The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-06

TEL sONo
Moan Waka Sono, who lived in Nagoya,
was a religious philosopher so devout
that when more than 80 years old he
built a special room for prayer, whittier
he would resort and pray for hours,
looking toward heaven and ringing a
bell which he held in his right hand .
An Awaiting Prayer.
Her father was physician as we'll as
poet, and marrying the daughter Of one
Of the local governors removed to Tokyo,
where he practiced medicine. One of
her brothers is also doctor. and her
sister established the first school for
women in their native place. Even in
childhood she rebelled against the wor-
ship of idols SO prevalent among her
people, but she had no idea Of Christi
anity or a Creator beyond the belief
that there must be some true God who
dwelt IN the SKY and was superior to
every human power. In illustrating this
feeling, Tel Sono when here, related
the following incident She said: ''When
was Il years old, my father fell sick,
and it was thought he could not live
more than two or three days. felt so
sad that / determined to pray to the
true God for my fathers life, and tax
ing my best friend, Otama, with me
into the garden near q well asked her
to help me.
''Now, the ceremonies connected with
prayer for the life of friend were very
solemn and awful, involving the sacri-
fee of the suppliant's life for that of
the sick person, if necessary. First the
hair was cut off and offered as a sacri-
fee, the most precious which could be
offered. Then the body was stripped and
cold water poured over it to purify it
~ TIL
razor, I cut off my hair close to the
scalp and hung it under a tree. Next I
took off all my clothing, and throwing
it on the grass seated myself on board
by the well Otama then poured buckets
of water over my entire body. / shook
so at first that cOuldn t utter a word
of prayer, but after awhile began to find
my speech. Otama listened, and just as
/ was uttering the last sentence cried
aloud This attracted my grandmother 3
attention, who, taking a lighted candle,
hurried with a nurse into the garden.
When they saw me, they were shocked.
The nurse, wrapping the clothes around
me, carried me to the house and put me
by the fire. Grandmother looked in my
face, pat her hand on my head and
whispered something to the nurse. Then
they began to cry. I think they must
have thought I had gone crazy
About midnight I went softly
through the hall to my fathers sick
room and heard some one laugh That
is my mother 5 voice, I said God
has heard my prayer and made my IA
Their better, or mother would not be
laughing. And so it proved
An Exemplary Life.
At the age of 19 Tel Sono was mar
ried to one of the officers of the court,
l. =
little daughter she returned to the home
of her father. Here she established a
free school for the poor and taught in it
for three years, meanwhile pursuing the
study of the law. Having fitted herself
for the profession, she moved to Tokyo
and there entered upon It's practice,
which she continued for IL years 1t
was a period when many things new to
the Countrywide telegraph. steam en-
gines, railway cars, electricity and
photography-were being introduced
into Japan, but there was nothing more
wonderful or strange than the presence
Of this woman lawyer in the courts
During much of this time she was
brought in close. contact with the poor,
especially the unfortunate of her own
sex, and she determined to visit Amer
lea and learn the customs of a people
among whom woman stands on a level
with man in order that, returning to ia
pan, she might be the means of elevating
and educating the women of her own
people Reaching San Francisco in jan
uary, 1885, her first experience was the
failure of the Bank of Japan, in which
all of her money was deposited; but,
philOs0pherlike she accepted the loss as
q dispensatioH of providence and an in
dication that she must gain her expert
ence in America by hard work Not
knowing a word Of the English Ian
guage, her situation was a difficult one,
but she bravely met it by undertaking
homework on 3 California farm. OF