The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-06-06

hoku Gakuin are enrolled in prepare!
tory collegiate and theological depart.
ments. The staff of teachers number
20, seven of whom are Americans,
with Dr. Schneider at their head.
was particularly struck with the
strength of Paul L. Gerhard and Will
liam G. Seiple, Phi. D., the latter
Johns Hopkins man whose hobby is
archaeology. Likewise, Miss Weidner,
Miss Powell and Miss Zurfuk, of the
girls school. impressed me as being
teachers and executives who would
not be without honor in their own
country. All that the government
schools teach, and more, is given in
the Tohoku Gakuin, the students Of
which, like those of the former, are
exempted from military service The
vigorous athletics of the Japanese, as
well as baseball and other American
games, form part of the physical
training. Many of the students sup
port themselves, working and living in
the Industrial home which the denom-
ination maintains at Sendai, arising
| at two and three o'clock in the morn
ing to deliver milk and newspapers.
There is a pronounced religious life
among the students; they have a Y.
M. c: A, and hold student prayer
| meetings on the roof of the college
tower; they do evangelistic work in
the country, teach in Sunday schools,
etc. One of them was my interpreter
when l was called upon to make an
address to the Manchurian veterans
and other soldiers in the military hos
pital, and he certainly was a self-pos-
sessed, free and forceful speaker.
Making the Most of Miss Japan.
Japans newly awakened interest in
the education of women affords the
missionaries an opportunity for work
that reaches far. There are three
SCHOOLS for girls in Sendai, maintained
by American churches. AS already
said, that of the Reformed church,
which has been in existence since
1886, is tie largest and best equipped.
1t is run by three American young
! women, with staff of IA Japanese
| teachers, and has 1870 students. All
but two of the graduates of this
| school have been Christians and the
aggressiveness of the Christianity of
the undergraduate students is indicat-
ed by the fact that every week 80 diff
terent Sunday schools are supplied
with workers by the school.
A similar high religious standard is
maintained by the Baptist school,
which has 50 pupils and less preten,
tious buildings. The Methodist girls
school, with about 80 pupils, of whom
20 live in dormitory, is industrial in
1 character and does efficient work with
an equipment unequal to that of the
neighboring schools.
The Missionary as Matrimonial Agent.
When calling at the Baptist school
| was at first unable to see Miss Buz-
zelle, the principal, as she was busy
condoling with young man who
wanted to marry one of her girls and
was trying to enlist her help. | later
met the young man. and a fine fellow
he seemed. He had seen the girl once
and she had seen him. She was will
ing, and he was eager-eXtraordinar
lily so, as such matters go in Japan.
But his family felt that the girls So
cial position was not equal to his,
though they finally consented to the
match. Thereupon the girls family,
it's pride aroused, refused to let her
| marry the man; and inasmuch as in
this country girl really marries a
| whole family, and her future happi-
ness is determined more by her hus-
bands relatives than by the latter
himself, Miss Buzzelle thought the de-
cision wise and declined to intervene
for the ardent suitor. A measure of
this sort of responsibility goes with
the principalship Of girls school, al
ways of course, with the cooperation
of the family. The graduates are de-
sired as wives, first of all by the Japa-
nese preachers and Christians. An in
creasing number of educated men, not
Christians, are selecting mission
school wives, although the teachers
rather discourage the girls from mar
rying any but Christian men.
Caring for Famine Orphans.
Most appealing to me of all the
sights of Sendai was the orphanage
which is an outgrowth of the famine.
Here $50 children, some of them lit.
tie girls who were kept from being
| ;oka
under the care of Miss Frances E.
Phelps, a Methodist Episcopal mis-.
sionary who nobly represents Ameri
cas- finest article Of export-the cul
tured, fine-spirited, self-sacrificing
women who have given their lives to
what they consider the worlds high
est welfare. Miss Phelps mothers
this great company of children, ran
ging in age from two or three years
to thirteen or fourteen, many of them
orphans only because abandoned by
their parents during the famine.
They are healthy, merry lot, al
though when rescued there were only
two who were free from the dreadful
eye trouble so common among the
poor of Japan, and all were covered
with rags, filth and vermin. The al
teration in their appearance within
these few months is no more marked
than their development along othel
lines. They sing the Christian hymns
in wide variety, more heartily than
have ever heard them sung by Sun
day school in America. On Sigh
financial foundation this orphanage is
doing work of vast Importance
which must commend itself to one.
;. sympathy and judgment, be he Hot
tentot Buddhist or Christian.