Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-06-27
THE JAPANESE WAY.
Its LeisureIy Elegance Far Superior
10 Our American Slam.Bang Hurry.
ing Style of Doing Things.
SOh Way M Puck.

bnS Sty ne Oh bosus Innings.
ScoH Way IN Puck.
| know of nothing more rest(ul to an
Overworked and overturned man than the
study of the social and business customs OF
the extremely polite and delibcrativc peO-
pie of Japan. Mr.. Gilbert, il seems to me,
might have given us a better understand
ing of these customs than he has i'll his
otherwise excellent "Mikado," and thus
confer some lasting benefits upon Il rough
edged people who haven't yet learned the
A b c of how togo slow,
| have learned more about these things
from "'Thc Tourists Phrase Book; or, How
to Learn japanese Before Breakfast than
| have from the Mikado" and some rainy
day | will write Japanese opera myself
that will make Mr.. Gilbert extremely
tired.
There is no such brief and hurried Salu-
tatiOn used in Japanese society rs : II
am glad to see you," or: Il am
pleased to meet you" Instead of thus
abruptly greeting an old friend or new
acquaintance, the japanese say, 10
translate them freely: IL am thor
oughly saturated with happiness at
having the pleasure of hanging myself up
on Your honorable cyelids." That sounds
like something. Again, when young
man writes To his sweet little Japanese
girl, away ~ the country, for instance, in
stead of sending her l.0Al kias,a, rs We
hurried ANA fptii,l United States young
men do he writes somewhat in this fash
ion: Dearest Lump Of Swcctnc%'-l am
filled with eXcrucinting impaticncc Ia
reach Your side, 81 that | may hang my
self upon your bliss-diSpcnSing, sugar
coated lips four thousand six hundred and
ten million times, and perhaps Il few times
more for good count
| am not sure that the social customs of
Japan permit young man to kiss his little
bctro;hrtl pcachbI0w Ium-Ium that many
times at one session of the cpLrt; hut lac is
allowed To Premise that number of kisses
anyway, and ifhc is not in hurry, he will
do his hest to keep his promise.
In accepting IN invitation Ia dinner the
japanese do not say: 1T will give me
pleasure to dine with YOU II, You suggest. "
But: II shall have great delight t0put
myself upon the outside OF all the luXurics
of the season under which your hospitable
board is accustomed To groan." That is
merely a free translation of one of the very
simplest forms of accepting an invitation
to dinner in Japan.
rather like the Japanese style of polite
intercourse There is nothing hurried ar
abrupt about it. And i j. much more
pleasing To the ear than our brief style Of
social communication.
OF course We are all in very much of q
hurry in America. But hurry is tbe thing
that is keeping W awake ut nights, causing
us TO acquire storc-tccth in carly life, and
to become nation Of dyspcptics, strikers
and boycottcrS,
As Girls we are in hurry To he women
with an abnormal hustle and a beau; rs
boys we are in hurry 10 wear a moustachc
and plug hat; as women we are in hurry
for hundred new things that the treasury
department is i'll prepared to provide; %
men we are in Il hurry to pocket the Doodle
and get away from the police.
We should strive to live more calmly, if
not 20 sumptuously, and die with greater
even though we must be
buried with less cclat ltSoeuts tome that
We could usr some 0fthc Japncsc sit-down-
and take -it-Calm .activeneSs and for-timc-l-
observation-disclosures in our d0mcs-
tic economy, to our great and lasting adj
vantage.
In America everybody tries with all his
might to hurry everybody else, One hur-
rcs us up in the morning another hurricS
us all day long, and our wives hurry us
home ut night Our business hurrics, u.s.
and our creditors hurry Us the worst of all.
Even the weather has caught our lively
habits and hurrieS us, too.
Our correspondence and conversation
show what mispIabiy hurried people We
are, And there are entirely too many
pharases In general Use in our social and
business intercourse, which on account OF
their extreme brcvity aud explosive abrupt
neSs, crate harshly on the sensitive ear.
For instance. what could sound more I'M
pleasant la a man who hates hurry and
worry than this: PLEASE remit" or this:
Send check at once, or we will draw on
YOU at sightr' The Japanc4e have much
pleasanief wsys vi Raining alm,iar little
business messages, and we might become
happier people by adopting suggestions
from them.
"Will you, at your convenience, do me
the kindness 10 hang check for the en-
closed bill in the vicinity Of my eye-lids?'
certainly sounds less harsh and gritty than:
Enclosed find bill: remit at once. !"
The japanese do not 81, '1heng off the
grass" bpt. ise mnniciIai authorities
will consider u al everlasting kiHdaess il
you will hang yourself OF the verdure."
There is nothing coarse and savage about
that, and Il don't make Us feel rs If We
must go on the grass just for spite.
To my mind there is nothing mo-. ,ebiI;.
tating and enervatin" =, ,ur race than the
hurry AZ" ~-. vustIc and harshneSs and five
minutes for refreshments that mar our 30
cial, domestic and business customs and
make our boosted civilization sham and
fit subject of ridicule TO older and calmeI
nations.
Let US pause. and sit down and learn
something from the Japanese.
MOUNDSVILLE.