Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-07-06
POSITION OF JAPANESE WOMEN,
The Idea Of Their Subsection Borrowed
From the Chinese.

From the Oriental Review.
Until ideas came to be as
cendant the Japanese never thought OF
keeping womsn in subsection. Temi-
nine c%hieftains are frequently men
toned In the old histories and there
nave been famous Japanese empreneee.I
The women of old freely Joined the,
mon In lighting and hunting; and an,
imperial edtct Of the year ss1 autho-'
stdesaddle fashion. The Chinese even
seem TO have thought that there waei
2 regiment Of Amazons in Japan 01|
this time. and often styled It .thNI
queen country"
4 form OF recreation known a. uea,
sakl. or singing circle, was very CONE
mon In those early days, ana 10 tho ~ :
EFT form Of social gathering menttoncAl
In japanese annals. In which both eon.j
81 took part. Young and old wouHAl
assemble on 4 hill Or In . neld 80
thsre recite poems and exchanges
Even the nobility did o diads1S'
the pleasure Of an uta gak, and low
marriages often resulted. This slnainai
circle developed later into . ~ e.,
impromptu drama, and the rustic 6An(
called bonodori, which takes plaoe 3
ummer nights. out Of doors oil, ovS&;;
scholars to be . modern form Of e.
old time uta gad.
In the classical period Of Japanaae
literature from tho eighth to the sa1e'
toenth century, men ana women of01iS
met together. amusing themselves VII
barning and in writing lov. is%tese
POUR hundred years OF constant Wa&pl
faro changed all this. During t6dS
dark oenturies = curious custom -
tn vogue. A divorced wife was exD0C3l
cd TO undertake what was called s6oo.|
NNA @R&1A t~xAAAtAH>-
Should the husband marry 49,
within q month tho divorced NIL
was sure to enlist the services or ,113-
ewy giTls and women from 012eHki
her friends and relatives to tho snui =
Dor Of from 30 to 100. accordine Is
the ex-wife would send word Is
new one to prepare for an attack 3
q certain day and hour, monHicoin :!
the kind Of weapons to be uUod. ouChs
a. wooden swords or clubs. Men woto,
not allowed to take part In tho boktl4'
h ensued. decidedly busineaol1A
The old teachings Of China ana M
dia established the belief In Japan that
It was best hat women bo not mo-
ticed by others. that their duties wete!
wholly domestic. and ,that appeaE11e'
full wife or dutiful daughter. Garden;
parties. dinner parties, balls ana 90
cial calls are new i~mportatlons from
tho west.
Except in the case Of q comparative.
ly small number OF a~rfstocratic aaA.
wealthy families. Japanese homes arc,
too small and altogether too inconye.
nient for entertaining a largo number
OF guests. so that In cities ana towns,
large parties are AZ a rule given IL,
restaurants. Men and women gener.
ally come together in one room on
such an occasion. but one sex forms
a row on one side and the other 81
on the other. seldom exchanging words
across the wide space in the middle,
which Is for the mattresses ana Tho
dishes Of food.
But men cannot live without the
charms OF the fair sex. oven In 4.
country where the two sexes are mot
allowed to enjoy each others society.
except in the married life OF the homo.
n that as long AZ the geisha UNDER
TAX this pleasant duty Of ontertain-
ing the e there IN no much chance:
for Japanese wives and daughters to
develop their social qualities. VOrtu-
nately, however, there 10 a strong ten,
dency observable now In good society
to discard this interesting but not edi.
flying class of banquet e~nliveners.