Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-10-18

is some reason Tor IL. Inc Japanese
women are not considered the equal
of men in many respects. and their
mission is the mission of happiness.
Then they were asked about clothes
-women's clothes-in Japan.
Japanese dress is very comforta-
ble." translated Mr.. Yamasaik. ut is
graceful and beautiful as well. In
Japan the patterns on the dresses
have great significance On joyful oc-
casions, as celebrations and weddings,
kimonos are worn with the patterns
of the pine, the plum, and the BAN
boo, for these signify happiness-the
pine is ever green. the bamboo ever
straight, and the plum is the first bios
SON. The turtle and the crane also
signify happiness when worn as dress
ornaments. because. according to or
iental legend. they signify long life.
For funerals plain black or white Is
worn, but on other occasions the
young women may choose any color
to suit their Individual tastes"
What is your first name, Mrs. va
masaki? Has 1t a meaning, as have
most Japanese names? Z"
my name is Misoa, and 1t means
faith eternal"
French Her First Language.
Mrs. Yamasaki is studying English.
She was born in Paris and lived there
until she was three years Of age, re-
turning to her parents native home in
Toxic with no knowledge OF Japanese.
Sh1 still speaks French, and hopes to
conquer English soon.
And then Mrs. Yamasaki. sitting
straight In the big American chair.
smiled. She looked neither at me nor
at the window for glimpse of the
out OF doors, but at her dignif1ed hus-
band, and essayed her first English
sentence during the interview.
Il like Chicago very much she
said.
Getting an absolute divorce by mere
agreement OF the two families con-
cerned seems a strange custom to US
here in America. But this is being
done in Japan every day, and the re.
suits, as far as domestic happiness is
concerned, seem to be about as salts.
factory as those achieved with the
methods of our advanced western civ
ilization.
The Japanese system translated
is something like this: Mrs. Flat
| dweller calls her daughter. Lulu Ellen
4 to her and says: Lulu Ellen. put OF
j your incest frock, for the man you are
going to marry is coming to call OF
4 you. The wedding will be tomorrow.
And Lulu Ellen, all excited, dresses W
and gets introduced to Freddie Blonde
boy. Then they proceed to get mar
ried, and the ceremony Is just as i'm
pressive, and the hunt for properly
located four-room apartment Is just a!
!. exciting, and the trousseau Is just al
expensive as If there had been year,
! courtship. entailing many frocks. mucl
expenditure on both sides. and man,
wrong guesses.
As Il 10 Done In Japan.
And divorce! Mr.. and Mrs. South
side may be quarreling continually
1 He thinks she spends too much none.
on clothes and too much time OF
bridge. and she thinks he is stupid
coarse old thing, anyhow. But o
course they don't want to go to cour
about it. So they quarrel and quarre
and quarrel every day. and keep OF
quarreling and lose out on the bits o
happiness they might have corneret
If 1t hadn't been for the quarreling.
But Ia Japan: Mr.. Southside a
the breakfast table, after he has fin
ished his fruit and the sporting col
umn, looks over at Mrs. Southsidt
and says: Louise, dear, what do yo,
say to a nice, quiet little divorce
You talk it over with your folks, ant
I'll talk It over with father in the of
flee today, and we'll get divorced
| Tuesday, if it's all right with you.
And it is all right with her, and thu
next Thursday she marries that nice
looking Henderson man who has {
1912 model automobile. and he mar
ries the little blonde stenographel
who has been telling him how vel
he understood life.
In Japan women's clothes never
never go out of style. A dress yot
got last year is perfectly good today
and you don't even have to take the
| fullness out of the sleeves.
When a girl has reached the prop
err age for marriage in Japan she
never is consulted as to the man she
would prefer. A "nakado." or match
maker, is procured by the girls faith
er, and he finds suitable man for the
girl to marry. Sometimes it is the
boys father who hires the go-between
but in neither case are the, young
people asked about the matter.
There is no real courtship. A CIR
cannot accept mans invitation tc
the theater, to supper. or even to 8