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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1921)
THE SUNDAY OREGpyjAN, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 27, 1921 JAPANESE WOMAN BRINGS 100-YARD PEACE PETITION Mrs. Kajo Yajima, Regarded as Most Influential Person of Sex in Nippon, Is Visitor in United States. ' t i - . . -V' , V ' Undenood.MY pNARRYINa a biff roll of paper . 100 yards long and bearing upon ' It 10,000 signatures of Japanese omen, an old woman bent with as owly mounted the iteps of the ft'hite House one day recently on her ay to visit President Harding. The president, busy with the lncl onts attending the opening1 of the 'mference for the limitation of rmamonts, besides his many other titles, took the time to errant her an itervlew and graciously to thank er for the petition she handed him. t the same time he assured her that othing- in connection with the open igr of the disarmament conference ad given him greater encouragement f the success of this momentous un dertaking- in the world's peace and a utter understanding between na- ons. There was good reason for the resident's graciousnesa to Madame ajl Yajima, his visitor, as, although f neither noble birth nor ancestry. is Is generally regacded as the reatest and most influential woman i the Japanese empire today. On all fades she Is known as the I Oman of the empire.' At the advanced age of 90 years Iris has undertaken the long trip om her native land across the Fa' if lo and the continent of America present her petition to President larding, and to do what she can luring the disarmament conference r the promotion of the peace of tie world, and there is not the jlightest doubt In the minds of those ho know her that her influence will le felt. History la Interesting;. Her history is most Interesting, Jhe was born of a respectable family, laving the "Samurai rank or the udal warrior class of Japan, orig fially retainers of a dalmlo or (imural chieftain. When quite young er parents contracted an unfor tunate marriage for her with a young Iian of intemperate habits. For years lie was obliged to work long hours, Iften until midnight, to support her- lf and her husband. This lncreas- lig toll produced eye trouble which suited in partial blndness. Finally J d of her worthless husband, in re- Ienge for her wasted years, she de rmined upon a fight with king al- iohol. When she made this resolve she ,-as almost entirely untutored. In liot, as she once remarked, she did lot even know the earth was round. .duration she decided was the first ulng she needed to make a success ful fight. After considerable dlffi- liilues she acquired this, and finally, f hen she was about 40 years of age, lie became herself a teacher, being Ine first of her sex to receive a teacher's certificate In Japan. From that day to this she has IiUght girls from 14 to 20 years old, elng one of the founders of the loshi Gakium Guild School for Girls, Okto. For her patriotic and hu- Iianitarlan services she was dec rated by the present emperor at the lime of his coronation, a most Lnusual distinction for a Japanese Ionian without title or rank. Established in her work as a Jeacher. she began her fight against bitemperance in Japan. She accom plished wonders in this direction and at present the head of the W. C. A. in her native land. Another ublic movement which has engaged er attention is In reference to social urlty. She has also taken a tie lendous interest in advancing the Iolitical rights of the women of the rient, by no means an easy road to ravel. Madame Yajima does not look 90 I oars old, and she certainly does not let it. Mie is a living example of low to be healthy and optimistic In Ixtreme old age. Her Interest In all le affairs of the day flappers, short ;rts, women smoking, prohibition. lijrh living costs, taxes and disar- mment, is keener than that of many 'omen half her age. "My present trip to this country lame about in this way. A year ago hen I retired as active head of the loshl Gakium Guild school the girls resented me with 2000 yen as a little est egg. At the time I thanked liiem but said I have no use for the loney at present. Keep it for me and iter I may call upon you for It IVell, this fall, wh-en I decided to lome to America, I determined to use Ihis money for the trip. Prerresa Held Marvelous. "But even with my expenses thus Provided for. my friends were very I oath to see me undertake the long uriiey. They urged that I was past ne time of Xfe when such a trip ould be safe for my health. To hlch I replied: 'To die for the cause t humanity, In America or Japan, Im trusting In God In every way lad I think nothing will happen to during the trip, but if I should' fall I do not wish my body to bo re turned to Japan, but to be buried where I die. It is useless to try to persuade me not to go. My mind is made up and if I had not enough money to pay my traveling expenses first class I would still make the voyage in the steerage. I am not going to America as an official repre sentatlve nor as a propagandist, but to pray with them for world peace for I have faith that the coming con ference wUl surely be the founda tlon of worldi peace and) I think that all those who believe in God and love peace ought