Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-15

full OF large round shot between the corner posts
and the foundations thus providing Tor free oscl.
| lation This method, however, admirably adapted
as II Is to cure real earthquake, has the effect OF
| creating succession OF imaginary ones, and the
earthquake thrill" is too precious an emotion to
be vugarized by such mechanical imitation. Full
yama does not, indeed, "buck like q mustang
here, as the Arkansaw man said his mountain did,
when the earth tremoles, but everybody has run
Tor MS life once or twice. and several people have
been surprised to see their chimney Introducing
Itself into their bed, plunging them into the state
| OF mind OF the Irtshman who exclaimed when his
excited horse caught his hind loot In the stirrup,
III you're gon To git on, I'm goin' to git orr The
ceiling OF the billiard-room In the TOKYO Club Is
Dolted 10 the walls by network OF iron bars and
ties, stretching over head like the web an antede-
luvian spider might have stretched to catch
an 1chtheosauruS. "What on earth Is all that
for?" asked an astonished visitor "If you'd seen
the cues hopping about and the balls flying and
the tables doing double shuffle round the room
disappeared like RABBITS through the windows, you
| wouidn't ash, was the reply. But since Earth
aase n Mne mas SET traps for the Iumoers ae
society made him Fellow for the dignity OF the
appellation) the earthquakes seem 10 be migrate
Ing But little one caught us the other day While
| was interviewing one OF the ministers OF state
ana ratified the chandelier overhead In a manner
mat caused us TO draw back simultaneously 10 see
II we mad not dropped our handkerchief under our
cnaii. and stopped q japanese sentence in the
mlIdle-a feat which nothing less than an earth
quake could accomplish. 1t was OF no use for the
"Comeln9 knew in an instant what ii waA
AN AFFIRMATIVE NUISANCE.
TO return, however, from this seismic DEPRESSION
the Tokyo Hotel is impossible chiefly because OF
the uniformed poiteness OF the attendants there
In. A strange objection, the reader Will remark
but perhaps he has not learned the abysmai
capacities OF nervous irritation which lie In the
monosylable yes" I clap my hands and the
take 1t TO be mended" He bows politely. Eyes"
soon after Call another. "Send this note immeb
Siateiy 70 the British legation" "YeS" By-and-
known native visitor who describes himself as
.'Statstician." 1t being then am and as / am
tleman am very sorry CANNOT see him lust now.
anu that thank hun for the volume OF statistics
Qn Japanese) he has brought me-" An intell-
a ponte gesture OF perfect apprehension,
and disappears with the inevitaule
head in AT ibe %nor n he svo ., mere puts MS
like tea-coffee7" "Tea." ayes Five minutes
later ne returns with a pot or execrable coffee.
appears with the Lmorella, which he opens and
tnen pointing triumphantly 10 the rent, exclaims,
You made brokenP With suppressed feelings
endeavour 10 penetrate TO the recessts or his brain
where piugin English dwells aione An hour after
breakfast boy number two appears with my letter.
ou, MANI SEM ietter post or send messenger"
quick-hydku-can't you understand" "Yesr
meekiy, aud exit. Finally at nalI-past 10 boy
number three enters and falls on his knees.
sinister lchikach koZuwo Chucni-you have got
card-ask will he walt now more or you see him
tomorrow" For the unfortunate ''Statisticiann
had patiently waited two hours and half down.
stairs! II Carlyle had ever been in Japan should
know where he discovered the "EverlasJing Yea
AS SAID, have moved into a Japanese house.
just when the Affirmative afliction mad become
unbearable, fortune threw NE In the way OF an old
Harvard acquaintance, VINO settled down suddenly
| from glODe-trOtuer into a successful and pros
porous teacher here. .'Come up anu live with me
Tor While" he SAID consoingly, I'll you can stand
a Japanese house" ..But nave you room?"
fhA faa. hat
was OF the dimensions OF band-b 'NlneI cen
rooms" he replied, "and a goOo IN my OF Them
subdvislble Into four. Guess you can f1nd a corner
somewhere" A glimpse at the quarters 50 hos
p.taby offered was enough, and my address Is
koJimachiku, lchi0anchO, SijiuniDan.
THE ODDITIES OF A JAPANESE House.
