The Washington herald., 1908-01-26


tell you her age! Im3gine for moment,
what a social pandemoHium would pre-
vail among the fair sex If an ediet should
20 forth that every woman Of forty, for
instance. must garb herself in brown, and
every woman Of fifty In the somberness
Of black
4 woman's age, 'Tis a sacred subject
al least in most countries. No man would
dare ask fair acquaintance how many
winters had passed over her head. nor
would any woman tread upon the sacred
ground Of this subject unwittingly. That
is. 10 mos; lands where they are not meek
and l0wly. Yet there is a country where
women have no compunction about telling
"a stranger how old they are in fact.
they indicate their age by colors and
modes of dress; they virtually shout it
from the housetops, as it were.
In Japan social law DEGREES that every
woman old or young. shall dress accord
ing 10 her age As she advances from
the time she is little mite in a be-
lowered kimono until she is elderly. the
colors of her garments become more
sober, more subdued. And. strangely, the
great ambition Of a woman's life there is
'''' one ieJ'iee5 "hen she
can wear plain black and cut the hair off
her head. She does this when she is ap-
preaching three-sc0re years.
Remarkably pretty are the soft flowing
dresses these little japanese women wear;
In carly life they disport nearly all the
rolgrS Of the rainbow Nothing is mora
.ii'Ii'iHE 20 lIe eye than Il heYy Of these
pretty young girls. No woman ia late
life. perhaps. appear so fmereaI as the
japanese women v-bcu they hs,-o laid
aside tb. assf,- Ii,.ar,. ~ tl...,. ..l...-..
T.,.r.., ~. 49,. ..-......, -
-'' '''' '''
''i"'-.9e "'-i-eH uy lie recent
Afees reform which had its inception at
the Noman's University. Tokyo At the
request OF President NdTuse. of the in
sjitutlon- Miss Kara q. Smart secretary
ai the Nomen.s Christian Temperance
mon, la.iished designs Tor a reformed
I.,r. .s On D.'.s.5..I o.''1'''eo sg'a points OF
r.nes anu ''''''' 1o'-
or course. many or rre fair orce ~ ,r,o
FI0Wery Kingdom held up tbefr. trembIfn,
little hands in indignation and protest
la. ... sa-r-
vrrrr 1skes -Es vo[oer - ~ ,s-t,,es.s II ~ D,SS
and which eatfsfse tie c,.. 81 ,,l-f.-t1,.
Uftb q rsr71orfaus .Ifsrl,,. If oolarf ME-
smart .vpIsIne5 mat n rs not 49,
Sary. or even practicable. IN sunDlsrt tho
graceful kimg6o. But She sai6 his.
..rbe farr ran,sfrg rpa+ tba I,1,,oro
women and girls are demanding. and most
.- P'la'ieaiiy' a change IN their attire
,-4 ...-s Cl-si'se Is ooond 70 come sooner
i'm -sl-5- -i 60, ,o ~ -- ileil'l !.
for MS RI give fbem SOMETIME that an
paaIs 20 their common sense that gives
greater freedom OF motion in their ever
increasing activity that is becoming and
also TO some extent ioreIgnized.
Nowadays visitor 10 the Woman's
University VIII see many young native
women wearing the new costume which
was devised. lt is a sort ot tailor-made
sHli. in'dined by the kimono idea. II is
quite sedate and sober looking
Think kimOnO VIII Pass.
Fortunately for those who visit .re
Celestial t-fngdor in ss.-.., rr- H.
-.s....--..... -lt- 49,
'l1.-s
a'-i'''e '-s ''--si "'''--n ol l-ie
empire Many persons however say the
kimono VIII pass IN Japan. The influence