( -'/.i P/.M. ■JAPAV QBoarbtng ■ oof TOKYO .No.. 6. txm * JAPAN Price 3 cents, BY MRS. J. T. GRACEY SKETCH OF BOARDING SCHOOL AT TOKYO, JAPAN. HE Methodist Episcopal Church commenced mission work in Japan in 1873. Woman’s work was made possible by the gen- erosity of Mrs De Pauw of Indiana, who contributed one thou- sand dollars to open the work and to send the first representative of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society to that interesting country. Miss Dora Schoonmaker went from the Northwest- ern Branch and landed at Yokohama, October, 1874, and the following month went to Tokyo to begin her special work. The ground had already been prepared for her by our pioneer missionary in that city, the Rev. Julius Soper. As foreigners could not at that time reside, or even sleep, outside the foreign con- cession without special government permission. Miss Schoonmaker boarded with Mr. Soper’s family for a year or more, travelling to and from her work in jinrikishas. On November 16 her school was opened at a house not far from the residence of Mr. Sen Tsuda, under whose patronage the school was made possible. Indeed, this was a great undertaking for that day in Japan. There were probably at that 3 time but two girls’ schools in the empire. Mr. Tsuda and his wife canvassed the neighborhood for girls for Miss Schoonmaker's school. But to send girls to school, particularly to a foreign teacher, was dreadful ; no indeed, they would not send their girls though taught for nothing. The school opened with five pupils, three of whom were Mr. Tsuda and his two boys. The Japanese were to pay all incidental expenses. It was not long before the house occupied was conveniently lequired for other purposes, and a new location had to be sought, and the school was soon required to move again. In a dark storehouse the school was con- ducted and Mr. Soper regularly opened preaching services. Another change of location for Miss Schoonmaker had to be made — five such changes during the first nine months — this time to a small temple on a hill near by. In spite of the many changes the school continued to grow in interest and numbers and the proportion of girls increased. On July ii, 1875 in this little temple on the hill, was begun the first Bible class connected with the school. Six or eight Japanese women and girls were present and gave close attention while the foreign teacher endeavored, by the use of a strange tongue, to tell the story of the Cross. It now became evident to Miss Schoonmaker, as it has to many a worker since, that to attain much success she must have a boarding school. So after 4 prayerful consideration it was decided to open, in that same vicinity, a boarding school for girls Mr. Tsuda became the manager of the school, secured permis- sion to open such an institution and for the foreigner to reside outside the foreign concession. This was a bold step. The school found shelter in a Buddhist temple. The priest and his idol held possession of one end of this ancient structure, while Miss Schoonmaker and her Christian school found a home in the other end of the same building. Here for fourteen months Christianity and idolatry dwelt under the same roof, and God’s blessing was upon the school, which was then called the Kyusei Gakko (Salvation School). Although the con- tract had been carefully made, giving to the Christian teacher the right to teach Christianity, and to put her sign upon the entrance gate, yet troubles occasionally arose through complaints of the priest at the manifestation of so much Christianity. However, a greatly reduced income and consequent need of the rental money he received led him to withdraw his objections and the school went on. Eleven boarders cheered the Christian teacher and the enrollment soon reached thirty- five. On April 9, 1876, four of the pupils of this little school having finished satis- factorily their six months’ probation, received the sacrament of Christian baptism, and were received as full members of the church. Of these four first converts of 5 the school, some are still living, occupying prominent positions as Christian workers. At the close of the first year Miss Schoonmaker wrote : “ The year has had its sad and joyful experiences, its successes and failures, its days when the work seemed fair and promising, days when opposition rose in unexpected quarters, when plans that looked brightest came to naught, but over all and through all has been one steady, changeless light, God’s love. In my experiences of house hunt- ing I could tell of long jinrikisha rides over rough roads, of landlords who half promised their house and then afterward declined to receive me as tenant, of others who wholly promised and then quietly bade me search elsewhere as though a promise meant nothing, and I was forced to believe that there were two things utterly impossible in Japan, viz., to keep an appointment and tell the truth.” September 27 brought as assistant to Miss Schoonmaker, Miss Olive Whit- ing. It was the good fortune of these ladies that by January, 1877, the new building for their school, on a fine location purchased for the purpose at No. 13, Tsukiji, had been completed so that they occupied it. This was a wonderful change and improvement for the school, but it re- quired several months of earnest effort to win back the students naturally drifting away through the change of location, or to fill their places with others ; but from 6 the first God’s blessing was upon the new venture, so that even by the end of the year an additional building as large as the first was required and constructed to house the pupils. Meetings for women, prayer and class meetings, multiplied with the growth of the school so that its influence spread afar, and sixteen of the pupils received baptism. Miss M. A. Spencer and Miss Mary J. Holbrook joined the school October 21, 1878, and have done a work of great importance for Japanese girls and women. Miss Schoonmaker’s health now began to show definite signs of failure, and on November 3, 1879, ®he sailed for home on furlough, not since to return to the field. She barely escaped having to take part in the shocking experiences which befell the school December 26, when the building, and all the property of the in- mates, together with a large portion of Tsukiji, was destroyed