The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-02-20

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C!hristianized Jals never do their hair
10 the national way. The Misses Asso,
Sir Edwin Arnold's pupils, were pro-
nOunced specimens, who added to this
proclamation the wearing OF hideous
pseudo European boots, six gloves and
German sun shades. They were very
ugly, though they had fresh cheeks,
and as they seldom spoke more than a
couple of sentences 10 an hour they
must have had almost English enough
for their requirements before his
buttons began. They were mere girls
at the beefy, hohbledehoy stage, and
they always hunted in couples.
| saw Japanese women under many
aspects-the women of the people who
interested me-and must say that they
were never without charm except when
they were dirty. The Japanese woman
is such an impersonation OF cleanliness
that she seems divorced from herself
when you see her all dust begrimed,
dragging a truck up the hill at
Koiimachi, or covered with liquid,
malarious looking black slush as she
transplants the young rice plants root
by root, or smothered in coal dust, as in
company with hundreds Of her fellows
she fills and passes baskets (which |
verify believe were the basin shaped
hats they wore when they came to work.
of coal sufficient to coal three thOus-
and ton steamer in a day at Nagasaki.
Then she seems a mere beast-beast OF
burden.
THEY KISS CHARMINGEY.
How different these from the little
blue filleted, scarlet bedecked maids
who trooped down the hill while we had
halted to mend the Duchess OF Con-
naughts jinrikisha that day we went
picnicking to the rapids of Arashiyama.
These little maids, carrying their pro-
visions in the tassled KyOtO picnic bas-
kets and their wardrObes and worldly
possessions in cardboard boxes about
the size of biscuit tin, tied up in oiled
paper, were going to pick the tea lit
was May in the famous gardens OF Uy.
The duke was delighted with them; he
said they were the incest he had seen
since he left Miyanoshita-he always
swore by MiyanOshita Tor its baths OF
natural hot water and the bright little
mattresses at the Fujiya Hotel-O- ke-sen
1.-THE Honorable Miss Hair and the rest
Of those chubby, stumpy, solid, apple
checkecked little hOurls who would
teach you japanese or take you to your
bath as glibly as they brought the best
cO,.ntry dinner you ever saw In Japan.
But the Japanese grisette never shows
to such advantage as at a fair or tea
house. She loves little merry-mskings
and gets herself up with such fascinst-
ing quaintness in her very gsyest kim
ono and ODE and hair pins, under cir
cular parasol with all the cOlors OF the
rainbow and her favorite poem. Jap
anese poems have but thirty-one syll-
ables. She buys toys and candles with
fractions of cents, sips watery looking
tea from ridiculous little cups whose
saucers never match them, gives you
pretty little simper, runs away as fast
as her clogs will let her shuttle, allows
herself to be caught, promptly enters
into conversation, will 60 with you to
tea house and acquiesce in every diver
sion the foreigner proposes as huge
Joke. She thinks kissing the queerest
custom ever invented and learns to do
it charmingly in lesson or two-the
Japanese themselves never kiss-and
she seems to have absolutely no dread
of the apparition of q wrathful papa
But she loves best of all to be taken TO
q tea house at night. Some Of Pierre |
Lofts most inimitable passages tell us
how Mime. Chrysantheme loved it. In |
he says: 'After business the |
women dress themselves, ornament |
their hair with their most extravagant |
pins and set out holding at the end OF
flexible sticks great painted lanterns.
Tea streets are filled to overfiOwing |
with their little persons, ladies or
nourmis. walking slowly in sandals
md exchanging charming courtesies.
VERY NOISY PRAYERS.
with an immense murmur of fiutter-
ng fans, of rustling silks and of laugh
ng chatter at dusk, by the light OF the
noon or beneath the starry night, they
.scend to the pagOda, where gigantic
rods with horrible masks await them,
lalf hidden behind bars Of gold, in the
Incredible magnificence Of their sanctu-
.ries. They throw pieces OF money to
he priests, they pray Frustrated, and
,lapping their hands with sharp blows,
lick, clack, as though their fingers
we're of wood. But most of the time
hey are chattering, thinking of some
hing else, attempting to escape by
aughter from the fear OF the super
natural"
One naturally connects Japanese wo-
men with playing the samisen (guitar),
N accomplishment more common than
,iano playing with US. Any time after
lark you hear the strolling eta (pariah
lsss) samisen player, tinkling as she
.oes along on the chance OF being called
nto tea house to earn few cents.
The Japanese are very fond OF their
music, and those who can afford to go
o a tea house and hire the regular
.uechas, girls who sing to the accom-
,animent of the samisen, and are not
amous for strictnes of behavior. Many
# them are very pretty, and they may
eadily be detected in the street by their
.audy dresses, whitened faces and elabO-
ate coiffures. One often sees them rid
ng in double 'rikishas, two together,
r one and chaperone. The young
European also thinks nothing so chap
"" as to take friend to famous tea
LOuse, order some beautiful guechas
nd stand them all Japanese banquet,
i which he smokes and drinks foreign
liquors. The women smoke, too, the
unny little kiseru, or Japanese pipe,
made of brass and containing half a
hickory nutshell of tobacco. The
apanese women smoke perpetually.
he pretty little musume opposite you
n the railway carriage will pull out
er long lonr, hanging sleeve or from
er sash her pipe case and tobacco case
he moment she has kicked off her
andals and tucked her feet under her
N the seat. The shop woman while &
he is serving you will be tapping her