Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1938)
Women Assume Important Role In Twentieth Century Jap Life Nippon’* Westernization Brings Emancipation and New Duties Prepared by National Geographic Society, Washington. D. C.-WNU Service. Everywhere in Japan you are confronted with women working at all manner of jobs. Only in two places do you miss her—in jobs requiring skilled manipulation of ma chinery, and in government and professional positions. Everywhere else, bowed of ten under the weight of a child on her back, she cheerfully bears her full share of the work of the nation; frequent ly the heavier end of the load Is hers. One reason for her undertaking many outside occupations is that homemaking appears a minor prob lem of Japanese women. Houses are fragile wooden structures, un painted. with sliding paper windows and partitions. The tiny one or two rooms with matting-covered floors are bare of furniture and decora tion except for chests of drawers and the single scroll hung in a re cess. Low, individual, traylike tables and a few saucers and bowls for dishes are brought in from the en trylike kitchen at meal time. Beds are simply quilts pulled from the cupboards and laid on the floor at night. Japanese Conserve Time. A minimum of time and labor Is required to get the family started every morning. Bed quilts are rolled up and put away in a closet. Chopsticks and bowls are rinsed out in either hot or cold water and left to dry. Even the daily cooking takes little time. Fish and rice are the staples. Fish is often eaten raw, and rice may be cooked at any time and set aside in a wooden tub to be served cold. Vegetables are few. Peas are cooked in the pod. and the big white carrots and cab bages are pickled. In slack sea sons they are cut up and salted down In large wooden buckets and kept ready for instant consumption. The country woman, after giving the family a quick breakfast of rice, pickles, and hot tea, ties the baby on her back and makes for the fields. With kimono tucked up, she engages in any kind of farm labor. Sometimes she works alone, more often side by side with husband or son. Rural Life Busy. As you wander through the coun try in the Kyoto-Nara region dur ing the rice-harvesting season, you come upon one family after another working on the small farms of two or three acres. In one group the small children play on a matting spread out on the ground. A young man threshes at a handmade de vice. his mother sifts the rice on a large round sieve, his wife carries up bundles of rice from the drying racks, and his sister drags away the stalks. In shop houses lining city streets, woman does her full share of work. With the ever-present baby on her back, she switches from house work to shop duties. She arranges the shop, keeps it tidy, and waits on customers. Every village and city has a multitude of markets with open-air stalls. Woman’s work begins when she Is young. Everywhere one sees lit tle girls, their backs bent under the weight of the family baby. School releases no girl from labor. At the end of a day of hard study, girls push back the seats and sweep and tidy the schoolroom. Others sweep up the playground. Six years of primary school are compulsory throughout Japan. In low wooden rambling buildings the children are crowded 50 or 60 in a room. It is arduous to learn the intricate char acters and to trace them with brush pen and thin paper. Girls Start Work Early. Despite all the wearying work, only half of the 3,000 characters nec essary to read the newspaper are mastered at the end of the six years. When the six years of pri mary school are finished, the girls must find work. Many girls enter that institution rather new to Ja pan, the department store. In some, the girl wears a kimono, but in many she dresses in western style. She works in every department women’s and children’s clothes, shoes, caps and hats, candy, sta tionery, notions, or what not. As one enters theater or motion An example of Japan's netr feminine emancipation is found in the Takarasuka girls' opera, soon to visit the United States. Above: the girls have a dormitory of their oten with tastefully furnished rooms. Traditional Japaneae drama ia included in the repertory. An actreaa ia ahoum here making up for her role with the aid of an aaaiatant. All stage roles, both femi nine and masculine, were once taken by men, but today women hare invaded Japan's theatrical world. Miss Asgu gar a Kuni, above, is ready for her act. picture house, again one sees young women and girls at work. They sell the tickets and usher patrons to their seats. The ushers wear western dress — blue, brown, or green, according to the house they serve—and white collar and cuffs. Their hair is waved, and they look very chic. In hotels and inns, whether na tive or modern, in restaurants and tea-houses, in railway diners, the young woman serves as waitress. In old-style inns, and in many res taurants, the girl moves demurely about, clad in a kimono; in other places, she is ultramodern in dress, with the latest style of white-lawn apron and cap. Women Manage Restaurants. In the native inns most of the work is done by women