Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-11-30
THE JINRIKISHA.
tTANDARO ORIENTAL CARRIAGE IN
VENTED BY A YANKEE.

Incentive Other Experiences of That
Lively American Who Wasn't In Sym
pathy With Everything In Japan.
For the jinrikisha, which is the great
est blessing travellers i'll the east enjoy,
we have to bless an American sailor
who came here ON Commodore Perry's
flagship in 1858, and then returned
feven or eight years later as mission
ary of the Methodist persuasion. His
name was Jonathan Gobel, and he is
mentioned in Commodore Perry s nara
tive as a pious man of rare intelligence
who took great interest in the spiritual
welfare of the japanese. Gobel was one
of the earliest members of what is
known as the Newton mission.
The jinrilisha is another illustration
of the old adage that necessity is the
mother of invention, for Brother Gobel
was afflicted with rheumatism in his
later years and found it difficult to navi-
gate. The sedan chair, which was used
by the nobility, was too close for him,
and the kago, a vehicle in which the
humber classes We're in the habit of
carrying the lame and the lazy, was
very uncomfortable for his long legs, so
he took packing case, painted it black,
as appropriate to his dignity, and set it
upon pair of wheels.
For shelter from the sun he rugged a
canvas awning that could be raised or
lowered according to his convenience,
and he hired a brawny cody to haul
him about. That was the origin of the
vehicle which takes the place of car
riages and street cars in Japan, Korea,
India and China, for Brother Gobel's
invention has spread all over the coast.
So useful an invention needed a good
name therefore Brother Gobel called it
jim (man) ricki (power) sha Gear
riage): But the swells prefer to term it
Il kuruma. 1t looks like an exaggerated
baby carriage and is very comfortable
for riding.
Jonathan Gobel was muscular Chris
tian. He feared God and lived right
eous life He desired every one else to
do so, and when moral suasion failed he
often tried force. When he arrived in
Japan, he was stalwart, powerful fell
low, and usually came out uppermost
when he wrestled with sin. He was liv-
ing i'll Kanagawa when he endeavored
to impress upon the people of that place
the propriety of Sabbath observance.
The japanese have no Sunday. They
have no fixed day of rest. Their holi-
uous without interruption in the tenn
pies. There is no particular time for
preaching, and it is always proper to
pray. Therefore every native works
seven days in the week. Brother Gobel
admonished the people of the sinfulness
of Sabbath breaking, but he was unable
to convince them, and it grieved his
heart
Passing from his home to his place of
preaching one Sunday he found dozen
men or more engaged in building
house. He stopped to talk with them
and entreated them to cease their sinful
labor. They refused to do so. He order
ed them to stop, and they declined.
Then, seizing a heavy bamboo pole, he
smote them hip and thigh. Several were
laid out senseless, and the next morn
ing Brother Jonathan was prisoner be-
fore the consul general, charged with
aggravated assault and battery. This
case appears as one of the first in the
records of the United States consulate,
and is set forth with amusing details.
The missionary pleaded guilty, with
strong provocation, and was put under
bonds to keep the peace.
Mr.. Gobel afterward built himself
modern house on what is known as the
Bluff, south of Yokohama, and sur
rounded his grounds with the first fence
that was ever built i'll this part of the
world. 1t was made of bamboo palings,
and the boys in the neighborhood used
to annoy the good missionary greatly by
rafting sticks against it as they ran
along the street. The British admiral
lived just above him and had a very
natty Tommy Atkins for an orderly.
He wore Il little round cap on the north
east corner of his head and always car
ried little cane of rattan in his hand
One morning, having been sent with a
message, he appeared before the admiral
with his face bruised to a jelly and his
uniform tattered and torn and covered
with dust.
MERCY on usv' exclaimed the ad-
miral in astonishment at the spectacle.
what has happened to you?"
Il beg your pardon, SIR" replied
Tommy, "but has was coming halong
hup the ill, a-rubbing my stick hagainst
the missionay's fence, sir, e came hout
in is pygamas and said as 'ow g 'ad
vowed by the grace of God to lick the
'ide hotf the next man who did that,
and o as done it, sir -
The 'rikishas are all made in Japan,
and large number are exported to the
neighboring countries. They cost from
SIT to $40, according to the care bestow-
ed on their construction, the material
used and the character of their decora-
ton, but they could not be made for
more than twice that money in the
United States. Many Of them are owned
by the coolies who draw them, others
by companies or private individuals who
let them to the coolies for share of the
money they mako. You can hire them
by the week for . yen ($2 5O), by the
day for 70 sen (3719 cents), 10 sen (5
cents) an hour for ordinary service, or
10 sen for a trip of two miles
The system of operating them is yery