The mother-in-law has escaped from the land of bondage. It is no
longer her duty to rise at dawn and open the house; she can lie in bed, and
be waited upon by the young wife; she is free to go here and there, and she
does not let her chances slip; she begins once more to thoroughly enjoy
life.
It may be doubted, however, whether these conditions will hold their own
against the flood of Western customs and Western views which has begun to
flow into Japan. At present the deeply-seated ideas which rule home-life
are but little shaken in the main, but it is very likely that the modern
Japanese girl will revolt against this spending of the best years of her
life as an upper and unpaid servant to her husband's friends and relations.
But at the present moment, for great sections of Japanese society, the old
ways still stand, and stand firmly.
It was formerly the custom for a woman to make herself as ugly as possible
when she was married. This was to show that she wished to draw no attention
from anyone outside her own home. As a rule she blackened her teeth, which
gave her a hideous appearance when she smiled. This custom is now dying
out, though plenty of women with blackened teeth are still to be seen.
Should a Japanese wife become a widow, she is expected to show her grief
by her desolate appearance. She shaves her head, and wears garments of the
most mournful look. It has been said that a Japanese girl has the look of a
bird of Paradise, the Japanese wife of a dove, and the Japanese widow of a
crow.
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