The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-11-16
IEnEM, ITS MANNERS
Uni AN. AND CUSTOMS.
WRITTEN ny MRS J.N.M'oALEB.

Japan has a fertile soil, rich de-
posts of minerals, genial climate,
and a landscape unsurpassed. 1t is
country highly favored by heaven.
How Fad to think that those to whom
God has given so much know so little
Of Him. How ones heart bleeds to
see Gods beautiful handiwork all
marred and stained by images and
idols, and that praise which the peo-
Pile 80 justly owe Him given to gods
of wood and stone! But such is the
case of japan to day.
A study of the manners and GUS
toms of foreign p4ople Is both In,
tel esting and profitable. To know
the manners and customs of a
country is to know much about that
country. There is no truer index of
tho character of peoples life.
Knowing these, and the prevailing
morality and governing laws pay be
very accurately inferred. Every
phase Of nations life has so intimate
connection with the manners and
customs that study of these is
] especially necessary to those who
would gain a correct knowledge of
the nature and difficulties of mis- ion
work in foreign lands. IT Christi
anity violates national customs, it
will be condemned. Ii it observes
them, it will be tolerated, but
whether 1t observes or violates them,
must depend on the nature of the
customs themselves.
; People who have been accustomed
I to doing certain things one way all
their lives, and have come to look
upon them as the only way, upon
going to Japan are shocked to find
these very same things done in pre-
cisely the opposite way. After one
has become used to them, many oi
the customs appear just as sensible
and convenient as those of America
Why their customs are opposite, we
do not know, but probably as the
Japanese are antipodal to us, makes
1t fitting that their customs should
be antipodal, too.
The manner Of making books anC
Of writing letters is very differen
from that to which we are accus
toned We think that book shoult
begin at the left side, and the
thought of it beginning at the othel
side appears to us ridiculous. But i
is just as convenient, fitting anC
sensible to begin at one side as the
other, and all Japanese books
begin at the side which we cal
the end - /. e., at the. right
hand side =. and read TOWARD
the left. English books are printec
across the page in lines from left t,
right Japanese books are printed
from right to left in columns. Al
American generally turns the leave
of Ills book from the top with his laf
hand; Japanese turns them from
the bottom with his right hand. II
, Western libraries the books ar
placed on their ends in rows; in ia
pan they are laid fat down on thei
sides and piled up in columns. If w
see several good dictionaries or ency
clopedias in mans study we thinl
he is a man Of studious habits. TIL,
Japanese think just the opposite
They seem to think that MAJ
should have the meaning and use o
all words in his head, and would no
need to refer to dictionary. A ia
panese friend who came into m,
husbands study one day, expressed
! great surprise at seeing several larg
dictionaries there. "You have eel
a tainly had better educational advant
r ages than have" he said, land We
), J can get along with very SINAI
dictionary" We afterwards learne
that many Japanese keep their die
tionaries concealed because they
not want it said that they must refe
to them often.
t The manner of addressing letter
in Japan is exactly opposite to ours
t For example, we write: