56 SECRETS OF JAPAN
those who live in cities and towns, where there are facilities for
continuing lessons in music, drawing, dressmaking, tea ceremony,
flower arrangement, domestic science, etc But as to girls who are
in the country, devoid of these facilities, woe betide them ' Three
courses are open to them (i) they are hastily married off (2)
they are consigned to household drudgeiy (3) they live in petulant
discontent Only in rare instances have girls returning to their
country homes after years of study in a town or city shown enough
initiative to start some social work in their communities While
the educational institutions, including the university, are not cal
culaced to encourage independent thinking, one cannot expect young
women to be pioneers in any enterprise
It is a matter beyond controversy that the intellectual advancement
of woman will show marked progress in the near future, otheiwise
what is the good of general education ? One may even say that her
intelligence has made progress in spite of, rather than because of,
the educational system that did not aim at the raising of her status
The emancipation of the fair sex has been an unlocked for by
product of the educational system It came as a surprise and to many
not a pleasant one, either
At this point, it seems proper and fitting to pay a tribute to the part
played by Christian missions in the cause of female education
What a Contrast I
While the whole of India has not more than 15 universities, Tokyo
city alone has 16 universities, and in all Japan there are 46 universities
Out of them only 17 are State Universities, 5 managed by public
bodies and the rest are private organizations In the year 1931, the
number of students at the 46 Universities stood at 69,666 In India
in 1929 30, the number was 64,830
Remember India s population is nearly 5 times that of Japan
While the Universities aim on the one hand at cultivating mental
faculties to a higher academic level so that the graduates may be fit