The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-13
AMONG THE JAPANESE.
From the New York World


A schoolboy viii tell you that Japan
is not exactly at our antipodcs, but TO
our notions everything is almost the
opposite of what we are accustomed to.
Flowers are scentless; fruit trees are
cultivated not for the fruit they yield
but for the blossoms they bear; what
little fruit there is is tasteless. State
" forest, trees are dwarfed. so that the
garden of few square yards may have
its pond, bridge and full-grown oak.
Nature is stunted and oppressed, yet
at the same time aided and assisted
so that the result may be pleasing 10
| the eye, and herein lies the secret of
| the japanese character.
| Real sterling worth is nothing COM
pared to etiquette; ceremony is every
| thing. Observe those two common
| sailors meeting in the street. Regard
less of passers-by and of any vehicle
that may interrupt their greeting, they
uncover, bow deeply, heaving a deep
dawn sigh as token of being over
whelmed at the honor. And now the
salutations-no abrupt HALO or
.'How are you." but ''Your servant is
! rejoiced to see your honorable counte-
| nance"
While we of the Anglo-Saxon race
write the pronoun of the first person
with a capital 1, the japanese, to ex-
press the same, uses the deprecatory
words watakushi (selfishness). boku
/ tservant), ses-sha (awkward person.,
, soregashi Ia certain person., sho-sei Ia
younger person., shin (subjecD etc,
and, addressing another, he uses anata
| that side), kimi (prince), kika (beneath
augustness), nanji (renowned), soll1s
| (beneath the feet, etc. And so il is in
writing. Our II beg TO acknowledge
receipt" etc, would be in Japanese
lone respectful stroke of the PEN" or,
| ''Your honorable letter is to hand" or
81 have opened your flowery epistle, y
etc.
In the early days, say twenty TO
! twenty-five years ago, we foreigners
were treated in the same manner, and
we have only ourselves 10 blame for
the dislike with which we are regarded
at present. Those of US who tried TO
learn the language, being accustomed
| TO the terse and more or less abrupt
lAnglo-Saxon, had very little patience
with this continuous flow of ccremo-
NAL. Many is the time that a hearty
.'baka da ner' the very worse express
sion that japanese can utter, and
| which can only be translated by our
emphatic 'the cursed fool, =" was hurled
| at the back Of the unconscious foreign
Ill -
preme law, the Code of Ethics, by dis
/ regarding ceremonial forms which the
native considers indispensable in ali
| intercourse.
Here is japanese bargaining FOR a
| jinrikisha. He makes an offer, and the
cooIie, bareheaded, with profound
salaam, says: That is honorably so,
but NAV it please your honor TO be-
stow" etc A foreigner bargains with
the same coolie few hours later. He
is asked twice or three times the fare
which japanese would pay, and II he
offers that. the coolie says simply,
mo .this is the extent of his knowi.
edge of our tonguei. and with 'baka
da ne,'' retprns To his stand
These coolies. by the way. are won
derful TO behold. The backs of most
of them are tattooed in q really
picturesque way, often IN several
colors and with many curious designs
They are naked, except for a cloth tied
about the loins.
Go into a native store accom- panied
by a japanese gentleman. The store
keeper. sq1atted behind he hihachi
lcharcoal brszierl. bows profoundly 70
your friend and fsvors you with a
stare. Would his polisness not be
thrown away upon such boor Is you,
being foreigner, are supposed 20 be7
You are welcome 10 buy, and he Will
squeeze you all ne can. but rs 70 vast
ing bis eiviliiy upon yo1-bahl
There j. no use In mincing matters.
Japan has been described .fzne and
again By ephemeral visitors who sAw
everything a. through rosc-coiored
glasses The consequences il thai Japan
and the japanese have been nisrepre-
sented. both in the United stz.ss and
elsewhere. and they have not been siozv
70 take advantage % the high r,gzrd
IN which they are held Bat this Il
neither -a1~ nor a nation that 70
auires p-s.ting. Eor II il necessary u 80
into eestaeiss over them On the con
t-s-y. this people Of over forty f'aillsoa.
has a wonderful vitality ard q national
virer tfsa. zviIl make itscif fsst n The
worlds historT.
Be: in describing conditions IS 'key
aefuasIv arr there il 70 iuseatson -
ca. All the ossiars gp0n The iarzneAe-
II has been stated s<fOre that we
foreigeers arr chiefly 10 bizu-- To ex-
plain thts more fuily i Is osiv nec~>-
ssry - loss ss;s iss sss.sSx .. ss>.<