ABSTRACT
The early life of Tsuda Ume, who was born on Jan. 1, 1865, reflects Japan’s serious, and sometimes impulsive, intentions to reform. Tsuda made history in 1871, when, as a 6-year-old child, she was sent by the government with four other young girls to get an American education. The vague idea was to raise the girls in America for 10 years and then return them to Japan to serve as models for Japanese women, probably as teachers. Tsuda’s story has been revived recently by the discovery of her letters in the attic of Tsuda College, which she founded in 1900. The vivid, diarylike letters, written after her return to Japan in 1882, were found three years ago in a dilapidated trunk under the eaves, but the college kept the discovery secret until the administration knew exactly what the old chest contained. The unusual experiment in international education began almost haphazardly.
