The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-10-18
Il Is Said Thai They Rays Been GTeallj
MlsreNessntad.
EVERY WRITER HAS ADlFFERENTCp ION
stories OF G,obc TrSitcrs are Gained
fro,n observation .smorg .hr Sow
n Ciasscs-No Ecauiilnl W%om,rnin
Japan and Fewer f'rcit, Gir,.
Than In Amcrirn.

tt'ln INC sweet ana graceful iuGiuCuS in
their beautiful and picturesque costumes
Of bright c0lorcd silks. The Japanese
claini-andn not without rcasun-that nine
tcntlls OF what has been published about
tho sweet daughters of Nippon is absolute
y Untrue and WAS written by men who
know but worry little OF Japan II nothing
ut all OF its women.
| remember y long conversation | had
on the subject with one of the prctticSt
and most charming ladies OF Tokyo. Count
esS lnuuyc, whose father in law is one Of
the great statesmen OF japan. The CONVEX
sation having turned upon the subject Of
Japanese women. She exclaimed:
"oh, You foreigners arc really too anus
ing when speaking and writing about lis.
SO much fun ] had reading Pierre Lott
and Edwin Arnoldl Ali All it is more
than lroll''
cor what do you reproach thom?"
"Ropruach thcmy Why, To DC talking OF
what they know absolutely nothing. Just
see Pierre Lott, for instance. lilo comes
lcrc. spends "a few weeks en- tcto-a-tcto
,7ith "a dancing girl of tho very lowest
class, whose language he cannot speak.
who laughs at him and thinks he is the
queercst thing on carth-and who after
that goes and writes books about '.Iuuu-
ncSc womcm, Tho worst is thgt foreigners
LNsttl4IH llth' iDthH VIII como 10 inc con-
clusion that we are all like Nine. Chrysan-
thclnc."
But Sir Edwin Arnold speaks In a
very different manner"
'Oh, yes, but he does not know much
moro. he only knows half u dozen charm.
ing lc,tlc ladies, and lie is TOO much of n
poet 10 judge them as u man. liu loves
them Us hc loves nature. and he would not
possibly speak of Thorn III everyday prose.
lie Grapes then! in tho wells Of pocsv and
dreams hc Is in hcavcn surrounded by
angels. 1t seems so foolish to u.s.
Every writer on The subject seems to
have u different opinion-so different. in
fact, that ono would he inclined to think
that there are several Japans in this world.
There is but ono, but il contains several
classes of women whose conditions arc
vary different.
We laugh ut japanese women dressing
!n foreign clothes. Certainly they arc not
rs graceful ms in their own costumes. fnr
they do not know how TO wear the occi-
dcutul dresses. IEo wearing OF unfamiliar
garments cannot bc learned in n day. Let
the American girls try on tho Japanese
dresses without the help Of II competent
%coStulncc and soc what they will look like
Ito Japanese eyes.
And ruw "a few words about the morals
VI 'silsttl'NN N'4llAA. IL Is StlltEllllk lt-
lievcd in Europe and in America that the
morals over there arc very low. 1t is un-
doubleday quo TO the ridiculous and most
unreliable stories which globe |trotters de
light in telling their friends. There is not
IN the world moro moral people than the
Japanese.
These globe trotters know absolutely
l~aotling ot the Japanese women of the
middle or upper classes, and during the
few weeks they spend iii Japan they only
meet the gcisha girls, whose business II IS
TO sing and dance and sell their smiles.
Bnt sNCh "a class Of wuInC is To be found
IN every country, and they are far less de.
graded in Japan than they are in Paris,
London, New York or San Francisco.
There can toe 10 comparison. These Som-
en- in Japan do not live the life of dirt nnd
MISERY, the diSgustingly vicious life Of the
unfortunate women Of the QUARTER de
8~Hiignollrs @: Of Dupont street. Whey are
We'll dressed, we'll led, well treated, we'll
taken care OF, comparatively we'll educated
and are AL good musicians. They could moi,
become gcisha girls unless they know how
to play on the samson, sing and dance.
They all have excellent manners.
Most of them are sold by their parents.
who, OF course, belong To the very lowest
class Of people, TO iudiyiduals who make il
- ''7AASES ~ E4NtA 44EtAl NIlt IlttNltNl Glllfn-
ton and later hire them out by the hour
the evening, the day. the week or the
month. Their ''proprictor'' lodges and
boards them and gives them the money
necessary TO buy their pretty clothes.
Strange to say, girls of this class who have
met a man who took enough fancy I % them
10 buy them back and marry them have
uniformly made The best Of wives. MANY
Japanese ladies now prominent used 10 be
Ecishas.
To have a''past" does not prevent a
woluan from getting into society, provid
ca she actually behaves well. Even the
women Of the low class, whose morals are
loose before they marry, become honest
wives as soon as they belong to Il husband.
japanese women do not care much for
love-passiOnstc love-as ii exists in orr
country. In fact, it seems unknown To
them, and ! have come to the conclusion
that it's on account OF al 81 thom having
uniformly dark skin and hair. II is a well
known TACT that q man with light, hair
viii most naturally fall in love with n
brunette, but seldom with q blond. and
vice versa.
IN spiteof the iaauy stories circulated in
their clubs and o,h,r places 10y men who
Lave lcll 81 great deal %; money in .lapnu.
GO affirm t'at women Of that country
thorou.hIy ui-liko f~urcigucrs and have
novu- heard set Of cuc of them being in
love Wi.h ono OF us.
Strange a. i; iu:." appear u kiss is an
ui.iau,vn thin' IN .iaYnn-uot unknown
- l!.r iEui N!"lurAS Ot E~akGnuula. kSln mr.