The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-06
N 6 SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT
 IN JAPAN

Madeleine 2. Doty is on her way around the world for Good House keeping to answer the question: What are the women Of other coun- tries thinking and doing in these war times?" She first visited Japan and tells in the current issue some strik- ing facts regarding the women of the F1oWery Kingdom. She says in part:
 'In my ignorance I expected to find woman suffrage meeting in Japan. But there is no such thing there. There is no feminist movement. Only a tenth of the male population has the vote. Japan is an autocracy. It has just emerged from feudalism. Its whole life is built on loyalty to the emperor.
 '9The women are voiceIess. They cannot attend political meetings. They are the women of Jane Austen's nov els-meek and submissive. They obey their husbands as lord and master. It is their duty to serve. In their homes they occupy the position of upper ser wants. Socially they have no life. When they appear in public they stand, not by the side of their hus- bands, but back of them. They wear tight kimonos and walk with mincing steps. They can not run away. Wo- man there is frankly considered mans inferior. The girls education is not the same as the boys. Today girls schools are increasing. There are sev- eral exceptionally fine ones-among the best and earliest that of Miss Su- da. 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 a companion. He desires house. l keeper
 When the husband enters the house, the wife, kneeling, places three | fingers of her hands upon the floor and bows low. The serving maid, when she waits upon you, must also kneel and bow.
 'AThe marriage customs are degrad- 1 ing. The marriage is arranged by parents or a go-between, frequently the young couple do not see each oth- CT until man and wife. To love one another before marriage is considered immoral. It is duty to wed. Love and romance must not enter in. Di- vorce, on the other hand, is obtain able by either party in case of mutual consent, but in practice the wife never gets a divorce. It would be unseen ly. But when the husband wearies he always wrings consent from the wife Then he registers the divorce and is free.
 "So completely is the wife mans possession, that queer customs arise In certain districts women b1acker their teeth when married. This makes them unattractive to men. That fl may also make them unattractive tC their husband is of small moment Widows often shave the head when the husband dies. Formerly unmar- ried woman had to arrange their hail in one fashion, and married women ir another. At a glance you could dis
 tinguish their state. This was con- venient for men. But industrialisn
 is driving out this custom. Probably
 employers object to the labelling o1
 their employees. Embarrassing ques.
 tions might arise. For in spite o1
 woman's low social status she is every
 where working. The pay she receives
 is a trifle. In one packing-house the
 wage for women was $3.50 a month
 For man the same labor brought fiji
 teen dollars. And even the woman
 meager earnings are not her own. Be
 fore she marries, the wages go to he1
 parents. After marriage, unless sht
 has registered her claim, which sh,
 rarely does, the husband receives tn, wages"