Wichita eagle., 1888-04-21
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9aily - eagle
| ANGLOMANIA TN JAPAN.
a CYCllST FINDS TOXIC SMELLS
$50 ENGLISH, YOU KNOW"

$1,000
Last December, when al Yokohama, the
fame OF my bicycle tour around the world,
Just then completed, attracted considerable
notice in Toxic A japanese gentleman
named Suyenlatsu, occupying some high
official position at the capital, sent me down
his card together with an invitation TO come
up to swell ball that was coming off on
Monday evening Expecting to see something
OF compromise between the Geisha Of
Japan and European dances, / readily
accepted the invitation. An hours ride
by rail and ten minutes by jiurikisha
through the level streets of Toxic brought me
TO the Rokumi Kwan, swell European like
club house, where all the high toned hops of
Toxic take place. The Rozumi Kwan stood
IN the middle Of a large flower garden, food
of light strearned through the windows and
the strains Of European orchestra greeted
the ear. The jiurikisha coolie halted beneath
the big portico and fiunky in swallow
tailed coat, patent leather bighlows and
white cotton gloves promptly advanced and
requested my card. There was nothing Jap
unese about this individual but his face and
than French politeness that had charmed me
from beginning TO end Of my 500 mile ride
through Japan had been supplanted by the
formal stiffness of an English person Plac-
ing my card and that Of MIR. Suyematsu on
the proffered salver, l requested the imita-
ton English footman TO seek out the latter
gentleman and hand him nv card While
he departed on his errand I loitered in the en-
ofHa Ann oil ~,
conventional swallow tails and snowy gloves,
stood around and speculated among them
selves upon the fact that my boots were only
plain impatient calf, and my black diagonal
coat OF other shape than theirs, and the
servants were SO startlingly English, YOU
know, that | was prepared at once for
sundry notifications in what l had
been expecting II see at the ball
! was scarcely prepared, however for the ex-
IRENE English lines of behavior and deport-
ment adopted by everybody present Mr..
Suyematsu, whom | had been picturing as
coming out to me, with the profuse polite
ness of his couutrymen in general whom |
had met, turned up in the shape of a young
man about 25. The only difference in his ap-
pearance from the flunkies was button hole
bouquet and diamond studs, except that he
allowed his thick, black hair to fall a Ia
neglige about his eyes.
"Er-aw, Mr.. Stevens, the er, er. bee-see-
clist" Mr.. Suyenatsu said in the finest
drawl ever heard outside of London. "Er-
Rw, cam ap." Mr.. Suyematsu's manner quite
nonplused me for the moment. For the last
month had been knocking about among his
countrylnen and had found every one of them
profusey polite and deferential Instead of
bowling his head nearly to the floor, as l had
expected, air. Suyematsu merely advanced
languidly, as though it were rather OF a bore
TO have to come down these beastly stairs,
don't you know, and drawled out an invita-
ton 20 come up. | didn't know under the cir
cumstances whether / had better accent his
invitation to 'cam apr or not. | pointed out
TO him that l had on neither swallow tailed
coat, white gloves, nor patent leather shoes
"Er-aw, nevah mind, er, cam aD," replied
Mr.. Suyematsu. So, following his guidance,
we entered an ante chamber where number
of young and middle aged representatives of
New Japan were lounging about smoking
cigarettes. Mr.. Suyematsu introduced me to
Count This, Viseount That and Mr. So and So.
as ''er-aw, Mr.. Stevens, the ar bee see-clist.n
Many of these gentlemen could talk English
quite fuently; some of them had been edll-
Gated in America; some in England. One or
two of them had been on diplomatic service
in Europe All were as thoroughly English as
lIr. Suyematsu himself Some even sur
passed Mr.. Suyematsu in the perfection of
their drawl, and put him rather in the shade
by regarding me through the medium of a
big round eyeglass. Some of the gentle
men towards the other end of the room
contented themselves by adjusting their
eyeglasses and surveying me across the
length of the room. Every one of
these Toxic exduiSites had mastered the art
of appearing insufTerably bored with things
in general, and only TO be mildly awakened
by ball or something very novel Some
were undoubtedly men of brains and energy,
but they were now ia society and their con-
veTSation consisted OF the merest common
place remarks. "Er-aw II Stevens has been
round the-er-aw world, = one would remark
~ -a-a-s, er-aw, long journey" would be the
drawing reply. Mr.. Suyematsu got off
mild joke On Count B The count, with
cut deigninG TO remove his eye glass or smile
at the witticism, explained to me, Ernie,
er-aw joked" Several army officers were
there in gay regimentals. These seemed less
dudish and more inclined for intelligent con-
versation, but they had not learned well their
part. They had not Yet acquired proficiency
in conceaIng their brains and in appearing
indolently Indifferent to things in general. al
though some of them had mastered the drawl
and the eve glass to perfection.
But why do people initiate the Britisher at
ala The yaps are popularity understood TO
regard America with Iliore favor than any
other country. As they viii initiate some
western state of society, why don't they affect
the purely Americans The reason is not
very far to seek. Through side door Mr.
Suvenatsu led the way into one end of the
ball room. Here about 100 couples were
gracefully threading the measures Of waltz,
polka, square and round dauceS-al Euro
pean Every Japanese lady CA the floor was
dressed in full ball room costume Only one
or two oDiooksrs ut the end Of the room were
in native costume, and they looked lonesome
and chagrined, as though painfully impressed
with sense Of being behind the times.
Every native gentleman present was arrayed
in the conventional svallowtails 4 dozen |
or 50 foreign ladies and gentlemen were pre- |
sent, dancing among the gay thvonc. with no !
distinction save their own personality Some |
Of the foreign gentlemen were SIX feet tall or |
more. The Japanese ladies averaged uro- |
baby four feet eight. They looked Ike mere
children and their tall partners lid to hardle |
them almost like dolls when Waiting. 1t |
was CULVER and the LliputianS
Every foreigner present IS English, except |
one, and he is Russian Where are the |
American diplonatsf Why are they rot |
here' For the simple reason that the Ameri- |
can diplomat, properly speaking, does not |
exist in Japan or any other country
The American Representatives abroad, ebb- |
ing and flowing Gu the tide OF prudential |
elections cannot afford u spend their tire