense wealth. His wife has become a
u
lish fluently, as well as German and Italian
she received an o,d-time friend who called
upon her at her home with all her old-tfme
ssraciousness served tea and cake from an
Enghsh service and talked as entertain
ingly as ever about the books she read in
america, but her face grew listless when
Vassar was mentioned. When the college
paper. for which In her youth she wrote
such clever articles. was spoken Of she said
she believed they sometimes sent her a
copy, but she wasn't sure She had not
READ printed page of French or English
since her return to Japan. Evidently she
nad spent the ten years in exile because the
Mikado thought 1t best. She wore the cos
tune OF japanese women. save that her
hair was coiled in the simple Greek fash
Ion, and her bronze slippers were Of Par
lsian make A noted European called upon
the Countess Olyama, as she is now known,
with Japanese gentleman. The Jap bent
seven times to the floor when Stamatz en-
tered Countess" the Englishman said.
L
shall fall down. But l am extremely glad
to meet YOU" She smiled and made his call
delightful. but she never forgave him. Sta
matt was born to the purple. and she loved
It, She Is four times a mother and four
times stepmother.
Singh lives in funny little house. purely
Japanese. and is the wife of lieutenant
In the navy: The jolly little woman has
not changed a bit. She seized her old
friend by one hand. her friends husband by
the other. She had never seen the husband
or heard of him, but she instinctively knew
who he must be. and adopted him in her
little motherly way. She had forgotten most
Of her imperfect English, and at first the
two friends could barely understand each
other. But she overwhelmed the visitor
with questions about every thing and every
body they had known in their school days.
She sent for her five little children, and
they bobbed queer little courtesies with
their queer little bodies and ran away
laughing. The only suggestions of Europe
in the little bit of a home where three old
books and a box of cigars, which the hos
tess brought out for the gentleman with
her gleeful laugh. But, nevertheless. the
empress has founded a girls college in
Japan, and Singh is professor Of the piano.