The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-12-01
Praises American Women.

Many men seem to have little Il
do in these days but to discuss women
An ex-President, not to speak OF lessc'
personages, has gone to the trouble OF
defining their sphere and pointing on
their virtues and vices, and now II IL
the Japanese Minister to the United
States who Is turning his attention tc
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. He has nothing but
praise, and high praise at that, for the
American woman.
He goes so far as to attribute the
friendship OF the United States for
Japan to her influence, and OF this
friendship he says:
If one could only magnify and mul-
tiply fifty million or eighty million
times the beauty and charm Of friend
ship between man and man this would
give Just a glimpse Of the splendor OF
friendship between two great ma
tiOns.
The typical American woman does
not concern herself, 1t 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
preting their significance Athwart
our path were mountainous obstacles
which to western eyes seemed quite
i1sNoSslble for us TO scale.
Perhaps it was the pluck Of a c0ul
paratively small nation that refused
point-blank to consider these obstacles
insurmountable that appealed 10 the
American woman. What we were try
ing to do spoke to the heroic In her
nature. and her sympathy was as SEN
sitive as an Aeolian Tyre when at lasr
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 un-
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 IL that
the same conviction is somehow con
veyed to the minds of her friends.
n conviction and once i'm the arena.
know Of no missionary who can claim
the distinction of being her superior
i'm zeal and ability. 1t would perhaps
be difficult for even n gifted historian
to trace accurately all the national and
international events in the salons and
boudors whence they came but il
would be very much more difficult 10
prove that these cpochal events have
had nothing to owth the gentlcr hours
of nations life. with silken arenas.
with smiles and whispers behind fans.
And i'm America this fact seems TO be
so emphasized by the exceptionally
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. He says:
There are many phases in the Far
Eastern question which the United
States can very properly look upon
through the eyes of self-interest. The
press and n few people called the at
tention OF the American public to these
points. The public remained entirely
Indifferent to them.
"May 1t not be true that this peculiar
feature Of our friendship. so foreign
to the self-interest basis Of diplomacy.
las had its root in the work of the
American woman. who is not always
the best hand to count how much SUI.
perior Is the value of steel exports TO
Japan over so airy subject as an
international friendship"