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 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES 
 
 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 NASHVILLE. TENNESSEE 
 
 Educational department 
 
Miss Leila G. Kirtland 
 
Introduction 
 
 Our kindergarten work is rather young yet, but the results are 
 most encouraging. 
 
 The Japanese think a great deal of education and therefore any- 
 thing in the way of a school appeals to them. 
 
 There are thousands of all sorts of schools in Japan and kinder- 
 gartens are becoming more and more prominent. The Japanese are 
 very fond of children, and it is easy to impress them with the impor- 
 tance of this early training for the little ones. 
 
 There are four kindergartens under the auspices of our mission: 
 Ninomiya Kindergarten, Kobe, directed by Mrs. Fulton; Nunobiki 
 Kindergarten, Kobe, directed by Mrs. W. McS. Buchanan; Ai Rin 
 (Love your Neighbor) Kindergarten, Okazaki, directed by Miss Flor- 
 ence Patton; and Myo Jo (Morning Star) Kindergarten, Nagoya, 
 under the direction of Miss Leila G. Kirtland. The following reports 
 will give some idea of the work each is doing. 
 
 3 
 
SEA OF JAPAN 
 
 
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 OAAYAMA 
 
 UifOTO 
 
 ^AMATSI 
 
 HA^Oy- 
 
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 OYOHASH) 
 
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 Outline Map of Central Japan. Southern Presbyterian Mission 
 
Ninomiya Kindergarten, Kobe 
 
 This kindergarten was opened five years ago with a class of seven 
 bright, attractive “little men and women.’’ Its birth was a labor of 
 love on the part of the wife of Rev. R. Tomida, one of our most 
 esteemed pastors, at that time living in Kobe. 
 
 Mrs. Tomida, having had no kindergarten training, went, day by 
 day, to the Nunobiki Kindergarten and made a study of the Japanese 
 child, and of the way in which it was being trained. After a few 
 months of this meagre preparation, she felt like trying a class of her 
 own, and it is needless to add that she succeeded. This class devel- 
 oped into the Ninomiya Kindergarten. 
 
 Since then this school has grown until at present we have fifty 
 pupils and two teachers besides a superintendent. We now have 
 government recognition as a Kindergarten School, which means that 
 our teachers get invitations to all kinds of conventions and other 
 special lectures held from time to time in the interests of child culture. 
 
 Gradually we are getting an entrance into the homes and hearts 
 of the parents of these children. All except three of our pupils 
 come from the homes of unbelievers; but the seed of the gospel is 
 being sown in these young hearts, and often, through the little child, 
 the Holy Spirit speaks to “father and mother,’’ and the seed of faith 
 in Jesus Christ as the world’s saviour is planted in their hearts, and, 
 sooner or later, develops into a regenerated soul. 
 
I believe this is the time to stress kindergarten work in Japan. 
 The ordinary Japanese seems to think the child a nonentity 
 until it reaches its “teens;” consequently, we have free access to 
 teaching the children in our Sunday-schools and kindergartens just 
 at the most impressionable age. Now is the time to take advantage 
 of this wonderful opportunity. The day may come, and that very 
 soon, when a tide of opposition shall sweep over us; but if now we 
 lay well our foundations, results will soon speak for themselves. 
 
 Mrs. Rachel P. Fulton. 
 
 Nunobiki Kindergarten, Kobe 
 
 Kindergartens are certainly popular at present, and I trust they 
 will continue to be so as long as children are given to us on earth. 
 I love the work because I love the children and the Lord who loved 
 them so. I consider the work important not only because of the open- 
 ing it gives one to the homes, but because I feel sure that lasting im- 
 pressions are made on these little plastic minds. Very often, I believe, 
 the disposition and bent of character are determined in the kinder- 
 garten years. 
 
 Graduating Class, 1915 
 
 Nunobiki Kindergarten was opened in 1908 in connection with the 
 work for women and children in Nunobiki Chapel. The Sunday- 
 school room of the new church, which was just dedicated last January, 
 was planned to suit the kindergarten. It is small, however, and will 
 
 6 
 
accommodate only about thirty in proper kindergarten style. Many 
 of the the kindergartners attend the Sunday-school and are taught 
 here also by their kindergarten teacher. 
 
 We have mothers’ meetings in connection with the kindergarten 
 from time to time, which are attended not only by the mothers of 
 the little kindergartners, but by other mothers in the church. 
 
 Mrs. Watanabe, the head teacher, is herself a mother and a val- 
 uable helper in our mothers’ meetings. She is seen standing at the 
 back in the middle of this picture of the graduating class of the kin- 
 dergarten. The other Japanese lady is not with us now, having 
 married Rev. K. Naito, pastor of Sosai Chapel. I think a group of 
 kindergarten children is as pretty as a garden of flowers and much 
 more interesting. Mrs. Walter McS. Buchanan. 
 