to Join hands.' Of course it was but natural to ask Mrs. Yajima the same old' ques tion always asked foreigners, "What do you think of the United) States?" sh replied': "Yours Is a wonderful country, so young when compared to the oriental nations, yet so strong, virile and up to date. It Is most Interesting to watch your marvelous progress. You go ahead so fast and make so many changes in such a short space of time It makes ones head go round. You must understand this is my first visit to America. So I am able to make grand old comparisons as to how you grow and develop. "On my first visit to the United States, In 1906, I was received by resident Roosevelt at The White House and conveyed to him the grati tude of my country women for his kindly attitude to Japan in its need. Jseveral years later I attended the Women s Christian Temperance union convention in Boston and after this was over crossed the Atlantic and visited London." It was suggested to Mme. Yajima that as she had been among young gins an ner life that she naturally must have formed some decided opin ions regarding them, and should be In a position to compare the girls of this age with those of yesteryear. She was then asked for her opinion of the socalled American flappers and if they have such type In Japan. Ma dame does not speak English and all Questions had to be put to her through an interpreter, but it was easy to tell by the gleam in her eyes that the word "flapper" reached her without any translation. It was quite evident she knew exactly the type of girl referred to. "Oh! yes," she said. "We have the flapper type In Japan. The war has brought about this modern girl. We have all kinds of girls in Japan Just as you have in America. We have factory girls, girls who work in cot ton and silk factories, society girls and the stralghtfoward college and school miss who wears sensible American shoes, a kimono and a typical , American skirt, only very long. "I see more of the latter type," con tinued the Japanese teacher, "but I have, of course, observed the other type. She is a product of present conditions, but she will come out all right. In fact I don't thlk she Is by any means as bad as she is painted. Prohibition la Favored. "Our Japanese flappers are differ ent from the American variety in one particular, they do not wear knee length skirts. I would not say It was, however, because they are any more modest than American girls. In fact, If truth be told, I think It Is principally because they do not have such pretty limbs as their American r, jr.''- ' if- ' I x sisters, and that may account for her sitting on the floor with those mem bers of her body carefully tucked away." Mme. Yajima laughed at this re mark and then declared that many i of the Japanese women are anxious for prohibition, for there Is much In toxication in Japan. While they do not drink In public places, much "sake," or rice wine Is consumed in the homes. In many cases the women drink, although madame said she never heard of a Japanese woman being under the influence of liquor. "Do the girls smoke as much In Japan as they do over here?" she was asked. She laughed at the question as she rapidly replied: "Smoking In Japan Is old-fashioned. ' Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to smoke tiny pipes. ; Today the best women in Japan do ' not smoke. Some of the flappers smoke, but they do It on the -ly and not publicly. "Living costs are very high in Japan and there is a great question over the shortage of homes," declared Mme. Yajima. "There are few apart ments and house rents are tremen dously expensive. The people feel the war taxes greatly." But from a few questions it was made quite plain that prices have not by any means soared in Japan to j America's highest, for the Japanese, teacher said that $26 and (35 peri month Is a good salary for teachers j and stenographers and $50 a month was an average wage for a man. k Girls who work la cotton and silk factories receive from 25 to 35 cents a day and their board. And this Is a g-reat addition to pre-war prices. Speaking of her own health and remarkable agility, Mme. Yajima said: "I believe I am well and strong at my age because: (1) I was born of temperate parents who did not drink rice wine, despite the custom, yi) i led an active life when a girl, with Dlentv of outdoor recreation. (3) I had many responsibilities; when most I women were beginning to mints ui their health I did not have time to think of myself and worked all the time. (4) I never worry nor allow myself to become ruffled or agitated." Madame smiled serenely after sne made this remark as she fingered the petition which she was to present to President Harding. She was not ex cited, merely content that she was doing the right thing by the women of her land who had sent her to the Washington conference to help bring about the dawn of a new epoch ol higher and better understanding be tween nations. v- IG OPENING TO. THE PUBLIC TOMORROW (monday) EVENING AT 7:30 SHARP butty AS TIIK 'RK OF Two performances only tomorrow night starting 7:30 and 9:30 o'clock. CONTINUOUS DAILY THEREAFTER Shows Starting 11 A. M., 1, 3r 5, 7, 9 P. St Black Keeps Place in Paris Despite Dressmakers. French Women Rfnse to Bow to Decree ot