The Van Buren press., 1893-09-02
A MAPLE p,nNEn in JAPAN.
Maple Was Everywhere Except In the kood
That Was Served.

Mamie Was Evesy where Except In the roo"
That Was Served.
Jaranese club men have some. things
10 be thankful for. At a dinner re-
Gently at the Maple club in Toxic both
members and guests arrived IN l,nrik-
shas. They sat down on the entrance
stairs and removed their boots ON en-
tcring the guests were presented with
art books bound in yellow silk. The
Maple club they found to be very much
maple: ceilings and floors were of the
wood; white silk panels. and the little
charcoal stoves were all ornamented
with maple leaves One dado had them
in spring tints, another in autumn
colors, and even the balcony had
maple-leaf balustrade.
The dining room was carpete with
thick. soft mating, but was quite In,
nocent of furniture. Big silk cushions
were the substitutes for chairs. The
guests did their best to sit down on
their heels. native fashion, and were
then served with washy looking, but
wormwood tasting, green tea. Fasci-
mating girl attendants-the prettiest to
be found in Japan-served, one girl to
each diner. They made waiting as pic
turesaue as a dance. They entered
without a sound, glided up to the
guests, dropped on their knees, and
continued kneeling, with downcast
eyes, until those they were serving
were ready to be helped. After the
tea they brought white cakes
wrapped in delicate rice paper and
fianked with sweetmeat maple leaves.
These are said to keep four months,
but they last Europeans longer. Then
came live fish, white and red; seaweed.
raw spinach. and raw shrimps mixed
in a sauce; hlackfish broth; prawns In
batter, served On . plate with quail.
which might have been prepared with
= hlaoksmith's hammer. crystalized
oranges and walnuts; fish cakes made
into paste which looked like park
fat; Japanese pntatoes beaten up with
bean flour and Augar till they tasted
lite laarrans glaces; then more fish.
served with salted plums and sweet
potaoes sypuped. All the time the
guests were stared In the face by bot
ties of sake. a straw-colored liquor
tasting like dish water.
Suddenly the notes of japanese
guitar were heard, and the doors of the
dancing room were flung open, disclos-
ing women playing on the koto, an in
strument six feet long, with violin
strings. The dancers were dressed in
saarlet brocade, made with long sleeves
and two tunics, the under one very
light, disclosing white satin trousers,
which terminated in white linen tabi
shoes and stockings all In one. The
dancing was more like posturing OF
dumb acting. The writhed attitudes
showed extraordinary muscular train
ing. After the first dancer had swept
from the room, more courses followed
soup and, again, fish. A new dancer
then entered.
After more edibles came the tour de
force Of the whole thing, the maple
dance. EVERYWHERE was the sign OF
the club; in their hair, on their fans,
on every particle of their exquisite
dresses, constantly coming to light in
the swaying of their graceful bodies,
the futter of fans on the floor, the
gleam of dark heads bending over
them.
At the end of the feast whatever
food was unbroken was carefully
packed in white wooden boxes and
given to the guests.-N. Y. sun.