Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-01-31
COUR SHIP IN JlPAN.
Mediation the Most Usual Form. b,

Mediation the Most Usual Form, but
Poetry and Love Scnss Perm jsSibIe.
In Japan courtshp is regulated by
many curious cu MS. 1t is carried on
in many different wavs, bu the mos
IL ual one is by mediation The duty of
the m"diators is to inveS, gate an. in
form one party in regard to the prop
ertN, rrputlliOr, and ch,.IHc er of the
other. After this investigation there is
a meeting # the persons intending to
marry and there they are introduced to
each 9th T. They may promise to marry
at this time, but be ore the final consent
is Civ, n each one must investigate the
oLt el's character If both are ia isiicd
the marriage ceremony will be per
formed 10y the help of the mediators.
and the name of the contracting parties
must be recorded in the official re lister
This is considered as a civil contract.
In some Instances children are betrothed
to each other 10y their respective parents
when mere babies, but Of course such an
engagement is voIdable when the chil-
dren become of age. The employment;
of mediators is a necessary one; all tine
people in pun are obliged to follow
this method, notwithstanding their rank
in society. The service of the middle
man is considered very honorable, and
the Japanese term for this is "musu-
buenokami, " which means a god of con-
nectlon of the opposite sex. Among
middle class people there is positively
no courtship between the parties them.
III al
ship by poetry is in vogue. There are
two kinds of this poetry, ST. and
"Uta. " The gentleman sends poems to
the lady, and she replies in poetry.
The following is translation Of a ce!e-
brated answer:
1.-THE first plum blossom of the Isle of Quo5hin,
This night shall opc, my lord, for you.
Should you long to know all the Charm of
this flower,
Come singing to the moon at the hour of mid
night"
An alIusion to the moon or flowers al
ways stands for the word love. The fol
lowing is fine conceit attributed to a
gay young lady:
parted and from thee,
1gaze upo the heavenly vault,
How delightful were it for me,
Could but the moon turn to Il mirror"
Among the lower classes fiji ting is
practiced by the use of the fan OF hand
kerchief, or with a wave OF the right
hand, with palms dos inward, or by tie
fair charmer waving her long sleeves
Instead of winking, tl'ey convey the
same meaning by twitching the left
corner of the mouth or rolling the eve
balls to the right OF left. Jealousy is
expressed by erecting the two fore
fingers on the forehead in illusion to
the monsle". The caurtship of the
lower class of young men and women
is on Hanami, or piclc day, and ON
that day one cIn hear whispering b.
hind the trees Ct flowers hut no kiss
ing or shaking of hands. Ii they did
such a thing they would be excluded
from the society OF their order Nj Idle
class people could not 20 SO far even as
thi they are always emd.avoring to
preserve their reputation on account of
their social Standing The celebration
Of a marriage ceremony is required not
by the law, hut b., society. There are
several forms, buD usually the first st p
is "yuino," or the exchange of presents
at the time Of the cspousal, usually Of fish,
belt, fan, m"n'y, etc, which consists Of
seven articles. a the number of seven
is considered fortunate one among all
classes. After the exchange of resents
a few days are suffered to eIapse and
then is celebrated the marriage cere-
mony. This is not performed in the
church, but takes place in the house,
as the people think the church the place
for funerals and not for merry making.
The expense Of the ceremony varies &C
cording to the s. cial standing of the
parties. The married couple do not
take their honeymoon tri p until two OF
three days after the wedding; it is gen
orally nothing more than a visit to the
theater or a hot spring resort of which
there are many in Japan. The welded
pair very seldom separate from the par
ents, but live near them, though not in
the same house. When the parents be
come old and fee lie, the children ar,
obliged to make them comfortable
home called "Inkio," which literally
translated means a resting place. This
is customarily built in the same place
by the son. At certain age the parents
generally turn over as a gift their entire
proRrty to their son.
Great Tunnel.
A recent number of the Iron Age tells
q Il.