The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-02-23
W0MAN'S WORK IN JAPAN.
BY REV. 1. WALLACE CATE.

The following is a rather full alb
stract of paper read before Mis-
sionary Conference held at Karui-
zawa, one of the popular summer re-
sorts of Japan, by Miss Cozad, who
is connected with the American Board
Mission. Thinking that it would in-
terest the women of our denomina-
tion who have given so generously to
our mission work in Japan, and also
give them some notion of the needs
of the work and of the demands made
upon the woman worker, we have have
sought aud obtained permission to
send the paper for publication in our
denomination papers. After an in
PRODUCTION suited to the occasion Miss
Cozad spoke substantially as follows:
THE ADDRESS.
| would like to speak of some OF the
things that ought to be borne in mind
by the woman missionary from the first.
The first point would make is the
distinction between the woman's evan
gelistic work and the general evangelis-
tic work. Often times young woman
missionary comes 10 the field knowing
nothing Of what her work is to be, but
only with the vague idea that she is to
do woman's work. She finds a night
school in need Of teacher. or class of
young men who want very much to
study the Bible n English). and she re
CARDS these as splendid opportunities for
her to get to work. These things are
very pleasant for while and one feels
grateful for being able to be OF service
from the very start, but if her object be
womans work, these things are leading
her directly away from that object.
They are getting her into way of regard
ing her work of thinking of speaking and
of Teaching which may be directly harm
ful to her in her work among the women.
Those precious first months which ought
to be given to study of the language
and to getting acquainted with and
learning to understand and sympathize
with the women and girls are frittered
away in work which will probably be of
no special permanent value.
Ii we have chosen work for women as
our special work let US give ourselves in
telligently anu nationally to preparation
for that particular work. A physician
who has chosen the eye for his specially
bends every energy in that direction,
studying indeed the whole subject of
anatomy and medicine, but only as it
bears on his one supreme object. We
who have chosen the evangelization of
women as a speciality ought not to be
less intelligent or less earnest in our pre-
paration. This distinctness of general
work and woman's work must be borne
in mind from first to last in our study OF
the language, in our study and teaching
OF the Bible, in our manner Of speaking
and 10 our methods OF work.
First let me speak OF the matter of
language study.
More and more the various missions
are coming to have prescribed course
of study which all are required to pur.
sue and to be examined upon. This is a
fine thing and great improvement on
the old haphszard way of study ing, and
such course is to be highly commended,
but it too has its dangers. The courses
| know of are admirably adapted to
men and they are good for some women.
A few women missionaries will study the
Chinese character and the written Ian
guage until it is really great help to
them. but for this. years of patient. con-
tinuous. Jealous work are necessary and
unless one has a natural adaptation for
it. a great deal OF study on the written
language is waste Of time for woman.