Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-01-19


giles with his scholars here,
correcting there, and giving words of
encouragement toall Ihave seen them
at their plays, the teacher always taking
all the punishment that the little ones
with their tiny hands could infict.
The teachers are mostly gentlemen, the
ladies not having the opportunities for
getting sufficient education to teach.
They are not employed as teachers.
Their principal studies are reading,
writing, and arithmetic. The writing
is done with hair pencil and India
ink. There being 1000 and upward of
characters in the ordinary written Ian
guage, it takes at least three years to
get the least knowledge of it, so that
there are but few amongst the poorer
people who are well educated. Each
character represents sound. The let
ter l. has nothing to represent it. The
natives cannot correctly pronounce an
English word with it in. Mostly all of
our common words they can command,
and are very apt at learning them
Their reading i, as with their writing,
very difficult to acquire. They have
no spelling that would suit the children
here, but from the small knowledge
that got of the language while living
with them, / should prefer our own,
with all its spelling and definitions.
Their arithmetic is much the same as
ours, only much more primitive. 1t
consists of a square frame Of wood, in
which are ten wires, in each of
which ten balls are strung. This is
their four primary rules. In all the
stores l saw in Japan this was
used to reckon up their bills. 1t is a
very inconvenient and slow way, but
they have been used to it for centuries,
and all attempts to get them to use pen
Gil and paper are fruitless.
The language when spoken sounds as
well as some of the European languages;
and after person has resided in the
country some time he will conclude that
it is by far more musical and smooth
than some of our fashionable languages.
Very little of the Simon-pure Japanese
language is spoken by the foreigners
residing there. Some fewhave made it
a study, and, after years of close appli-
cation, have become quiet fluent in the
language. Om countryman, DR.. Hep
burn, after eight years of hard study,
has succeeded in editing a small die
tionary. Although giving but eight
thousand words, it is very valuable, and
will be improved ON in time. 1t was
something that the want of was felt for
a long time, the japanese taking the
greater portion of the first edition.
Few men wonld have undertaken
uch formidable task rs did
DR.. Hepburn. He has sue
ceeded in his attempt, and may good
fortune attend him in his efforts to en-
tighten this most free-hearted and will
ing nation.
Their toys and playthings are much
the same as with us, only they go much
more into the ridiculous than we do
There we find mankind in all its hid
eousness, they thinking it beautiful to
comfort the human body, being also
more apt to brighten than amuse the
children. There was one toy that I no.
ticed particularly; it was made of Some
light substance representing miniature
dragons, fish, drawing horses, and every
thing that is capable of moving. Un-
der these were placed large black
bug: his back was fastened to the toy;
the bug, in endeavoring to get away,
would drag the cart, and, being invisi-
BILE, would for some time puzzle per-
son as to how the thing was done.
They have also their tops and kites.
Almost all the children practice in
tumbling walking on their hands, and
for small sum of money will perform
for the curious any time.
The respect that the children in Japan
show for age is remarkable. Let the at
tachment be man, woman or house, all
are much more honored than in most
civilized countries. A young man there
is proud of his gray haired father Ere
quently you will find three or four gen.
erations living under one roof They
speak with pride of their old houses
l have heard them say, "That proper
ty has been in our possession for $50
or 300 years" An old house or build
ing is rarely pulled down, they believ-
ing it unlucky to destroy anything that
has age, or has been of use to any per-
son. Here with us it is different No
sooner does a parent get beyond the
years when he can labor for the benefit
of his children, than they speak of the
cold man" or the "old woman, wish
ing in many cases they We're out of the
way. Iwould not like to say that any
of the readers of your dear little Maya
zine commit any of these ungrateful
acts. Still, to compare these supposed
heathens with portion of the people
in America. the comparison will show
who it is that wants civilizing. An old
homestead with the matched roof COW
cred with moss, with creepers running
up the sides, the old-fashioned
spinning wheel, as with us in
days gone by, are there, and, if there is