and gir’s. A row of kneeling maids greets me guest at the entrance and bows low to the floor. Then one comes for ward, gives the guest slippers (shoes must be left at the outside entrance), and leads him to his room. This maid conducts the guest to the bathroom, brings meals, makes up the bed on the floor and carries it away in the morning, sweeps up the room and takes care of clothes. When a guest leaves, it is she who accompanies him to the door and puts out his shoes. As he looks back from the street, she is stand ing at the outer gate smilingly bow ing him farewell. Then there’s the bus or tram girl who works on the bus routes that extend everywhere in Japan, and to a lesser extent in Taiwan (Formosa) and Chosen (Korea). I NATIONAL AFFAIRS Reviewed by CARTER FIELD So-called yardstick be comes a straw man in joint senate-house investigation of TV A . . . How govern ment can sell electricity cheaper than private con cerns explained ... Ap pointments present tough problem to President. WASHINGTON.—One of the most extraordinary developments of any congressional inquiry in the mem ory of the oldest inhabitants is what the joint senate-house committee in vestigating the Tennessee Valley Authority is doing with regard to the so-called yardstick. The point is that the committee has heard testimony for days run ning about the yard stick. Experts for the utilities have oc cupied days of the committee’s time at tacking the concept, seeking to prove that it is the bunk, that it is unfair, that it has no relation to what it is really sup posed to be. The committee counsel, Francis Francis Biddle, has Biddle spent endless effort trying to knock down the conten tions of these experts, with some assistance from several of the Dem ocratic members of the committee. Which would be all right except for one little thing. What is hap pening is that a straw man has been erected, and everybody is act ing as though he were real. The experts for the utilities are attack ing the straw man and trying to knock him over. Biddle and the Democrats are also acting as though the straw man were the sacred ark of the covenant and trying to pre vent a single dent or singe. What Is this straw man? It is the concept of the TVA yardstick that the public in general, and congress in particular, held up to last sum mer. It was the idea that the TVA was going to determine, by actual operation, what electric rates should be, what prices would be fair, and what prices extortionate. This yardstick was to be held up to the country, with the general idea that the public would then know whether, in any particular commu nity, it was being treated fairly by its utility company. But that concept was thrown to the winds last summer at Knoxville by no less an authority than David E. Lilienthal, who is the most pow erful of the two remaining Tennes see Valley Authority commissioners. Tells How Government Can Undersell Private Firms Lilienthal was on the stand be fore this same committee. He was asked by Rep. Charles A. Wolver ton what it was that enabled a government operation to sell elec tricity more cheaply than a pri vately owned one. Lilienthal frankly stated, with no hesitation at all, what these ele ments were. One was the govern ment could borrow money for 2 per cent, whereas private capital had to pay much more. He pointed out that in the production of elec tricity from water power the chief element of cost is interest on the investment, the cost of the dam, the land for the reservoir, the dynamos, the power transmission lines, etc. Another element which made gov ernment costs cheaper, he pointed out, was that when the government built a dam it could charge off a considerable fraction of the cost to flood control and navigation, where as a private company had no way of being able to cash in on such benefits, even if they were admitted. Still a third element, he admitted, was the difference in taxes. In some surprise, Sen. Harry H. Schwartz, one of the Democratic members of the committee, asked Lilienthal what, in view of what Lilienthal had just said, became of the yardstick. Lilienthal hesitated for a moment, and then asked the committee’s permission to take some time in carefully writing out his answer. He would like to pro ; duce a definition of the yardstick, he said, which would be right, and j could not be attacked. Problem in Appointments Faces President Roosevelt President Roosevelt faces a real problem on his approaching Su preme court and department of jus tice appointments. As a matter of fact the dilemma extends general ly to recruiting for all New Deal officials, in such cases as appoint ments require confirmation by the i senate before the officials can take | office. The senate is feeling its oats. It is returning from the country anti C. I. O., anti-sit-down strikes, anti Corcoran and Cohen, and, for the first time, not afraid of what the President might be able to do to punish recalcitrants. So far as the attorney general ship is concerned, the President’s problem is complicated by geogra phy. His real choice for attor ney general to succeed Homer S. Cummings is Robert H. Jackson. But Jackson is from New York