The record-union., 1896-04-20

/ first day of our arrival we see a trans
port ship returning from the war. We
see the women and coolies at the wharfs
unloading freight. We see the town er
fete, gone mad with happiness and pa
| triotic excitement. We see every SOL
der honored and treated as a hero We
| see every soldier proud and joyous in
the belief that he. singly, is responsible
| for the military glory and success OF
his country. 1t is thus that patriotism
| is fostered and made great in Japan
At NagaSaki l gave girl who was car
rying freight the equivalent of 70 cents
| for her hat. She gave me a japanese
blessing, and this little brass ring.
showing little bent brass circle on her
finger. Il value that ring more than
quarters worth.
Now to Kobe. Here had my first
sight of Japanese theater Here, too,
| the town was en- fete in honor of re-
turning troops. Here was I, not only
/ ignored as one of the dramatic profess
sion when l sent for free seats to the
theater, but as a European was charged
| four times as much for admission as
was the native. The construction Of a
Japanese theater is unique. Here is a
rough suggestion:
I'm one of the little boxes by the stage
is the two-piece orchestra. In the other
| sits the one who reads the play accord
| ing to the japanese idea Of art. AS
| he reads the actor comes from his
dressing-room at the other end of the
theater and acts all the way to the
stage He does not utter word, but
does all in pantomime. Their panto-
ina ic
Chinese, it has vitality, and is to that
of the Chinese as finely wrought etch-
ing to an uncompromising diagram.
Following and preceding the actor to
the stage and on the stage are two
| men in black gowns and generally with
black cowls, who carry very long bam-
boo poles, with lights on the ends of
them Thus they light up the actor
whenever he pantomimes a stronger
emotion or takes a pose. These furnish
| border. footlights and ALL
"The little squares in the audience
| chamber have little partitions about
them of a foot or two high, and each lit
tie box holds four people, who sit in the
| fashion, on their knees. In the midst
of them there is a small square occupied
| by pipes and refreshments. The cast
is composed either of men or women,
| never both. The Irving of Japan is
player to the Mikado in Toxic. He is
not unlike Irving in appearance, ana l6
wonderful pantomimist.
| "While the Japanese are greatly ao-
yanced in dramatic thought over all
the rest of the East, they are not ad-
| vanced in their mechanics, as appled
| to the art. The stage manager strolls
about the stage, attending to things at
| his own sweet will The stage hands
| wander on and off, adjusting some
| thing that they have neglected, or stop
and say 'Hello!' to any friends they
| NAV see in the audience. When the cur
tain falls the children who may be IN
front go onto the stage and play ABOUT
| until the performance continues. There
| IS a certain pleasant irrespons1bll1ty IN
! all this that goes in Japan-it might not
| work here If an actor be faVorlte,
| he is not presented with bouquets or
| the like but is given curtain more or
| less elaborate, according to the esteem
| in which he is held. This curtain is
used by him alone, and on such japanese
dramatic occasions as may correspond
to our benefits
| I'm Yokohama I again found the
ar-spangled banner in the form or
pork and beans, sweet corn buckWheat
| cakes. etc. / enjoyed them at a hotel
| managed by one Of my friends. In
| Yokohama 1 played successfully Tor
| twenty nights. At one of the native
theaters that I visited 1 was surprised
at the remarkable physique OF the
women. I found them robust in ap-
| pearance Their pantomime was su-
perior to that Of the men. This demon
strated point in my mind. They were
free, unconstrained. There the dra-
matte artist is held in high esteem.
Most of the japanese proper names
are pronounced in a way similar to the
| American Indian names. They gen
orally end in vowels In many respects
| the Jap suggests our Indian; when he
| grunts, you know that he is alive;
when he grunts. you perceive that he is
| beginning to think. In Toxic no per-
formances were given during the fight
ing at Formosa. Even whist, the
favorite game of the Japanese, was for
hidden at the Capital.
| In Toxic the theater supports a
sign which reads: Gentlemen will please
not remove, their clothes Although
there is less nudity than in other East
ern countries, this sign is not super
fiuous on hot night. While the women
cling to their garments Of original fash
| ion, the men wear European clothes.
"The domestic life Of the japanese is
most interesting. Whatever the pre-
| vious condition Of a woman, whatever
| her life has been, when she marries she
| becomes supreme in her household, re-
generate socially. Parents contract
| for their daughters, but may not enter
| into such contract for them after their
| 9th year. When woman is q years
| old her contract must terminate, and
| she must decide whether she will be-
come a reputable woman, or will earn
| her living under different conditions
| The Japanese wife is apt to be far more
absolute mistress of her home than the
| English woman is
II visited the interior to see home
vegetables grown. They have adopted
our sweet corn and sweet potato and
| other good things, as they have our
railway system and our pot hat.
"Our American Minister, Mr. Dun, is
married to charming Japanese wife,
and is largely responsible for Japanese
development on these lines He is very
popular, and is near to the Mikado
II have talked a very long time now.
Will not this be enough?" Miss Haw-
thorne was assured of the reporters s
gratitude, and when questioned con-
cerning her own affairs declined to say
| more than that she is in negotiation for
theater in New York, where she will
play, and then return to London
He Wants BOw-WOw.
Papa said Sammy Snaggs