National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-11

I
| EVEN THERE THE COURSE OF TRUE
LOVE FAILS TO RUN SMOOTH.
Rev. j. L. Atkinson writes as follows in a
letter from Japan to the Dubuque QoWa)
Times:
My man servant, Keji, wants to be married
tomorrow night. In the first place, Japanese
like, he sent friend to find out sif 1 should
be very much troubled If he should take /.
wife," I expressed myself as to that in Ian
guage agreeable to the Bible, human nature
and the laws Of Iowa. The next inquiry was,
would 1 advance a months wages for the go
between fee, and other incSdentalsl This was
rather serious, considering that he receives
the sum Of $3.50 per calendar month and
boards himself! ! must consider awhile, and
In the meantime suggested to ''the friend'
shat he advise the Eeji to wait till the LIST Of
November, by which time he could save enough
money, if he were careful, to have q genuine
FEAST, and then he wou5a have wages for living
expenses, &c. Pretty soon Mr.. Keji himself
aPpeaTed, the friend haViag to his mind proved
a failure, and then and shere pleaded his own
cause. The cass had gone too far, he said,
and he had ''made such = compact and solid
eoyeaant that without great shame TO himself
he could not break, and Wsuld not 1 advance
him the money, and SO prevent his shame and
disaraes and complste his joy7'
1t was hard to resist, but ] thought IL not
best to advance money just then, and hence
said that as my wife was OUT and as should
like to consult her abOut it fast wished he
would wait till her return for = knowledge of
what would do. Pretty soon a Japanese lady
presented herself-a gentleman came the first
tine-and at once proceeded to e2deavor to in
tsrest me in the immediate msSriage of the
aforesaid Keji. She thought THAI, if he were
married, he wouldn't he running off to town,
and, on the contrary, would be very faithful
servant. She said that Keji, having seen the
lady he was negotiating for; was intensely de-
sirOns to consummate the union. And this is
the way Of it
Keji is poor, in that he has-no reserve fund,
hence must do this thing in ssmaIl, quiet way.
Wishing wife, he learned that a. friend knew
of lady of eighteen summers, Counting as
the Japanese count age, but only seventeen as
we count it, This friend presented the at
fractions Of the lady so beautifully as to quite
carry away Mr.. Keji and cause hiSa. to long for
her sweet presence. "Will you do the bust
ness for me2" was the next thing in. order. To
this the response was favorable, and so very
soon the mediator found his way to the home
of the young lady and the ear of her parents.
(The presence and ear of the young lady con-
eerned are considered Of no Importance in
Japan.)
In due time the bargain was closed. Just
what it is in his case L do not know; but the,
advance money wanted indicates fees of some
sort to parents and mediator OF go.between-
The bargain or covenant is all made, and needs
only little money to seal it for aye. If give
it to him this eve he will wind up the business
very soon. Then, tomorrow night the me-
diator, with Government officer, a sort Of
register, will proceed to the house of the bride.
The contract Of the parents will be recorded,
with their names, &C., then, about O'Clock
p. m, the mediator, the officer, the parent and
the bride will wend their way to Mr.. KeH's
room, which is on our premises. He, anxiously
ruf11 aNN haf-
come them in most self-humbling and elaborate
terms, and with overwhelming bows and pros
trations, all Of which will be returned In kind
by the bridal party. After some preliminaries,
(Which shall learn if 1 am invited to the
wedding, as 1 hope to be,9 the officer will re-
cord the fact of the bringing Of the bride to
Mr.. KejPs house, together with the names of
those present as parties of the contract, the
date and hour, &c, After this there will be as
elaborate supper as Mr.. Reji can possibly
provide, together with as little Cor much) of
the best saki the country can distill. Dispos-
ing Of the supper and much tobacco, the go
between, the officer and the parents and reia-
tiYes, probably, will return to their homes and
leave Mr.. and Mrs. Keji to come together
alone, and this will be all the more necessary
from the fact that they have not exchanged
world as yet, and from the fact she does not
know him from Adam, except by his age.
1t is a strange way of woOing, and q sad one,
too, and hope we shall be able to teach them
better things as the years 60 by. A good spell
of counting is not bad thing for two people
who are to live together for life. May the Japs
live to know slow good and pleasant it is!''
Having written the preceding, I laid down
nv pen for the night. Resuming it this morn
ing, l am under the necessity of recording the
fact that the course of true love does not run
any smoother in Japan than it does in America.
Last evening advanced Mr.. Kejfs wages to
the end of the present month only, but the bal
,,,FET ,I,1,
the lady mentioned yesterday. Early this
morning met the same lady, who informed
me that her services had been required at the
house of TIE bride that is to be, and that the
consultation did not cease until 8 O'Clock this
morning, and that even then the covenant was
not sealed by the presentation Of the money.
She hopes, however, that tonight the confer
ence, beginning at o'clock, all difficulties will
be removed, and that the bride will be forth
coming tomorrow night.
The occasion of the need of that worthy
Japanese lady's services and the delay of the
wedding is this: Another fellow had his eye
on that same girl, and was intending to negO-
tate for himself, without consulting her wishes,
however, in the least. He heard Of Mr.. Kejfs
advances, and FASTENED into the presence of
the family to forestall his rival. Expressing
his solicitude for the welfare and happiness Of
the whole family, and his especial anxiety in
the present aspect of affairs relative to the
daughter, and because of that solicitude and
especial anxiety having been induced to make
rigid search into the character and abilities of
the prospective son-in-laW, and having found
that the gentleman's name and career would
not bear abundant light, he warned them to
be very cautious in their proceedings, and to
draw back from the unfortunate covenant be-
fore it was eVerlastingly too late. Naturally
the parents were alarmed, and a long and
general conversation became necessary. The
lady have spoken of appeared in behalf Of
Mr.. Keji, the troubled ''WOuld-be." She pro-
ceeded to show up the motives of the vile speaker
of lies, and to hold forth the virtues of Mr.. K in
most attractive forms; and l have no doubt
that she did both with right good will. As
a result of her vindication Of Mr.. Keji there Is
to be return Of mediator and herself to the
parental residence this evening at O'Clock, at
which time the covenant will be completed.
This done, the bride viii, tomorrow evening,
in company with go-between relatives and
friends, Wezd their way to Mr.. Keji's humble
abode, and there celebrate and consummate
the wedding. forgot to remark in the proper
place, however, that the young lady herself
does not believe the reports Of evil concerning
Mr.. Keji, but does, on the contrary, most ear
nestly desire to come to his.abode and dwell
with him. The lady telling me this told it with
evident pleasure, and with a sort Of feeling, l
think, that she herself had been pretty skillful
in the defence. There is no doubt that the go
between had quite wrought on her young and
tender heart by his representations of Mr.. keii
and of his burning desire to possess her. All
Of which goes to show that, if any one proposes
to do his counting through others, it viii be as
well to see that the "mutual friend''i friend
indeed. ought also to have remarked that
Mr.. Keji has reached the mature age of twen-
ty-one, according to my lady informant. And
now must leave them. / should be glad to
record the marriage accomplished, for the joy
and information of our lady readers, but, un-
fortunately, the steamer that will speed this
to America viii leave this port this afternoon
at an early hour.
THE BLIND PRINCESS.