The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-25
JAPANESE WIVES MOTHERS
EARLY LEARN SUPPRESSION OF
FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS.
Restrictions Upon the Married Women
OF the Different Classes OF Society
--Spinster Was Formerly Unknown
Figure in Japan-Nlews OF Marriage.

Many and gricvous were the restrictions
in olden times laid upon Japanese girl OF
the middle or upper class. Her husband
practically chosen for her, she entered upon
her new life without any of the illusions of
a love match She was determined to be
faithful and submissive. to bring up her
children well, and to serve her lord truly
all the days of her life, waiting on him at
table, attentive to his slightest behest. Very
constant secusion was her dlty, says the
Guart'i1n and, If necessary business called
her outside her home, she must not go
unattended, and never on foot.
To visitors she was mere shadow, ap-
pearing possibly with gracious service
now and again, never speaking, nor spoken
to, nor spoken of. Friends of her own
sex she saw sometimes on formal occa-
sions; but OF any spontaneous individual
life she knew next to nothing, Even with
her children she must preserve her dignity.
her aloofness, her impassive self-conrol;
no caIess, no demonstration of affection
was permissible.
In the poorer strata of society matters
were perforce different; the woman shared,
as she does to-day, the toll of the man,
even in its hardest and toughest shapes.
She carries brushwood over the mountains,
gathers seaweed on the seashore, works
in the rice fields, even acts as coolie to tie
foreigner and with all this does the house
hold duties also, Bent and worn and
wrinkled before her time, with shaver
head and shortened sleeves, her back
doubled by many burdens, the Japanese
woman of the lowest class is pathetic
figure. unlovely in her old age, and with
out hope for the future.
Living az did for many months with a
Japanese family, there were frequent on
portunities Of discussing matters intimat 'ly
and Of seeing for myself details that are
unperceived by the casual traveller or even
the resident foreigner. My hostess was a
charming type of Japanese civilization at
it's best. Belonging to one of the oldest
and richest families Of the empire, she en-
bodied all that is most admirable in its
life while yet ready and eager to adopt
and dignifed, her thoughtfulness and hos
ritality SURF assed any ! have met with
elsewhere, while her courtesy was perfect
She dressed aiwayG III tive most exclusively
tinted gowns of native fashion, soft a +
and biu, and rol.Otrcpe. With ina! kim no
cf white, Il single Jewel at her girdte clasp.
Yet she v;'sely adopted foreign Gress for
her boys and tie Youngest girl, deserving
the gorgeous iimoHo OF soft"st silks for the
elder one, who il the ideal of Japanese
maiden, with the added culture Of European
training. She Is to come to England some
day, when -she is quite Japanese perfect
in heart her mother said 10 me. But
she must marry before she is rs; this
is the custom Of our house" This
girl might not sleep under any roof but
theirs unless her mother was with her, or
even spend an evening alone away from
home
The house and its furnishings showed
equal discrimination. Partly foreign, partly
Japanese. it combined our comforts with
their artistic sense; their neatness and
compactness and open-ai beauty with our