The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-02-18
WIVES AND DAUGHTERS OF JAPAN.
BY WILLIAM B. BrReE, NJ. D.


In contemplating the women Of
Japan, they present themselves to us,
as in our own country, in various
grades of society, from the humble
boat-woman and the noisy burden
bearer to the modest and retiring wife
of the wealthy merchant, and the Sc
cluded but gaudy wives and daughters
of the Mandarins.
Even in hasty trip through Japan
the stranger could not help noticing
the condition of the women, in most
every respect, is superior to that
found in any other Asiatic country.
The general principles which regulate
the position of unquestioned inferior
ity and dependence, her absolute sub
lection to her husband, if married, to
eldest son, if widow, to her father as
a girl, and to her elder brother, if
fatherless, and the general laws and
customs in regard to marriage, con-
cubiuage and divorce, are about the
same as prevail in China. But mar
riage, the home and the family are
certainly much more significant in
Japan. The little family circle is
much more left to itself, more free
from the interference and demands of
father-in-law and motherin law; the
husband and wife manifest more af-
lection for each other, heartily love
their children, both male and female,
and seem mutually to work together
to create pleasant and happy home.
Among the masses ofthe people their
wants are few and easily supplied !;
their homes are very simple, their
furniture very limited and cheap, and
their clothing scant and inexpensive.
The house is built of wood, light and
airy, and generally only one story
high. They are partitioned into
rooms, not by permanent walls, but
by sliding frames or folding screens,
so that they can alter almost a. will
the size and shape of the rooms. The
floors are covered with mats made of
straw and rushes several inches thick,
so that they serve at once for seats
of the peculiar fashion in which the
Japanese sit, and for beds-a Japanese
simply folding himself in his outer
coat and stretching himself on the
matted floor, resting his head on
peculiarly shaped pillow. The win
dow frames are all movable. generally
filled with oiled paper instead of glass.
The furniture of the house is on the
same simple plan. A Japanese, no
matter what his rank or wealth, has
but little furniture. The room looks
always bare aud empty. A few
shelves hold some cups and saucers,
and there are generally several small
trays on stands. There are no chairs,
and the tables are low, small and plain.
As to the kitchen, one or two small
movable stoves. few pans of metal
and some brooms are all that are need
ed. Everywhere, however, you will
admire the cleanliness observed in these
homes
Marriage is universal, the great
problem which disturbs so many in
western countries-how to keep wife
and home-being unknown. Their
futurehouse is taken, containing three
or four little rooms, in which clean
mats are put. Each, then, brings to
the housekeeping a cotton stuffed
quilt and a box of wearing apparel
for their own personal use; pan to
cook the rice, a half-dozen large cups
and trays to eat off, a large tub to
bathe and wash in, and the great
problem of home and family is
solved.
The japanese young women have
very pleasant features, complexion
in general of soft pale brown, which,
in the higher ranks of society, becomes
still paler, and by no means so pleas
ant. The features vary greatly from
heavy, stolid coarseness, to shape
and expression of delicacy and refine
ment, showing that the japanese are
evidently a mixed race. I do not
think that the young women add at
all to their natural charms by their
arts of adornment. On a gala day
they may be seen by thousands about
the temples and other public places
richly and even beautifully dressed,
but their faces, necks and busts be-
smeared with white paint or powder,
several brownish triangular spots
painted on their necks, and the ma
tural pink of the lips rendered dis
gusting by layer of red paint. The
miserable customs which prevailed for
centuries in Japan, of the married wo-
men coating their faces and bosoms
with powder, painting their lips,
plucking out their eyebrows and
blackening their teeth, giving them a
really repulsive appearance, thanks
to the new influences that are now
operating so vigorously in Japan, are
rapidly passing away, and another
generation will undoubtedly show
less contrast between the handsome
| daughters and the homely mothers.
The traveller will at once be impress
ed by the far greater freedom of action
and publicity enjoyed by the japanese
women than those of the other 4Asiatic
! countries, and by the greatly less bur-
dens of labor imposed on them. In
deed, she has been treated for ages in
Japan as human being of gentler
sex than that of the man. She has
always received more or less of edu-
cation, has been taught various arts
] and ACCOMPLISHMENTS. can write and