 Love Your Neighbor Kindergarten, Okazaki 
 
 This kindergarten was opened April 8th, 1914, by Miss Florence 
 Patton. In the spring of 1915 there were thirteen graduates. 
 
 AlARm’KlNSeR'eXHTgNTpT^ZlAKU^ 
 Graduating Class, 1915 
 
 
 There are two Japanese teachers employed, Miss Patton also 
 giving much of her time to the teaching and management of the 
 kindergarten. 
 
 7 
 
The building is a remodeled Japanese house, all porches and avail- 
 able space being utilized. A bright sunshiny spot is the scene of our 
 daily activity. 
 
 During the last year the Life of Christ was taught the children in 
 the morning circle with pretty pictures to illustrate. 
 
 Two of our little ones were taken home to Jesus during the year. 
 In one case we had a memorial service at the kindergarten which the 
 family attended, and were greatly moved by the comforting messages 
 of our glorious Gospel. 
 
 On Sunday afternoons we have a Sunday-school for all the neigh- 
 borhood and always a hundred or more in attendance. 
 
 There w'ere forty names enrolled at the kindergarten for the year 
 that has just closed. Florence D. Patton. 
 
 Morning Star Kindergarten, Nagoya 
 
 I dearly love children, and could not resist the temptation to open 
 a kindergarten when I had finished my language examinations. Our 
 
 Mrs. Ichimura^is standing in the center. Most of the dolls carried by the children 
 were sent by friends in America 
 
 head teacher here at the Golden Castle Girls School married one of 
 our former graduates who had had fine kindergarten training and 
 
 8 
 
experience, so when they came to Nagoya I asked her to conduct a 
 kindergarten for me. Of course I have my school work which takes 
 up most of my time, but I find time now and then to look in on the 
 kindergartners to see how things are going. Mrs. Ichimura, my 
 head teacher, is such a lovely Christian character that it is an inspi- 
 ration to hear her tell the children the Bible stories and teach them 
 to say little Bible verses. 
 
 Suppose we go on a visit to the kindergarten together. It is early 
 and as we walk along the street chatting, just as we turn a corner 
 we hear a chorus of childish voices shouting “Sensei, sensei!” (teacher), 
 and turning in the direction of the voices we see a flock of little white 
 aproned tots running in our direction. Breathless they reach us, and 
 with faces beaming and little tongues chattering, they walk with us, 
 some taking our hands confidingly. Because they are my own kin- 
 dergartners and are so dear to me I especially delight to hear you 
 say how winsome they are. 
 
 They are telling us such things as that they saw me yesterday on 
 the street car, that the baby has a new tooth, that the kitten died, or 
 that they caught some lovely fuzzy caterpillars. 
 
 Soon we reach the entrance of the kindergarten and pause to re- 
 move our shoes before entering. 
 
 The house is a rented one — a real Japanese house, not built for a 
 kindergarten, but built as a residence for an army officer. It has 
 two large rooms and two smaller ones that are used for the kinder- 
 garten exercises. These rooms are all thrown together as the paper 
 sliding partitions are easily removed. The other rooms which are 
 smaller are used for the family of the caretaker, who, by the way, is 
 Mrs. Ichimura’s brother. His wife keeps the place scrupulously neat. 
 They are Christians, and until lately one of their children attended 
 the kindergarten. However, he graduated and now is attending the 
 city primary school. 
 
 The garden surrounds the house, and one part of it is set aside for 
 a playground which we will see presently. We enter to a chorus of 
 “Ohayo” (good morning), and the bobbing of many little heads, as 
 they have just heard the teachers telling them to “Ojigi” (get down 
 on the floor and bow). The three teachers welcome us and find us 
 places at the “hibachi” (fire boxes), as the weather is cool. 
 
 One of the teachers is the sister of one of our pastors and the other 
 a daughter of another pastor. They are both really pupil-teachers 
 yet. 
 
 The children are tumbling over one another and some are watching 
 us with interest, the more venturesome touching our hats and exclaim- 
 
 9 
 
ing over the decorations thereof, or counting the buttons on our dresses. 
 However friendly they may get to be with us, we remain nevertheless 
 curiosities to these tiny Orientals. 
 
 Mrs. Ichimura says that one of the non-Christian mothers, and 
 there are many, told her laughingly that her little girl never sits down 
 to a meal without asking the blessing, and reproves her older sisters 
 and brothers if they begin to eat before the blessing is asked. That is 
 the result of having the children bring their lunches to the kinder- 
 garten where all can eat together. 
 
