The herald., 1893-09-03
ABOUT CHRYSAXTHEMUM LAND
Sketches of Life and Character
iii Japan.
Some Strange Features of the Native
Medical Practice.
The Facts Stated as Near ~ Possible
ON the Phraseoiogy Used by
the NAtives-An Inter-
eating Article.

(The HERALD has asked Mr.. Gervais
Purcell, A. M. I. O. E., +. L. L
who spent many years in the ser
vice of the imperial government o
Japan, to give it's readers some {
the many local tales and traditions of tn
native population that have come unde
his notice as nearly as possible in tn
phrsseology'in which it was related t.
him. In response he furnishes the fol
lowing account of northern medica
practice.
OUR DOCTOR.
Your pardon stranger, il at fret
failed to comprehend your meanin,
when You asked me if our small commu
nifty boasts of a doctor-where the thinf
does not exist the nameis is often wanting
Oh no we have no doctor" as you cal
him, and truly it must be tempting the
gods to force nature by such stuffs,
herbs and minerals, knives and ban.
dages, and must surely bring down ven.
geance, swift and terrible when it comes,
But" you exclaim, "how do you cure
your sick" As if we haven't our wise
men and wise women, too. Have you
never heard of the old man of Ebata,
clever IN bones? Many are the broken
legs and shattered arms that have been
healed by his pious incantstiops. Bent
IN the mending," you say. Aye and
iorsooth, why not, if the powers so
will it.
But wisest and most powerful OF all
for good is our aged and loved village
priest. Who OF all the clever ones can
so shake the rice bag as he? Has he
not often fetched back the all but de-
parted soul after the last prayer said by
the faint and trembling tongue, and
hope had failed and the bitterness of
death hung darkly over the assembled
family circle?
On terrible night in October, when
the wind blew in fierce squalls, rushing
down the valley with pitiless force, over
laying the late crops and tearing up by
its roots many we'll established tree
that had stood its hundred years; MAX
ing din above which nothing was audi
BILE save the mighty roar of the descend
ing food, caused by the cesseless rain
which accompanies those storms. It
hustled against the houses, rattling the
wooden shutters, shaking them to their
foundations.
None suffered more than the house of
our old friend Kinoski, the hunter.
Lone and apart from it's neighbors, it
stood fair type of the house of our
average poor. No costly tiles. such as
are used in more southerly parts, adorned
its roof. Nought but a mass of river
boulders placed on top of the shingles
to keep them down. For in this distant
corner nails are scarce and dear.
But let us change the scene, and tax
ing advantage OF this lull, enter and see
for ourselves what is the nameless some-
thing thing that that seems to affect the verv
By the light Of the tallow candles
epareely sprinkled here and there, as
our eyes become accustomed to the
gloom, we find ourselves in low room,
cut in two by the simple process of rails
ing one half about foot or more whilst
the other half is but the humble earth,
now wet and soddened with the rain
that drives through the chinks and
crannies of the ill-made house. The
raised portion ia foored with pitch pine,
black and polished With years OF use.
In its center, but toward the front. is a
hole some four feet square, filed with
earth followed in the middle TO receive
the fire OF cracking twigs, whose fitful
glare would add to the wretched light
did it Eot equally take from it by it's
binding smoke. Suspended from the
roof hangs the family kettle by an in
genious arr angement of bamboo that
enable the old crone that now stoopH
over it to raise or lower it at will.
Such is Kinoski's humble home,
equsllid if you like. but full OF happy
memories of boyish pleasures, early
manhood and dawning love. For BIZ it
known that theee humble folk value
their family ties most highly. She who
loses husband amongst them, loses
not alone a lord and master. but COM
rade and companion, a partner in her
tolls and pleasures-mutual help in the
truest sense are thev.
Alas in poor Kinoski's case this
partner, this life's companion, lies prone
in that dread and awful agony where
the rival powers of nature, death and |
life, struggle for victory. Placed that
the heat of the wretched fire may best
impart its warmth to him and so hold
together for yet little while the last
sparks OF lingering vitality. Ever and
anon he may be heard to mnr.
mur, each time more family.
the formulated prayer OF the dying
buddhist, "Amu namada Daibutz,"
Seated by his side is one who, in spite OF
poverty and it's degrading influence, has
still comely form and who, in brighter
times, was the better of many village
fete. But now weighed down, broken
and almost maddened by grief, che rocks
monotonously backward and forward, as
though overturned nature called for
physical outlet for grief too keen to be
endured in silence.
This motion has for an accompani-
ment low moaning sound, as of an ami
NAL in pain. scarcely human. Unceas-
ingly she continues it and only stops oc-
cassionally as she suddenly thinks che
hears some hoped for sound; disap-
pointed she again resumes it as before
only more pitsous in it's tone as hopes
dies farther and farther away.
Too far advanced on life's sad journey
to feel as poignantly the grief caused by
the effects OF our human fruitly. the old
crone alluded to before, sits over the
fire now and again replenishiDg 1T or
heaping the EN- bers together whilst che |
munches and mumbles the sun-dried
barley cake that forms the staple food |
of those parts for in the inhospitable
higher latitudes the ehort summer with
it's fog hidden sun. is i'll suited to the |
growth of rice. Hence many pass from
the cradle to the grave uncheered by the |
pearl white grain for the poor 1t is