JAPAN: Pagan Deeds

In peace times such good deeds as 'picking up women who faint in the street" and "seeing that the trains are kept clean'' are done by 2,000,000 maidenly members of the All-Japan Young Women's Association, pagan.

Recently the A. J. Y. W. A. decided that new and appropriate good deeds would be "comforting our brave soldiers in Manchuria." Seven socialite maidens were picked out of the 2,000,000 and solemnly blessed by a Shinto priest (see cut). Last week, the socialite Misses Tsuneyo Ishii, Fumiko Yamaguchi, Sakiko Yendo, Toshiko Odai. Masako Aoyagi and Chisato and Kijo Chiba were busy in Manchuria, comforting.

Unlike the U. S. actresses who comforted the A. E. F. in France with whoopee, Japan's modest seven neither danced nor sang last week. Kissing in any case is repulsive to Japanese. Carrying little bags they pattered among the troops, chaperoned by Mrs. Fusako Yamawaki and Director Matsuhei Noda of the A. J. Y. W. A. (left and right centre in cut). Out of the little bags they took and presented to Japan's brave soldiers large tubes of tooth paste, larger tubes of shaving cream.