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About The Japanese Embassy

About The Japanese Embassy image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
March
Year
1872
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Thcre is a bit of rom meo connected witk tho depaiture of tho Japaneso from tiuie-honored traditkms in aílowing iive young ladies, daughtors of high officers, to leave homo to reside ia a foroign land. It scoms that Minister DeLong, with his characteristic zoal, assisted I.wakura in eending his sons to college, and whon the lutter returned his acknowlcdgment for the Minister's kind attentions, he visited Mr. DoLong's houso in porson. Rtruck with tho elegant and orderly arrangement of the interior of tho building, and the nuincrous evidences of comfort, Iwakura bocaine inquisitivo, and bogan, a series of interrogations. "How is it that your house is so ncat and ploasant ? " su.id Iwakura. " Because a lady manages tho houschold," replied the Minister. Thia reply set Iwakura to thinking, and, as he is a bit of a philosopher, he quickly propounded questions directy to the point, and received nnswera equaliy pertinent. Mr. DeLong told Iwakura that the womon of America were ullowed to visit places of public amusement with husband, had ilmost as niuch freedom as the men, and, in order that this freedom might be appreoiated, these vomen wefe educated. In America, woman commandod more respect than in Japan, and was not the slavo of her husband. It was good that woman should be educated aud respected. Iwakurn, remembered Mr. DeLong's words, and the deraolition of one tradition about icmalns is due in great measure to their joint eiforts. The young ladies, Misses Yoshimas, Onyeda, Yamagwa, ïsuda and Kagai, who oame with tho Embassy, aio not princesses, though daughters of high, woalthy oiiiciaL-i, and mimbers of tlie Japanose " upper ten." The two eldest, who aro about sixteen years of ago, have an excellent Japanese education, and the othor three have advanced as fitr in native studies as their youth woitld admit. The social position of the feniale sox aiiiong tho Japanese nppears to be more favorable than ín most pagan countvies. Tho daughters in a Japstaese fajniry ncere an equal amount of parental care and attention with that bestowüd on the iüaleoff)jrmg. Nothmg beyojid tho oominouly prevali-nt pagan sentiment of tho inferiority of the feraale operatos tO tin: disadvantage of women in the furaily c.ircle. Among tho leading classes tho girls ore taught díincing and vocal and instruental musió. The universal aañtOfO of ajíeiiig the lips a deep red color, and beFmeariiig the faco with a white povvJcr of flour-dust is one of the features of tho Japanese lady's toilet - in which tho American lady can so far surpass hor that a comparÍHon would be odious. Our Japanese lady visitors are good average representatives of ladies of the first class, and nre unmarried and disengaged. Their ladylikc demeanor has won them a host of friends among the American women, who declare that they are perfectly charming. They arevivaoiijus, yet self-reliant and digniüedin manaers. In the ordmary mutual intercourse of friends and families, tho women havo their share, to Hawkiu'g report in 1854, and ronnds of visiting and tea-parties are kept up ;is brislclj' uin the United States. Yet the female is cousidered by h(;r p(oplo far inferior to the iuen, nnd ia, after all thnt 1 113 beon said, under

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus