Omaha daily bee., 1914-06-19
Japanese WomanhOOd
By Uts-Ro Shimods, Princi-
pal Of a Girls School in
Japan, Author and Educator

Education Is like horticulture. II one engages in
horticulture with sincerity of purpose, the ordinary
wild flowers the common plants may be made
pleasant TO look and serviceabe. But II he at
tempts to raise something extraordinary and new;
that s II he tries to raise plants from cucumber
vines to make cherry blossoms come out Of will
low trees, he will have spent his energy for no
practical purpose Not only that. but he may
thereby kill the vines break the branches OF the
willow trees.
1t the same with education In order to adopt
the methods OF foreign countries OF different man
ners. customs and habits should first carefully
examine them before decide TO adopt them. We
should not decide recklessly We have peculiar race
characteristics Of Moreover, have with
chief magistrate who is peerless in the world
and national ideal that never changes To be
nation has its peculiarities. and the meth
used in cherishing these peculisrites should be
such suit the copdton OF the country. So, the
good ponks Of the Institutions Of foreign countries
should be carefully selected, that in adopting
thing should not Kill the by trying to
straighten her horns" to feel Inconvenience by
adding legs to snakes
The honor Of the Japanese women is that she be-
a good wife and a good mother. She is fit TO
be the queen OF her household and the queen of
society. The western is tall and robust in
body, beautiful in figure, sprightly in manner, and
straightforward in language In sense, these quail
ties may have been acquired by long usage and social
education, but they have been born and bred in the
society. AS for the japanese woman. cannot say
that she Is equal to the western in these
strong qualities. But she is peerless in the world in
these virtues; that she does not shun her duty to
sacrifice herself for her parents, husband and chill
Is not frightened by adversely, does not bewal
her misfortunes. and always looks after her house
hold affairs comforts and nurses the members OF
her household and takes the responsibilities of the
household upon herself, that the head Of the
family will not have 20 distract his attention from
his business The sweet fruits OF her virtues and
steady character. such that the one tastes
them the sweeter they would become. Besides, the
of old Japan never stood behind the bearded
man in matters OF loyalty to the chief magistrate
and Of devotion the affairs OF state. To illustrate
with august examples, there were Yamatohime con-
sort OF Emperor suijin, who resolute in times
Of emergency and Empress lingo, who accomplished
great deeds of vaor. Then there were Lady Wage
who was humane and phlanthropic: Lady Masako
Tara, who clever and resourceful politician
and Lady Kasuga-no Tsubone, who distinguished her
self by her devotion governess Of her child-mas-
ter. afterward Shotgun Iyemitsu of Tokugawa. There
are many other examples in history of Japanese
women who distinguished themselves by their virtues
Who then say that the typical Japanese wo-
mans sphere OF activity confined in being
vrtuous wife and good mother, or that she is not
fit be great social factor7