The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-07
WHY JAPANESE ARE owARFEo.
A Missionary Says tho nIikado's People
Don't Sleep Trough.

A Missionary Says tho Mikado's Peopie
Don't Sleep Trough.
A slight, fair young lady, with keen
gray eyes and n bright, intelligent face.
arrived in San Francisco recently from
Boston, registering ut the Occidental
hotel rs Miss Males, of osaka, ,Janon
Those who take an interest i'm mis-
sionary work in Japan will ut once
recognize this us the well-known Mary
Males who has done such noble wori,
In the remote districts of the mikado's
Kingdom. Over eight years ago she
started Tor japan on behalf of the
Episcopalian church of boston. de-
termincd to devote the best years of her
life, and possibly all of it, to the on
hghtcnmcnt of the people in the in
terror of Japan. Speaking of her work
to n Chronicle reporter Miss Males
said: when landed in Japan in 1855
found that at Osaka and in the sur
rounding district l had u mammoth I'M
dcrtaking on my hands, for the twin
sisters, ignorance and vice, held full
sway. found many obstacles i'm nv
way, but i'll time made an impression
on the better sort of women, and before
long had several converts. l confined
my WI n SuNilciV W VIC women, ana
did not seek to go beyond religious
teaching. So far from cities where
Europeans congrcgate determined
that the labor of giving an English
education to those people was unneces-
sary Moreover, there are schools at
all points throughout Japan whore the
natives can procure European cduca-
ton.
II used to find the remarkable polite
ness of the Japs quite trying, and it
took me considerable time to perfect
myself in the various matters of ETH
qucttc, to violate which is an unpardon-
able sin. Here are two instances. On
entering house it is essential that the
visitor shall sit mcelily on the floor near
the door until requested by the hostess
TO take the scat of honor opposite the
door, which is raised II few inches from
the ground. The invitation must be
politely refused twice and accepted on
the third asking, with 4 show of reluc-
lance. III asking the visitor to take
tea the same performance is gone
through. Only when the cups have
been proffcrcd the third time do you ac-
ccpt them. AS to the diminutivc stat
ure of the Japanese, my theory is that
1T is the result of insufficient sleep and
rest when children. The babies and
little ones are allowed to remain up
just as long as their parents do, and
have seen numbcrlcSs cases where fu-
theirs and mothers who do with little
sleep themselves will keep their children
up until two and three o'clock in the
morning. When I told them that it
was the custom in America TO pack the
little ones off to bed early in the even
ings they expressed great horror of
what they called such cruelty.
Notwithstanding the statements
made by various travellers, l do not
think that the Japanese are II happy
people. How can they be when cruel
immortality forms the principal feature
Of their everyday existence? TO give
his son an education or provide the
means of his advancement Il father will
nnhcsitatingly sell his daughter to
life of shame and degradation. This
sort of thing is quite the custom of the
country, and should a parent be in
want the daughters will voluntarily
sacrifice themselves to provide the
means TO relieve their necessities"