Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-05-02

booked to pass through. Al the space ON
the ssesmsfs has been engaged for months
ahead and hey osehs TO do booming bnsi-
ness, - veil - Tie hotels here.
The poor leper seems 70 stand the winter
vifhoss many cioebes, - we'll = oshef peo-
pie warmly cisd. ] give Kim few crnss
70 keep stasvsfioa fron the doof-Do-fof
be has no door 70 his house-he has no
bouse-but sleeps in ~ old temple, 20 be
ssys. He has not much of his hngess left
nov, 20 sppezred with little wooden dish
for me TO pot the money Ia - he could not
take IT, During the holidays increased
the aaoans nssesisily one day, and be vss
70 delighted that he called out in English
Christmas" the only English vorh that
have heard him speak but ! do not think he
IL ignorant, for be vss reading one day that
passed him.
Referring 20 your letter Of Septsm-
Der last I hardly know what 70 write
you In reply, not feeling capsule Of answer
ing is irteliigenfiy. As far % I can see
the people are industrious ba. sio~,
and seTupuiously nest about their own
houses and person. II is rare to find wo-
man with her hair NOS we'll dressed and
decorated. and the bath 10 their luxury. be-
ing obtained hot, from a cent and half 20
tss or three cents. They 60 into hot
bath and 20 GU, into the cold air. with their
necks exposed, and a. a result many are
troubled With coughs; then their hair IL
dressed, for shich they pay about as DiEeh
more. it being too elaborate operation fer
the owner 70 attend to herself. II is cot
just 10 judge Of the Japanese a. a class, by
those living in Yokohama, for there IL such
= large foreign element herr, Chinese, Eng-
lish, etc. and very many OF the Japs. here
speak English and are employed in the
foreign stores al salaries ranging from
81 TO SIS, according TO position
and ability. They are very quick
to learn and will copy anything they see,
making II exactly the same, particularly
American fhings, OF which they are very
fond apparently. The women are EN-
pioysd by the hundreds in the tea firing
gardens, from five or sx 10 the morning un-
iii dark and are paid fifteen or twenty cents
a day, 80 am told. They each carry
little tin kettle in which is their rice, and
happy 10 she who has little hsh or tea
sdded. A Jap. can live, house rent in
cluded, on four or five dollars a month,
you can see that with SIS, or $50, they can
have many of the iaxurles Of life. As 10
their education, ! am not very well in
formed bat should judge they have ample
advantages, as there seem to be
plenty of schools. | meet scores of
Little folks with their books and adding ma
chimes on their way To and from the varians
schools Toxic is full Of high grlle schools,
universities and colleges. but out in the
country 1t must be different There are
plenty of both rich and poor people the
same as anywhere else, but as they can
live at so little expense, nobody can hardly
be poor enough to suffer very much as
things are now here. Should foreigners
come and introduc. machinery, their con-
ditiOn would be sad indeed, for everything
il done by hand. even TO saving out all the
lumber for houses. and the advent of ma
chinery would throw millions out of EN-
ployment.
So far as have been able to learn there
is no hospital for lepers here, although one
Is needed, so they wander around "a out
casts. neither do they seem to need poor
house. for the old people are provided for
by their children, or relations or friends
even If they themselves are poor. There
are great many blind people. even chill
dren, and they walk the streets blowing a
peculiar little whistle, or singing n doleful
tune. The adults earn many penny by
massage. and IL one feel lame or achy, he
or she has only to call in one of them and
be massaged all night, IL need be- for few
cents.
As TO their moral condition, they are the
most peaceful. law abiding people you can
imagine, although they have much curiosi.
ty, yet single small cord will keep crowd
of Japs. out of an enclosure which would
have to be surrounded by high picket
fence and guarded by policemen to keep
out the same class of foreigners.
The women have not the same moral
standard as English or American women,
and what the world considers wrong, il not
wrong in their eyes. It is said that they
will steal from the Emperor down, that is
little things and things that they like TO eat
and they will lie when the truth will do as
well. One thing s'r II is the exception TO
find anyone of them who will do as he says,
at the time he says. He will say thing viii
be finished certain day when he knows
it will not be done for a week aftcrwarl
Their religions are Shinto and Buddhist.
but now there are many Christians. The
are well received and well
treated in Japan, and they believe they
have done good work here. On all sides
are missionary schools, and the pupils Ger
tainly do well. attended the clos
ing exercises of seminary last sum
mer. which were much the same rs
at our own schools The ESSAYS
were all in English and some of them were
excellent, and the piano duets and solos
were the same ~ one would hear at home.
The missionaries live in apparent luxury
and draw good salaries but they have this to
contend with The foreign men come here. |
many OFF of men-of-war ships. etc, drink. |
nun around with the women, may be live |
v it'll them for year or two, then 90 off |
eaving one Or two children, perhaps with |
nut even goo lbye and these people see all |
hat and it is hard to make them believe
hat white people can have any religion and |
nr Ruoi There are hundreds of half breed /
'hillren her,'. the parents of some of which |
Srre married but many are not.
The missionaries in China are the ones
a lao suffer. There they are liable TO be i'll
rrated or even killed. and one certainly |
1eeds good deal of Christianity to be |
Missionary to that benighted country.
MAINE GOSSIP.