The Osceola times., 1881-06-25
GLlMPSES or JAPAN,
Characteristic OF the PeopIe-very Much
| 10 Admire.

10 Admire.
Yokohama Cor. san Francisco Fost.
Few realize that Japan is SO large al
Empire. Three little spots on our maj
picture her TO us, aud she is really th,
rag end of the largest continent. but sh,
has thirty-fve millions of people, and ,
spirit much larger than her body. for sb,
fears not TO fight China with her CONT.
mental territory and four hundred mil
lions OF people. Commercially, the jap
anese are far above the average. Amer
leans In this country complain that the,
are slow-fail to keep appointments,e etc.
etc.,--but | think they Judge by the
standard of their own impatience. They
would chafe at the moderation of Ger
mans or English ways OF doing business
In those countries where eating apC
sleeping are never interfered with by
business rush, and where stores and Of,
tcer are closed at noon for an hour or an
hour and half for the quiet enjoyment
Of the MONDAY meal.
They are careful calculators, deal onl,
with actual experience in making prices
and the indispensable suriban is brought
into requlsition on every occasion. All
IN all, they are a superior race, and there
Is much in them to admire. They are
polite, affable, soclable, economical with
out being mean. They do not pinch
themselves and cheat their omachs and
their backs To save, but economic GUS
toms of dress and living prevail, which
are no Inconvenience to personal com.
ort.
No nation is more artistic, and their
art is being copied all over the world.
Some OF their forms are not graceful
when judged from the standard of for
eign prints, neither are the lightning
flash pictures which Muybridge takes OF
birds, animals and men in motion. but
artists see in these very forms motion il
lustrated and nature copied.
The faces that they paint are hideous
when first seen, but are easily under.
stood and appreciated after having seen
their plays in the theaters and the
dances OF the Gaishas. They are not the
pictures of real men and women, but OF
actors who are depicting legendary tales
1t is with them high art, and with them
as with us, it is an educated taste. We
look at their pictures as countrymen
look at ours, and wonder at forms which
seem ridiculous, but which in reality tell
beautiful stories. In dress, also, good
taste blesses them. A thousand years
ago, perhaps two thousand. they adopted
costumes which were the acme of beauty
and grace, and they have stuck TO them.
They do not pinch anywhere or interfere
with any of the functions of the body.
They may be objected to in some partc-
nlarA for hnt thnra nra
counter advantages to recommend them.
The clogs, for instance, which are worn in
wet weather are easily thrown by an in
experienced wearer, and would not add
speed TO Il foot race, but they lift the
leet three inches from the wet, and are
left outside the door, and the scrupul-
ously clean mating is not polluted
with the mud and dust which un-
derlies the carpets in our houses, and is
constantly rising TO our nostrils when
dry, and covering our furniture. Wear
ing dirty boots into our houses is dirty
custom, and tie permitting of the mud
to remain in the carpets for six months
1 time, sometimes longer, is dirtier
Gus n still, and one which the Japan
ese do not have.
They have laws which are rigid, and
puuishments which are severe, but good
men do not fear them. They are hon
est, too. The head of one of the la-ges,
houses here in Yokohama told me that
| his business experience of many years
Irtding exclusively with the Japanese
he had Only known Of one failure, and
that occurred recently, and was caused
by the merchant being compelled to re.
ceive goods on contract after currency
had deprecated, 81 as to make large
loss to him. Contracts for many goods
have to be made considerably in advance
and the failure was legitimate. They
may learn, however, in time, to fail more
frequently, and more closely initiate US
| do not say th't there has been only
ore failure, but only one in the business
experience OF house which has sold
many million dollars worth of goods.