The sun., 1910-02-25
STATUS OF WOMEN Tn JAPAN
BARON kIEUCHI says THEY'RE
As NELL OFF AS HERE.

-
A Different social System, but a Good
sIne, He Thinks Head OF the House
the Real Ruler-A Princess VINO
Sacrificed Herself for Hcr Husband.
Baron Dairoku Kikuchi. president os
the Imperial University OF Japan. told
the members and guests OF the Womans
Municipal League who assembled in the
ballroom of the Plaza yesterday after
noon with the expectation OF bearing
from him how much better of they are
than the women Of Japan that he didn't
think they were one bit happier than their
sisters OF the Flowory Kingdom
The Japanese woman is highly honored
by her husband and sons he said. ~and
she finds contentment in the exercise OF
the virtues OF self-sacrifice and self
control. which are given first place in
our ethical code Ii IL true that men
take precedence over women in some
things For instance, they are served
ffrst at the table. and in entering a room
the wife always walks behind her hus-
band But these things are not after all
80 very important ...
The Baron then read some general
advice to women from one OF the standard
ethical works in vogue before the insti-
tuition OF the revised civil code which
has been the law OF the land for about
hfteen years. According to the old feudal
'dea there were three great lessons in
obedience for every woman to learn
submission to her father when she was
single. submission to her husband when
married and submission to her sons when
widowed Her chief duties were the
care of the household. the training OF her
children and minstering to the needs of
her husbands parents. with whom she
lived
These rules were not nearly 90 harsh
as they seem at first glance. tine Baron
explained because not only women bat
men in japan are supposed even now 70
render obedience to the head OF the house.
The house and not the individual is the
Japanese social unit. and is a oomewhat
complicated institution Il, il not syn
onyn,ous with what we understand by
family. since the members OF the same
house are not necessarily all bound to
each other by ties OF blood The Japanese
theory te that every old name must be
kept up, and it is considered an insult to
ones ancestors to die without leaving
cescendants man who has no sons
usually adopts ons who assumes the
family name and who in turn becomes the
head OF the house " the adopted fat or
has . daughter II is customary for her to
become the wife OF the new member OF
the family
My father was an adopted SON. he
raid, "Snd ! hare several brothers who
as' his descendants are members OF the
house TO which he belonged legally.
By The time | became grown. however,
my fathers blood house OF Kikuchi be-
Cume extinct. so that was i'm turnadopted
into that house. OF whjcn I am now the
head. When a man ms-Ties. his Wife
Usually becomes a member Of his house
but IN some cases husband becomes
a member OF his wife's house No mar
riage is considered legal In Japan until
either the husband or wife il registered
IN the house book OF the oth9r'
While the head OF the house il theoret-
ically the oldest male member thereof.
IL frequently happens that q father re-
signs this Office to one or his sons. and he
is then obliged to render to that son
obedience in matters pertaining 20 the
welfare OF the house, There are even
instances. he said. in which a woman
has been the acknowledged head Of a
house. and in such cases the male mem
lers have been Obliged to render obedi-
snce to her. The consent OF the head
OF house is necessary Tor the marriage
OF one of its memhers, hia authority
superseding even that OF the parents
The new civil code. boveyer. has greatly
eurtailed the ROVER OF the house head.
Both men and women are row entitled
to hold individual property and the
rights of women in this particular are
practically the same as those Of men.
Women may exercise parental au-
thority. he continued. liz the husband is
dead: married women may enter into
business with the consent of their hus-
lands. and are then considered as in
dependent persons. They may with the
consent of their husbands make con-
tracts, and unless there is some arrange
ment TO the contrary are entitled to the
rrooerty which was theirs at the time
Ct the marriage.
Under the old laT man could divorce
his wife at will. while q woman could not
divorce her husband except by his con-
rent Under the existing code there are
two kinds OF divorces. consentual and
judicial the former needing only the
mutual agreement Of both parties, while
the latter may be obtained ON the ground
81 infidelity. conviction of felony, exces-
sive cruelty or deSertion
1T is perhaps not generally known
he eeid, that nea-ly ell our Japanese
classics have been written by the women
members of the imperial household. I
do not refer to poetry. although one OF
our six greatest poets was woman
Some women too have t1ken n prominent
part in the administrative sFairs OF tho
Government. but ] must confess that this
type Of woman is not our ideel The
woman most admired by tho Japanese
IL the wife OF one Of our princes. who
when she was crossing the bag with her
husband during a severe storm threw her
self into the vste- - n ~ crifice "a the
storm god in order that her husband
might cross in sasety.'