state, and the Empire state already has three cabinet members—Henry Morgenthau Jr., James A. Farley and Miss Frances Perkins. The once very imminent prospect that Farley would leave the cabinet has been almost eliminated. The Roosevelt “recession” nipped one very good chance for Big Jim to get out and make some money for his family. While waiting for some thing else to turn up Jim, through a ghost writer, put out his book, which netted him $75,000, according to reliable reports. Now $75,000 is not much of a cap ital if a man contemplates retiring and living on the interest, but it is a nice piece of change if one has a regular job paying $15,000 a year. So Jim’s financial worries are over for the time being. He need not look around for a business job. Morgenthau and Miss Perkins Love Their Work The other two New Yorkers, Miss Perkins and Henry Morgenthau Jr. i could not be pried loose from their jobs. In the first place, they love their work. In the second place, they love the glory of it, the social prestige, in fact everything about it. In the case of Morgenthau, Roosevelt would be - genuinely sorry to Secretary losp him anyhow. Perkins The president does not regard Morgenthau as a Bernard M. Baruch, and he knows that “Henry” is stubbornly committed to a lot of ideas at wide variance from New Deal economics. But he knows also that no one could be more faith ful to him than Morgenthau. Miss Perkins Is sometimes a wor ry to the President. She is doing better now, but for a time she could not have stirred up more trouble for the White House on Capitol Hill, if that had been her particular ob jective—simply because she rubbed the fur of senators and important representatives the wrong way. But Miss Perkins also is known for her utter loyalty, and she has the en thusiastic backing of Mrs. Roose velt. In addition, her leaving the cabi net would open up a real problem, unless the President were to ap point Edward F. McGrady, the only known person who could be ap pointed Secretary of Labor without starting something approaching a civil war between the A. F. of L. and C. I. O. Not Easy to Find a Man Big Enough for 4he Job New Dealers generally, admitting that the fact there are now three cabinet members from New York, which eliminates Robert H. Jack son as a serious contender for the attorney generalship, are predicting that Gov. Frank Murphy of Michi gan will be appointed. No one can be sure what the Pres ident will do, especially as it is not an easy task he has to pick out a man who will seem to the country big enough for the job, and yet be a militant New Dealer—especially as the department of justice is one place where it is extremely impor tant, from the White House stand point, to have a 100 per cent New Dealer. As a matter of fact, Homer S. Cummings had certain failings, from the New Deal standpoint, be cause every now and then he would have a conservative reaction. So Murphy, once Jackson is passed over, would seem a "natur al” for the attorney generalship. But to appoint him would be to provoke a new White House versus senate battle, which would approach the Supreme court enlargement fight in bitterness and popular in terest. Moreover, the President would be committing himself in ad vance, in this battle, to the side which, if one is to accept the politi cal verdict on Capitol Hill, is un popular. It is generally agreed among poli ticians here that the biggest sur prise of this year’s primaries and elections was the reaction of the voters to C. I. O. and the sit-down strike. The first important manifes tation was the Texas primary. It cropped out in various other pri maries, but then the verdict be came confused with the Ohio pri mary, where C. I. O.’s most hated governor, Martin L. Davey, was de feated. Sit-Down Strike Victories Turned Into Defeats The confusion was complicated by the fact that Gov. Charles H. Mar tin was defeated in Oregon, after a vigorous fight by C. I. O.. and blasts by Secretary Harold L. Ickes. But the election changed the im pression given by the Oregon and Ohio primaries. Sit-down strike po litical victories, as the primaries had been regarded, were turned into bitter defeats by the over whelming triumph of the Republi cans in these two gubernatorial bat tles. This, added to the impressive fail ure of the C. I. O. to roll up big majorities in Detroit and Flint when Governor Murphy was being mowed down by the Michigan voters, drove most politicians to agree that Vice President John Nance Garner was everlastingly right when he de nounced the sympathetic attitude ol the administration towards sit down strikes as bad politics. • Western Newspaper Union. YOUR CHRISTMAS DINNER America’s royal bird, Tom Turkey, starts his journey to the Christmas dinner table. Fernand Pointreau, executive chef of Chicago’s Hotel Sher man, demonstrates the fine points of preparing your piece de resistance. Picture Parade I Ilf your turkey leg is to be tender and succulent, be sure to remove the nerves. Slit the legs up the side and pull out the nerves, using a heavy utensil that will give you pur chase for a strong pull. 2 Slit the skin down the back of the neck so that it can be folded back to hold the dressing. 