Morning journal and courier., 1881-07-12
Woman i'm Japan.

 The western people are invariably aggriev- ed to see the inferior state of women in Asi- atic countries, and heartily sympathize with 1 them in their condition of total subiection l under the despotic hands of family tyrants 1 To this the Japanese ladies are an exception; 1 they are never reduced to the same degree as l in other Asiatic countries. They are un- doubtedly treated as the gentler sex, and also with respect and considerate care. In this, as in so many other things, we totally differ from the Chinese. We see them treated with affection and deference in fact, in Ja- pan as in America, the ladies rule the house. They are allowed greater freedom, and have l more dignity and self-confdence than any other eastern ladies; yet 1t is true that Japanese lady is deprived of the privilege of receiving her young male friends in such an unrestricted manner as is allowed in this country; nor is, without chaperon, permit
 ted to indulge in the pleasures of strolling or
 to share the amusement of theatre going with
 him with whom she may stand on terms of
 friendship, or of more tender relation We
 scarcely hear, in any Japanese family, such a
 free expression of affection as is tolerated in this country in fact, it is there consid- cred too delicate an affair to speak of or demonstrate in the presence of parents or friends, if not a violation of the propriety of social etiquette. We can easily infer from these facts that marriage in Japan is seldom the fruit of mutual love and admiration. The matrimonial union Is wholly to be arranged and settled by the hands of parents, and the proposed husband and wife have to take each other either for better or for worse upon the judgment of others. But it is amazing to find that there are no mofe unhappy couples in Japan than there are in this country, where marriage is the sweet result of long acquaint- ance and mutual love-
 Through the influence of Confucianism and Buddhism, obedience has been inculcated as the chief and most amiable virtue of la dies and undoubtedly this prevailing notion has prevented them from securing position of equality with men. Happily, or shall say unhappily, for us men, our wives have hardly ever attained such an ascendency as to henpeck their husbands, custom often discoverable among the so-called civilized countries. In tracing the history of any nation, we invariably seem to come across an age in which the female sex was more or less brought under subjection. The ancient Teu- tonic race is said, even during it's barbarous times to have regarded the gentler sex with the greatest respect and courtesy; but, if we turn to the common law of England, we find the assertion quite inconsistent with it. Un- fortunately for them, Japanese women have thus far been deprived of many rights, and also of the means of eleyating themselves but to-day the education of our girls is re- ceiving the greatest attention from our edu- cational department. The prospect is cheer ing, and it may safely be predicted that, at no distant day, our scholastic institutions will produce myriads of schoolmarms. that pleasing feature of the NewEngland landscape. Japanese young ladies are generally ad- mired by foreigners as pleasing and graceful in their department, and for their gentleness, neatness and good taste in dress. As far as my recollection goes, can say this much, that they are generally demure and diffdent in society, and apparently fall short of such an activity and ease of manner as is shown by American young ladies' Our misses neither reduce the size of their feet, like the Chinese, nor contract their waists, what is given to them, that is, by piercing through the ears, 8 custom prevalent almost both in the civilized countries of Europ@and America, and the half-civilized of Asia. Among our married women it has been the custom to shave of the eyebrows and to blacken the teeth This invariably attracts the attention of strangers, and is not infrequently ridiculed as 8 most singular and unnatural custom. Every country has it's own customs.-and pe- culiarities, and we doubt if those ladies who are inclined to condemn the custom are nor mally free from the shade of any singular fashions and peculiarities attendant upon their persons. We have common saving 's Correct yourself before you criticise oth- CTS. We gladly state that our married women are sensible enough to perceive the shortcomings in the custom above alluded to, and it is now noticeable how rapidly it is disappearing.