The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-12-06

90 IN these days Dut 10 discuss women.
An ex-Presldent, not to speak of lesser
personages, has gone 20 the trouble of
defining their sphere and pointing out
their virtues and vices. and now 1t is
the japanese Minister TO the United
States who is turning his attention to
this enigma OF the ages, so called.
His excellency Kogoro Takahira dis
cusses his subject in the Woman's
Home Companion, and takes line
somewhat different from that of some
previous critics. lie has nothing but
praise, and high praise at that, for the
American woman.
He goes so far rs to attribute the
friendship of the United States for
Japan TO her influence, and of this
friendship he says
2 one could only magnify and null
tiply fifty million or eighty million
times the beauty and charm of friend
ship between man and man this would
give Just n glimpse of the splendor of
n friendship between two great ma
tions.
The typical American woman does
not concerp herself, it is true, with the
details, the machinery the knotty
complications of international politics.
Indeed from the very nature of things
there are few women of any nation
who have an intimate knowledge of
the inner workings of such affairs.
But in their larger outlines almost
all international questions of magni-
tude seem to claim the American wom-
ans stamp of approval, and woe to
those measures upon which she
frowns. The story of her interest in
these measures, her attitude toward
them and her comprehension of them
is the highest tribute that could be
paid to the intelligence of American
womanhood.
In the troublous and trying hours of
Japan during the last two years
have had many opportunities to OBJ
serve with admiration and gratitude
the sympathetic intelligence of the
women of America in reading the
aspirations of our country and inter-
pretlng their significance. Athwart
our path were mountainous obstacles
which to western eyes seemed quite
impossible for us to scale.
Perhaps it was the pluck of a COM
paratively small nation that refused
polnt-blank to consider these obstacles
insurmountable that appealed to the
American woman. What we were try
ing to do spoke to the heroic in her
nature. and her sympathy vas as SEN
sltive as an Aeolian Tyre when at last
we successfully weathered the storm.
In these two eventful years | have
been made to see two traits which
are conspicuous among the many re-
markable attributes of the intelligent
American woman. The first is the ten
acity with which she holds to her con-
victions. This stands out in no I'M
certain outline. If she does not COM
pass every detail. she certainly takes
good care that what she has in her
grasp does not escape her.
That is not ALL She sees TO it that
the same conviction is somehow con-
veyed to the minds of her friends.
once she is thoroughly possessed with
conviction and once in the arena,
know of no missionary who can claim
the distinction of being her superior
in zeal and ability. 1t would perhaps
be difficult for even a gifted historian
to trace accurately all the national and
international events in the salons and
boudoirs whence they came; but it
would be very much more difficult to
prove that these epochal events have
ia. r.rafl lou hon
of a nations life. with silken arenas.
with smiles and whispers behind fans.
And in America this fact seems to be
so emphasized by the exceptionally
high intelligence of the American
woman that | do not see how any one
with grace deny it.
His eXcellency comments with par
ticular satisfaction and some amaze
ment in the unselfishness of American
friendship for Japan. lie says:
"There are many phases in the Far
Eastern question which the United
States can very properly look upon
through the eyes of self-lnterest. The
press and a few people called the at
tention Of the American public to these
points lHe puplc IehidihSu cHhiSiS
Indifferent to them.
MAY it not be true that this peculiar
feature of our friendship, so foreign
TO the self-interest basis of diplomacy,
has had its root in the work of the
American woman, who is not always
the best hand to count how much SUI
perlor is the value Of steel exports TO
Japan over so airy subject as an
international friendshipY