The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-10
Continued from page 80
THE GEISHA.

that his choice had been we'll made.
He possessed a. strong aversion for
those women Whosained at mental
degree Of intelligence superior to that
of their husbands even when they
really did possess it. In the ten years
he spent in Japan he had met a large
number of girls, Europeans, who were
bright, Intelligent, accomplished, and
we'll Informed on many subjects, but
in total ignorance OF those very things
which Nature intended they should
know in order to insure the domestic
happiness of the world. All knowl-
edge of domestic affairs was a perfect
blank to them; the care and supervi-
sion of a household, large or small,
was entirely beyond their ability. But
still they passed time in drearily en-
deavoring to extract at any cost some
kind of melody from an inoffensive
piano, in dabbling in amateur art, try
ing to discourse wisely on scientific
prated much; in pleasure trips by
motor or horse, fitting hither and
thither through the world, or perhaps
wearing out their already limited ener-
gy in endeavoring to ape the customs
and habits, or arrogate the privileges
of the sterner SEX Such wiseacres,
sciolists and bluestockings, knowing a
little of everything and not much of
any one subject, were not according to
our friends liking He desired above
all things in his wife an affectionate
heart a love deep and sincere fidel-
ity at once constant and absolute !;
and he firmly believed that all these
he had found in the youthful 0 Fana.
There was therefore no reason on
earth why he should be ashamed Of his
Japanese wife; whence he resolved
to make known to his friends and ac-
quaintances his marriage to this girl,
and, on his, return to Toxic, to coura-
geously introduce her into the society
in which he himself moved.
The knowledge of his marriage had,
however, already reached the capital,
for Kiwaci, in conformity with the
law of the land, had had it entered on
the city records. The impression
created was different, according to
the diversity of opinion, of character,
and of the sex of those who heard
about it.
The Japanese employees of the COM
mercial house of Wendes were over
joyed, and felt quite proud that
their employer should set his eyes
upon woman of their own race; but
the superintendent, on the other hand,
was deeply grieved This man was a
certain Mayer, a staunch Catholic, and
a German, native of Cologne like his
employer, and one who looked upon
Henry as upon his own son. On
learning the unlooked-for news, he
shook his head, and surmised that
nothing good would come of it. A
few European girls, matrimonial spec
ulators, so to say, who had been
wont to look upon Wendes as a good
and not altogether impossible prop
osition, were enraged and furious at
seeing their fondest aspirations thus
rudely dashed to the ground, and they
gave way to the bitterest acrimony
in their private confabs about the
women of Japan, and incidentally
about the gushing sentimentalism OF
certain Europeans who allowed them
selves to be easily ensnared in the
meshes- of these willy, biaek-haired, al
mond-eyed dolls ii Al Among the men
opinions were various; some laughed,