Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-10
CONTRASTS NOTED
BY A JAPANESE STUDENT AT An
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

rhe Two Noises 10 the Hous"s-WIne,
Tobacco and BiIiiards-Gloves in'Japan.
Riding ON Horssback-A MASH for Goo
Luck.
While hear in most cases two noises in
yorr houses-the piano sound or the clatter-
ines of sewing fundamentally in the fore
noon you viii hear invariably in many of our
families in Japan two noises, especially late in
the afternoon-the cradle songs repeated by
the kind mother lying beside her baby, who
joins her songs with inar,iculate enunciations
broken by cries, and the loud and musical
readings of the master OF husband who is rest
ing at his ease after having finished his daily
duty in his offlce-I mean our official class.
While drinking wine on funeral occasions
Is custom with most of our people, the spell
of the alcoholic stimulus does net seem to at
tend upon such occasions here Holding to-
bacco pipe in the mouth while walking, as is
seen in your streets, is ofNy seen at home, on
picnic occasions, or in foot travellers While
playing billiards and cards seem to be your
principal gambling media, we used to have
cock fgh ing as chief agent of accomplish
ing our gambling desires. While our house
is so built as to have the top part of the build
ing heavier than its lower portion, thus max
ing it able to receive equally shocks from fire.
quent earthquakes which haunt the country
so often, Your houses have their heaviest part
near the foundation
USE OF GLOVES IN JAPAN
We do not wear gloves in parties concerts,
balls or at weddings considering it impolite
to do so; but you seem to regard it to be in
accord with ceremony to wear the article on
those occasions. Not only that, but you carry
gloves both in winter and summer when You
20 Ort,-most of your genteel class of people.
In our case, If young men wear gloves when
they 60 out, even on very cold days in our
northern climes, some of which are as cold as
sonle of your Canadian winters, they are called
feminine" Even ladies do not take gloves
with them when they go ont, except on very
cold DAYS. They never carry them in sum
mcr, although they arc very careful other
wise to keep their face and hands as white as
possible.
But there is a class among our poor women
who go from house to house on New Years
day or other holidays, playing on the guitar
They wrap their hands which are constantly
exposed 10 the sun with white cloth rcscm-
bling somewhat your white kid gloves used in
mil rooms. Among our 1nale society who al
ways wear gloves there are men who sit on
the public highway Il rrnairCr of Shoes
and also our tiremCn who wear thick cotton
gloves when they go to fires. These three
pCrSons are nearly the only persons at home
who would not 60 out without gloves. Gloves
TO al
as simple ring is to your married persons
never used to wear any kind of gloves either
in my summer travels or in the midst of our
collcsi winter, which is so cold in some places
as to make most people wear very thick nit
tens.
VARIOUS DIFFERENCES NOTED.
While you seem to like to ride on horse
back, keeping your body straight or bent n
little backward, our old wav of riding is to
stoop little forward While You ride side
by side when there are two riders we do in a
line. Our stockings are divided at the end
into two portions, the one for the large toe
and the other for the rest of the toes. some
what in the shape of your mittens While
you have long arms compared with your
body, we have short arms and comparatively
long body. Our old maps represent noun
tains in profile, while you represent them on
your maps as though looking down them
We hang on the upper beam Of from.
room near the entrance of our house a lars,
mask of the smiling face of a happy
woman-fnt, slanting eyed, open -mouthcd,
d-cheekcd--irstead of n horseshoe, rs Won
do, with the motive of inviting luck into the
building For preventing the advent Of
devils into the house We attach the head of
the sarciines together with little branch of n
prickly tree TO the entrance posts, gate posts,
kitchen doors; or strips of paper of n few
inches length inscribed with the term Guard
ing card, which was written by priest in
the temple whence the card is issued.
While according TO your custom ono has to
pay the expenses incurred in playing billiards
or to sacrifice something on his part when he
has lost the game, we have to drink cup of
wine when VIC ore beaten in games-especially
games which are played with hands, so that
those who are fond of drinking will not be
disappointed but rather be glad when they
have lost the contest Detroit Free Press.
Miss Cleveland as a Hand Shaker.