The Portland daily press., 1894-03-06
Manners in Japan.

A final word, now about Japanese
manners, their grace and courtesy, as
one more outcome of this same simpljcl-
ty of centurv-old conditions. Given a
highly initiative race like the Japanese,
and let one undertaking standard be set
before them, then generation after gem
Grafton will no change be witnessed.
The standard will act like that of the
French academy on the language OF
France. Now, at home, in America, we
have so standards of manners-the re-
served and reticent New England man
ners, the slap-you-on-the-ba far west
ern manners, the heterogeneous far
Southern manners, the demagog's man
ners, the drummer's manners-these and
dozens of others might be specified.
And it must be admitted, by even the
most patriotic, that the man who should
try to model his department. IN all these
schools at once would come to some
what mixed result Nothing OF this be
wildering complexity has ever existed IN
japan, From mikado at the top to
coolie at the bottom of the social scale,
one undertaking standard has always
prevailed. Originally an importation
through centuries of study of the most
elaborate ceremonial etiquette, till at
last through constant practice it has be-
come second nature. No one ever saw
ANYTHING else, ever dreamed of anything
else. There was one way OF salutlng
superior, one of saluting an equal. one
of saluting an inferior; and ones head
would have been cut off had he departed
from it. No Japanese child ever saw
drummer-saw only PROSTATE artisans
saluting Samurai, Samurai saluting
Damios, Damios saIuting Shoguns. The
whole ceremonial became organized into
them as much as their instructive habits
into our settlers and pointers, perhaps
the best hammered OF our population.
Little girls of 10 will one see here whose
finish of breeding would have awakened
the envy of duchess at the court of
Louis XIV at Versailles. Female ser
wants will one encounter at dinner In
the house of Japanese gentleman
whose grace, charm and dignity are the
quir ressence of lady-like refinement.
"Trifles make perfection, but perfection
is no trife." The simple fact is that the
young woman of 20 has been doing the
thing for thousand years.
To adopt then, few simple ideas, GUS
toms and institutions from deeper and
more original peoples. and then to re-
fine and elaborate them through their
own exquisite GaSUe-GulS Has 50 idT pocu
the history of the Japanese mind. Shut
up to themselves for ages, they had the
opportunity to do this to the minutest
detail. "Great in little things. little in
great things" is no unfair summary of
their previous achievements Now, at
last, they find themselves brought into
vital contact with the thought science,
government, gigantic material civiliza-
tion and religion of the Western world.
One thing is certain. Vastly more COM
pick than at present will their brain
structure have to grow. Imitation will
carry them a certain length-a great
length. no doubt, on certain lines. But
the test has yet to come whether they
shall prove strong thinkers and powerful
organizers. They believe themselves
they have made immense strides; but it
is sheer folly to dream that the work of
centuries can be done in a day. AS yet
the new ideas have but scratched the
surface. Outwardly the Japanese have
the royalty, the House of Peers, the
House of Commons, the wide suffrage OF
England. But back of it they have
nothing of England's great history of
political education. Putting on European
clothes is not all that is needful for
turning an oriental into an occidental
Letter from Japan by Revr Francis
Tiffany in the Christian Register.