New Britain herald., 1918-04-13
An American Gi11 in ,Tapau.

l Madelelne L. Doty IS on her way ] around the world for Good House. 1 keeping to answer the question: ! "What are the women of other coun- l tries thinking and doing in these war 1 times?" She first visited Japan and 1 tells in the current issue some strik~ 1 ing farts regarding the women of the l Flowcry Kingdom. She says, in part: "Tn my ignorance | expected to find ] 8 woman suffrage meeting In Japan. ! But there is no such thing there. 1 There is no feminist movement. Only l a tenth of the male population has 1 the vote. Japan Is an autocracy. It l has just emerged from feudalisnl. It's ] whole life is built on loyalty to the l mperor.
 "The women are voiceless. They 1 cannot attend political meetings. l They are the women of Jane Austen's $ 1 nove1s--meelx and submissive. They 1 obey their husbands as lord and mas 1 ter. It is their duty to serve. In l their homes they occupy the positions of upper servants. Socially they have no life. When they appear in public l they stand, not by the side of their 1 husbands, but back of them. They 1 wear tight kimonos and walk with nlincing steps. They cannot run away.
 
 mans inferior The girls education is not the same as the boys. Today girls schools are increasing. There are several exceptionally fine ones~-- among the best and earliest that of Miss Suda But the portion educated IS small. Few girls go beyond the grammar school and the typical high school for girls limits the education TO sewing and etiquette. The husband does not wish Q companion. He de- sires a housekeeper.
 "When the husband enters the house, the wife kneeling, places three fingers of her hands upon the floor and bows low. A servlnG-maid, when she waits upon you, must also kneel and bow.
 The marriage customs are degrad- ing. The marriage is arranged by parents or q Go-between. Frequently the young couple do not see each oth- CT until man or wife. TO love one another before marriage is >consid~ cred immoral. 1t is a duty to wed. Love and romance must not enter in. Divorce. on the other hand, is obtain able by either party in case of mutual consent, but in practise the wife neV- CT gets divorce. It would be un- seemly. But when the husband wear ies he always wrings consent from the wife. Then ne registers the di- vorco and is free.
 "So completely is the wife mars possession, that queer customs af1se. Tn certain districts women blacken their teeth when married. This makes them unattractive to men. That 1t may also rnakc them unattract,To to their husband is of small moment. Widows often shave the head Whom the husband dies. Formerly unmar- ried women had to arrange their hatr Tn one fashion, and married women in another. At 2 glance you could distinguish their state. This was con- veniont for men. But 3ndustfalisn is driving out this custom Probably employers object to the labelling Of their employees. Embarrassing aue8- lions might arise. For in spite Of woman's low social status she IS everywhere working. The pay she receives is tritle. Tn one packinE house the wage for women was $%.5o T month To man the same labor brought fifteen dc liars And even tho woman's meaaor earnings are not her own. Before she marrieS, the wages 90 to her parents. After marriage, unless she has registered her claim, which she rarely does, the husband receives the Wa1CS"