Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-03-23
CHINA AND JAPAN.

CHINA AND JAPAN.
HzSn0P BOwMANB TALK ABoUrfnkn
some OF the Many Curious Customs and
Instasunons OF These Two Old Coun-
H1es-Thelr Systems OF Eduostiou.
Bishop Bowman Thursday evening. in
response to . request that he should give
some recital of his observations while IN
China and Japan, addressed . good sized
church, and for an hour held their closest
attention by his interesting accounts,
given in an entertaining and cOnversa-
tional style.
The bishop began by saying that he had
came without any preparation to make
some remarks, as was announced, upon
Japan, and would say for the benefit of
those who were not members of the
church that it is the custom, by order of
the general conference, to have missionary
agents to visit every two years the mis-
siOnary fields of the church. About five
years ago it was his duty to visit India,
and while in the old world he also was in
Germany, Norway, Denmark and Italy.
Two years ago be was appointed to visit
Mexico, and then China and Japan, in
which latter countries he spent about
eight months. The bishop promised he
would confine his remarks only
to the customs and institutions of these
countries. He was struck by the wide
contrast in the manner of living between
the two nations, although the prObabili-
ties are that the Chinese are of the same
great branch of the human family as the
Japanese. For example, the Japanese
always sit and lie upon the floor :; he had
never seen a bedstead among them. Their
bed is of straw and mattress, and the pillow
is the same in both countries, being block
of wood scalloped out for the reception of
the neck. As instances of their different
modes of action the speaker said the ia.
panese in using saw, saw upwards the
Chinese the reverse, and in China drawing
the plane, chopping, chiseling, in fact,
almost everything that is done by hand, is
executed contrary to our modes. In
the matter of dress the Chinese are
very different from the Japanese. Instead
of the muitifarious and familiar dress
of the former the latter have long wrap
per fastened by belt around the waist.
Among these people the spirit and general
character and appearance are very marked.
Among the Japanese the size and appear.
ance of each are exceedingly alike. The Chi
nese vary much in size. Those whom we arc
accustomed to see, it is true, are generally
small in stature, but they mostly come
from the province Of Canton, whero that
is prominent characteristic. In Japan
the common people are almost naked, in
China they are all clothed, some very
humbly, but neatly. The japanese are
very easy to approach, the Chinese are
opposite. In japan the bishop was greet
ed friendly, and everywhere was saluted
with "Oio (Which there means, "Have
you had your breakfast ?''-equivalent to
our How do you do? Apropos of this,
the bishop related that while General
Bingham, of Ohio, was in that country he
was so continually greeted with this salu
tation by the children that he Won
deringly wanted to know of friend show
do these little people know am from
Ohio ?" and it appeared quite distinction
that these far off people should so well ap-
preciate Ohio, and her characteristic pro
duction of great men. The bishop was
struck with the generous and open spirit of
the Japanese, and told several instances of
their easy, yet we'll bred familiarity. In
their country the ladies are on the street
as among us, but in China the better class
of ladies con6ne themselves to their homes
1t is among this class of the female popu-
lation of China that the small feet arc
found, and it is there common sight to
see a lady weighing perhaps $50
pounds, hobble about with cane
in each hand, on her dis
torted feet. Among the common class
of women, however, this custom is not in
vogue, and they have feet as large as the
ladies of Chicago, or St. Louis, between
which two cities, the bishop incidently re
marked, there is great rivalry as to the
size of the ladies' feet.
Japan is an assemblage of islands, 5000
small ones and large ones. These little
islands are of a conioal shape invariably,
never flat like those in our Susquehanna,
and indicate that they were thrown up by
volcanic power. They. are cultivated
from bottom to top, and are always fresh
and green. The large islands are not less
titled. Among the natural attractions
the bishop mentioned the Fusiyama, a
mountain of volcanic formation 13, 900 feet
hight, which he had seen in wonderful
beauty at sunrise and sunset. Among the
Japanese thero IS strong element OF pro-
gress, and they have adopted much that
is customary with Christianized nations
The government requires all governmental
officials to dress in European style, only
wearing badge to indicate their rank.
Tho government has set apart every
seventh day as day of rest, still it is in
no sense Sabbath day ; it is distinctly a
time for cessation from toll, but it is in
many ways convenient to missionaries in
their work. They have also adopted much
of our system of education. Tho
bishop had visited a kindergarten
school, where he found many chill
dren taught to sew, paint and draw.
He had also observed that the little girls
had their hair banged like American girls.
But he proved that bangs were an insti-
tuition Of civilization borrowed from China
and Japan. where one style of head dress
is worn until a certain age, then another
style is adopted, and after the girls are
married they wear the hair in way to in
dictate that they are no longer in the mar.
ket. In the high schools, where boys and
girls attend, separately. the system Oi