The Beaver Herald. (Beaver, Okla.), Vol. 23, No. 45, Ed. 1, Thursday, April 21, 1910 Page: 3 of 8
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ITH ber tiny pigeon
toes and her butter-
fly gown ber paint
her oiled hair and
her soft timid volco
the Japaneso wo-
man linrdly bub-
Bests the possibil-
ity of memorizing
thousands of Chinese-
characters
that are neenssary
In the- most ordi-
nary reading and much less
would ono believe her capablo of
evolving Ideas and expressing
tliom intelligently.
Hut she docs both.
The Japanese woman of the- old
sra was like- her entire nation a
jhut-ln. Sho was the pre-eminent-!y
excluslvo member of an cxclu-
llvo people. Her powers her
whole- life were wholly nt the dis-
posal of her family first and after-
ivard of her husband or more
::orrectly speaking her lord nnd
waster. In a book of the old Sa-
nural Is written the law for wo-
men: "Firstly a woman has no
lord to servo but her husband. Sho
must obey and honor him as her
lord and master. Do cautious.
Never desplso nor slight his words.
A woman's first duty Is obedlcnco.
Bho should be careful about the
expression of her faco and never
show anger or excitement In her
looks."
Subject to such restrictions It
was impossible for tho stranger
In the past to learn of the real
possibilities' of tho Japaneso wo-
man. Ho could bo guided only by
itho artist's conception of her and
by whatever reports might come
from tho lips of men. Whilo these
portrayals were true In n way they
wore misleading because they did
not express tho whole truth. Was
tho Japaneso woman shrinking and
timid? Yes because sho was taught
so from tlmo Immemorial. It was
an art with her a supremo accom-
plishment. As an Indication of her
real naturo It meant nothing save
that sho had tho power and the good
judgment to conform to tho de-
mands of custom. Probably her will was In-
domitable her Intellect clear and strong. In
such cbbo sho reached more nearly to tho
Ideal because sho could control herself. Sho
believed In tho customs of her land; sho
loved them. Sho was guided by them So It
was a mlstako to regard her soft voice her
well-learned timidity as lndlcatlvo of weak-
ness of flexibility.
Even In tho long musty past a woman
came out now and then and gavo to her people
a samplo of tho possibilities of tho feminine
mind in fields other than tho lntlmato home
llfo. Dut such disclosures wore naturally rare.
Ono of theso was Murasaklshlklbu a wo-
man who lived about 1000 years ago and
wroto "Genjlmonogatarl" a realistic story of
Genjl a prominent member of tho nobility of
that time. This novel has long been a classic
lu Japan and Is studied In the modern schools.
Parts of It havo been translated Into English.
Selshonagon a famous poot and sketch
writer lived about tho same tlmo. Sho was
a strong moralist and was noted for her high
and excellent character.
Shiran Yanagawa the Mrs. Drowning of
Japan lived during tho reign of She-gun Toku-
gawa nbout 100 years ago and together with
lier husband wroto many Chinese poems. At
thut time as to-day Chinese was tho medium
employed by the Japanese classic writer for
tho expression of his thoughts.
When tho breath of western civilization
ulow across tho picturesque llttlo Island of
Japan It melted tho chains of conservatism
nnd prejudlco for women as well as for mon.
And so wo havo today the peculiar spectacle
of tho now springing with almost startling zeal
out of tho very bosom of tho old. Mothers
who cling with forvent faith to tho old school
of training havo daughters who go out and
work as newspaper reporters!