Fnahlon. PARIS. Nov. 26. Black remains su preme in the fashion world of, Paris. Despite a severe onslaught by advocates of color, the supreme coun cil of style has been forced to retain the conventional black as the domi nant motif of all fall and winter modes, and there is every Indication j ,1? that colors, except in minor trimming effects, will not be able to challenge black until late spring. Adopted at a time when economy was the guiding idea of all feminine purchases, black has come to be re garded as the most becoming color. French women say it Is alone in lend ing itself to striking effects. Dressmakers quietly gathered to gether before fall and winter models were given to the world and taoltly agreed that colors should have a chance. The adoption of black was hurting them financially. One black , gown, carefully selected, took the ; place of two or three dresses of dif- j ferent colors. But the French women, who are In dicators of the newest developments style, said a very emphatic "No." The demand this fall was for black, and the big dressmakers bowed to the Inevitable. Crepe Moroccan, velvetine and perllalne are the most popular materials. The corset makers, however, have been slightly more successful in their efforts to bring the corset back into its own. Dressmakers are insisting that corsets are now necessary to give he "uncorseted look." This propa ganda has succeeded in some in stances, but most French women hav ing fought and won their freedom. are loath. In the language of a fa mous French actress, "to jail their bodies again." There. are four definite features of the rail ana winter modes: a very ong waist line, longer circular Bkirts Ith full sides, eccentric sleeves of gay colors and the ramous .Bateau neck line. Brick red has been used extensively as trimming, and some gTeen steel ornaments for hats, purses, dresses and even shoes are the newest thing n novelties. Door knobs and nail head effects are used In making girdles. In the case of shoes the usual order of things has been reversed and the smartest hoes in Paris are "Knickerbocker" shoes, with large steel buckles. These shoes look more like Amer ican shoes than anything ever before worn by French women, although the French last is retained. The short. tubby toe has disappeared in styl ish French footwear. Black again dominates In hats, felt being the best liked material. Crowns are much higher and the ran hats re so big that they Interfere with anclng. Smaller hats will be worn withrfur coats later in the season. Circular earrings, usually a circle of Jet or ebony within a larger circle, re worn by the best dressed women this fall. Novelty shops cannot make them fast enough. Some women wear very large ones, almost cannibalistic effect. Gay color has Its only opportunity evening gowns for young girls. These are made in the brightest of colors, but the evening dresses worn by their mothers and older relatives re black. The empire period has given the Inspiration for the youth ful evening dresses this year, making wearers look like venerated ances tors. The skirts are large and full, with hips extended. it' v h ' iv v K - -. . . Mi I -.' i i j lb r fa t fi ! -' :- l ltl h l THE MOST : : : tl'Vt' J ' ' BEAUTIFl'l ! lhlJt---ti' LOVE W I I'-"'' . r ' ' - it STORY m ; r-.ji - y lb:; ' mS-- j -h'Wlf VI 5 alii 1 . ak r. . :, x .-x k v .. v s j yrii-1 tti'.d n j tts ny f . i ifi tA III y - - SEE! THE FAMOUS CHARIOT RACES. Ten dashing Chariots drawn by forty blooded Arabian horses. Being the vivid story of the love romance of the world's most beautiful woman. SPECIAL MUSIC BY THE LARGE Blue Mouse Symphonic Orchestra Lee Cullen Bryant Conductor The most superbly beautiful and the most thrill ing screen spectacle of the age. PRICES MATINEES 35c, 50c, 75c These Prices EVENINGS 50c, 75c Include the Children (any time) 20c War Tax. WASHINGTON AT ELEVENTH Trd Baron, who will direct young; prople'a orrheatra In concert at the Liberty every night thla week. DAY AND JMGHT ALIKE Long Sunlight Periods Take Away All Sense of Time. OTTAWA. Ont. Residents of the Fort Norman oil fields, newly dis covered in the remote northwest of Canada along the Mackenzie river, forget whether It Is day or night. This is the result of the long periods of daylight. It was brought out In an Incident related by O. S. Flnnie of the Canadian department of the interior, who has recently returned from Fort Norman. On one occasion cm his trip, a native accosted Mr. Flnnie, asking the time of the day. "It's 11 o'clock," was the reply. "Day or night?" Inquired the native, with a languid glance at the sun which had been shining continually for days. Mr. Flnnie explained that the long sunlight periods apparently take away from the natives all sense of time and they eat when they are hungry and sleep when they want to without reference to what else where are night hours. Vegetables grow exceptionally well In the far north says Mr. Flnnie, who attributes this to the long days. Po tatoes, turnips, celery and ordinary vegetables yield excellent crops. GALLI-GURCI OPENS SEASON AT METROPOLITAN THEATER Crtwd Greets Soprano With Ovation Selection Declared to Prove Resourcefulness of Gatti-Casazza. N' BT EMILIE FRANCES BAUER. EW YORK, Nov. 28. Frenzied ovations