Barbour County index., 1884-02-15
; The Initiative Mania in Japan.

trott Free Press. ssss
The Initiative Mania in Japan.
Yokohoma was reached at last, and
after some difficulty we landed. Here
it was our duty and delight first to
make the acquaintance of the Japanese
custom-house-about which more here
after. A worthy brother of most
worthy Judge-Mr. Justice Haunen-
was q passenger in the same ship trav-
eled by, and coming, as be was, to live
in the island as Judge of the Supreme
Court, he was. necessarily burdened
with many packages of luggage. Hap
ply the Japanese did not open all, but
they insisted on seeing the inside of the
grand piEno. the kitchen boiler. and a
cage containing large tom-cat.s All
these things they decided must be
stamped. ''Stamped?' said the serv-
ant. eyes" was the reply. But
YOU can not stamp the cat--it is only q
eat, YOU know ''Ah, but it is very
big one," responded the Japanese. He
knew that some circus horses had very
recently been stamped. and he felt that
the cat ought to undergo the same proc
foo. % - .1AlutlCl
of fact, is not easv to describe; but il
may be safely indicated as one .consist
ing mainly OF imitation. The japanese
who come TO England. smart, dapper
little men in European costume, give
somewhat incorrect impression TO the
English mind. The Japanese at home
is the person to see. He has come TO
the conclusion that European clothing
may be advantageOusly worn, and he
adopts it, not in its entirety, but rs a
sort of blend, so you may see gentle
man in pot-hat with 4 rag round his
waist and nothing more; or you will be
met by person in a swallow-tailed
coat and no trousers. We encountered
noble in a crush Lat, a brown vel
vet en- shooting jacket and pair. OF
light green pants. His feet were monnt;
ell on japanese clogs Probably he
viii buy pair of French boots SOM
day. At pres mt he is in the transition
state.
Ny friend took as guide a descend
ant of the old nobility of the country,
who wore stove-pipe hat, a,Japanese
waistcloth, and pair of straw sandals.
lie was Just as affable rs though he had
been incumbered with suit from a
London West-end tailor's; and this
shows that the Japanese are not a con-
ceite people. They know how to imi-
tate what is good. You land some lug
gage. They come mp TO you in the
guise of Custom-house officers. You
ask which package they would like
opened. They say AL" and they
laugh like so many monkeys. They
have heard thatt is the proper. way
to do it. But when you have opened
the bags at infinite trouble they do not
properly search them. 1t would be
rude in their opinion to haul your things
over. and so they calculate. "a right"
and chalk or stamp the sides of the
bags You ask them why they had
opened them ut all, and they grin again.
They do not know. 1t is useless to
question them; they would be unable to
give an answer. Aud so it is with all
their imitation, They wear, as 1 have
said. many of our clothes, yet would be
Infinitely more comfortable if they wore
their old costumes. But thsy have
been told that the pot-hat and the tailed
coat and the tight sleeve are the right
things to wear, and so they pat them
on. The reason is always manifest: ii
is q curious readiness to initiate. In
one particular they initiate Robinsoni
Crusoe. When they have nothing else.
to put on they clothe themselves in.
straw, which gives them the absurd ap-
pearance of walking wheat-stack.
The straw Is threaded and hung round
their necks. 1t is useful, in so far that
it throws off the rain and snow just like
thethatch on an English farm-laborer's
cottage, but it can scarcely be said to
be Orn namental in our sense of the word.
Yet the japanese think js ali right, and
it doubtless accords withstheir ideas OF
beauty. SurmountinS this shoulder
thatch OF staw is usually q straw hal
madesin the form of an Inverted saucer.
This, at any rate, is rthe most sensible
head dress for the country ever invent
ell. 1t keeps off sun and rain alike: is
light and not altogether unpictmeSaue.
The more civilized Japanese = those
who would despise n straw shoulder.
thatch-have discarded it in favor OF
the European pot-hat.- But here is
simply the result of the initiative ma
mia which afflicts them. They. will
probably return to the saucer-shaped
hat some day, when they have learned
that neither the stove e-pipe head-gear
nor the deer-stalker forms the chief en-
bodiment of human happiness. Already
even thev are finding out that the good
old japanese flowing robes are more
comfortable for home wear, atsany
rate, than the straight unyielding garb
of western civilization. Ny American
friend hurst N upon Japanese of rank
at Nagasaki, one morning, and
was surprised to find him in
the original :, clothing of the land
of the Rising Sun. .Hallor' said he,
''you've taken too much old rye last
night, and got into the wrong togs,
eh2' No. was the reply. Now,
l have found out that in my house nv
old clothes arc more better than Europe
fashion. When 90 out wear Europe
coat, but not in house, a remark that
showed the worthy japanese to be an
intelligent person and "a frank one
There was at any rate no attempt 10
disguise the fact that he only wore
clothes in Europe fashion because be
wished to appear civilized to the out
side world. = Cor. Lopdon Telegraph.