The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-05-18

Jap. 1t would nave been just my
luck to have been a woman, and
women in that country are no ac-
count at all. l don't mind being a
woman here. Indeed, I'd rather
than not, because women folks do
certainly have some advantages the
sterner sect don't. But in Japan
the tables are turned. Women folks
don't amount to a row of pins
hardly one pin, let alonea row. A
woman has always to walk few
steps behind her husband to adver-
tise the fact that she is his inferior.
May be you think you'd do without
a husband, then, and be an old
maid. But old maids don't appear
to have any showing at all there.
They seem to be abolished by law,
or something of the kind, | don't
Just understand what. A woman
can't eat at the same table with her
husband, or even at the same time.
She has to wait until he's through
and take her vittals cold. Her
husband is always dreadfully asha-
med of her and never mentions her
if he can help it. If he ever has
to introduce her anywhere he apol-
ogizes real polite like and says: II
hope you'll excuse me for introduce
ing my fool of wife e"-and "fool'
in Japanese means a heap worse
than it does in English. Though its
enough of an afliction in English,
goodness knows! If Susan B. An
thony and her clique of woman's
Fighters could only hear how those
heathens treat their women folks
they'd certainly look upon Japan
as fresh fields. / had the greatest
notion to write Susan aboutit, urg-
ing of her to sail over and settle
matters there now that she'd got
things pretty we'll Strengthened out
in this country. For with women
voting out west, and settin' on ju-
ries, and being lawyers and what
not, L think this country could
spare her spell, and welcome. 1t
was surely worth fully 50 cents not
to be a japanese woman, and | was
right glad l had done the square
thing and concluded to give accord
ing to my blessings.
But when | heard how their houses
were furnished was taken all aback.
They amt furnished at all. You
I have to sit on the floor, and sleep
on the floor, and use wooden pill
low, which would be dreadful hard
on my roomytiz. Specially in win
ter weather it would be apt to lay
me up entirely. 1t did seem it was
worth a good deal more than 50
cents to escape the roomytiz, and
I'd be willing to give dollar any
day to have some furniture in the
house, and not have to always sit
on the floor. Meantime the little
verse kept Fostering me with
"What shall render to my God
For all His gifts to me?"
[ tried hard not to think about 1t,
because l plainly see if that woman
kept on talking and l had to tally
up my blessings on hard cash
basis, I'd be a financial wreck an
hour from hence. Then there was
that command to give according as
the Lord had blessed kept rising
up in my mind in spite of me. So
for peace sake | agreed with myself
to give $3.50. Fifty cents for not
being born Jap, and a dollar for
being blessed with furniture and
not having to sit on the floor. 1t
was worth it. [ felt l had got off
cheap at that.
!. She continued on to relate about
their vittals. They don't use meat,
owing to their belief in the trans
migration of your soul. They be-
lieve when man dies his soul, in
stead of going to heaven or else
where, locates in COW, or horse or
other beast. Now see how that doc
trine operates. If you should kill
your COW for beef you couldn't eat
morsel, not even the tenderest bit
of steak in the whole carcass, not
knowing but what that cow was the
residence of your grandfather, OF
uncle, or some other near relative.
| didn't mind the meat doctrine
so much because | could manage
to get along without it after fash.
ion, provided the butter was good
But my hopes were blasted by the
information that they didn't use
either butter or milk or cheese. |
knew that would have broken me
clear up. never could have stood
it if l had been born Jap.
couldn't rate the blessing of good
yellow butter, and rich thick cream
for coffee and oatmeal in the morn
ing at less than Is cents. 1t seemed
rather small at such price, but the
way that blessing bill was run up
was more than Icould stand. though
!. it was nothing but fair that | shoulo
try to pay it. You see I'd never
thought before it being the Chris
tian religion which gave US comfor
and enabled US women folks te
stand side by side with our brothers
|