There aro thoso whoso emancipation Is so
radical that It oven Jara upon tho sensibilities
of ono so callous as a westerner. There are
other women whose growth though marked Is
pleasing and graceful. To this class belongs
Kashl Iwamoto. Mrs. Iwamoto was of that
generation that helped to make Japan what
8ho Is to-day and sho was herself a part of tho
now order. Born at tho end of tho old regime
nnd growing up amidst the llercost struggle'
of transition she Imbibed that which wns best
of tho old and at the some time caught the
truo spirit of the new. Her husband Zenji
Iwamoto Is a well-known literary man and
founder of McIJl Jogakko a prominent college
for girls. In working with him Mrs. Iwamoto's
views of llfo were broadened and sho Inter-
ested herself In all things pertaining lo the
welfare of her people. Sho not only learned
English but mastered It to a degree In which
Tier stylo Is not only correct but has a dis-
tinct literary quality and a charm partly due
perhaps to a hint of foreign Idiom which
J lVJbJr-MXJNjB
yfw4L
' JbjtiKTf ' I W
MAKES HOME IN TREE TOP
rTW. SSJMJT. &SY7&J
zit&riYj?r2&7Viey;mtof
gives freshness to the use of
nn ncqulred language. Mrs
Iwamoto first becamo known as
as writer through her transla
tions of Proctor's "Sailor Boy"
and "Llttlo Lord Fauntloroy" Into tho Japaneso
language. Sho also wroto a volumo of essays
In English. An extract from ono of theso
"Some Phases of tho Japaneso Homo nnd
Homo Life" will glvo n hint of hor stylo and
of the process of her thought:
"Japan llko any other ancient country has
had n unique national life and history. She
boasts of a civilization a coda of morals a
form of government and a system of education
all peculiar to herself and sho cherishes
these as heirlooms expresslvo of tho wisdom
and experience handed down through tho whole
lino of her ancestors. . . . You all know that
the old-time Japanese woman was trained ac-
cording to rules of conduct that were most
sevcro In their rigidity. She was assiduously
taught to guard hor personal virtue nnd tho
proud honor of hor household. Death was tho
only alternative In case sho swerved from her
duties. . . Placo on the ono hand this
type of womanhood serving In tho house of
her lord and master with singleness of pur-
pose and with devotion strong In Its simplic-
ity and on the other nn nverage girl of mod-
ern education with n smattering of western
knowledge it is truo but without discretion
nnd Judgment to apply her newly found Infor-
mation and of courso the latter will appear
at a disadvantage. ... In the present
homo whoro tho old and tho now elements
combine contrary streams of thought and ac-
tion thwart tho young wife nt her evory step
and In splto of her resolution many are the
tenrs that sho sheds unseen. . . . But sho
must learn to bo Just as cautious and deferen-
tial in ono respect as It Is her duty to bo
prompt nnd declslvo Jn another. For herein
lies tho very test of her Intrinsic worth and
usefulness. . . Wo deplore tho many evils
that have issued and still do Issuo from tho
ancient houoehold system In Japan. . . .
Yet wo cannot help noting that this has been
perhaps iho most successful system of disci-
pline over extant a discipline productlvo of
the utmost diligence clrcumspectness and self-
sacrifice. We certainly owe it to this system
that Indolent whimsical and selfish women
havo been sot asldo and tha noble self-sacrlflc-lng
type of wives and mothers was pre-
served for tho old-tlmo Japaneso homes and
handed down ns an heirloom to tho present
day."
Another woman of marked ability as a
writer was the Baroness Nakajlma. As a
child she excelled In her studies and was al-
lowed to go to a boys' school there being no
i high schools for girls at that time. Her fame
as a scholar becamo known at court and she
was appointed as a teacher of learning to the
empress After retiring from this service she
toured tho country for special study and ob-
servation. It was an unusual thing for an
unmarried woman to trnvel alone giving lee
tures on political nnd scientific subjects an'
at one tlmo the baroness nt that tlmo Yo-
shllco Klshlda was arrested and Imprisoned
on tho charge of plotting against tho govern-
ment While In prison sho wroto many poems
In Chinese giving vent to her feelings regard-
ing tho condition of hor country. Later on
she married a nowspnper man who was afte-
ward mado baron. Ho was tho first prosldon
of the houso of commons and arso n minister
to Italy. Tno young couple never censed to
Interest thumselves In the political nft&lrs of
their land and nt ono tlmo wero banished
from the capital city charged with disloyalty.