by fire. Without homes, without books, without food and almost without clothing, our ladies had to face the winter and the demoralized work. Immediate plans were made for re- opening the work and for constructing new buildings. Through the kindly offices of the Hon. John A. Bingham, U. S. Minister, permission was obtained from the Japanese government to rent a suitable building for the girls’ school. This was immediately fitted up, and the school continued there for more than a 7 year, during which time a substantial building was being constructed on the site of the one burned. This new building was formally opened September 13, 1881, and was immediately crowded with students. These opening services were attended by the governor of Tokyo accompanied by his wife, by the Hon. John A. Bingham, and by other distinguished guests, all of whom expressed great satisfaction with the school. This new building cost $10,000 and was well lighted and ventilated. During its construction a severe typhoon laid it level with the ground, and much delayed completion. The revival of 1883, w'hich brought such spiritual uplift generally to the young church in Japan, was felt in a marked degree by the Tsukiji school. From the previous September much religious interest had been manifest, and one by one the girls had yielded to the power of the Spirit, until twenty had been convened and w’ere all baptized March 18. Still they prayed for power and a deeper work of grace, and clearly were their prayers answered, when, on an April evening, twenty-seven came into the clear light of acceptance with God. Of twenty-six pupils, a number were soundly converted, and spent the spring vacation in telling their home friends of the new joy they had found. The reports of 1884 show eighty pupils in attendance, half of whom were Christians. Graduates had begun to marry and erect Christian homes. One graduate having a poetical gift greatly assisted the Rev. J. C. Davison in the preparation of the Methodist Hymnal. Miss Anna P. Atkinson came to the school in November, 1882. From the fall of 1884 Miss R. J. Watson became connected with this work, Miss Holbrook returning home on furlough, and Miss M. A. Spencer taking charge of the work among the women. In August, 1886, Miss Mary A. Vance came to take the place of Miss Atkinson, who had returned to America. It was now deemed necessary to find laager accommodations-for the school, and in August, 1887, the members of the W. F. M. S. were allowed the use, by the Parent Board, of land at Aoyama on which to erect buildings for the higher grades of the girls’ school The erection of school buildings on the new location was completed Novem- ber, 1888, and October i of the same year the Aoyama Jo Gakuin was opened. The separation of the preparatory department at Tsukiji from the higher grade work now removed to Aoyama proved greatly beneficial to both departments. Miss Anna P. Atkinson, Miss Vance and Miss Mary E. Atkinson had charge of the Aoyama work, while Miss Kaulback and Miss Pardoe conducted that at Tsukiji. Miss E. R. Bender joined the work at Aoyama in 1889, in place of 9 Miss Mary Atkinson, and Miss Frances E. Phelps took the place of Miss Kaul, back in Tsukiji. Miss Josephine Carr gave assistance to the work in Aoyama- and, though but a visitor to the field, rendered valuable services. In 1891 Miss Bender became principal of the Aoyama school, where she remained until her return on furlough in 1895. To note a few other changes in the personnel of the foreign teachers, Miss De Motte joined the work in 1892, Miss M. H. Russell in 1895. and Miss Imhof had charge of the industrial depart- ment during Miss Blackstock’s furlough in America. The building at 13, Tsukiji, having been condemned after the earthquake, the school work at that place was discontinued in 1895. Crandon Hall, named in honor of Mfs. F. P. Crandon, Secretary of the Northwestern Branch, the new building for Aoyamajo Gakuin, completed in 1899, has greatly increased the school’s facilities for useful work. During the school's entire history it has been a great blessing to both the educational and evangelistic departments of work. Its religious tone has always been high, and few students have ever left its halls without being impressed with Christian truth, while the boarding students have in great majority made open profession of faith in Christ. Many of the students have gone out to erect Christian homes, to become Bible-women, or the wives of Christian pastors and 10 teachers. Hundreds of homes have felt new life through the presence of these Christian girls. The Missionary Society in the school maintains an interest and helps in the Loo Choo Islands work ; the King’s Daughters work in many ways ; while the Temperance Society continues to send flowers to the sick in hospitals and other places, besides contributing to the increase of temperance sentiment and principles in many homes. The girls also share in the work of four Sunday-schools, besides the one connected with our own school. Small services these may be, but they tend to the building up of Christ’s kingdom in Japan. The celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening of the school occurred in November, '99. Former pupils and teachers gathered in large numbers and with song, speech and prayer reviewed the past, contrasting the then and 710 W, and giving thanks to God for what their eyes have seen during these twenty- five years. Mr. Tsuda and Dr. Soper gave brief accounts of difficulties met and overcome in the early days, before the school could open. Five pupils who were enrolled at the opening of the school were present at the anniversary and gave interesting and amusing accounts of their experiences. This school now has an enrollment of 169 pupils, over one hundred of whom are boarders there. W. F. M. S. Leaflets on Japan Japan — Flag Series, No. 3 - - - Something Better _ . _ . Why Send Missionaries to Japan? Nagasaki — Boarding School Series, No. 5 Tokyo — Boarding School Series, No. 6 - A Disturbing Dream (appeal for the Japanese paper) A Japanese Idea of Heaven _ _ _ The Land of the Rising Sun _ _ _ SKNl) OHDEKS TO PU ISLIC ATION OFITCK OF Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal 36 Bromfield Street, Boston. 5 cents 2 cents 2 cents 3 cents 3 cents I cent I cent 10 cents Church,