The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-12-05

Journeys an JGpdn-JdpdteSe o"OPS "'o'
Bqbies-!Silk Merchants Painting Grapes
and Telrets-How it as Done.
A Kinto correspondent Of the Globe
Democrat writes: Visiting temples and
palaces, guide-book in hand, is too much
like the duty-work Of that order that the
sight-seer has to accomplish in Europe for
one to rejoice greatly in its novelty, and one
feels that he is having more truly Japanese
experience when he wanders aimlessly and
prowls about the streets and by-ways OF the
city The shops are an unceasing delight,
and being all open to the street, and the
floors raised platforms covered with mats, 1t
makes each shop seem like some miniature
theatre with curtain rolled up and drama
in progress. The people are always PIC
turesnue their costumes and accessories
artistic, and once beset with the idea that
these open shop fronts are so many stages,
one sees only we'll arranged tableaux, groups,
and scenes along the miles of pretty IN
teriors The rows of clogs and sandals be-
low the platform are perpetual invitations
for one to shake off his dusty shoes and
tread the clean, smooth mats and sit beside
the mother of the family, who has shaved
off her eyebrows, blackened her teeth, come
to simpler way of dressing her hair, and
given up red and gay colors in costumes as
a tacit sign of allegiance to her lord. The
comical japanese babies, with their shaven
crowns, attract one to nearer study, and
these odd little bits of humanity are like a
bric-a-brac in their quaint and irresistible
charms, and one longs to carry few OF
them home as curios or ornaments, or else
wishes that Kate Greenaway would come
to Japan and picture them all in rows.
Japanese babies, unfortunately, have
genuine fear of foreigners, and ones ap-
proach in friendly advances generally sends
the miniature man or woman in frightened
tears to hide behind its mother. The little
ones stare as if fascinated by the terrible
sight of the big, ugly foreigners, but the
first move towards them makes them shake
with fright, and one is rather chagrined to
have his amiable moods met in such away.
It is evident enough that japanese mothers
make bugaboo of the foreigner, and the
funny little mites doubtless imagine that
some one of these enticing strangers will
make away with them and crunch their
bones in his lair.
These shops that open to the main street
with all their wares in view are not the
places. however, where one can find the
rich the rare artistic things that are tie
special creations of the best japanese art
workers. In the open shops one sees only
the cheaper and commoner things in every
day use, with many foreign goods and for
eign ideas here and there. 1t is in quieter
streets, and behind latticed walls that the
rich merchants live and carry on their man.
ufacture of grapes, brocades, bronzes, por-
celain, and enamel that make Kioto famous
as the centre and seat of the finest art in
dustries of the empire. There are no such
things as large factories, with all the folderol
and expense of wholesalers and retailers,
drummers, commission merchants, and mid
dlemen to eat up profits and make things
dear. What the merchant sells his work
men make on the premises, or at their own
little homes, aided by their families, and
commercial buyer makes nothing by giving
to one man single large order on the
grand American wholesale plan. The ia
panese merchant gets confused and driven
to his wits end when the enumeration
reaches hundreds or thousands, and in pro-
portion generally charges more on large
orders than by retail. One engaging old
soul here, who makes most beautiful Ian.
terms of paper and fine silk tissue, showed
five years ago to an American dealer some
tiny little mites of toy lanterns no bigger
than your thumb, made of bright red pa
per and complete with candle, wire-loop
and bamboo stick. At that time he had
200 or 800 of the little lanterns, and the
American buyer, who was wandering here
and there picking up things for the mar
ket, took them all Last week the Amer
lean went into the same place unwittingly
and had bought hundreds of large lanterns
when, toward the conclusion of the sitting
the lantern-man, with an Indifferent air
showed him one of the midget lanterns
The American instantly recalled his for
mer visit, and, remembering how the toy
had taken across the water, told the lantern
maker that he would take ten thousand o.