Mental nna physical overwork brought tho
baron to an early death and tho wife broken
hearted followed him within two years. Tho
Baroness Nakajlma was considered a very
beautiful woman nnd tho many experiences
sho underwent ns student and reformer gavo
depth nnd strength to hor character which
speak plainly In her written works. Hor es-
says and lectures aro numerous nnd her last
work which 1b a dally record of her llfo Is
very Instructive nnd Interesting. Sho wrote
minutely of passing events and Illustrated
these details with fine drawings or comic
sketches. This work she continued until with-
in live days of her death.
Miss Ichlyo Hlguchl who died at 23 hnd
already attained fame as a writer of realistic
fiction. Being of humble and poor parentngo
sho was obliged to leavo school at ten years
of ngo a tlmo when most children are merely
beginning to learn to rend. With her sister
sho helped to support her widowed mother
but gavo all of her spare tlmo to study nnd
writing. Sho wns forced to llvo with hor fam-
ily in tho outskirts of the city among tho
poorest and lowest people and It was there
that sho got tho material for nil of her stories
which are pathetic In tho extreme. Notwith-
standing tho fact that her opportunities for
learning woro limited her composition Is with-
out fnult her style chaste and expresslvo. It
wns not until after consumption bred through
poverty nnd overwork hnd taken strong hold
on hor system that her genius was recognized.
For a little time then sho knew tho luxury
of friends nnd of admiration. "But I havo
never known what youth freo from responsibil-
ities means" sho told a friend. Tho Japanese
bow low in roverenco to tho momory of Miss
Hlguchl. who might well be styled tho femalo
Gorky of Japaneso literature.
Miss Knho Mlyako Mrs. Kajlta and Mrs.
Otsuko aro all prominent writers of to-day.
Miss Uta Inial Is a representative of the
ultra modern Japanese woman. Miss Imal Is
tho chief editor of NlJuselklnofuJIn or Twenti-
eth Century Woman and Is ono of the found-
ers of tho Hokkaido Woman's society Sho U
working toward that day when the Japaneso
women will rise as a unit in their declaration
along certain linos of emancipation. Sho Is
hopeful buoyant and unswerving In her pur
pose and ns shu belongs to tho new-
est generation of workers sho be-
lieves alio will sco groat changes In
methods nnd principles beforo her
sun Is sot.
The daughter of Kaphl lwnmoto
promises to bo n prominent figure In
tho future literary world of Japan.
Sho has boon writing stories nnd
translating from foreign tongues for
severni yours.
Tho first womnn to outer the rcgu-
lnr nowspnper field was Mrs. Tnkoyo
Takegoshl who with hor husband
Joined tho staff of tho Kokumln-Shln-bum
In Tokyo somo 1G years ngo.
After four or llvo years othor womon
became interested In newspaper work
and today many nro employed ns spe-
cial writers as reporters and ns edi-
tors of departments for women.
Theso nro but n few of tho women
writers of Japan. They aro sufllcient
to Illustrate howovor. tho fact that
tho Japaneso woman Is n croaturo of
considerable rcservo mental forco and
of Intense feeling. Under tho now re-
glmo only was It poRslblo for hor to
mako theso facts known to tho out-
side world slnco tho old tenching con-
strained her to keop hidden evory
fcollng every thought that sho might
develop a moro Spnrtnn-llko charac-
ter capable of enduring great sacri-
fice when sncrlflco should como as
It did In tho lives of ninny Japaneso
women. It was not nn nccldont that
tho Japanese soldiers repulsed tho
larger men of tho Russian army.
They woro tho sons of mothers whoso
dlscltilino through thousands of years
had well nigh reached perfection
whoso enduranco was groat and
whoso wits woro sharpened by con-
Etnnt contact with domineering hus-
bands nnd fractious niothors-ln-law.
It Is nn unhappy fact that tho Jap-
nnese literature Iobcs Its artistic
beauty nnd Its real strength when
translated Into foreign lnngunges.
This 1b probably duo to tho fact that
the Japaneso student Is still strug-
gling In tho mazes of tho foreign
tongues nnd Is not ns yot capablo of
manipulating tho now words so as to
express tho flno shndes of meaning
that ho sees and appreciates In his
own literature Tho delicacy with
which an artist nttacks his subject In tho Jnp-
nnoso Is likely to becomo clumsy or Innno nnd
meaningless when ho nttempts to employ other
longunges ns a medium of expression. This
porhnps Is tho reason that westerners say
that Japan "Is a country without lltcrnturo."
