Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-07

in attendance, but about 500 of these
should be put in the preparatory classes
as there are branches OF the school runs
ming down to the kindergarten. This
leaves about 500 in the university proper,
which is an excellent showing for a col
lege only eight years old. AS far as I
can judge, the age of the students are
about the same as those Of our college
girls. have a smith college girl of the
sophomore class travelling with me. and
in order to show the respective sizes Of
the college girls of the two nations, I
took q snapshot of three of these Japa-
nese sophomore with the Smith sopho-
more standing beside them. They are, as
a rule, considerably shorter than our girls,
but through their athletics promise soon
to become quite as robust.
.
Higher Education for
I was taken through the buildings by
Miss Hirano, the professor of ethics, q
charming woman who spoke English per-
fectly. We went through classroom after
classroom, each filled with bright looking
students either reciting or listening to
lectures. In one hall there were a hum
bred seniors taking down the notes of g
lecture on sociology, and in others we
listened to classes being taught literature,
psychology and ethics. There are three
courses in the university-preparatory, uni
yersity and postgraduate. The university
proper has three departments. One IL
devoted to domestic science, another to
Japanese literature and another to Eng
lish literature. The department of domes-
tic science covers such things as ethics.
psychology, pedagogy, physiology, econom-
les, law and science, and art, as we'll as
physics, chemistry and the other natural
sciences. The other two departments are
still. broader and there are many elective
courses OF study.
The work done seems to me thorough.
! spent some time in the chemical labor
atories watching the girls Analysing sub
stances OF various kinds. They have n
half dozen or more large rooms. we'll
equipped with such appliances, and they
are doing some original work. In one room,
for instance. l was shown some thousands
Of bottles comprising analyses made by
these girls of all the foods of japan, vege-
table and animal. Who knows but that
the Nine. Curie of the next generation may
not have a yellow skin and slant eyes!
In the DOrmitOries.
The dormitories of this university are
especially interesting. There are twenty
seven of them, divided up into little rooms,
each Of which is occupied by from two to
four students, Some of the dormitories
are purely Japanese. In these the girls
sleep on the floor, lying on futons or COM
forts, which they pack away in closets
during the day time. They rest their necks
on Japanese pillows. mere blocks of wood,
about the size of a brick. with a roll OF
soft tissue paper on top. The floors of all
the dormitories are covered with mats
about an inch thick. so white and clean
that one would not fear to eat off of them.
Other dormitories have mattresses on low
shelves. so arranged that the beds are COW
cred with boards during the day time.
Then they serve as tables and desks. The
girls. take care u their own rooms and do
all the Homework, one servant only being
In the employ of each dormitory. Every
establishment has also a matron In charge.
The work OF the students is required in
order to make the expenses as low as pos
slble. and I doubt II there is anywhere else
in the world that one can get a good educ
cation at such a low price as here. The
annual tuition is just under s14, and II IL
payable IN three installments. There IL
an additional fee Of less than 50 for school
expenses. and an extra charge for those
who study music of % cents per month for
the use Of an organ and 80 cents for using
the pianos. Including board and expenses
a girl can go to school here a whole year
for shout 800.
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.