The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-06-21
I'm FLOWER JAPAN.
Letter From a Sumter Boy
in the Island Empire of the
Pacific.
TO the Editor Of the Watchman !:

than now whilst riding shrough this
strange country on an express train
going at the fast speed of Is miles
an hour. / am on my way from
Kobe to K.ioto to spend the day
making purchases for foreign mar
kets. I have the whole coach to
myself. japanese seldom ride first
class, and my assistant, being q Jap.
is in the second class car The cars,
being after che English style. are
small! and non. communicating.
The first thing that strikes one in
Japan is the diminutiEe sizess of
eyerything-m men and women, houses,
streets, &c.
Surely CULVER in his travels
through Lillipatia must have meant
Japan. The average height of the
Japs is Just about FIVE feet
One sees very little OF the best
class of Japs They being govern.
mens officials, &c, are nearly all in
Toxic, the capital The merchants
were formerly sscoolies" who showed
a tendency for trade within the last
half century, and some have become
very wealthy thereby. They are
snsewd, cunning and unreliable.
And right here let me disabuse all
my friends who have the same opin-
ion as / had before leaving home,
regarding japanese and Chiuamen.
as TO honesty, integrity, &c You
think as did that the Jap is
superiorforges it. A Ghinaman's
word is good, and sometimes better
than q European or Americans Bus
he who puts faith in . Jap's promise
viii get sadly left They are always
smiles and bows, aud promise any,
thing you ask, bat when the time
comes 70 fnl6ll-well, that's differ
ent. Cinnamon in Japan, numbering
thousands, are all wealthy, dress.
richly, look smooth and slick, and
are generally bankers, money changers
OF merchants They are the best
tailors in the east, taking few
measures with string OF strip OF
paper or a tape line. if it is handy,
and bringing yoa, suit that hts
fairly well The next thing that
strikes you is the clothing the Jap
wears. or rather the lack Of it. The
lower class or coolies. ss they are
called, have only within the last five
years been wearing any at all. Now
the law ccmpels them to cover them
selves. Their costume at this time
of the year consists of kind OF
shirt, open half way down and q pair
Of tights like bathing trunks. Un-
der clothing is unknown The better
class wear the kimono which it is
more difficult to describe The
nearest can describe it is very
loose wrap with large sleeve like
opening for the hands to come
through. Il is very long and is only
kept together by sash When they
walk the limbs show of course, and
one soon gets accustomed to seeing
bare legs all the time wherever you
go They wear a sock of white
cotton with toe in it which enables
them to clasp the strap of their
sandal between the large toe and the
next The sandal is made Of straw,
perfectly Eat, with straw strap
coming from each side to the front
and joining there
The shoe is made the sane wsy
except it is of wood and has two
thin blocks under it. about two
inches high, half inch thick and the
width of the foot. The rain shoe is
the same except the blocks are about
8 TO 81 inches high 1t is wonderful
to see them walk with these awkward
looking things without falling, be-
cause the blocks are close together
and in the center ef the foot. They
shuttle along with them. some times
even running
The above costume appiies to both
sexes in every respect, except that
of the coolie, in place Of which the
women of that class wear cheap
cotton kimono coming below the
knees.
These coolies. who comprise the
greater part Of the population, are
not to be compared with the negroes,
although they work harder aud for
less money Fifty cents a day is
all they get for working like beasts.
harnessed to carts pulling loads of
merchandise or gravel And one
negro can do as much as three Japs
and with less noise about it.
The houses of the Japs are quaint
and curious, ant, like themselves.they
are very small The average house
consists of two or four rooms |
spent q night in four room Japa-
nose house for the novelty, and this