The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-10-23

Line W0manS CLUB held It's nrSt
meeting In the new club parlors at
Mrs. Fletcher's home Saturday after
noon. No action was taken by the
club to make these rooms permanent
place, though the next meeting will
be held there. Mrs. Greenman was
appointed treasurer of a penny fund
for flowers, each member being asked
to bring penny at every meeting.
A very interesting paper on the
"Potteries Of China and Japan" was
read by Mrs. Sutherland. She said
that so long as the human foot had
sunk into the soft earth, leaving an
impress to harden, so long had men
made utensils from clay, and where
the gourd grew they had not lacked for
patterns. She told some Of the meth
DDS for securing the beautiful effects
which Chinese and Japanese folk have
perfected. She had examples OF Clois-
onne, which is copper foundation
ornamented with gold wire, the spaces
between the wires filed in with paste
that hardens like enamel. There we're
other examples of china, thin egg shell
cups. said to be modern, and heavy
plates we'll ornamented made long ago.
Mrs. Gates paper on the Social Con-
ditions of China and Japan" suggest
ed at the beginning that since the
Chinese empire embraces one-tenth Of
the habitable globe and extends back
twenty-five hundred years before
Christ, she could touch 1t but briefly
The Chinese mother prays for a
male child for no one knows better
than Ishe the unhappiness that is the
lot Of female. Through ancestor
worship the most implicit obedience
is required of children but parents
discriminate and lavish all their care
on the male. The female children are
often killed, oftener given away or
sold for slaves, and when they are kept
they are married of as soon as posi-
BILE. She must'then be obedlent to her
mother-in-law and her husband can
sell her to be another man s wife or to
be slave. The social life of the EN-.
pire is carried on by men. They pay
visits, give dinners and go to picnics
The men are divided into classes of
workers and of literati, or those who
have been graduated at the university.
Only about one-tenth Of these find
employment, the rest idle, ashamed to
do manual work. The workers of the
soil stand next in social position to the
literati. The crops grown are peoples
and rice. Seven-tenths of the popula-
tion are opium smokers. Every year
new victims are added. They give up
all business and only smoke. The
tonsure is not religious custom but
implies obedience to the Tartar en-
peror. Long hair all over the head
implies rebellion and no Chinaman
dare appear In public with it long.
1t is said that an empress during
the Shang dynasty had club feet and
to conceal this she prvailed upon her
husband to cause all women to COM
press their feet. Strips OF cloth are
wound from the ankle to the toes
growth to stop at once. The
Tartar emperor has forbidden small
feet In his empire because women can
not work In fields.
Food costs less than a penny day.
Much work is done on the street. A
man has his coat mended while his
barber plaits his cue. Gambling vies
with opium smoking.
In Japan women are loved and cared
for, II ducated as the men are
is compulsory. There is
complete system of elementary, Sec
ondary, normal schools and UNIVERSE
ties. Beside the school curriculum
girls are taught music, embroidery
and sewing.
The press enjoys less freedom In
Japan than In China. Travel In Jap
IN is by means of the jinrickiska, a
two wheeled vehicle drawn by men.
The Japanese are progressive In labor
Labor unions are work
ing against the factory system and a
new law is being made regulating
hours of labor, wages, age OF workers,
employers to provide In
,very way possible for the health of
the workers. The factory system has
caused harm in Japan and the number
Of poor has increased.
Fine work has been done by Japan
snse In metal, porcelain, lacquer and
In silk weaving.