The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-19
HOW THEY WE'D IN JAPAN.
Rev. I. MaSSaO Describes the Japan
csc Matrimonial Customs.

The Affair is Arranged by the Father
and the Young Mantle Prospee-
tive Bridegroom's Peep at His Bride
From the Tea Garden Usually Set
ties the Matter-Japan a Great Coun-
try for Grass widows But no Old
Maids There.
! On account Of the bad weather there
was only small congregation at Trinity
church yesterday morning TO hear Rev.
( 7. Massao upon 1.-The Needs and Success of
the Missionary Work in Japan" The dis
( course would have proved interesting to a
much larger audience.
Mr.. Massao has been in this country
three years. He is preparing himself at
Vanderbilt University for work as mis-
sionary in Japan. His discourse yester-
day morning was largely devoted to dis
cussion of the condition of the women of
Japan, which he pictures as very low in
deed. The condition he attributes chiefly
| to the teachings of Confucius and Budd-
hism, both of which are largely followed
in Japan.
There it class of literary people"
said Mr.. Massao "who love to portray
| the picturesque side Of oriental life. Sir
! Edwin Arnold is the leader of this class.
These writers give entirely erroneous
ideas of oriental life and the conditions of
society which prevail there.
CoNFUoIANIsM AT THE BOTTOM OF 1T.
1.-THE great fundamental doctrine of
| Confucianism,n said Mr.. Massao. sis the
| obedience of women to men, sometimes
described as flial obedience. The phrase
IS inadequate. Confucius says to the son:
| Thou shalt obey the will Of thy father
absolutely To the wife Thou shalt
obey the will of thy husband absolutely
| 10 the widow: Thou shalt obey the will
of thy eldest son absolutely The abso-
! Lutte obedience of women to men is the
foundation of Confucianism. Without
this doctrine it is nothing. The result
is, that the women of Japan have lost
| their self-respect. When the women of a
country have lost that then the country
is ready for destruction, and this appears
to be the unhappy state Of Japan to-day.
There are no perpetual young ladies
| in Japan. mean we have no old maids
there. This is the bright side of Con-
! fucianism. The dark side is that
there are so many young widows there,
| grass widows. The reason Of this is be-
cause the fathers obey the mandate of
Confucius to marry their daughters of as
soon as they arrive alta marriagea BILE age.
The manner of courtship is little differ
emit from what 1t is in America.
The father courts the young man in
Japan.
MARRYING OFF A DAUGHTER.
"When his daughter arrives at mar
riageable age he selects a promising young
man, and, going to him, says: L have a
daughter to give away Mark the use
of the word give He has daughter to
| give away just as he might give away q
horse or cow or a cat or dog, for
which he has no use. The young man
may have been expecting the proposition
of the father, but nevertheless he pre-
tends great surprise. He refuses and
says he has no use for the girl. The
father then proposes to the young man
that he come and hide In the tea garden
at a certain hour of the night,
where he might look through
The father engages to have the young
lady where the young man can get a good
look, so he may form an opinion of her.
The young man does as the father in
structs him and goes into the tea garden.
There are no window glasses In Japanese
houses. We use paper instead. The
| young man pokes his finger through the
paper screen and makes hole, through
which he gazes at his prospective BRIDE
and father-in-law. He remains perhaps
an hour or two.
WHAT THE GROOM THINKS.
"The next morning the father calls
! upon the young man and asks him how he
likes his daughter. The young man may
| admit that she is beautiful, and he may
not. Let us say that he does. He ac-
| knowledges that he likes her looks well
| enough, but makes other objections He
declares that he knows nothing a bout her
| IA IN tb.,r 81
| ments, and the young man finally agrees
| to take her on trial. A day is set for the
marriage The father goes home, and
cOntides the secret to his wife. The secret
is between them, and the young lady, the
party most interested is kept in igno-
rance.
1.-The mother goes ahead with the brides
trousscau, but nothing is said to the girl
On the morning of the marriage day the
father calls the daughter to him and in
forms her that she is about to be married.
| OF course, the girl protests and declares
that she knows nothing about the man
she is ordered to marry. Then it is that
the confucian doctrine of absolute obed-
fence comes into play. The girl has no
other choice but to obey. Her only al
Tentative Is to run away or to commit
suicide.
THE BRIDES HOME LEAVING.
! me uldTTldkS ldh6S pace al the mouse
of the groom. Ii he has no house his
friends club together and buy him one.
| The bride is taken there in a jinriksha.
a two-wheeled carriage drawn by men.
AS she leaves her home her relatives
gather around the door and throw hand
! fuls of parched peas after her AS they
do this they chant q song which means,
| Interpreted, that may heaven and earth
be destroyed and plrched peas bloom
again before she returns to her fathers
house. This is done to save her family
from the disgrace OF divorce
Mr.. MassaO said that the bride has to
undergo some changes before the mar
| riage ceremony takes place She changes
| the style of dressing her hair. shaves her
| eyebrows and blackens her teeth This
is done TO distinguish q married woman
from a single woman.
1T is sometimes very difficult in this
country to distinguish between married
and single women said MIR Massao,
land occasionally il causes young men a
/ great deal of anxiety. Japan experienced
( this same difficulty seventeen centuries
ago and so decree was passed that mar
ried women must distinguish themselves
1t does not enhance their appearance, /
can assure you.
JAPANESE GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE.
"Confucius lays down seven conditions
or grounds upon which a husband may
] divorce his wife They are rs fOllo,vs.