Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-05-20
WHOLE NO. 2744.
WOMEN In Japan.

AS you take an interest in the "fair sex,
you will expect some description Of the beau
ties OF Japan. The women Of condition never
make visits Except the mother to a married
daughter;) they have no assembagos of their
"dear five hundred friends !" nor do they as
semble at the tea-tabe, to hold high courts
Of censure on the manners and morals of
their friends. They 90 out once or twice
year to visit some celebrated temple, but
their ordinary devotions are paid at a shrine
within their houses, or at pretty Mia erected
within the enclosure Of their grounds The
females Of the laboring classes perform some
portion Of outdoor labor, but they are not
overworked. as in China and some other parts
OF Asia. Polygamy obtains. G., man
may have any number of second wives"
When a female is selected as a first wife.
she prepares for her "change of condition"
by smearing her teeth with horrid mixture.
which not only blackens them forever, but
also destroys portion of the gums, and the
lips sometimes remain permanently swollen.
She next shaves her eyebrows, and extermin-
ates her eye;ashes. and changes the fashion
Of her hair. She has now only to bring the
knot of her girde round 10 the front. and all
the world knows that she is first wife. the
commander-in-chief Of all the "second wives"
and the undisputed proprietress Of all the
children born in the house. The last priv
ilege reminds one of similar right exercised
by the wives of Abraham Rachel and Leah.
The second wives do not perform any Of
these absurd actions they are By far the best
looking in the eyes of the To-jin, or foreign
ers. lady in full dress--i. e., made up for
mischief--is worth describing Her face is
thickly covered with rice flour, on which
rouge-real rouge is prettily placed, while
her lips are brought to that Just violet tinge
that drives the japanese lover even to making
poetry; her robes are numerous and clumsy,
and her girdle is so vast in its amplitude, that
It would make robe for any ordinary wo-
man; her head is bristling with metal orna-
ments that look like the grandfathers of the
tuning-forks; her really pretty feet are pro-
tected by neat straw sandals when she walks
she minces her steps as though her legs were
tied together at the knees.
Did ever tell you Of the description a
young Malay Tumangong, of Samatra, once
gave me of a young girl with whom he was
in love No. Then you shall have it now
"Tuan," said he, "Tuan, she is high bosomed
and moon-faced; she has mole on her cheek
like spot Of ambergris her lips are like the
new-cut she'll Of the mangosteen her teeth
are whittier than the chamhaka flower her
breath makes the Glove tree die with envy
her hair is blacker than the night of separa-
ton to the distracted lover her form IS like
branch of willow, and as she walks her
hips move from side to side -
In families of the rank of the governors of
Nagasaki, the bride is portoned with twelve
robes, namely, a blue robe for the first month,
embroidered with fir trees or bamboos; a sea
green robe for the second month, with cherry
flowers and buttercups a robe of light red
for the third MONTH with willows and cherry
trees robe of pearl color for the fourth
month, embroidered with cuckoo, and small
spots representing his lands robe of faint
yellow for the fifth month. with waves and
sword grass; a robe of bright orange for the
sixth month, embroidered with melons and
an impetuous torrent-the rainy season fall
ing in this and two previous months; white
robe for the seventh month, with hiki flow
cas-, white and purple; red robe for the
eighth month, sprinkled with sloe leaves a
violet robe for the ninth month, embroidered
with flowers of chrysanthemum indicum, a
very splendid flower an olive colored robe
for the tenth month, with representations of
a robe and ears Of rice cut off; black robe
for the eleventh month, embroidered with en-
blems Of ice and icces; a purple robe for
the twelfth month, embroidered with emblems
of snow. Beyond some personal outfit of
this sort, it is said not TO be the custom to
portion daughters. Letter of Consul Harris.