Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-24
TWO JAPANESE MAIDS AT vAssAR.
How They Behaved at College and Their
Later Fortunes In Mikado Land.


Later Fortunes In RIikado Land,
Vassar students of 1879 and 1880
doubtless remember the japanese
girls Stamatz and Singhi, who were
sent over by the government along
with half a dozen more little maids
to be educated in America. It was
at the time when japanese people
were beginning to be eager to ac-
quire everything that was good in
western thought and western meth.
DDS of life The boys were encour
aged to visit Europe and America
and seek degrees in the schools.
The girls, to the number of eight or
ten, were sent over at the expense
Of the government. All of these
girls were of gentle birth, and sew
eral belonged to the nobility. 1t is
interesting to learn the result of the
experiment from a lady who recent
ly visited these girls in their Japa-
nese homes and who writes about her
visit to the Pail Mall Gazette. At
Vassar Stamatz was brilliant and ex.
elusive and very beautiful. She took
high honors in English literature,
wrote charming essays and spoke
English with a slight accent Of
course, but her vocabulary and her
use of it were f1awless. She was
president of her class in her sopho-
more year and was member of the
Shakespeare" a club always con-
fined to the girls who were first in
tellectually. Stamatz played won
derful game OF chess and excelled at
whist.
Singhi was never president of any.
thing, but every one loved her. She
was invaluable at the fortnightly
candy pulls" splendid on a sleigh
ride, and she spent half Of her time
in the infrmary coddling sick girls.
She got through her examinations
with eminent respectability, spoke
very broken English and wrote it
stif1y but correctly. Singhi was
plain. dumpy and nearsighted, with
a wee fat nose and in every feature
broadly japanese.
Stamatz on her return to Japan
made brilliant marriage. Her hus
band was an old man of high posi-
ton, great power and immense
wealth. His wife has become a
noted hostess and speaks French and
English fuently as well as German
and Italian. She received an old
time friend who called upon her at
her home with all her old time gra
ciousness, served tea and cake from
an English service and talked as en-
tertainingly as ever about the books
she read in America, but her face
grew listless when Vassar was men
toned. When the college paper for
which in her student days 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 a printed page OF
French or English since her return
to Japan. Evidently she had spent
the 10 years in exile because the mi
! kado thought it best She wore the
costume of japanese women, save
that her hair was coiled in the sim
ple Greek fashion, and her bronze
slippers were of Partisan make. A
noted European called upon the
Countess Olyama, as she is now
known. with Japanese gentleman
The Jap bent seven times to thefiool
when Stamatz entered. Countess,
the Englishman said, ''if / bow a
often and as low as that, 1 shall fal
down. But l am extremely glad u
meet YOU" She smiled and made
his cali delightful, but she never for
gave him. Stamatz was born to tn
purple, and she loved it. She is fou
times a mother and four times
stepmother. ,....,o,
Singh lives in a funny little house
purely japanese, and is the wife o
Iieutenant in the navy. The Joll
little woman has not changed bi'
She seized her old friend by on
hand, her friends husband by tn
otber She had never seen the hui
hand or heard of him, but she Il
otinctivelv knew who he must
and adopted him in her little motne
lv way. She had forgotten most
her imperfect English, and at mr.
the two friends could barely unde
stsnd each other But she owe
wbelmed the visitor with question
obont everything and every6oc
thev had known in their school day
Sbe sent for her five little ehildre
and they bobbed queer httle cou
taS;es with their queer little bodi
end ran away laughing The on
suggestions of Europe in the ht'
bit of a home were three ola DOC
and a box of cigars, which the no
ess brought out for the gentlen.
with her gleeful laugh. But new :,
tbeless the empress has founded
= pirls' college in Japan ana b
(singhD is professor OF the piAno'
Met His Match.
The Russian marshal, Suvarc
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