184 JAPANESE CUSTOMS AND HABITS. 



found herself a widow. Like all her sex, at first she 

 was not to be consoled, but as time went on, and not 

 a very long time either, she objected no longer to 

 consolation, and a merry bright little widow she was. 

 I cannot remember anything else in the way of 

 romance that I ever even heard of during my many 

 years in the country. 



The marriage ceremony is very simple. The man 

 having selected his future better-half, bargains with her 

 parents for her person. The would-be bridegroom then 

 invites his friends to a feast. Many presents are given 

 on either side, and the marriage is complete. 



Polygamy, of course, is lawful, but it is a luxury 

 seldom taken advantage of. The strictness of conduct 

 and fidelity of the Japanese wife is not copied or prac- 

 tised by the husband. He is an admirer of many 

 women ; and where women are ^so responsive to ad- 

 miration, the addition of a second marriage knot is 

 considered unnecessary. 



In all their intercourse with each other the Japanese 

 are most matter-of-fact. Their system of marrying is 

 a stumbling-block to all romantic notions. It is a 

 bargain between the parents, or between the man and 

 the girl's parents, without any reference to her tastes, 

 ideas, or wishes on the subject. Love or courtship is 



