The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-07-22
A JAPANESE TROUPE.
a MANAGER RELATES HIS ExPER!:.
ENCE WITH THE MEMBERS.

learning the Japanese Language--Japs
Fond of the 'Bath-Taking Liking to
Lager Beer Saying Prayers ~ Street
Performance In Japan.
cit was the first troupe of Japanese that
had ever played throughout the United
States and Canada, and was big nov
city. 1t was made up of eighteen Japs--
eleven men, three women and four child
rem. They could not talk 4 word of Eng
lish, and as had to live right with them
was obliged to pick up their language rs
best I could. did it through pantomiIme,
picking up IN object or doing q tmng
and then getting the proper words ior
them from the Japs. I had a little IN
dexed book, and used to put the words
and expressions that I learned III u,
writing them as they sounded to me, Win
the definition. In few months after l
Joined them I was quite q Jap myself.
The language is easily learned, and re.
sembles Spanish very much. l dressed
like the .JIps, and allowed my hair to
grow long. Here's IN old photograph OF
me as appeared with little Kdtzko in my
kimona. | looked like the real article,
didn't ~
"W'l!at'S the kimona:'
"It's the loose, flowing robe that the
Japs wc:ir, folding it across the breast IN
summer it is a light garment, and Ill WIN
ter it is heavily padded una very warm.
Some of these kimonas are beautifully
emlro,.ercd Under this .kimona they
wear tie buggy pants or mamushka,
fastened ut the waist by belt, called the
'obe'
Is 4 ''CHEAP JOIfN' SUIT.
'Dut the Japs soon wanted American
clothes and they got them, too. Toyo-
kichi, one of the party, went out on his
own hook one day, and came back with Il
very queer hand-mc-down suit on, over II
thin undcrshrt, and his pants tucked i'll Il
pair of very stogy cowhidc houts. On,
but he looked funny when he walked into
the hotel in this rig The Cheap Jollh.
clothicr had taken advantage Of him ana
charged him four prices, so that / had to
20 around and get part Of the money back.
''Thc Japanese are the most clcanly
people that | have ever escen," procceded
Mr.. Hildreth. II had to be careful to Sc
cure bath rooms at every hotel we visited,
and if there were no bath rooms was en-
pectcd to make rates with some bath
house in the town Why, on the sleeping
cars they were up Mt daylight scrubblnS
themselves all over, and as soon as thcy
reached the hotel they were at it AGAIN.
They use on their hair peculiar pomade
that clistens and shines On their Jetty
locks The women use more Of this than
the NEIL. Occasionally the men use n
great deal of it, though, in combng their
hair up to 4 stiff knot on the tops OF thflr
heads. They all insisted upon two baths
per week regularly, besides their sponge
baths daily, and they used to have the
water so hot that neither you nor | could
stand it. Almost the first English they
picked I'D was the expression Gimme
wasser,' which they used OH going into
every hotel"
"Did your Japs tackle kindly to Ameri-
can intoxicantS:"
eyes, but they were never under the IN
fuence. They liked beer, and it seemed
to have no effect upon them. Every
night after a performance the troupe
would gather in the hotel and have beer
and lunch. Some of them liked other
drinks, however, and had to have them.
One old man and his wife wanted gin
and another Jap tackled sherry. I had to
get this for them, too. They would not
have played if I didn't. When l first
went with them they would not eat the
hotel food and I'had to arrange to have
one of the women of the party 60 into the
hotel kitchen and cook for the Japs. They
used to eat eggs, rice and meat steWs.
PARTICULARLY FOND OF PIE.
"After time, though, they went
through the regular bills of fare from
soup to nuts. They were particularly
stuck on that great American institution
pie. Then they always said their
prayers morning and night, and Just be-
fore they went on the stage to do their act
they prayed to their God to help them.
In praying they invariably turned their
backs upon any one present, stood erect
rubbed their hands softly together, and
muttered their petition in q sing-song
tone They were all interested IN the
habits and customs Of the Americans, and
when they saw any strange thing they
rstudied it over until they learned 1t.
"My chums in the company were two
bows, Kotzko and Yousanmatz. The lat
WIS llS IVY WIN uiNt WIN 1oNoSA WV
and Kotzko used to be balanced on a long
bamboo pole with Otoyon, little girl.
These two boys wouldn't live without me.
so always got Il double-bedded room and
bunkcd with them At first they wouldn't
sleep in al American bed, and always car
ried their mats for the floor, with pillows
of wood. made bowl-shaped for the head
and rounded so that they would move
with che head. The members OF the
troupe all came from Yokohama and Na-
gasaki They were not of the street-per-
forming cltss in Japan, but of the middle
class, like those i'll the village An old
man. IonouSan, who was totally blind,
used to do the iron jaw act by lifting tubs
full of great stones with his teeth. He
was, however, Il street performer, but
later performed in Legitimate places Of
amusement like the Others. He used to
stand on the street corners in the japanese
towns. and after IL man had collected II
crowd by drumming Il Japanese banjo he
would do the egg trick, swallow Il needle
and thread and bring the needle out
threaded, and other feats of magic, while
d., 1,o,. Entv1rn >vou11 do tumblinr