Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-18
JAPANESE TURNTABLES.

Probably IN no country in the world
can there De- found such a wealth of
tulk f.urN tales and legends as in
Japan, and the existence uf these crca-
tiuu~ ut the fancy - quite in keeping
with that gay, light-hcarted character
which has won ior the Inhabitants the
title. among many Others, Of The
French 1T the East The study of
japanese fairy tales l. especially inter
esting Ia us. because in them we are
struck with the very strong resemblance
% our own most popular nursery lc-
gcnds. Cinderella. Jack the Giant
KILLER. Valentine and Orson may lie
found exactly reproduced by any ore
who will take the trouble To examine
The quaint papcr-bound volumes whish
Strcw the mats ~ every japanese horsc
where there arr children. and as IL las
been proved beyond doubt that the
origin ~ most 1T our tales l. to be- found
IN the East. whittier they came together
with our chemical nomenclature and our
system Of enumeration. there seems no
cause to laugh at the idea that originally
they may have come from Japan, espc-
Cially when we remember that 'swcst-
ward the course Of empire takes its
way
The stories which follow have been
chosen for their dissimilarity from any
thing in our language, and. although
capable ot being appreciated by People
at mature years rs well rs by children. are
translated from n curious old volume
which the writer picked I'd In n by-
street of the city Of Ycddo. cntitle "A
Hundred Lessons in Virtue for Youthful
Minds. "A literal translation has been
impossible, owing tn the innumerable
puns. bubbles and cccentricities which
abound In the original text. but ia siO-
nilicauce has been faithfully preserved.
One story is entitled:
ISARI's JoURNEY.
The great fox-god. Inari. once deter
mined that he would make n tourney
through the city to find out where true
honesty and goodness existed. II was
bad age of crime and corruption.
Civil wars tore the heart OF the fair
island; the rich plundered the poor; the
poor could get neither justice nor repa-
ration; mems minds were ailane with
avarice, and the sun shono on as foul a
scene Of depravity rs il had ever seen
since the days Of the fifth great Deluge.
The first place that Inari visited was
the counting-house Of one of the great
est merchants Of the city of Yeddo. "At
any rate he said. Il shall find fair
dealing and honesty here, for this mans
junks float on hundred waters, his word
IS rs good ne a bond, and hisname Is a
by-word for uprightness and integrity. {"
He took up his figure in the shape of
n cobweb in corner Of the sample
room. The tide of customers and mer-
chants flowed in and out; the money
ratified into the Golfers; the clerks were
busy with pen and scroll; but no one
saw what lnari saw. His he art smote
him to see the tricks of trade and the
receptions practiced; the chests of tea
were filled with colorcd leaves and dust
sweepings; the bales of silk were weight
eel with false materials. and their CON
tents dyed with false colors; LACQUER and
bronze manufactured in the NEXT street
were sold As the veritable production Of
old times; the very scales used were
false; the entries in the scrolls were
false; and the stories told To the ems
toners were false. The next dav the
whole city was thrown into A state of
CONSERVATION nj the news that the great
firm had failed. and that the head part
ner had gone away no one knew whittier
The next journey Of the god was to