 The sound of the baby organ breaks upon our conversation. Why, 
 who can be playing? The pupil-teachers are arranging the little chairs 
 for the circle, and Mrs. Ichimura is talking to us. It couldn’t possibly 
 be one of the children. Mrs. Ichimura beckons to us to peep around 
 the corner and there is O Fumi San, the very little girl of whom we 
 have just been talking, serenely playing and singing “Jesus Loves 
 Me,’’ as though she were all alone. 
 
 I am aghast ! Not that child surely ! And playing with both hands, 
 too! Where on earth did she learn? Mrs. Ichimura explains that at 
 her home her brother plays on a baby organ and this child plays by 
 ear the songs she learns at the kindergarten on her brother’s organ 
 and so has become skillful. 
 
 This is most remarkable for a child of that age and especially a 
 Japanese child, for the usual Japanese attempt at music is as discor- 
 dant to the foreign ear as clashing colors are to the eye. 
 
 We hear of a mother who has recently become a believer who says 
 that her children who attend the kindergarten have the greatest love 
 and reverence for the name of Jesus, and when they are naughty all 
 she has to do is to remind them that Jesus sees them and they imme- 
 diately behave. 
 
 Mrs. Ichimura looks at the clock. My! we shall be five minutes 
 late beginning! One of the girls goes to the organ and plays the open- 
 ing chords. Now the children scramble into their places in line and 
 clapping their hands, march to their places by the thirty-seven waiting 
 little chairs. 
 
 After bowing “Good Morning to You’’ in Japanese, they actually 
 lisp it in English for our especial benefit, and you feel like squeezing 
 them. 
 
 Then comes the dear little prayer song. They tightly close their 
 eyes and sing a little too lustily perhaps. As soon as they open their 
 eyes, one little fellow, the clown of the kindergarten, excitedly points 
 to a little neighbor, exclaiming, “Teacher, teacher, he peeped, he 
 
 10 
 
peeped.” But Mrs. Ichimura silences him by asking him how he 
 could know unless he had peeped too. 
 
 And now comes the Bible story about Jesus, whom the children 
 have already learned to love. They listen intently and answer the 
 teacher’s questions quite emphatically. Then when Mrs. Ichimura 
 asks what they would like to sing, they all say ‘‘Jesus Loves Me,” for 
 that is the favorite. Then they repeat the little Bible verses that they 
 have learned by heart, even the tiniest tots joining in. 
 
 It is the little hymns that the children sing in their homes that often 
 are the means of bringing members of their families to Jesus. The 
 mothers say that they learn a great deal about the Bible by just lis- 
 tening to the children tell the stories that are told them at the kinder- 
 garten. Truly, a little child shall lead them. 
 
 Not long ago a little girl died, and although her parents were hea- 
 then, they buried with the child the little Sunday-school picture les- 
 son cards that she loved and had received at the kindergarten. These 
 cards, by the way, were sent to me by friends in America for my 
 work. That little child’s sister will come to the kindergarten when she 
 is old enough. 
 
 Now they are playing a march for a ten minutes’ recess, so let us 
 follow the children out into the garden. See the swing, the see-saw, 
 and the sand pile! Now passing through a gate we come to the gold- 
 fish pond without which no Japanese garden is complete. 
 
 The children are crowding around begging us to ride them on our 
 backs, so we accommodate them and great laughing there is. 
 
 11 
 
On the playground, Myo Jo Kindergarten, Nagoya 
 
 But now the fun has to stop for the bell rings and all go in. The 
 little tables and chairs are placed for the pretty work which these 
 dear little hands will do. After the work come the games. O, such 
 fun! And then every one is ready for “O bento” (lunch), which each 
 tot has brought from home. 
 
 When lunch is over and the children are leaving, the teacher hands 
 them cards of invitation to their parents for the mothers’ meeting 
 to be held Saturday afternoon. 
 
 These mothers’ meetings are usually well attended. Very few of 
 the mothers are Christians, so we try to give them an idea of the mean- 
 ing of the gospel message at each meeting. We sing hymns and it is 
 interesting to see some of them labor hard with the strange tunes 
 trying to sing. They usually like the hymns very much. Then we 
 have a prayer by the leader of the meeting who is either one of the 
 kindergarten teachers or a pastor’s wife or some earnest Christian 
 worker. 
 
 At Christmas and Easter we often distribute portions of Scripture 
 to the parents. At an ordinary mothers’ meeting we read a portion 
 of the Bible, usually from the life of Christ, especially where the chil- 
 dren have been taught in their daily kindergarten lessons. The train- 
 ing of the child in accordance with the Bible teaching is then the 
 subject of a discourse given by a special speaker or the leader. 
 
