Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-23
.AsIA's. NEW WOMAN
The Amazing Privileges That
Are Accorded.
THEY RULE HUSBANDS
CAN ALSO DIVORCE THEM WHEN
THEY PLEASE.
All the Property is Hers Because She
is the Head Of the
House.

House.
To the American mind the salient feature
Of oriental civilization is the subsection or
women. 1t Is safe to say that the fearful
tales of India,s child widows and the drown
ing Of Ciana.s girl babies have done more
to f1pance American missions in the far
east than all other influences put together
Yet be it known to all women who hold up
club-going America as the country where
the most progressive femininity Is In evil
dence that there exists in the heart OF
Asia race of 5,OO0.0OO souls among whom
the women are not only equal, but superior,
to the men.
From the cradle to the grave they have
the best OF It. The girl WEEDS the man of
her choice, and then proceeds to rule
him as never an American man endured In
his happiest days OF counting. She owns
the house, she holds the purse and she d.
vorces her husband ct pleasure. There Is
no harem for her. and she enjoys whatever
educational facilities are offered her race.
These people are the Laos. and their ex-
tremely ancient origin ds the reason of this
feminine supremacy. 1t Is a survival OF
the primitive Hatriarchate, once universal.
The Laos, living In a remote region cut
of from the rest Of the world, have simply
retained their primitive ideas.
+ The Laos were in China before the Chi
nese came. The invaders drove them south.
where the remnant OF the race still lives
In the northern part of Siam.
Laos Is a little world by itself, shut in by
towering mountains and reached only by
the river on which the traveller must re-
sign himself to live six weeks while his boat
is laboriously poled up stream from Bang
kok. No white people live there except the
missionaries Of the American Presbyterian
Church. Rev. w. Clifton Dodd. who has
been at the head of this work for many
years, is now in America, and brings inter-
esting news of this quaint people.
A Fifteen-Cent Home.
Since there are no fortunes to be made.
and a good bamboo house can be secured for
Is cents. nothing prevents early marriages,
which occur at about sixteen.
Upon marriage the man relinquishes every
claim to his fathers property. He cannot
inherit a single fruit tree or rice field. He
goes to his wife's house, and. though the
family property is held in common by hus-
band and wife, she Is recognized as the &C
tual owner. She holds the joint earnings of
both and has the deciding voice as to their
disposal.
In the dry season the men often make
long trading trips into the surrounding
country. If, on his return. a Laos husband
fails to account for his stock and to turn
wife he is apt to lose her. She simply Or
ders him to leave, and public opinion sus-
tains her in the act. The man has not
treated her fairly and she has right to d.
vorce him.
He Just Leaves.
No Laos husband hesitates an instant
when this command is given. Every prin-
ciple Of his manhood forbids him to remain
In the house a moment longer, or ever to
return to his wife. He leaves. and the
house and property remain hers. Soma
times men desert their wives, but this is
unusual. All these divorces are legal, for
the courts leave 1t entirely to the people
to regulate their own marital relations.
Still, says Mr.. Dodd, divorces are less ire
quent, proportionately, than in America.
There Is no law as to the children, but
they usually remain with the mother. who
Is quite as well able to support them as
the father
A Laos woman has a strong commercial
instinct and Is often trader or merchant.
Agriculture Is universal. every family nav
ing its own house and land, and. while the
woman does not work regularly in the
fields, she helps at special times. She
weaves splendid cotton cloth on her hand
loom, strong and durable and quaint and
beautiful In its design and coloring.
Her Own Mantua Maker.
She makes her own skirt, straight, mar
row bag with fine. richly colored stripes.
mass Of white cotton, passing over one
shoulder and under the other, completes
her toilet. But for festive occasions she
puts wreath of flowers upon her hair
and even tucks flower through the hole
pierced in her ear. This hole, which Is I'M
usually large, She also finds convenient
place to carry an extra cigar, for she Is an
inveterate smoker. She brushes her jet
black hair back straight. and coils 1t SO
cunningly that It needs no pins to hold 1t
in place.
Her skin is a rich olive, her eyes brown
and lustrous. She has voice like music,
and her mental and physical freedom have
made her gay, bright and witty. She does
not kiss or shake hands. but. instead, will
rub her nose against your cheek or neck,
exclaiming "How fragrant" If she wishes
to do you honor, she will fold her hands,
raise them to her forehead and bow-a
pretty gesture.
Like all her race. the Laos woman is
passionately fond of flowers and music.
There Is a garden or fowerpot at the
poorest house, and on moonlight nights the
air is full Of the sweet notes of the reeds
on which the people blow. Many stringed
instruments are also used and a young
man sings the praises of his sweetheart
as he leaves her house after his evening
composed himself. perhaps writing them
on a palm leaf with a stylus.
They Know Things.
The Laos are not an lllterate people,
and though they know naught Of printing,
they have an ancient written literature.
Rolled palm-leaf books may be found in
old Buddhists monasteries and in many
private houses, and treasures of folklore
probably await the explorer.
But, with all her freedom and her few
cares, strange pail OF superstition dark
ems the life of the Laos woman. II all the
ghost stories ever told In America were
implicitly believed, some idea could be got
cf the thraldom of these women to super
stition..-
All sickness, a1re.th and misfortune are
credited to the spirits ens. life Is burdened
with efforts to propitiate the:at.- The Laos
mother makes regular offerings before che
little spirit house. which stands on every
veranda. She keeps lighted lantern on
her housetop at night that wandering
spirits may see their way past and not
stop She teaches her child to send OFF
tiny lighted boats from the river banks
to please the water spirits. She hangs
charms over his cradle and around his
neck And when the child falls sick the
spirit doctor draws tigers tooth over
the little body till 1t brings the blood.