The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-15

own: whose dress and food and general life differentiates so decidedly from ours
 that we must begin all over again and | adapt ourselves to their conditions, the
 vista is very different.
 We realize then what a difference one
 must make to accomplish the work of a
 missionary; what endless heart aches and
 longings for those at home who are so
 dear to us that we must experience, and above all, the great amount of Chis-
 tianity it requires to enable us to make
 the sacrifice.
 | IL is a pleasure to meet woman of
 Miss Neely's calibre; bright, happy, whole
 some in her work. which she could never | regard as sacrifce-never happier than when talking about 1t and recalling in-
 stances of her life in the far east and
 the many friends and companions that
 she has made among the people in that
 part of the world
 1 Shortly before the services yesterday,
 which opened the meeting of the state 1 branch of the Womans Auxiliary of the Board of Missions of the Episcopal church -out at St. Andrew's-I had the pleasure
 of meeting Miss Nicely and talking with l her for a brief space of time about her work among the Japanese.
 Tt was in 1899, just when the treaties
 with Japan were revised, permitting for eigners to become residents of that coun- try that I went there as missionary,
 sent by the Board of Missions of the Episcopal church. I went from the south
 ern diocese of Virginia-I suppose you
 know l am Virginian-and 1 was the first missionary to be sent there through the thank offering"
 How many times have you been back to your native country during those 14 years?' I asked.
 "Only twice-this being the second visit" said Miss Neely.
 And your life there?" I asked. T suppose there are many incidents you recall with pleasure. as well as many experiences that perhaps were not al- ways happy?"
 My work lAs been mainly among | the women and children of Japan" said Miss Neely. T spent some years in Tokio and then later went into the in- | terior, where some of the best work that I have ever accomplished was done. In connection with St. Margarets School for Women my work was ac- | complished, and I always found ready response among my companions"
 Are the Japanese appreciative of the work of Missionaries?" I asked, "or do
 they resent foreigners interference
 in their religious matters?" "Of course the status of women in Japan is far below that of the men, said Miss Nicely, since the lack of edu- cation makes it so, which is the policy of that country. This, however, creates
 In the minds of the women the hope that the women of the West will come among them and teach them and lend their efforts toward their uplift. Their old traditions and superstitions have been relegated to the past, for so long that the Japanese want a religion that will bring about their uplift, realizing that as long as there Is no Christian
 religion in a country the women will never have their right and proper place."
 Did you find the Japanese people
 companionable--easy to make friends
 with?" I asked.
 "Of course I made many friends among the people with whom I was associated" said Miss Nicely That was necessary, in order to get the best results from my work, which I have always looked upon as a life work and not as merely transient, and made my
 friends accordingly. The Japanese are very cultured and refined people, but of course deficient as any people must be who have no Christian ideals. Par ticularly was I interested in the Jap lanese children-the coming generation for to them we look for the results of our endeavors."
 Miss Nicely comes from a most in- teresting family-a family of renown in