 12 
 
The mothers are encouraged to ask questions and they are urged to 
 borrow some of the Christian books on child culture that are kept at 
 the kindergarten for that purpose. 
 
 Sometimes the games and occupation work of the kindergarten 
 are explained to the mothers so that they can supplement the teachers’ 
 work by sympathetic appreciation. 
 
 Visiting in the homes of the children is being done each week. 
 I am sorry to have to relate the loss of one child as the result of the 
 Christian teaching. During last summer’s vacation two members 
 of the child’s family died, so when I returned, I went with one of the 
 teachers to visit the mother, taking her a little book about Christianity. 
 I had already given gospels to the mother at a previous mothers’ 
 meeting. I hear that the child afterwards told one of the teachers 
 whom he met on the street, that he couldn’t attend the kindergarten 
 any more because it was “Yaso Kyo” (Jesus Doctrine). They knew 
 it was Christian all the time, but I suspect that at the time of the 
 funerals, they came too much under the influence of the Buddhist 
 priests, and so were turned against us. 
 
 It will soon be the harvest thanksgiving time and we always make 
 the most of this opportunity to have the children especially taught 
 the joy of giving. The day before they are asked to bring vegetables, 
 fruit, or money or clothing for the poor. They gladly respond and come 
 
 The highest class. A drawing lesson 
 13 
 
with beaming faces the next morning bringing their gifts. After a 
 thanksgiving hymn and prayer and an appropriate story by one of 
 the teachers they return home. The gifts are then distributed to the 
 needy. Once they helped a poor, sick, old lady in the neighborhood. 
 Sometimes the things are given to the Salvation Army for distribution. 
 
 Now look, the children are all bowing and saying “Sayonara” 
 (good-by). They start for home, some walking and others being car- 
 ried on nurses’ backs. 
 
 And now you ask, “Does it pay?” I answer “A thousand times 
 Yes,” for there is no truer way into people’s hearts than through their 
 children. 
 
 We can always find a ready welcome in the homes of most of these 
 little ones, and we pray that the seed sown in these little hearts may 
 bring forth abundant fruit. There is proof from older kindergartens 
 where whole families have been gained for Christ through the children. 
 And why should it not be so, as Christ Himself made it clear that the 
 heart of a child is the fittest abiding place for the Holy Spirit? 
 
 Leila G. Kirtland. 
 
 Ai Rin Kindergarten, Okazaki, Japan, Sept. 24th, 1915. 
 
 I know a little girl whose name is Right and rightly named she is, 
 too, for she is usually in the right. Her father and mother thought so, 
 for she was the only child, and a great pet, especially with her father. 
 On snowy days they would bring her to the kindergarten in a baby 
 buggy, though she was six years old. She talked so much about what 
 she learned about Jesus that her father began coming to church and 
 soon became a most earnest Christian. He asked us to come to his 
 house every week and have a meeting for the neighbors, which we were 
 delighted to do. He did not have very much money, but he bought a 
 little organ so we could have nice music. He loved the songs so much 
 that one day Jesus said. He thought it would be nice to have this 
 father come up to heaven, where he could learn a great many beauti- 
 ful songs, and be ready for the mother and little Right when they came 
 up to heaven. He was sorry to leave his little girl, but he was glad 
 to go to Jesus. Now would you believe that, after he was gone, the 
 Budd. came and said to the mother that she must sell that organ and 
 buy an idol to pray to, in order to get the father out of suffering; but 
 the mother knew that he was already safe with Jesus, so she refused to 
 sell the organ. Please pray for this little girl, that she may always 
 be in the right road, led by the One who said, Suffer little children to 
 come unto me. Florence Patton. 
 
 14 
 
Kinjo Jo Gakko, Nagoya, Japan, October 18th, 1915. 
 
 I am glad to say that since writing this article the kindergarten 
 attendance has increased until now there are fifty names on the roll. 
 That is all the house can accommodate. If I could have a real 
 kindergarten building I could take many more. I have had and still 
 am having a hard time running the kindergarten since the “cut.” 
 I only receive twenty-five cents a month from each child as tuition, 
 and as there are three teachers I have to pay one of them and the care- 
 taker out of this fund besides the running expenses, repairs, etc. 
 The result is that at the end of each month there is a deficit. I am 
 meeting this as best I can out of my own pocket, but if it has to go on 
 much longer the strain will be too great for me to bear. I do not 
 want to have to close the kindergarten, but if I can not get the right 
 amount of appropriations I do not know what I shall do. I know that 
 times have been hard on account of the war and that you are straining 
 every nerve to carry on the work. I hear that things are improving 
 now and I hope that with the New Year’s appropriations there will be 
 no cause to “cut.” Leila G. Kirtland. 
 
 15