WORKING WOMEN IN JAPAN.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10974, 13 June 1903, Page 5

WORKING WOMEN IN JAPAN.

I Tho social condition of woman is a fairly • trustworthy measure 1 of the' civilisation 01 • a State, and judged by this standard Japan has -not yet reached the sTimmit of western culture This- fact; however, is- not a reproach, seeing that/. it is- noti long since even"- European .nations have bridged the ahytfs VrMch.' sunders former barbaric cliaf^nls from' th^ humane' legislation of too%y.' 'Hind the Japanese are even now'working 'hard* to imitate üb. 'Hitherto, and,, indeed/ at' thcoyesent moment, the nanks-of f »male "hanoS'' in Japan are recruited from among the' rural" population by agents, who 'induce tlio country lasses to'sign contracts I " for 1 quite a number of years — the best portion J pf their lives.. And the wages .average' '3d a 'day ! 'B'or tha^ (miserable( miserable mcs6 of. postage the girl's not only labour ham' during working' kotfrs, but'perinit themselves" to' be whbFlv'isolatcd from tiie" outefr world, 1 ' iusl as if fhey % 'were in. a- prison, a hospital, ior a liunnefy. . . Thiis tlicy 'are entirely in the power of their employers, the least scni■pulbtts of whom fiake dn unfair 'advantage' 'qf their .helplessness. . .." ' ' v ,' . • •- * - Curiously ;enoueh. in the higher callings find professions whjpiT require skill ot scien1 tific trainingkinsf e'ad of 'ifffere manual labor, there,,was Jiardly any 'field. for woman s ac- !, ttvity. ,-TJiU3 in none, of the Ministries > or .C?oVoxnmßn.i office was aJaoxtq^e.f.ouTul, ra^uci-wil- senviint. Tho respectable firms of merchants likewise rigidly excluding nlcm* bors^F the fair sex, refusing to employ them as 1 saleswomen; only in a few cheap baza\rs, where 'the work fatiguing and tko jpaj utterly inadequate, vreip wo-, .mpn to, bQ> seen behind the counter.' For a considerable , time, past women 'have !-been engaged- at railways stations, especially s in dfialiug ' with passenicrex traffic;' and now tlic^anni line, wlrich'had hitherto eMmi,na^ed ,the element, has completely brqkeTjT.with its traditions, and -in futufo the passengers by that -compauWlrnW will ' bn.looVcd aft er by lady controllers as well, , Thp Crpwn Pirine*o,%of Jaqjan /t»kes v a* keeTif intp^st, I". this moYftmer;^ which aims at mak'^'ST- I'fe loss miserable to his future/ female subjects, and' he has b'e'qrun by s»&, tinsj an bxcellcnt example. Fe has ni'amed but orie wife. and. has alTpwedit- to bo "en; erftUy under&topd ,that he is. v and int^'^s a. monogamist to the end of his .days.,- , ■-'•• ''••„ ' ■ » ' ''■*■' t .