were tendered, to Ame nta Galll-Curci "Monday night. when the opening of the Metropolitan opera season marked the twelfth year under Giulio Gatti-Casazza, who has never failed to keep up the highest standards of brilliancy. The selection cf this Italian soprano was another example of the resourcefulness of the clever impresario. He had an un happy thing to cope with after the loss of the popular idol Caruso, who had for 14 consecutive years opened the season. For a proper-vehicle In which to present Mme. Galll-Curcl, doubtless the greatest living example of the Italian coloraturn singing, Mr. Gatti-Casazza staged "La Traviata" entirely In regard to the"costumes and style of the soprano. Therefore It was a totally new "Traviata" in coloring, scenery and In every 'detail of stagework. The audience filled every niche of the vast auditorium. Joseph Urban gave of his best to match the dazzling Callot costumes of Mme. Galll-Curci ,who was resplend ent in pastel shades of orchid, green and rose, and whose reception " must have touched her deeply even before the curtain fell upon her first act. But the climax was reached in the "Sempre Libera" and at the fall of the curtain there was a veritable riot. "Ah fors'e lul" was another high light in the performance and in the second act with Germont Senior Galll-Curci accomplished some of the finest work of the night In co-operation with thai great artist De Luca, whose Germont was altogether admirable. Upon Glgli, who was In a difficult position, the public showered its hearty apprecia tion of the beauty of his voice and his charm In Impersonating Alfredo, and for his sympathetic support, the prima donna owed him much. Her voice sounded as clear and penetrat ing from that stage as it did on the more Intimate stage of the Manhat tan and Infinitely better than at the Lexington. It is easy to predict that Mme. Galll-Curci will have a series of triumphs at the Metropolitan as she has had everywhere in America she has been heard In concert or opera. The rest of her support Monday night Included Mmes. Berat and Egener, MM. Bada, . Plcco, Laurent!, Ananian and the ballet leaders which included Mmes. Galli and Rudolph and Mr. Bon figllo. Roberto Moranzonl conducted with spirit and renewed interest In the Verdi opera. Mme. Galll-Curcl is announced for a second performance In the opening week Thursday night when she is to ring "Lucia" with MM. Gigli. Danise, Mardones, Baba and Audisio, G. Papl conducting. There were many new box holders and subscribers Monday night and It It, safe to say that the subscription of the entire season is as heavy as any that the Metropolitan has enjoyed during these past years, and Judg ing from the brilliancy, the crowd and the general excitmeent of tho opening night, the Metropolitan will uphold its standards of the past and create new ones in many directions. For the first Sunday night concert "Cavallerla Rustlcana" and "Pagliac cl" will be sung In concert form, the former by Mmes. Peralta. Arden and Perinl, MM. Kingston and Chalmers, the latter by Marie Sundelius, MM. Crimi, Danise, Meader and Laurenti, Mr. Bamboschek conducting the Mas cagnl opera and Mr. Moranzonl the Leoncavallo. .. Never was there anything more characteristic of Italy and Italians than the rearing in honor of General Diaz a splendid statue In Lincoln Square of Dante. Needless to say that the great Italian commander who has honored America with his pres ence was more deeply touched by a thought of this kind than had it been bis own statue raised on the square made sacred by the name of Amer ica's supremr Idol. Abraham Lincoln. Institute. 'In weight, design and freedom," says Dr. Fisk, "the present styles for women are unquestionably the best ever, In the Interest of wom en's health. There la good skin train ing In their flimsy, porous clothing, and they do not court colds, as men do, by bplnR nvrolnthd. Thos wh advocatetd the longer, tighter skirts may not know that flat ft-et are pri marily due to weak lrxs anil not weak feet. Shorter skirts ami rl--ssi's rl"' these muscles neeile-' x will only discard the pointed shoe, their nether extrenn. fine rbnnee to h'rnme Vrii..- Short Skirts Advocated. NEW YORK. From a hygienic point of view women's styles are bet ter today than they have ever been, acoording to Dr. Eugene Lyman Flsk, medical director of the life extension S5S I iRdrprHdr.t lj- Owarfia0aaMSasJNiarpadeaClr Oprralvd iTK tV (.. , . mSKS I a i.wk g vT B M "XH K4 1 4 O'clock) ll THK J A FT .. I 1 HI.I.OVIJ A 4 h n M-rn m l'sh NOV ow COME! JAMES KIRKW00D IN "THE GREAT IMPERSONATION The atory of n doable Impersonation that will enthrall, mystify, anrprlae and startle yon! One of 4he moat absorb ing tales of love and adventure ever woven Into drama. ADDED ATTRACTION LARRY SEMON "THE RENT COLLECTOR" MUTT AND JEFF PA THE NEWS 19 f ! .. v.. ,v A omission to Iras special PROGKAH SUNDAY 2Rc, MONDAY 20e ,'H-.i.W.'A i 1 Special Programme! Vaudeville and Pictures f E.1 I !.:' :''"'- . 1 A. Li "The Greater Profit" Five Reels of Melodrama Interwoven With Golden Romance "YENDYS" Famous Chinese Conjurer and Sleight of Hand Man NOW PLAYING WnL - -tjbW t-W-t. tT.. :ihVIia1-'-iiATt- JK ' Amateur Night Every Friday "The Ideal Gift," Admission Books, Now on Sale.