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to the "age of wisdom."
I remember one of my grandmothers, at age 55. In those days, when I was
probably
five or six years old, all women wore hats outside. Young women had rather
decorative
hats, with artificial roses, or objects of bright colors, and with a
sophisticated
STYLE. Hats were not intended to cover or keep the head warm--but to be an
added
DECORATION. By 55 or maybe younger, all women wore "old ladies' bonnets." They
were
shaped like an old covered wagon and were always black, as were their clothes.
They
dressed in the style in which all "old women" dressed. By their dress, as well
as
their manner, they proclaimed loudly "I am OLD. I expect to die right away. My
days
of usefulness are over."
But times did change. Although I remember that both my grandmothers wore
old
ladies' bonnets, and dressed like old women, my mother did not. My mother was
95 1/2
when she died--and right up to the day of her death, in her nineties, she
dressed like
a younger woman, or at least like a middle-aged woman. Many of our readers will
remember her. And at age 95 she was still happy, jolly, and had a good sense of
humor.
Somehow, between the generation of her mother, and her own generation,
women had
at last begun to dispose of the custom of wearing "old ladies' bonnets" and
somber
and unattractive clothes.
Back to what I started. There must have been 250 or 300 or more at the
banquet
last night. It was held in a large banquet room of the Imperial Hotel. This is
a
large hotel with several private dining rooms. Many of the eight Congressmen
who
call themselves my Japanese sons were there. They are members of the Diet--the
Japanese Congress or Parliament. The speakers' table seated at least a dozen.
Some
of them spoke briefly, and stood, one at a time, to be introduced. All others,
including wives, were seated at many round tables--ten or twelve seated at each
table.
All who spoke were saying complimentary things about me. During the
evening a
few other members of the Japanese Diet said they wanted to be counted as one of
my
"Japanese sons," all of whom are important Diet members--the number of my
"Japanese
sons" in the Diet is now TWELVE.