The times., 1898-07-10
WOMAN MOVEMENT IN JAPAN.
Two Delegates From the FiONery
Kingdcm mt Denver


pan.' are the commonplace OF our
daily conversation here in the Mikados
own city; but this week things have hap
pened that have fairly startled those OF
us who from outside observation really
know how genuine is the esprit de corps
of the leaders of the New Japan We
have so often been taken In by the
would-be reformers with "round the
I world commissions 10 pry into every
boys business that We do not gush much
when the ubiquitary letter OF introduce
tiOn-'T- s." (ticket for soup we call
then-is brought in; but just now we
have been greatly interested in the vice
president of the Federated Womans
Clubs, Mrs. Alice Ives Breed. who in the
intervals of a visit TO Japan for rest and
recreation has been persuaded to accept
a few of the invitations pressed upon her
The fact that she came among US with
out any parade and with only desire to
let us know of the advance made in the
West. and the broad policy of the move
ment she represented. made her visit.
short as it was. one of the greatest i'm
portance to Japan That the statesmen
Ol Japan GGc 81 Itduy u at III a matter
of this kind must prove TO the world that
Japan is not behind the nations. as Is 50
often represented. but that she is ready
10 take her place with the highest.
Mrs. Breeds interviews with Count
Okuma. the minister Of education and
| others, were most satisfactory and as a
| result two delegates left Japan for the
! meeting IN Denver.
These delegates are women of -ilOn
any nation might be proud: Miss Urne
Tsuda and Madame Fude Watanabe
| That Mrs. Breed should. in half a nun
| dTed days. overcome the prejudice that
| the words ''woman's clubs must ex-
| cite in the conservative east and 50 in
/ terest the right people that this result
| is compassed, is greatly TO the credit OF
| Mrs. Breed and proves her fitness for
| the highest position the women can give
A-..
| Do you know about the gracious En-
! press of Japan2 / would like 70 write
! columns and tell you OF her and all she
| is and does; but when l write that she
/ by her own wish furnished the money
/ for the travelling expenses of these dele
/ gates. you will see that she Is a wO-
/ man worthy to be queen At this mo
| neFt Japan can boast some of the no.
/ blest of men and women. Were Mar
| quis Ito and Count Okuma of Europe
they would be known as great as Clad
| stone and Bismarck. And when time
rolls On SO that history tells all il knows.
| their names. that Of this blessed Japan
ese Empress and those of men and wo-
men now moiding Japan. wiIl stand with
| the other "ImmOrtals"
At the request of Count Okurna and
| Marquis Ito the department of educa-
| ton. through its minister. TOyama-one
OF Ann Arbor's most brilliant sons
sends these two women on this gov
! ernment mission" and surely American
| women viii greet with honor this en-
! Oassy Of gentle sisters from the Land Of
the Rising Sun.
| Miss Ume Tsuda is the daughter of
Sen Tsuda, well known al home and
! abroad one Of the earliest Japanese
TO favor the opening Of Japan 20 the
| world. She was sent by the Empress
| when only eight years old. 10 the
| United States, where. in a cultured
| home in Washington. she spent ten
| years. OF her youth and progress San
| man has written in his The First
| Japanese Embassy In Miss Bacon's
| Japanese interior for Mine read
| Urine" for another ske-ch of Miss
| Tsuda. She was also Miss BacOn's val
| ued helper in preparing that charming
book. japanese Girls and Women =
| Seven years ago Miss Tsuda went again
~ -AAiAI4AOeis ~ SAGGN three ears dL
Bryn Mawr College Her work in Ja-
pan has been as a teacher in The Ka-
ZOpujogappO," a school established by
the Empress for the daughters of the
mobiles. and in the 'kOtO Shihau 10
Gappo." higher normal school for girls.
| To merely enumerate the good things
she is doing and has done for women
would take up too much space at this
| time. Suffice it that she is doing and
! bas a ba
hood of Japan She speaks English
| like an American, and writes with the
| dash and verve of a cultured enthu-
siast. The thing nearest her heart now
is the scholarship Of Japanese women
I Cuote from her:
During my stay in America. the thing
which struck me particularly and filed
me with admiration is the position
| American women hold. the great inffu-
| ence that they exercise for good. the
power given them by education and train
| ing. the cong-1ial Intercourse between
men and women. and the sympathy ex-
| isting in the homes between brothers
! and sisters husbands and wives There
! has seemed 10 me no reason why tbs
should not be so in my own country,
| for in Japan there has never been any
great prejudice against women such as
we find IN many countries of the East
but the customs if the middle ages. th'
| introduction of the doctrines Of COnfu
| cius and the religion of Buddha have al
had their blighting influence. and III
present women of Japan are far below
the men in theory and in actual practice
II have felt that never until JaPanes
women were elevated and educated coulC
Japan take a high stand. As IL is. a
present. the wives are not fit 70 be com
/ panions of educated men. for they can
not win the respect of their ilussa nds
nor give them the sympathy which only
can make the home a happy one. Twt
great things are lacking. Christianity
and education.
The crying need AZ present is for wo
men teachers of the higher education. 4
number of American women with gen
erous hearts and sympathies not Limited
TO country or race in order 10 help Z
create a class OF well-educated teacher
have raised a scholarship fund open &
all Japanese women by competitive exam
nation the interest of which fund wil
enable student TO take four years
course of study in an American college
''The scholarship fund at present yield
an interest of 500 which covers merell
the college fees. 1t is greatly desired {,
increase this to $500 per year, for no
only would the holder OF the scholarship
be greatly aided in making the most o
the advantages offered during her stay
but it would open the scholarship to man.
who have no means of support whil
abroad for a Japanese woman holds n,
property and many are prevented from
availing themselves OF such an opportu
nifty owing to lack of means"
Mime. Fude Watanabe is the daughte
of Baron Wa5anabe and niece of Wis
count Watanabe- Before her marriag
she. with her uncle and aunt visited Eu
| rope-her uncle being on an official mis-