The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-07-14
AMERICAN JAPANESE EFFECTS,
rhey Would Surprise the Untraveled Ma.
tive of the Island Empire.

your DcSu TREND III ner prettV JaphnCSc
,oudoir. the pride of her home and
,eart, where she has accumulated un.
old treasures. But when you are hav.
ng a private chat over her genuine |
Chinese teacNps in her "cozv corner" |
Hid ii never strike You that the heap |
ng up of Japanese, Chinese and Indian |
objects in one apartment is in sharp.
almost comical, contrast with their use
n the country that is being aped.
There is perhaps no country that is so
)illaged and ransackcd for its treasures.
md SO much and iniudiciously imi
tatcd as the island Empire of Japan
The low chair on which You are
seated is made of twisted bamboo. Vt is
square and a dainty gilt railing runs
Hong two of it's sides. very pretty and
very uncomfortable; for the railing is
just high enough to reach half way up
your back. so that if you want to lean,
your back feels as If it would break.
Your friend is rocking gently to and
fro in a so-called Japanese rocker
though you may be sure that it has
never been further away than the
Sixth avenue store where it was
bought In fact, the genuine Japan
csc would be very much surprised
| If you wanted to Introduce such an
article into his home. The table.
where stand the dainty porcelain cups
and saucers. very gems of Chinese
workmanship, consists of three thick
gilt bamboo sticks crossed like the legs
of Il camp stool and on the top Il large
gilt blade, painted with tender white
plumb blossoms. The focr is covered
with red-and-white checllered ma atting.
or twisted rushes, the doorways are pro.
vided with movable hangings of multi
colored beads, which, when in rest,
form "A lively pattern of flowers and
birds. So does the light paper hanging
on {. walls. OF the latter. however,
not much is to be seen. Fans of all
forms and hues, round fans and square
fans. diamond-shapcd fans oval fans
and folding fans. in red, yellow. blue,
green. hide it from view.
The loolling-glass is half covered by
a large bunch of peacock feathers and
palm leaves, while in two of the cor.
ncrs gigantic paper parasols shade
bushes of chrysanthemums. Little
tables with innumerable bric-a-brac
objects are scattered carelessly all over
the room. and if you manage to sail
through without upsetting table OF
two, or sweeping to the floor one of the
pots of flowers when you make youl
bow to newcomer, or running your
head against the Chinese lanterns hang.
ing from the low ceiling, You may be
called II lucky mortal.
/ Fancy room in IL Japanese house
crowded like that! Except the COO
mattings on the floor, such a room has
nothing in common with its American
or European imitation. There is hardly
any furniture in it, the Japanese mostly
sitting on the floor or on couches
These and the low tables constitute tie
chief fitting out of their rooms.
They never put pots of flowers in the
house. which they would certainly
They have flowers in the rooms. Ger.
tainly, but in this, as in all Other
things, they exhibit more taste than
almost any other people in the world.
A single branch of leaves or flowers
carefully stripped of its supertluous
twigs, is placed in ii vase, exquisite
both in form and color. before picture
roll. OF these rolls, too, there is gen
: orally only limited number in each
room. never Il collection of all kinds
imaginable. Their good taste tells the
Japanese that one or twogood pictures
hung in the right place, please the eyl
; much more than an accumulation o
showy prints. Neither would they evel
dream of hanging their fans and para
sols on the walls. just as little as W.
would ours. Think of coming into
room and seeing your last years para
sol hanging in state in one corner, %
the fan that was your pride two year
/, ago adorning the mantelpiece. 1t woul'
4 certainly look ridiculous in your eyes
| vet that is how our use of these article
i from Japan would appear to Il man o
i woman of that country. They use thei
parasos as sunshadcs. and their fan
O to cool themselves with, Just as we dc
G Bouquets are not placed anywhere il
: the house. as they are with us. o.
4 festive occasions the ladies carry ther
$ in their hands, and the gardens an
c verandas are adorned with them. The
/ also form conspicuous part of the re
ligious professions. They are made b.
r the young Japanese girls, who max
thorough study of this art at th
: schools There are hundreds of variou
ways to compose these bouquets. and
young woman who knows them ali i
). considered paragon oG cleverness
, Even dwarf trees are put into tn
gigantic punches that are made for tn
greatest of all feasts. the Feast of tn
a FLOWERS. Sometimes high stalks O
bamboo rise from the flowers; in thes
;. stalks incisions are made at equal dis
tanccs, in which fresh earth is put fu
the ivy, the trails of which hang dow
y over the bouquet and reach the groun
= rs far us two yards from it's foot.
The Japanese devote as much care I
= their gardens as to their houses; II
= abundance of the choicest flowers d,
= lights the visitor who enters the gate.
> Every house is surrounded by its pate
of ground. of which even the poorcs
inhabitant makes Il garden worth lool
;, ing Mt. Plum trees and cherry tree
wave thrir snowy branches over gree
grass plots, dotted with bushes q
{, chry ysaRthemums and hydrangeas. a
7 was the custom in France in the sever
teenth century, the green bushes ar
pruned into all kinds of curious shaD
The Japanese, however, sho'v muc
Il better taste in this matter than tn
q French. a very popular flower is TN