JAPAN'S ANCESTRAL GODS
One of tho most marvelous manifestations
of pntrlotlc nnd religious enthusiasm In mod-
ern Jnpnn wns occasioned recently by the
transference of tho Imperial shrines nt Iso to
their now tabernnclo Just completed tho Lon
don Standnrd says. ThlB rcmnrkablo Shinto
festival may bo witnessed only every 21 years
when tho temples of tho ancestral gods aro
reconstructed and tho sacred objocts aro ro-
moved to their new nbodo. Tho lso temples
havo been thus renowod every scoro of years
slnco A. D. 090 at least and for how long be-
foro that no ono knows tho present occasion
being the fifty-seventh rebuilding on record.
Such a periodic reconstruction will appear
qulto necessary when It Is recollected that on
thoso shrines no mortal hand Is over permit-
ted to execute repairs. After thoy are built
tho gods of tho nation tnko possession of them
nnd thencoforwurd they nro not touched till
thoy go tho wav of all Uilncs.
Tho work of rebuilding tho sacred shrines
begins almost as soon us tha last reconstruc-
tion Is complete by tho appolntmont of nn Im-
perial commission Intrusted with tho impor-
tant ontorprlso. Every stage Is marked by
religious ceremonies from tho felling of tho
trees to tho driving of tho last nnll. Tho com-
pletion Is emphasized by a special fostlval of
purification after which tho tomples pass from
tho hands of the commissioners to tho priestly
custodians of tho Imperial shrines.
Flnnlly comes tho great festival of remov-
ing tho ancestral gods nnd tho sacred treas-
ures and relics to tho now "holy of hollos"
which took place recently. It Is computed that
no fowcr than 40.000 porsons wero present on
tho night of tho actual removal. Though the
august spectacle takes plnco at night the
preparation for It appears to go on for two or
three days previously but tho ceremonies of
tho notable day Itself are tho most Interesting.
The day opened with tho appearance beforo
tho now temples of u specially chosen virgin
who went through n peculiar coromony of
burying In tho ground beforo tho shrine a Jar
containing offerings to the god of earth.
Later In I lie duy began a long procession
of priests In gorgeous robes of green aud gold
chanting weird litanies and monotoning sutraa
to tho strnlns of archaic instruments. It Is
nfllrmcd that the sorvlco has In no respect
been changed during tho last thousand years.
With tho settling down of darkness came the
great function of removal. A detachmont of
priests led by a priestly representative of the
imperial houso went into tho soon to bo aban-
doned shrlnos to examine the trensures and to
measure tho sacred fabrics. As the latter are
reputed to be moro than 330000 feot in length
this was no giiall matter.
Three Years In Camp Aloft Hat
Drought About Restoration to
Health of Invalid.
Camp Aloft Is tho namo of a tree-
top homo In Champaign county Ohio
In which D. O. Stolnhorgor hus lived
for thrco yenrs. When lip took thus
literally to tho woods ho wns supposed
to bo In tho Inst stages of consump-
tion. Physicians gnvo him six montha
to llvo. Ho weighed only 100 pounds
and when he crawled out to Colorado
tho doctors there sent him homo so
that ho wouldn't dlo on their hnnda
nnd swell tho denth rato. So Mr.
Stolnhorgor who hnd been nn artist
before ho becamo a consumptive got
back to Ohio and took his own caso
In hnnd tho WIdo World says. Ho
picked out a likely whlto oak tree and
established his residence In Its upper
branches 70 feet from tho ground
Thcro through summer nnd winter
ho hns slept on n bed of boughs dono
much of his own work received hla
friends nnd breathed tho pura air
which has brought back complete
health.
Thero nro two menus of nsccnt to
tho top of tho tree. By ono n spur lad-
lor runH up n neighboring tree from
which a horizontal bridge carries ono
across to tho houso trco on which
tho nscont Is completed by a scaling
ladder. This howovor Is too hnznrd-
ous for many of Mr. Stclnhorgcr's
guests Ho thereforo contrived a
'cliff dwollcr'B swing" by which visi
tors enn bo hoisted nloft by ropes and
pulley.