3 Cleaning. Make the incision as small as possible, and set aside the giblets for the gravy. Do not for get to remove the longs. 4 Stuffing. No fancy dressing such as oyster or chestnut, insists Pointreau, but a simple stale bread dressing is perfect. 5 The dressing is in and Pointreau sews up the turkey, almost ready for its trip to the oven. 5 The bird is tied carefully with heavy string and placed in the roasting pan. 7 You don’t put your Christinas turkey in the oven and forget it; baste the bird every 10 minutes dur ing the roasting process. 8 And we re ready for the Christ mas feast. Never, never put any garnishment on the platter except watercress, says Pointreau. 50,000-ACRE FARM UNDER WATER NEW HOLLAND, N. C.— One of the world's largest farms lies at the bottom of a lake in eastern North Carolina. Built 15 years ago when Lake Mattamuskeet was drained to reclaim 50,000 acres of rich farm land, the farm was kept free of water by a gigantic pumping sys tem which eventually proved incap able of keeping out the 1,500,000 gal lons of water which flowed in every minute. A complete settlement was established, including a 23-room hotel, houses, barns, highways and bridges. But man proved unequal to the task and today Lake Matta muskeet has reclaimed its own. Nothing remains of the vast attempt to wrest rich farmlands from na ture’s grasp except a few deserted highways winding disconsolately down into the lake. Undie Set and Day Dress Easily Made 'T'HE undie set goes so quiqkly ' and easily, in fact, that you can finish it for a gift in time for Christmas—and you’ll certainly want to make it for yourself. The house frock is a diagram design that you can finish in a few hours. The Undie Set. Slip, panties and brassiere are all included in this one simple de sign that even the inexperienced can make with no difficulty. Make it up in fine quality materials— satin, crepe de Chine or flat crepe —and you’ll save money not only 1650 in the first place, but in the long run, because the undies will wear and wash so long and so well. The slip has a beautifully fitted line over which your doll-waisted clothes will look their best. The brassiere provides support and up lift that you need for a definite bustline, and the panties are un usually smooth-hipped, because they fasten with a zipper. The House Dress. This full-skirted frock is such & pretty thing that you’ll be wise to make it up in flannel or challis for shopping as well as in calico, gingham and percale for around the house. The bodice has darts just above the waist to create be coming fullness over the bust, the sleeves are puffed high at the shoulders, and the neckline, out lined with a double row of braid or ribbon, is extremely flattering. The Patterns. No. 1649 is designed for sizes 14, 16, 18, 20, 40, 42, 44 and 46. Size 16 requires, for the slip 2% yards of 39-inch material; for the pant ies, lVs yards; for the brassiere, Vi yard. No. 1650 is designed for sizes 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. Size 14 requires 4% yards of 35-inch material; 11 yards of ribbon or braid to trim. Send your order to The Sewing Circle Pattern Dept., Room 1020, 211 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, 111. Price of patterns, 15 cents (in coins) each. I QUICK TRIMMER II (AGENTS WANTED) KEEPS k YOUR NECK ji FREE OF HAIR And Your Hair ■ % Smoothly Trimmed Be you* own barber. No experience needed. Quick Hair Trimmer can be used by any one. Simple as comb ing your hair. • You can trim your own nair or whole family.Have one for the wife and children, e Makes a soft, smooth neck line instead of the hard, “chopped-off” effect of shav ing the back of the neck. Alir flf f pr Just put a dollar bill in an en UUI Ulin velope and send with your name and address, for 2 QUICK TRIMMERS, and our agent's money making proposition. Money-back guarantee - a nifty Xmas gift. Follow instruction* In each package and you cannot fail THE WILLIS COMPANY 32S West Huron St. Chicago, III. Everywhere and Nowhere He has no home whose home is everywhere.—Martial. relieves COLDS first day. Headaches and Fever LIQUID, TABLETS due to Colds SALVE, NOSE DROPS In 30 minutes. Try “Rnb-My-Tlsm”-a Wonderful Liniment Don’t Neglect Them 1 Nature designed the kidneys to do ft marvelous job. Their task is to keep the flowing blood stream free of an excess of toxic impurities. The act of living—li/a itself—is constantly producing waste matter the kidneys must remove from the blood if good health is to endure. When the kidneys fall to function as Nature intended, there is retention of waste that may cause body-wide dis tress. One may suffer nagging backache, persistent headache, attacks of dizziness, getting up nights, swelling, puffiness under the eyes—feel tired, nervous, all w orn out. Frequent, scanty or burning passages may be further evidence of kidney or bladder disturbance. The recognized and proper treatment Is a diuretic medicine to help the kidneys get rid of excess poisonous body waste. Use Doan's Pills. They have had more than forty years of public approval. Are endorsed the country over. Insist on Doan’s. Sold at all drug stores.