Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-26

| alien living in Fukui. the city Of the
| happy well. with none other Of hio ocun-
| trymen nearer than 800 miles. Those
/ In authority and the common folk treated
him rather as a brother, or an adopted
son. He saw much Of unsophisdcated g
! feudal days, and not little OF the moth
| ers. wives and young girls In their own
homes. Later, in Toxic. keeping house
| in the university Enclosure with his SIS
| ter, who was the first lady appointed by
the imperial government to teach the
daughters of the samurai and mobiles, his
facilities for learning the canons OF the
nations social life were even greater.
Japanese girls. from FIVE to twenty years
formally and, on festive occasions, scores
at once and for hours at time.
With my sisters aid. It was not diff
cult to learn the details OF woman
life and to know what the old culture and
ethics required. The ideals of honor,
truth. purity and loyalty were not to be
despised. though an American must look
at them from a new point OF view. In
the perspective of history and In q com
parison Of civilization there was faI
more to admire than to condemn.
For, unless / be greatly mistaken. In
purity and devotion to her husband the
married woman equals any in any land.
while the average maiden and wife In
Japan excels in this-she has more poisS
and reserve of force than her western
sister in the same social class or rank
In modesty of dress l think the jap
anese lady is obedient to- noble prin-
ciple. and If l were a woman in the tea
and-silk country I should not yield to
the foreign modiste or dressmaker in this
whatever the men of those OF my own
sex in the occident might say. That
principle may be thus stated: in pursui;
Of duty. work or personal cleanliness
any exposure Of the person-eyen to
stripping to the waist-is right and prop
er. At this; a native OF Japan thln nk.aa
There Is no loss of modesty or viola
ton of proprieties Believe 1t or not
but In the old days the peasant woma
might take her bath in the street in fron,
attract no attention. In fact. to pui
up a screen would suggest something
wrong. The American must not forge
that when Dutch woman, first travel
entrance to the hotel she was Mortified
while an American woman, seeing II
Dutch lady riding on the front platfor
of the horse cars-as is proper In dc
land--nearly had virtuous fainting /.
In Japan. to dress SO as to reveal tt
form Of the bust seemed at first to jap
anese women too shocking for words
AS for the ballroom dress and the n
dity of neck and arms. the first sigh
of such fashions made the Nippon lad
burn with shame. To have any part O
the body barred merely for show. to NAL
sex appeal through exposure. SCENE
revolving. That japanese women as
race. or as individuals, are essential
Tess modest than those in other lands.
for one. do not believe. While far from
agreeing with certain governmental no.
tons. still behind the age, 1t is my opin
ion. after q general study Of comparative
ethics and customs. that the true Japa
nese gentleman need not blush for rs
womankind In the protected home
How grandy the Japanese women o
the whole nation found themselves dur
do not believe the Muscovite onslaught
would have been repulsed. without thu
aid of Nippon's womanhood.
During a thousand years. in the o.
feudal days, maiden. mother, wife anf
widow were trained. like Spartans.
age required. Wifely and filial dew
ton was illustrated in thousand nobl
forms Of seif-effacing comradeship. i
Is gloriously true, also, that when the
IN 1871, voluntarily disarmed themselves
waived their government support, and be.
gan in poverty to earn their living. tn
samurai women submitted without
they have given a tone to society In gen
eral that only those who. in Japan. pen
citrate below the surface and behind thu
screens can understand. Yet 1t was re
served for q mighty upheaSal ana CO.
lossal opportunity, in 10000. to discover
their powers In national union.
Then, for universal efficiency. for pa
triotic sacrifice. for clear. cool. wise In
dustry, as nurses by the thousands, a
creators of economy. vicarious provider
for the sick children, orphans and the
aged. I doubt whether any record in tn
worlds history excels that in japan dur
ing these two strenuous years.
After the war and victory I begged my
friend. Baron Suyematsu, to gather up
the records. in print and picture of what
the women all over the empire had done
in manifold ways to maintain the strug
gle The result. showing in detail their
services and sacrifices. was astounding.