JAPAN’S NEXT MIKADO

Evening Star, Issue 26067, 3 April 1947, Page 8

JAPAN’S NEXT MIKADO

PUPIL OF AMERICAN'WOMAN PRINCE HAS CONSIDERABLE TALENT The chubby litlle boy who" is scheduled to inherit the throne of Japan—if there still is a throne atthat time—has won the “genuine affection” of his American teacher. Mrs Elizabeth Gray Vining Has bhen on the job just two months. The first American and first woman ever to instruct a member of the Japanese irh-" perial family said in an interview that she found considerable talent, in little Crown Prince Akihito. ■ SCHOOLROOM CHILLY. The heir apparent to the Japanese Crown observed his fourteenth birthday December 23. He is 13, by the American system, but. the Japanese count the date'of birth as the first birthday. As one of the Prince’s three English tutors, Mrs Vining meets him twice a week in the chilly, barren schoolroom at Kogane, site of the new peers’ school, several miles outside Tokio. She also teaches English to 127 other sons and daughters of Japan’s nobility, and says these youngsters seem much the same as children in other lands Mrs Vining expects in time to give her students the full background of American history and customs, and the principles .'of democracy which will alter radically their once-predestined lives. Although she avoids comparisons, it is apparent that she regards the Crown Prince as her star pupil, but he had to earn that distinction without any special privileges because of rank. SENSE OF HUMOUR. “ 1 am genuinely fond of him,” she says simply. “He is alert, intent, and has a good approach to his studies. He also has a sense of humour.” Enthusiastic and intent towards her job, Mrs Vining insists that she .is no modern “ Anna of Siam.” Referring to that famous English tutor of another generation and kingdom, she says: “ The circumstances are entirely different and so are The people; ” When Mrs Vining arrived in Yoko. hama in mid-October, Japanese officials failed to meet her and she had to get an American friend to give her a ride to Tokio. Since then, however' she says she has been treated “ wonderfully.” There has been no evidence of un-

friendliness by other teachers^' nor, .she says, has there been any resentment by her boy pupils,, despite their 1 early training in the belief that :W.omen were incompetent. LIVES NEAR TOKIO. The tall widow left her. home in Germantown, Philadelphia, , on--three weeks’ notice. Her new home is a comfortable two-story stuccoed’ house in the Tokio' suburbs. The Japanese ‘Government • supplies her, with-household servants,, a secretary,, and an automobile. ~ - The occidental-style'house, once occupied by; an official'! of: the imperial household j ministry, is. Jone -of a -group which escaped American.; bombing. ; For her high-born pupils, Mrs: Vining has a school which! is\ barely furnished and which has become increasingly cold as winter, advances.: “ The . children have an j amazing resistance,” she says, “Some, days I have been . quite‘chilly v even- with extra clothing, but-the Grown Prince apd the others don’t.seem to ininid.” For one hour a week Akihito is a member of (Mrs Mining’s regular Eng-lish-language class, which-she says i» conducted along entirely democratic lines;” For an additional hour .she tutors the Prince privately. They converse entirely in English, ’which‘she says necessarily is still “ quite elementary.” ’ ’ 1 ” STUDY LINCOLN. Even so," Akihito is more advanced than his fellow-pupils as a result qf his extra hour’s instruction—-and the tutoring he gets from an Englishman and an English-speaking Japanese to broaden his “ feel ” forthe: language. ■Mrs Vining says all her students are particularly interested in picture hooka which she brought from America. At present they' are learning the English captions under a children’s story of Lincoln. . Akihito lives in a special house provided for him at-the school,-but spends most of his time- in -the dormitory, where he and the other boys are. fed; “I can see no special .privileges given to him by the other students,” she says. “ The Crown Prince' joins the other boys in their games, and I think he is quite skilful in tennis and table tennis.” - ■ " '