Evening journal., 1900-02-19
WHY SHE Is SERENE
NO WONDER JAPANESE WOMEN
ARE HAPPY.
Their Simple, Sensible Housekeeping
The silly Idea of Striving Eter.
rally for Possesslons-Aanes o.
colts Gossip.
fNew York Letter.l

New York letter.
III you are not careful. you'll soon
be as bad as the rest OF the women,
who drink tea and spend their time
cleaning or worrying about dust" said
an indignant husband the other night
when he found bis wife tired. nervous
and cross.
AS q matter Of fact We do spend O
good deal Of time trying to keep our
! houses clean. AMI few Of us succeed
here In New York, anyway.
( have been hearing some interest
ing lectures about the japanese re-
Gently, and made a mental comparl.
sen between the tired New York
housekeeper and her Japanese coun.
terpart, and thought the oriental had
rather the best or It Ia the way OF do
nestle arrangements. in spite OF the
factthat she is brought up to renderim-
rliSit obedience to her parents and az.
terward TO her husband.
No wonder the Japanese woman is
J tranquil and smiling and plump. She
IS tranquil because il Is part OF her
religion TO be so. The great bronze
Bnddha shows Ia his impassive faco
vlat Ia meant to have attained Mir
yloa--the Death of all desire. Although
: t'a Japanese possess highly organized
nervous systems. II Is not good form
fc- either a man or woman to give
Way to nerves. A Jap viii suffer tor
II req of physical pain before he viii
De- guilty of bad manners.
But to go back to the housekeeping.
NJ wonder the hostess has time for
N a oh a If tur Ia n
L cd. to sing, play on the samlsen,
e.hhroider or arrange flowers artist
raiiy. The floor lie covered with mat.
ting and the Shoes are removed on
entering the immaculate abode. Think
q that We American mothers, with
boys who bring In mud and sand a
dozen times a day and never remem-
Der the existence of n dOormatl
now It may be uncomfortable, even
painful, for muscles not trained from
childhood to sit on the floor, but think
Of the amount Of labor saved In dust
IS and polishing chairs. Then, the
Die service-so simplel No silver
ives and forks to polish nor steel
q 90 TO scCur but simply a pair Of
a white pine chop sticks, o fresh
p. ir every meal, slightly joined at the
G rs to show that they have never
arcn used before. No wonder Japan
g. nds foremost as one of the most
pulously clean nations OF the
world
Compare the tissue paper houses Of
japan, which like a tent insures per.
feet ventilation with a modern steam
81 ted APARTMENT in New York Some
people are not content with lace cur
st >. bat have three curtains at some
r,ndoWs. Heavy portieres, upholster.
ed furniture and countless ornaments
form excellent lodging places for dust
and dirt. We load our tables and cab.
lnets with the pottery and curios Of all
countries. until our rooms look like
Old curiosity shops. and / often feel
like looking foE the price taga.
But the Jap. while he may possess
many treasures, a rare bit Of clois.
gonnne or a Satsuma vase or 4 lovely
blie and white Imari jardinlere, TO
say nothing of bronzes. does not crowd
them all into one room. Oh, no; he
puts his clOissonne vase on its hand.
iome carved teak wood stand and ad.
mires II for q day or week or month,
and then replaces Il with another
treasure 3nd feasts his eyes on that
One of the most artistic houses
have ever entered belongs to a Quaker
lady who loves beautiful things II
So an old-fashioned wooden house In
Brooklyn, N. Y, with a hall running
through the centre. a salon parlor on
tie left and the dining-room and
kitchen on the right She has furnish
cd 1t tremendously with oldifashioned
mahogany furniture of the colonial
period, the style that never becomes
cit of date because Il is so truly
beautiful. She has gradually collect
cd ore at a time. quaint chairs, tiny
! tables, an old clock, handsome solid
buffet, a charming desk. But she was
wise and kept strictly to the one s,ylo
so the completed home looks as If il
might have descended from Puritan
ancestor. Even the knOcker on the
front door Is in keeping with the
quaint interior. Beautiful growine
! plants are everywhere. and there Is
a feeling of peace about the house
and a charm that many houses ey
ouisitcly furnished, from an upholstor
ers' point Of view. cannot give. And
q lady, too, with uer white hair ant
/ gentle manners. has something of thu
arm Of the Japanese woman in hei
. reroseful way and smile OF welcome.
Must homes are simply q heterOge
neOus mass OF odds and ends. contrast
ing styles and jarring coiOfs. If We
cold cast aside the really useless
ard ugly articles In our houses. ans
s We only what is artistic and har
s,oni0us, the effect would be more
pleasing to the eye and infinitely les
/ labor for the hands. When an ar
! dealer has a priceless painting to sell
ne puts il in a room or alcove by Il
self and has only dull drapelfes aroun'
Il with the light thrown c he pic
tire. The clever Jap does the sam'
thing.
Why do we all strain eternally TO
Possessions. We know they brini
J more care. Some of US have not learn
: I ed to enjoy beauty except as we in
diviouais possess it. We are but chill
dren, and like children long for tribe
that we sec other grown-up chi
drcn nave.
II you live in a small town, and eau
not travel and there is no art CALLER
o. museum. and you cannot even hav
q access 70 books and photographs, yo
: sin have nature. Whether you liv