"Tho door to Cnmp Aloft Is opened
with n rlllo shot" Mr. Stelnborger
says "and ns no ono hut myself
knows whera to put tho hullot that lib-
erates tho ropes I am nssured of
aulef when I wish to sleep or work
undisturbed.
"I firmly hollovo In tho treotop
euro for consumption" ho continued.
"Any nmicted person can try It at a
small cost. I erected this platform
with my own hands aud thcro Is no
roof over Cnmp Aloft excopt In stormy
weather when a ennvns Is drawn
overhead.
"I gained HO pounds tho first sir
months nnd nftor thrco years of treo-
top llfo I tip tho scales at over 200.
That's pretty good for a man given
up for dend don't you think?"
Resurrection of Messina.
Tho resurrection of Messina will bo
only nnothcr Illustration of how dif-
ficult It Is to destroy a city which sits
on a trudo routo or which becomes a
confer or school of Industry. Com-
mercial cities rise or decline with
trndo routes. Vcnlco began to loso Its
primacy with tho discovery of tho
Capo of Good Hope routo to India.
Nevertheless It was not ruined and
though its population Is but three-
fourths of what it had when It "hold
tho gorgeous cast In fee" Its Inhabi-
tants to-day number 150000 Tho mad-
men of tho French revolution docrccd
that Lyons should be no moro. They
lovelcd tho city which had resisted
thorn to tho ground; thoy wiped out
Its namo nnd In a dozen years Lyons
tho centor of tho silk Industry tho
groat distributing point of tho region
was what It had been beforo tho ter-
rorists turned It into ruins. To-day It
Is tho third city of Franco. A great
San Francisco looks out on tho Golden
Onto despite tho catastrophe of 190C.
Cities aro stubborn facts. It has boen
said that If Now York woro ovor-
wholmcd tho nqcesBity of tho United
States would compel tho reconstruc-
tion of a gront city wh&ro tho Hud-
son reaches tho sen. Boston Transcript.
Couldn't Stop It.
Little Dorothy heretofore exploited
In this column "got off" nnother old
snylng yestcrdny which her fond fa-
ther thinks worth giving to the world.
Dorothy and hor baby brother wero
quarreling and mothor was trying to
rcstoro peace. After telling tho kids
how wrong It Is for llttlo brothers and
slstors to fight nnd recalling that dear
old 'dogs delight to bark and bite"
oxamplo mother quoted tho vorso
from tho Bible "Lot not tho sun go
down upon your wrath"
"Now Dorothy you nro tho older
and you ought to kiss and make up
first" said mother. "Aro you going
to lot tho Hun go down on your
wrath?"
Dorothy looked troubled for a mo-
ment. Then her bright llttlo face
cleared.
"Well" sho said demurely "how
can I stop It muvor?" Milwaukee
Wisconsin.
Arms and Limbs.
"My arms nnd limbs nro so tired"
sighed nn ultra prcclso young womnn
tho other dny after rather strenuous
gymnnslum stunts.
Ono of her nssoclatca whispered
"That Isn't n logical way to talk.
Don't say 'arms and limbs If any
limbs nro limbs they are all Hmb3 nnd
If you would Ilka to distinguish be-
tween legs nnd nrms and yet talk In
arboreal langungo I would suggest
that you call your arms 'your
branches' nnd your legs 'your roots!"'
Needless to say the first speaker waa
not pleased with the badinage.
Unique.
"He's a queer follaw."
"What makes you think so?"
"Somobody gavo him a silver match
box far Christmas and ho still keeps
his matches In it."
tht
Aerial Nourishment
"Orchids Jve on "ulr" said
botanist.
"I don't know about that" replied
young Mr. Fllmm. "But If I koop oa.
buying them I'll hnvo to." '
tt
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The Beaver Herald. (Beaver, Okla.), Vol. 23, No. 45, Ed. 1, Thursday, April 21, 1910, newspaper, April 21, 1910; Beaver, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc68790/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 12, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.