The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-02-21

SANS suiJccta
4 schoolhoy will tell you that Japan
Is not exactly our antipodos, but ia
our notions everything is almost the cp.
po.ite Of what we arc accustomed to.
Flowers are sccntless; fruit trees ore
cultivated not for tho fruit they yield,
but for the blossoms they bear; what
little native fruit there is is tastelcss
Stately forest trees are dwufcd, so that
the garden of II few square yards may
have its pond, bridge and full grown
oak. Nature il stuntcd and oppressed,
vet at the same time aided and assisted
so that the result may DO pleasing to
the eve, and therein lies the secret OF
the JaI .nese character.
Real sterling worth Is nothing com
pared to etiquette; ceremony is every
thing. Observe those two common salt
ors meeting in the street. Regardless
of passereby aud Of any vehicle that may
interrupt their greeting, they uncover,
bow deeply, heaving n deep drawn sigh
as token of being overwhelmed at
the honor. Aud now the salutations-
no abrupt "Hcllo" or How are your
| but "Your servant is rejoiced to see
/ your honorable countenance.
In the early days, say 20 or 25 years
ago-that is, the time when w. e.
Griiiis wrote 1.-The Mikado's Empire
we foreigners were treated in the
same manner, and we have only our
selves to blame for the dislike with
which we are regarded at present.
= Those of us who tried to learn the Ian
guage being accustomed to the terse
and more or less abrupt Anglo Saxon,
had very little patience with this con
tinuous flow of ceremonial Many is the
time that hearty "baka da me-" the
very worst expression a Japanese can
utter and which can only be translated
by our emphatic 1.-The id fool, " was
hurled at the back of the unconscious
foreigner. He had offended against the
supreme law, the code of ethics, by dis
regarding ceremonial forms which the
native considers indispensable in all
intercourse Here is a japanese bargain
ing for jinriksha He makes an offer,
and the cody, bareheaded, with pro
found salaam, says, That is honorably
SO, but may it please your honor to be
stow" etc. A foreigner bargains witt
the same cody few hours later. HI
is asked twice or three times the far
which japanese would pay, and if hi
offers that the cody says simply, No
this is the extent Of his knowledge o
, our tongue), and with "baka da ne
returns to his stand.
Go into q native store accompanied b.
|, a japanese gentleman. The storekeeper
: squatted behind his hibachi (charcoa
brazierl bows profoundly to your frien'
and favors you with stare. Would hi
politeness not be thrown away upol
such boor as you, being foreigner
are supposed to be? You are welcom
to buy, and he will squeeze you all h
. can, but as to wasting his civility upol
J you-bahl
There is no use in mincing matters
Japan has been described time and agai
by ephemeral visitors who saw every
thing as through rose colored glasses
The consequence is that Japan and tn
Japanese have been misrepresented
both in the United States and elsewhere
o,,a H., hove NOT beo,, sloxy to taka ar
1880 80 10 Iii ra,ard in Iyb;c
-. o. h.,d PIT tb;s Is neither
~ a.;o,, tLa+ rao,,;ros ,,ott;r,
:. raoo.sa,.,. 60 ,,o ;rto ocst,.;e
. 60 t,,a,, IN tho contrary this neonl
/ ~ n,,on An ooo ooo hos a ,vonIerfnl "
Ia. - nt;onaI ,,iror hot w;
49, th.,rsoIyos foIt in the world
is -,
b. l., dosor;h;r, conditions 40 the
.otnaI,r oro thare % M intention to "a,
~ aI, ,ha dim won Tho J-n,nese II h,
- o+otad 49, ,Sat ,ya foraiora,
~ oh;os,- 20 rla,no no exnIa;n Nh
80 ELL IL ;s onlv ,acessarr to lor
80 49, 80 20 hns;,nSs ;ntercorr
90 bat,vaan foro;aner and native
IT, ~, 80 IN sorro fr,ns-th
IN o,sta,, et;I, rray.ils Tha haros;nir
4 u,i+h tha natives was intrnsted to II
ID . 49,, rrado,a nsuolIv Cbinoman wi
OF sunIla tho Tol,ohamo totoha IdialectI
.bo Ionanaso Nv Cbinaman consi
ore hi,,soIf 40 ot least the eonaI IL n
tha snnar;or Of ne bnt il decidedly a
IT .aoa,st to,uard Ianorosa who IN h
in turn reaards his Morgol;an neigbb
witb the conte,nnt ~ a Californian
Irrdar these circnmstances a Ian
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