Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1882-09-28
JAPANESE SKETCHES.
The Universal Use Of the Big Paper
UmbreIIa-An Esthetic Costume
for a Long and Neat People.

The Universal Use Of the Big Paper
UmbreIIa-An Esthetic Costume
for Long and a Neat People.
Yokohama Letter in San Francisco Chronicle
The umbrella is an institution in Jap
an. Whether it owes its invention to
this people or not, they avail them
selves largely, of its uses. The Japanese
umbrella is sensible article, in its am
plitude and ightpess. being made of pa
per and bamboo. When under one of
them, man is really as safe as if he was
under a shed, so far as the falling rain
is in question, and the shade it affords
from the sun is "like unto that of a great
rock in a weary land."a When folded,
however, 1T possesses volume that is
rather unwieldy and inartistic in appear
ance. The average Japanese is seldom
seen without his umbrella. It is an in
rdispensable article of comfort and rain
or shine he places himself under
It's protection. If the same array of UNI
brellas were to be seen on market street
that is constantly in sight on the street
here, it would be novel spectacle, &C.
pecially on a bright, sunny day. The
garment most commonly worn is suited
for all the needs of warmth or GOODNESS.
y 1t is made with wide, flowing sleeves,
and is wrapper shaped open in front from
top to bottom, and confined at the waist
aby long band wound around the body
number of times. 1t is a very simple
outfit. Comfort cannot exact anything
more simple In the cool season these
garments are duplicated by the addition
of wadded articles of the same character.
The great multitude wear for headgear
simply piece of blue cloth tied about
the temples, though the straw hat is
fast coming into use with many. Of
course, there are many who have adopt
ed the Eropean styles of costume
throughout from head to foot. The ma
tive dress ofthe Japaneses is not costly
| one. One of the garments In use in sum
mer will cost about 81 80, if made of cot
ton; more, of course, If Of silk.
A japanese horse is SO cheaply OBJ
taine1 and the cost of keeping it Is SO in
significant, that it is a fashion here to
keep pony and trap for individual fam
lily use. One of the indispensable aux
iliaries of.an outfit of the pony and trap
is a "betto." A ''betto"" is a hostler and
outrider, or rather, he is all out runner,
as his place has been determined
by usage to be near the head
Of the team. These fellows run
like, racers, and do away with
the necessity Of hitching- posts and fast
ening gear; your" betto," is sure. to be
even with his team when the lines are
slackened and the occupant ready to
alight. 1t is seldom that a gentleman
takes the lines when there are ladies' in
the vehicle. Generally the ladies drive
without male companions, and MANY
of them have developed considerable
/ ability in handling the lines. The most
inexpensive mode of locomotion for.any-
one residing here isto join the jinrikisha
/ brigade. One of these comfortable es-
tablishments with gigtop attachment
for protection against rain can be pur-
chased for $25. A man can be hired for
about 50 a month to be constantly on
hand for propelling purposes, and he
will travel about as far in day as the
average equine stock of the country. He
| requires no ''.betto" or grooming; takes
care of himself and rikisha; comes in the
| morning and is at your command as
| long as needed The iinrikisha is an in
dispensable affair whenever he is intro
! duced, and there are MANY thousands of
! them in Japan.
There are no more clearly people in
| the world than the most INDECENT Jap
| anese. lift is not cardinal requirement
| of their religion to battle often, it is a
custom established firmly as if ordained
| by hol y canon, and their apartments are
| kept scrupulously clean. The staple ar
| ticles of food are to be had at very small
| cost. The man or woman who earns 10
or 20 cents a day can procure all the
| food necessary for family of three or
| four for not mere than ten cents. The
| problem of cheap living is so.ved here,
| and there are none to be seen who wear
the pinched look of hunger. Compare
| lively speaking, the man who earns his
| twenty cents is as we'll eft here
as the man who earns $3.50 day in
| California. and he can put aside a larger
proportion of it for the future than the
| Californian can As everything is COM
parative. so long as the Japanese labor
er is satisfied with his food and clothing,
| he is the happier of the two. The Jap
anese will not endure the filthy way of
| Chinese living, but he can and does live
as cheaply as the Chinaman. The Jap
| anese, however, is not a conservative,
and he soon contracts the ways and Gus
toms Of the Western world, with all their
| expenses.
The mode of constructing the houses
liSIt, Wu1lC tLAC lCaoe outiaN 10
| admirably adapted to the conditions of
| the climate. A Japanese house is really
| double affair. The most expense is
| put into the roof, which is of splendid
| heavy tile in all the towns and villages.
On the isolated farm houses straw thatch
is used most extensively. The roof is
sustained by uprights framed into it,
| which have their foundations on the
4 ground. Ice floor is generally about
two feet above the ground, and is di-
-vided into, rooms by paper partitions,
which an ) in sections and slide in groo-
yes. They can, at pleasure, be entirely
removed, leaving, if lecessary, the en-
tire urea in one room. The sides of the
building, or at least one or more, are
also i'm sections, which abide in grooves,
and are removed during the day, if re-
| quired. Generally there is a space left
for a passage-way between the outside
and the, inside partitions forming. the
rooms, SO, that In winter the rooms, in
closed only by paper screens are made
warm and comfortable by the protection
of the outer, shell when slid into position
while in summer the facility with which
all partitions, are removed insures, good
ventilation. Very many of the: houses
are built with an interior court. devoted
to ornamental shrubs and flowers show.
ing an admirable degree OF esthetie taste
in the people. ,...,-... IL
| I'm Horto .f