The San Francisco call., 1896-03-15

match, and if the wife is very humble, has
! no will of her own and succeeds in pleas
ing her husband in every little detail il
will be happy marriage according to
Japanese ideas. But should the wife have
little of the spirit of new Japan, or should
she fail to please her master and her
mother-ln-law in every particular she is
apt to be sent home in disgrace, and an
other wife takes her place in a few day s.
Ii she has child her husband keeps it,
| and thus all the Joy of that young mother S
life suddenly fades away. Many OF
| these poor creatures, half demented
because of all hope in life thus blighted, are
dragging out a miserable, lonely existence.
There may be seen on the streets of one of
the cities of Japan to-day a forlorn look
ing woman, playing banjo and singing
from door to door to earn few pennies.
She was once the wife of man who is
now living with his third wife, and who is
looked upon as man of influence in the
community, being the principal of large
public school.
No sooner is a couple united in mar
riage than the husband assumes very
commanding attitude toward his wife, in
order to let her know from the beginning
that he is master. She is kept verv closely
at home and never dares to go anywhere
without asking his permission, which is
often refused. So the young wife is not
only in constant fear lest she displease her
husband and be divorced, but she is
obliged to remain in the house like pris-
oner. Statistics show that two OUT of
every three marriages in Japan result in
divorce. No lawsuit is necessary to annul
marriage, just as no legal ceremony is
required to unite people in the bonds of
matrimony. When man takes wife, he
registers her name as belonging to his
family, and when he wants to make q
oh al xy froy, tor boo y
to her fathers family. To celebrate the
marriage friends are invited, and several
hours are spent in eating, drinking and
having good time generally. Sometimes
man begins even before the marriage to
humble his wife. A widow once told me
that when her intended came into the
room on the night before they were to wed
he said to some one SO she could hear it,
"Humph! | thought she was better look
ing" She was undoubtedly pretty girl,
however. and her eldest daughter is now
one of the handsomest young women in
Japan. As girls are taught from their
early childhood to look upon their broth
ers or other boys as their superiors, women
accept an inferior position in the house
hold economy very gracefully, they do not
rebel when ordered to do anything as
though they were servants and always ex-
pect to occupy more lowly place.
When we consider how very light a
thing it is in Japan to break the marriage
tie we can the more readily understand
how girls sometimes think it meritorious
thing to lead an immoral life for the sa ke
of supporting their parents; how others
are seen carrying their illegitimate chill
dren without any thought of shame, and
how others still consider the position of a
concubine an honorable one. The EN-
peror of Japan is the son of a concubine,
as is also the present heir to the throne.
In this way only has it been possible to
keep one family on the throne for 1000
years, the greatest boast of Japanese
subject to-day.
No doubt some wives really be-
| come attached to their husbands, but
no demonstration of affection is ever
allowed between men and women even
though they be married. A wife must
never appear to care when her husband is
away from home or to long for his return.
When the war between China and Japan
first broke out young wife was asked by
an American friend if her husband, who
was military officer, had been chosen to
go to Korea, and she replied with tears in
her eyes: mo, I am sorry to say he was
not He is very delicate and hoped he
! might die on the battlefield. So we are
dreadfully disappointed. This little
woman would have thought herself un-
patriotic had she desired to keep her hus-
band at home rather than have him give
his life for his country.
| EUPHEMIA BURTON.