Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-01-31
Goons ZION 80 IArAN.

tAGluttIHs bub ny tlIt IuotAS az tat 80 "A'iA
keen attention
GOODS FROM FAX JAPAN
Made by Artist. for Penny Day
sure curious History.
The small prices for which Japanese
goods are sold a-tonish most people, said
dealer in this line to writer Tor the
Washington star but the reason is
simply that wages in the Mikado's empire
are so wonderfully low. You will hardly
believe it, | dare say when | tell you that
half d cent a day is considered there pretty
fair pay for workman and. when II
comes to an artist one cent per dunn is
large remuneration.
Il seems pulling bow man with a
family to support can get along even on
! this high pay given for skilled labor But
I you do not realizs how different scale It
is upon which people live in Japan A
cent, with them, Is divided into ten parts,
each represented By a small rectangular
bronze coin
with an income ot penny a day a man
jingles has ten pieces of money IN his
trousers poCket and specuiates as to how
be will get away with II all. Supposing
/ that ne has only himself &c provide for, he
must really be quite eXtray dg3nt in order
( TO dispose Of it. For breakfast ne buys
with one coin pound of rice or other
grain and fairly gorges himself in con-
sumiug 1t. If he has any appetite left for
lunch he expends second coin in ike
manner, ana his dinner costs a similar
sum. Surprising that he darps to attend
the theater, two more bronze pieces will
pay for an orchestra stall Thus he has
not less than FIVE coins left to pay for
lodging and throw away for mere dissipa
ton.
$50. YOU see. q skilled draughlsman and
liner With an income like this, can af-
ford 10 be a rollicking ram, with lots of
pocket money to squander during his
leisure time upon Injuries and fripperies
Necessarily, dress viii cost him something,
but artIsts are no, usually given to dudery.
and this item is not serious. Time IS
money, even in Japan, but it Is valued at
what would seem TO YOU "a low rate. For
example, ,ns saber and ivory scabbard
took one man four years to carve, and the
price OF it is only $50. You can see for
yourself how exquisite the workmanship
.s-nor only the carving, but the temper
of the iine-edged steel blade with which
YOU can easily cut eff odn S head at one
sweep The scabblrl is so long that it
must have taken nearly a whole tusk Of an
| elephant to make it from, and yet the
original price OF this finished article in
Japan was only about S. This will give
you a sufficiently clear notion of the che
ness of Japanese labor,
at seems a puzzle why the japlnes 3
not come TO America for employment
| Doubtless they would were il not that
| they are 80 much attached to their own
country. Ii is a wonderful land Twenty
1 FIVE years ago it was almost in darkness,
and now it is a highly enlightened
country with q constitutional government
/ You uay remember chat, only So short a
! time back, the empire OF Japan was on
! feudQl basis, with the throne occupied by
d wcnarch whose authority was really In
/ the hands of a shiogoon or tycoon. The
/ latter office. originally that OF prime mIu-
| istr, bad become hereditary The tyr
anrytf the tycoon grew finally 10 be so
great that the feudal princes. $50 in mum
/ Der, each of whom bad small standing
army of his own, rose and overthrow the
government Nhereupon ensued the
1 most remarkable revolution ever known
/ TO history. Tie $50 princes or dmm0is
Voluntarily laid down their arms dis
& btNNtN INtlI soldiers ANA retired lulD
private lite By their hands the emperor
was Ieinyestei with the proper authority
/ Of "a nouarcf b. the Office Of hereditary ty-
coon being done away with Up 10 HAT
| time society in Japan had been intensely
Iarist0cratic, the ruling classes being the
military caste which represented q former
Iconuuering race from the mainland of
Asia The warriors who formed the
standing armies of the princes, called
/ 'sdmuraj, were terrible fellows, holding
I in dread the merchants and other COM
mouers. But the revolution upset all this
/ and the empire is now to an intents and
! purposes a republic. socially speaking 4
constitution was granted to the people
i not lougago hy the emperor. par lament
was established, and even European COS.
tunes have become the fashion.
Unfortunately, With these changes the
art OF the country has become deteriorated,
I so that the wonderful bits OF workmanship
executed in Japan during earlier days
such as ivory carvings, lacquer WORK and
SO on ARE no longer reproduced What
YOU buy in a shop ike mine today Is
usually an inferior imitation of the art of
I old Japan