How to describe a japanese house, where
| nothing Is like anything corresponding to It at
| homer From the outside it is an uninviting big
| black barn; inside 1t is a spotless dolls house
| magnined thousand diameters, all wood and
| wicker and white paper. The entrance hall Is a
platform raised couple or ieet above the ground,
where you take on your boots II you are a
foreigner, or leave your scandals II you are a
Japanese A screen door slides back and you are
sometimes you are In one room and Sometimes in
another 1t may be general sitting ROOM so feet
| square; 1t may be bedroom III you call early In
| the morning); or you may nnd yourself IN an i'm.
provised sanctun and intrudlng upon somebody
writing labOred descriptions for PARKWAY press
sST hefs so walls s have not only they
make new room you simply ..form
square" by sliding enough panels in their grooves
rooms can be thrown into one, inclosed. in our
case, BY forty-sx panels. Those forming the sides
OF the house consist each OF sixty little paper
panes To wet ones nnger, stick IL silently into
the window aud peep through, is thus the natural
Japanese counterpart OF occidental surreptitious
| Inspection by The keyhoe. The floor Is OF mats.
| not mats strewed about as at home bur soii1
| structures OF delicate stuffed wicker an inch
thick, OF conventional aud regular SIZE let into
hat fn.nr nlaS IaD,
famed by even the daintiesL OF slippers Chairs
and tables are, OF course, unknown, and the po,-
ture OF repose Is TO seat oneself on ones heels
This sQuattlng, by the way Is very painful at rst
and, like the "biameleSs dances" In 2u,idtoore
''Lakes deal OF training" AT meal times you
| squat anywhere and your food is placed before
| you. When you are tired you throw Yourself any
where on the door, with no fear OF soliing your
| white linen suit. When evening comes you do not
seek your bed chamOer, you simply make IL. by
sliding the walls round the spot you have chos.
| for your slumbers The rough and ready way.
according TO my American friend, is To tread
around on the floor Till you ma specisIlv son
| mat, and then lay few walls upon IL ror a couch
more luxurious one is 10 have futon or thicK
quilt spread out, and roll yourself In a rug or
blanket upon IL. The chief drawback for a Tor
eigner Is that his hip-bOne, which is more proni
nent than that OF japanese, Is terrioiy Ia the
way, and my Journalism not having yet advanced
TO graduation upon the plank bed have not
learned the trick OF celebrating the natural pro-
JectiOns OF the body. But you sleep comfortaby
in spite OF the marauding rat, whose immunity
from attack has rendered him equally in0uisiIiye
ana harness. ana In The morning when you re-
turn from the bath, bed and bedroom nave alike
disappeared. 1t Is the story OF Aladdin dOmesti-
Gated.
AJAPANEsR BATE
The bath, again, is a new experience Take an
enormous oval bucket, holding perhaps nifty gal
Ions. with stove-pipe running up inside it. FIJI
the tub with water and the pipe with red-hot
charcoal and when the temperature Is a little
short OF boiling point, get bodily In and SIT down.
and you have Japanese bath. In most cases the
next step Is 10 get out again with amazing
| alacrity, but the japanese sits calmly there and
persptres I'LL he Is parboied. Being the guest 1
am invited TO enter FIRST while the entire house.
hold stands round and suppresses ITS amusement
When emerge, in q falntlng condition, my host
enters, and he Is followed In time by the nye ser.
wants In the order OF their dignity, down TO the
humble "cook-boy." II there were any ladies
resident In our household they would take their
turn with the rest This bath is, OF course,
merely TO open the pores. One is not supposed 10
wash In Il, but TO SIT quite STILL Soaping follows
Tor the Foreigners and rubbing for the others and
| the cold douche. The process when completed Is
delicious, cleansing and invigorating, and FAR
ahead OF the simple ''cold tub" OF the Englishman
at home and abroad.
Behind every japanese house, however small or
humble, there Is garden. In ours there are the
| the amusing bamboo and a host OF shrubs with
odd and gaudy blossoms Colossal bumble-bees 70
rambling round; there Is always a pair OF broad.
winged, brilliant butterflies dancing together
and every now and then OF the great hali-tame
scavenglng crows, OF which there are hundreds OF
thousands not only tolerated but protected IN Ja-
pan, puts bis coal-back head right into the room
hoarse and comical '.Ahl" But the bamboo is the
funniest. One morning we dlecern n Ifnv u.anted