The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-06-27
A GIRLS HOME IN JAPAN.


Most of the readers of our denomina-
tional papers know that we have pri-
mary mission school in Tokyo. We now
have thirty -four boys and girls from five
to fifteen years of age. To be sure with
this school we reach only the lower
classes, nearly all the children being
those who are too poor to attend the pub
lie schools.
Still we feel that this little school is
one of the most hopeful branches of our
work here. The children we have, we
think, are being reached in way that
must surely bring forth some good re-
suits. We have them on school days
from nine till two, and nearly all of them
on Sunday from half past eight till ten.
Every Friday afternoon the older ones
have their young Peoples Aid Society"
about which you will be pleased to hear
some time. am sure. and once month
they attend the Bible meeting. At first,
it being women's Bible meeting, we in
vited only the older girls to attend, but
often we heard our four older boys MUIR
muring: How unfortunate we are to be
boys" We concluded to allow them also
to attend at the last meeting they were
present, listening with evident attention
to Miss Imai's sermon talk. The children
are taught the common school branches.
including drawing, for the boys. and
sewing for the older girls, besides as you
see, taking real pleasure in the Bible les.
sons. All this, we trust will help to
make of them more useful citizens, more
noble home makers. and, if we can keep
them long enough able workers as mis-
sionary teachers or preachers.
The great hindrance to our work is the
home influence. We have visited some
of their homes; one could hardly believe
that the little people who greet us every
morning with smiling faces and pretty
bows could have come from such dismal
homes. On one of our visits, as we were
searching in the dark alleys for the home
of one of the older girls, whom we wished
to secure for the Girls Home we were
planning, Miss Imai declared it would be
difficult to tell whether pigs or people
lived in those sheds; rows of low black
buildings. separated from each other by
a partition only; no windows, save per-
haps narrow row of paper lattice over
the one heavy wooden door, except that
in each roof there is hole which serves
to emit the smoke, but which must be
closed when it rains hard.
Each Japanese house must have the
name of the occupant on the gate post
or if, as in this case, there be no gate,
then on the house; so we finally found
the room which our Fushima called
home. The door was ajar, and in re.
Spouse to our go men nasaiE excuse
meD we we're invited to enter, which we
did.
The mother sat with her baby on the
tatami, kind of thick mating with
which all Japanese floors are covered;
and which. when clean through and
through is very nice.
The girl we we're after had been taken
out of school few days before to serve
as nurse in some home grade less mis-
cradle than her own, and the other chill
dren were out in the alley. We did not
see the father. He was probably trudg-
ing along with his kuruma, or taking
sake at some tea house, or perhaps wait.
ing at some corner resting on his kuruma
with his pipe. They must have their
sake and tobacco, however small their
wages. The mother received our pro-
posal to take her girl to good home and
educate her with apparent gratitude;
but we did not get our kind hearted
Fushimi. though the girl herself is wish.
ing very much to come to US. AS you
know, in work of this kind one of the
great difficulties is to make people real.
ize their needs.
However, with three of our most prom
Using older girls. two thirteen and one
fourteen years old, we have laid the
foundation of our Girls Home, with Miss
Imai's mother as Matrol. We think in
her we have the kind mother-heart and
other valuable qualities needed in the
mother of our girls.
We made our little beginning with a
small surplus of the appropriation for
the girls school. We felt that the home
must be had now, or we would very soon
lose our older girls. So we did not wait
to see if our American friends whose
gifts had made the beginning possible
would help US to go forward with the
undertaking; we feel sure they will.
While the home remains in its present
quarters. we think we can pay the rent
and the matron's salary and little more.
What we need is that some kind friend