The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-09

Divorce Conc,lbinage-Social
Evil-"rhree. Obediences' of
Wometl--1deal Set for Them
by Japanese N1oralist.
BY Edmund Buckley, Phi. D.
(rhs University oG chicago; for six years
Professor Of Philosophy Lii the .Doshl-
td ss iIslss fso sy Ss js sH powlos
CsY---.9N ONE OF my walks abroad.
|tnI when beginning residence IN
lGk Kyoto eighteen !, years s,s, ,,a ag9' !
lsGN&QI himself as he walked along the
t.s:sgss:j street. Naturally, supposed
oe 4 case OF nervous Gye q, ! ,am,.
about q foot to the rear was appointed to
watch him. But no; tho man was sane,
the woman Ills. wife; lie was talking 70
such was tho invariable custom Of the
land. 10 walk abreast would have been
uxorious, 10 link arms scandnlohs. to
converse togsthHr suspicious ana 70 Kiss ass
foreigners kiss It gives me Sick. wns
the comment made by an indignant jap
anese. for, like his. countrymon. ne. Assoc
ciated kissing and all such intimncics
privileges Of married llfe This Judgment
upon n simple act. opens up u VISA INTO
responding res moralIties and tproprleties, as
conceived by the Japa.nese.
Not the Individual, as with us. but t,t the
family Is the social unit In japan. Prior
to the PRONUNCIATION Of the new icy. CODES e,
in 1885, which register the Individual , ana nc
make him directly accountable L. 10 AN mem M
{ q G1nc m, thrniltrl1 itS one legal ncuAS
1t might be grandfather. father, or, by
preference, lie eldest son. IS rs soon % as
he was able to conduct affairs: IN n any ny
man. When n man child Is born into the
world. written congratulations are snow.
cred upon tne aap,py pat zen phs ia
gill. Nhel, children reached n4mnrriaE ,,s
able age the parents selected n suitable
partner for him or her, and except ~ IN ra t,1e
cases OF lns,lp bic Tepr rSn bride was
brought to the groom's honsch9ld .;.~ 1,it,7
she ranked as an adopted daughter;; Win Win
the duty Of geas .n,,d p no s 81 as the
parents in law. Likewise, sons IS .G Soan
n no, invest their efforts or means n dree7
lions not sanctioned by paren.ni ~, ,,,, y.
grandparental apro Q, ha ,9 Family M is likely
70 l,e as.lnrge one. Should the wife prove
Unsatisfactory to either HUSBAND OF ras
ents she could be, divorced N wn1G e, w v,th
the s sh'arsn w sinafarly man adoptsd
into sonlcss family by marrying g hIm
to one Of the daughters cou !,1 pe us Is
n,.i1ent from these facts that in Japan az
Individual interests are subordinoted ", 70
securing the peace and perpetuity - ''s
family.
Consequently the prime relation Of the
family is the nilial one, the prime duly ~,
obedience: and there is no great 9lersey
for it than the Christian doc!rlnet =. q
should c,i ste e.ns' are re-
told IN thos -Four and Twenty Para CONS
Of Filiais rIcty... as examples OF THIS IS
primo virtue. One dutiful son, though q
years old used on coca SION 70 dress N pats
into the notion that they were sI ~
young! Another hardy youth used to,iie
uncovered at night. in order that Ina, me ne
mosquitoes might fatten upon MN amu
The very extravaganza OF these stories
was probably meant to impress the w
.Venile mind with the supreme import
nnce Of filia reverence ana no; ihat n
ese children exercise these virtues 70 a
degree that puts the American child to
shame. They not only obey, put 40 SO
without the per1neSis aeh obedience
as is in fact rendered by children N
America This. OF course, Is not fault
attributable to child nature here nor
oea hs npw as dea Dhch
social system now taken as ideal. which
is a exterene ndividualism that incilnes
each member of the family 10 z. please
him On herself instead Of Its natural ru l'
priest and Judge.
II as we have seen above. the IN
dividualistic family gives the cihld an nun, un-
due liberty which trains MN Ior lhWIe o1iv
favors license on the part Of the 1n ,.n,,'
and this license has issued IN mat. ply,
gnmy which constitutes the hereditary
Of the whole Mfe end there
with tho benefit Of her companionship 70
man. justification for concublnage was
found On the combined religious ana POL cI.
tical demand for the Sparpetuauon1 o. -, Ln -
would have surficed to. this END l1 Inc
great Iyeyasu declared in his Legacy.
that SILLY and ignorant men ne isd
mistress, and thus disturb the most i'm
pcrtant relation Men so far sunk as TINS
may always be known as samural WIN N
out fidelity or sincerity Alost Inouelh
writers in japan also condemn concu no
mage. under Whatever #pretext. as a. bar
to progress in civilization, hut tho new civil
code of 1898 did not yet venture 70 maKe
IT, any more than occasional lnlldellty,
ground for divorce against the husband
though it does make It so, of course,
against the wife. In other respects this
new code marks commemorate progress gre 81 n n
tho position OF women in Japan. Silc gu,
now become head Of q family, can inherit
and own property. can exercise parental
authority and, II single or widowed g can e
adopt children. The imperial example rs
likewise promoting reform In this dircc.-t
tlon. The empress has appeared several
times at the emperor's side, and an I'M
pcrial slynr wedding was observed IN
1892, both actions being unprecedented N
Japanese history. Sin1ilarlyat TIE ne, wed " 9.
ding OF the Prince Imperial IN .lvlN. ne
pledges made were mutual, and .at tue
subsequent reception the imperial bride
stood besldc-not bellind-her Imperial era
spouse,
Az IN all countries the society OF towns
remote from centers of luxury ou travel
demanded chastity from the youth q
both sexes. but after marriage No suG Til
restriction was placed upon the man. IN
the villages and castle towns fold japan ~,
no provision for Illicit indulgence could pc
ln~ nH n