Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-05

D0niUrO. the Edwin booth OF Japan.
and their dead received from the Chinese
soldiers and mob. When they entered
Port Arthur they found the mutilated
forms of their brothers lining the streets.
Archways of Japanese heads, with the
noses and ears missing, had been built
over the streets. and the horrors of the
treatment received by the Japanese spies
at Marking, were repeated again and again
at Port Arthur. 1t must be remembered
that this was the elimination of work
which has been going on by the Chinese
since the beginning of this war, and it Is
question whether American troops under
the same circumstances would have acted
much better. Up to the time of the Port
Arthur massacre, the Japanese had treated
the Chinese with the greatest kindness.
They had not looted the people, and the
Chinese prisoners a rule preferred to
stay with them rather than to go back to
their own troops and be starved and ILL
treated. The Red Cross Society of Japan
had up to this time acted with fully
much charity and mercy as it has ever
done in the wars of Europe. 1t is a won
derfully live organization. The emperor is
Its head and the empress has done all she
could to aid in its work, ard, as far as I
could see during my stay in Japan it re-
ceiyed better support from the people there
than our Red Cross does here. I saw one
curious instance of the charity of the Jap
aneSe people in regard to 1t. 1t was in
connection with Donjuro the famous
Japanese actor, who is celebrated there
as Henry Irving is in England. He Is the
EuWln BOOtn OF Japan, and he owns the
biggest theater of the empire. 1t is known
as the kabukiza Theater, and it will seat
5000 people. 1t has a stock company I
venture. as large as that of any theater in
New York. and its nightly receipts often
run into the thousands of dollars Well
this man Donjuro donated the receipts of
his theater for one entire week for the
benefit of the Red Cross Hospital and all
OF his actors threw In their services They
played from 10 in the morning until about
10 O'Clock at night. and the house was
packed. 1 had box in the second gallery
which cost me seven dollars and there
were at least five thousand dollars in the
house the day / attended. Suppose one of
our greatest actors should donate the sery-
ices of himself and his troupe to the Red
Cross for a week. and you get some idea
or what these actors did.
Jnpan's biggest Thenter.
IT takes big house to seat 5000 people
We have only one or two theaters that
large in the United States. and we have
none like that of Donjuros 1t has no
chairs, and the people sit on the floor in
little square pens about four feet wide
There is usually little box of charcoal In
the middle OF each pen for the lighting of
their pipes, and there is no objection to
smoking There is an immense pit and two
galleries, and the walls in the summer are
open, and Ii is more like an open-air con-
cert hall than a theater. The stage is made
In the shape of an immense wheel which Is
turned by man power at the change of the
scenes. and which moves one set of actors
behind the scenes and brings another be-
fore you. The supes come on during the
play TO fix the clothes of the actors They
are dressed in black. and you are not sup
posed to see them. Right through one side
of the house there is a board walk of the
height of the stage. about five feet wide,
which forms part Of the stage. and some
OF the actors will step of and come down
on this walk above the audience, and play
their parts there. The acting is different
from ours. but it Is wonderfully strong in
some respects. There are no better fencers
In the world, and these people have Won
ferful mower Of facial expression. The jap
anese appreciate good acting. They roar
with laughter over the comedies, and
strong piece of tragic acting brings shouts
OF applause. and the people tear off parts
Of their clothing and throw them onto the
stage, expecting to redeem them with pres
ents OF money at the end of the play.
There are no ticket Offices, and you get
your tickets at the tea houses nearby.
Ladies bring their fine clothes to the tea
houses sometimes and put them on there
before they go in. and many order lunches
sent in TO them and eat during the acting.
The plays begin In the morning and last