The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-02-18

uon hndS ready acceptance among
| the women and girls, and the new
and greatly enlarged movement in the
direction of female education finds a
prepared people among the women,
who enter into it with enthusiasm and
success. It was a pleasing sight to
see haIf-dozen bright, pleasant look
ing girls in the car from Osaka to
Kobe buy the daily papers, and sit
down quietly to read them, and not
at all unhuman to see the same girls
now and then cast coquettlsh glances
at two or three fne-lookipg young
japanese gentlemen in the same car.
Another time in riding from Toxic to
Yokohama, the past winter, saw
party of four young men and three
quite pretty and gaily-painted young
women in the same car, who were
having a glorious time. They had
two or three bottles ofvarious liquors,
oranges and fancy cakes, and they
ate, drank and sang, besides playing
jokes on each other and frolicking
like so many kittens. You may travel
the whole length of the Chinese En-
pire and never witness such scene.
A Chinaman's S sense of dignity is too
great to allow him to unbend in pub
lie sufhcientto carouse in such an open
manner.
A feature IN the life of Japanese wo-
men that ought not to pass unnoticed,
because l believe it is greatly misun-
derstood, and, in consequence, often
wrongly stated, is the belief by many
that licentiousness is the first and
characteristic trait of these women,
and that ordinary chastity is next to
unknown in Japan. This is certainly
a mistaken view. Wifely in6delity
in the Japanese courts is punished
most severely, and there is no reason
to believe that there is any more in
fidelity among the wives Of Japan than
in other nations claiming higher de-
gree of civilization. The japanese
maiden is an anomaly among Asiatic
women. She is bright, gay, affable,
free; seems to have but little if any
sense of delicacy in the exposure of
her person in former years would be
found with other girls and women pro-
miscuously mixed with men in the
public baths, and multitudes of them
(many, however, involuntarily), are
leading lives of shame. These last,
however, are scarcely ever seen on the
streets. The Yoshiwara is an insti-
tuition in many of its features pecu-
liar to Japan. Most of the inmates
are purchased for lifeor hired fora term
of years. Of this institution / have
nothing to say here, except to affirm
my belief of the truth as stated in these
words of Mr.. Wiley, a missionary,
who resided many years in japan !:
"The japanese maiden, as pure as
the purest Christian virgin will, at
the command of her father, enter the
brothel tomorrow and prostitute her
self for life (or for a term of years).
Not murmur escapes her lips as she
thus flially obeys. To life she
loathes, and to disease, premature old
age, and the grave she goes joyfully.
The staple of a thousand novels, plays
and pictures in Japan is written in the
life Of a girl of gentle manners and
tender heart, who hates her life and
would galdly destroy it, and refrains
because her purchase money has en-
abled her father to pay his debts, and
she is bound not to injure herself"
The Japanese maiden outside Of
these houses, is as much misunder-
stood by foreigners and other Asiatics
as our bright, free. loquacious Amer
icau girl generally is in Europe. Out
of the public bath she will come with
her toilet completed, a very picture of
womanly reserve and modesty. Ger
tainly no woman can be more decent
ly clad than those of Japan. AS to
their indifference to personal exposure
we can only say it is custom of the
country. They live in Innate and
country where men, " n and chill
dren have been indiG for ages to
the covering Of persons. Fa-
theirs. brother Id husbands all sane
ton it,. and, from childhood the feel
ing must grow up as effectually shield
ing them from self-reproach or shame
as their sisters in Europe in adopting
low dresses in the ball room or any
generally adopted fashion of garments
or amusements. There is in them no
consciousness of wrong. 1t is to be
remarked, however, that the sense
of indelicacy is now springing rapidly
into life in the presence of the full
clad foreigner, and the lightly-cover-
ed maiden or woman, perfectly un-
conscious of anything wrong in the
presence of her own countrymen, will
draw up her dress or conceal herself
when the foreigner appears.
Iu taste and neatness of dress, In
politeness, courtesy and etiquette, the
japanese lady is not easily surpassed
in any country. In her love of her
children and care for them, in her care
for her home, its cleanliness and
adornment, in her impulsive and at
fectionate nature, she will compare
we'll with the women of any nation.
Still in her whole character, she suf-
fers the repression and consequent
degradation of her subordinate posi-
ton. Her whole life and duty is sum-
med up in one word-obedience, first,
TO her father then to her husband, and
then, if widowed, to her Oldest son.
The literature, history and romance
of the japanese TEEN with instances OF
the woman's power and willingness to
share whatever of pain or sorrow is
appointed to man valor, tortitude
in af1iction, greatness in the hour OF
death, filial devotion, wifely affection
in all the straits of life when codes OF
honor, morals and religion are tested
in the annals of persecution, IN the
red roll of martyrs, no names are
brighter, no faces CLEAN more peace