The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-07-28
JAPANESE WEDS
AMERICAN GIRL
Cultured Musician From Boston
Defies Racial Prejudice and
Becomes orientaPs Bride 4

~a In the presence of forty friends Of
the young couple, Torao Kawasaki,
secretary OF the local japanese Young
Mems Christian Association, and Miss
Edith NJ. l.. johnson, well-knowp
Boston pianiste, were married ip the
Makiki japanese Christian Church last
/ night. The nuptial service was per
formed by Rev. Take Okumura, pas
| tor of the church The witnesses were
lev. T. Hori, pnstor of the Nuuann
1 japanese Christian Church, and NJ.
chta, a prominent city contractor.
The romance of the American girl
and the Young secretary of the Japan
csc Y. M. G. A, has been unique. II
has not run smoothly, but it has run
steadfastly and strongly ever since
, the American girl met the japanese
man while both were attending school
in Boston.
Engaged for Two Years
They were engaged for two years,
despite the strenuous objections Of the
young woman's friends and relatives,
who did not wish her to link her fu-
ture with that of man Of another
race. Through all the opposition she,
however, . continued steadfast, and
spent much of her time in studying
fJapanese and the manners and Gus
toms Of the people of her sweetheart.
| She ia said to have mastered the Ian
! guage and to have gained an insight
INTO matters Nipponese possessed by
few Occidental women of her years.
The couple reached here on the Mat
sonia last week, and Mr. Kawasaki i'm
mediately took up his work with the
\. M. G.. A., while Mrs. Kawasaki
plans to begin giving music lessons as
soon as possible. She is graduate
OF the Lincoln Conservatory of Music
in Boston and is said to have rare mu.
steal talent.
Racial Prejudice Absurd
In speaking of her plans and the OPP
| position thereto which she has encOun-
tered, Mrs. Kawasaki said yesterday,
shortly before her marriage:
81 am the person who is going to
marry japanese. Intervention can
ma re no difference to me. / regret il
is true that some of my Eastern
friends and relatives have seen fit to
take the stand they have regarding my
marriage, but that is their lookout, not
mine. The attitude that would bar
marriage between persons of similar
tastes and aims and ambitions, on the
ground of raeial difference, is, to my
way Of thinking, an absurd position
for a sensible person to take in this
year of our Lord. 1t seems TO me That
people have got past that narrowness.
81 heard from Mr.. Kawasaki that
Honolulu is cosmopolitan paradise
where there is NO race line drawn, and
| have come hste Ipping, that this is
true. At the same time, there are
many Eastern women who have mar.
| ried japanese. The wife of s. Ku.
rUsu, former eleve-consul here and now
consul at Chicago is an American
woman. Besides, l like japanese
things and ways and / even like Jap,
anese cooking, a The japanese hero
have been very kind to me, and / an
sure that am going, to be happy"
| Mr.. Kawasaki Ia a native of Japan
fetore coming TO Hawaii he was pri
mary teacher there. Here he attended
Mills School, in ManOa Valley, fol-
three years, and later, going to Massa,
chusetts, becam, a student at the
Springfield Y. M. Q. A. College. HI
was very active in athletics at Spring
field. Since arriving in Honolulu
eftrr his return from the mainland, b.
fus taken much interest in local Y. NJ
Z A. work, especially in JAPANESE
circles.