BEAUMONTERS RESPONDED GENEROUSLY TO JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
By Judith Linsley
On September 1, 1923, a huge earthquake devastated Japan, virtually destroying the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, as well as much of the surrounding countryside. The death toll surpassed 140,000, and the monetary damage was estimated at one billion U.S. dollars at the time.
The international Red Cross instituted a worldwide appeal for donations, spearheaded in each town by local Red Cross boards.
In Beaumont, the Red Cross quota was set at $2500. On September 12, the local board met and reported that $1400 had already been raised, $69 of which was contributed by Beaumont's school children. The board announced that the remainder would be forthcoming from local groups rather than a "personal canvass" of local membership.
A number of organizations planned benefit programs for earthquake victims. The First Methodist Church put on a musicale, a popular early twentieth-century musical program. Performers, usually local, would present vocal and instrumental numbers, often interspersed with poetry or essay readings. Musicales often benefited worthy causes.
For "An Hour in Old Japan," at the First Methodist Church, Beaumont musicians dressed as Japanese ladies and gentlemen presented "a program of Japanese music and readings" in the church auditorium. Local stores furnished costumes and props. Admission was free, but contributions to the Japanese relief fund were encouraged.
The Beaumont Enterprise described the event as "one of the most artistic musicales ever given in this city." "Bright lights were softened by Japanese parasols and suspended from chandeliers…rare Japanese embroideries, screens and lamps made an Oriental setting of beauty in which the local artists clad in gorgeous and colorful Japanese kimonos presented numbers suggestive of the Japanese."
Local music educator Gladys Harned directed the production and played violin, while her sister Hazel provided piano accompaniment. With a third sister, Jewell, they comprised Beaumont's Harned Studio, providing expert instruction to aspiring musicians. Vocal numbers included "Japanese Moon," "Un Bel Di," from "Madam Butterfly," "A Wandering Minstrel" from "The Mikado," and the Japanese national hymn. A reporter described the latter as "weirdly beautiful" and said that the "spirit of reverence expressed in a deep silence showed a mark of appreciation far more than any amount of applause."
The Shrine Circus, in town for the week, declared that receipts from its final performance, usually the best attended, would be shared with the Beaumont Red Cross. A Shrine Circus employee recalled being in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and said that he could easily sympathize with the Japanese. The newspaper quoted him as saying, "I hope the Red Cross gets a goodly sum next Saturday night."
That performance also honored children from the Beaumont Day Nursery. The Day Nursery had recently been combined with the Volunteers of America home, and residents of the larger facility enjoyed a "big party" on the circus' last night.
Beaumont response to the 1923 Japanese relief effort showed the community's readiness to help those in need, even if they're halfway around the world-an enduring American tradition.
From http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-japan-earthquake-of-1923-1764539/?no-ist; Beaumont Enterprise, September 12, 14, 15, 17, 1923.