The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-10
WOMEN CONTROL GIRLS
SCHOOL IN JAPAN

wornans activities IN various lines ioi
the past decade have been conspicu-
ously in the limelight. it may not be
generally known that great achieve
| m ents are. being worked out by Amer
lean women In the Orient.
Notable among these are group OF
Southern women who have built up
at Hiroshima. Japan. what is recog
nized as the largest and most infuen-
tial girls school in the empire. II
was pioneer effort in the education
of JAPANESE women, but it has at
tanned such magnitude and wields
such great influence that 1t mas
come to be highly valued by the gov
eminent The emperor himself ir
recognition of her distinguished serv-
| ices decorated the founder and prin-
cipal, Miss Mamie B. Gaines, of flori-
| da.
| Miss gaines has the distinction OF
being the first and. until recently. the
only woman who has ever been thus
honored in Japan.
| The underlying purpose of the
| school was Christian education. II
was organized in an old warehouse IN
! Hiroshima, in 1887, by Bishop W, X
Lambuth. Rev. r. Sunamoto and Miss
Mamie r. Gaines. who was sent out
| by the Southern Methodist church
| Miss Gaines was made principal and
| has continued since in that capacity
| There were only seven pupils enrolled
at the time OF founding.
| Work of Heroine.
! It took a heroine to start Christian
! school in Japan at that time, and es-
pecially one for girls. The japanese
| had accepted most of the Western
| ideas except the education of woman
! They believed that wonan's mission
| was to serve her husband and to brine
up his children. and anything beyond
these was absurd. Then the Buddhist
priests were doing everything In thei'
power to turn the people against
| Christian schools and to keep tho gov
| ernment from recognizing them.
| Another serious condition. the dis
tressing lack of funds. added to tbs
| burdens An American writer ones
said of Miss Gaines that she had the
| brains of stateman"-- was this
| and more-she was the Christian
heroine OF the hour.
| An interesting incident demon
strated Miss Gaines heroism and
womanly tact. The government UNI
dertook to put an end TO the teaching
| of Christianity in educational institu'
| tions. Fortunately, japan was In
| fever of enthusiasm over education
| The Hiroshima School for Girls hac
| become a power to be reckoned Win
The community wanted it to continue
and she knew it, She communicated
with the emperor in her tactful way
| and informed him that the school had
been started to teach Christianity and
| il she were forbidden to do so. she
would close its doors"
| The school continued uninterrupt
| edly AZ before,
southern Women In Charge.
| Associated with Miss Gaines are the
| following capable Southern women
| Miss Margaret NJ Cook. of the North
! Georgia conference, who directs the
kindergarten department: Miss kathe-
rne shannon, OF the Tennessee con
| ference, near Nashville, who has
! charge Of the Bible women; Miss An
nice Silver, OF the Western North CaF"
| DINA conference fChariote}, who Ill
reefs the Sunday school work and lam
guage: Miss Mamie Towson, OF La
| Grange, in the South Georgia confer
ence. assists. in language lessons and
Bible reading; Miss Katherine Hatch
err, OF the South Georgia conference,
director OF kindergarten training and
| assistant in the primary and begin
ner's department.; Miss Janet Miller,
| OF Memphis, Tenn, director OF music,
and Miss Rachel Gaines, of the Flori-
| da conference, director of the higher
normal and advanced English classes.
| Many of the native graduates have
| been given positions in the Hiroshima
| Girls school and others have gone
out TO China, Korea. and some of them
70 America. where they work among
their own people. Out OF the 119 grad
| nA in,
teaching The others are found In
homes, where their training has fitted
them to be better wives. mothers
| homemakers and church workers
In addition to the work in the
school, much is being accomplished
in community service.
| 4 Large Enterprise.
The following survey will give some
idea of the magnitude OF the enter
prise:
| There are over 900 pupils. Thc
grounds cover city block on which
are special buildings for each depart
ment-high school. primary, kinder
| garten. normal training, and domes-
tic science, with dormitories and a
gymnasium. 1t has the only primary
school in Japan recognized by the gov
eminent. The property is valued at
| The methods are so ingeniously di-
rected that every rank OF Japanese
society Is reached. The developments
! incidentally shed an inner light on one
of the great world problems:
Japan Is the key to the Orient. Fur
thermore the interests Of America are
closely touched through the imigra-
ton going and coming--many OF the
Japanese on the Pacific coast are from
Hiroshima. They bring its influence
to their people there and. on return.
carry the American spirit back with
them.
The atmosphere OF the Japanese
homes under the uplift Of Japanese
womanhood will materially influence
the shaping OF Japan's future.
Realizing the value OF the Hiroshi-
ma Girls school toward this object,
the Centenary movement, through
which the Southern Methodist church
raised $5s 200. 100000 has appropriated
| $145. 10000 toward its needs; $45.-
10000 will be invested in building
readjustment and 500, 100000 towards
an endowment
S4.Year-Old Candidate.
Altoona, Pa, Sept. 9.--An eighty