The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-07

not matter since he understands Ju-
ditsu. But he never has to use his
supernatural powers; his authority,
like his white cotton gloves, is am
pie. The populace grovel before him.
10 foreigners outside of Treaty Ports
he used to be a nuisance, because
there was nothing so handy for filling
up his notebook as copies of passports
and descriptions of the ancestry and
early life of globe trotters.
But where you had a right to be
without passports Chat means every
where now he was a blessing, be-
cause he did not display his authority
against foreigners, and was aching to
turn 1t on some one, and could always
be invoked to treat you like a house
on fire, and keep back the spectators
While you took a snapshot or painted
a large picture. Time is no more to
a Japaneses than to an Italian.
The Foreigner a Show in Japan.
Even in Toxic a foreigner draws a
better crowd than conjuror, and a
Jap likes to be close when he is look
ing. If it was not for the midship-
mites of police, in ten minutes an art
list would be part of a human ant
heap. You always know when you are
outside theater or temple by the rows
of absurd boots and shoes and sandals
and clogs. The Japanese leaves his
boots outside when he goes into any
thlng-eVen police court. He boasts
that he does not make a street of his
house. His mark of respect is to take
of his boots, not his hat. AS a race
the Japanese do not wear hats.
The entrance to temple is marked
by huge reed gateway. The outside
of theater is hung at the same angle
as bedroom ceiling in a Queen Anne
villa, with blood-curdling pictures
about the play-the most realistic pos
tiers in the universe. The Japanese
scorn comedies; they divide their plays
into tragedies and histories-the his
tories are about gods and heroes.
The Japanese are very chummy with
heaven. When we were in Japan.
man was sent to prison for dar-
ing to insinuate that the first
Emperor, Jimmu-Tenno, had be-
haved unhistorically in being a
nephew of the sun. There was
great indignation among foreigners,
who did not know that, being the
prison editor, he only got his salary
when he was in prison. The prison
editor is the nominal chief of Japa-
nese newspaper. 1t would not do for
the real editor to be away from his
post all the year round.
1t Is a Land of Rain.
have to, seal I'D your gloves in pickle
bottles when the rainy season begins,
and put warming pan in your ward
robe. The nildew is very fine. The
poorest Japanese has his macintosh,
which is made of straw, and costs
three halfpence; he thatches himself,
and wears a hat and umbrella COM
oined like the hat sunshades of Hong
Kong. If he is a shade too we'll off
to be matched, he may yet be useful
to the artist for his magnificent Jap
anese umbrella of rich yellow oiled and
vanished paper. You can buy it at
a temple.
The Japanese keep their beautiful
temples better than the shoddy Chi
nese temples, but they are quite as
willing to turn them to miscellaneous
account if they are poor. The Tenn
pie of the Moon at Kobe has its ad-
vertisement of a well-known brand of
Beer hung up on the notice board Of
benefactors, and the exquisite little
temple of Dai-nichi-do at Nikko is let
for lodgings. But these glorious UNI
brellas, which could be let as mar
ket stalls in Paris, are disappearing,
because it is a form of swagger in
Japan to carry a Sarah Camp. If it
is only Japanese imitation, if he is
fashionable it must be adopted. just
as a Japanese dude thinks it neceS-
sary to spoil his charming native CO.'S
tune by wearing dirty gray bowler
resting on his ears, the only way
Japanese can keep a hat on. The
coolies idea is better: when it is hot,
he takes his hat off and ties towel
round his forehead to keep the sweat
from running into his eyes. 1t is now
against the laws to go naked. Jap
anese interpret laws very literally.
No Use Keeping Law in Japan.
I went into a public bath house one
day and saw both sexes bathing stark
naked. IT thought it was against the
law for men and women to battle to-
gether, Mr.. Mayeda.' "They are not
boo floating on the water, and the
women were all on one side of it. 1t
is no use keeping the law in Japan.
If a policeman wishes to lock a man
up, he does not wait for him to be
guilty. Japanese don't keep the law,
they obey the police. But they are
law-abiding people, they don't think
about having rights-they hadn't even
the right to live thirty years ago.
They have a craze for massage, which
is called shampooing. They don't go
to the nassag er-the massager comes
to them. Their secretiveness about
their home life is not outraged, be-
cause massaging is the monopoly Of
the blind. The toot-toot of the mas
sager's twinpenny whistle, and the
clop-clop of his bamboo staff are
the most familiar sounds af-
ter dark The blind man waits
till night to go his rounds partly be-
cause the Jap likes to take a bath in
boiling water, and be shampooed at
the end of his days work, because,
as he sagely observed, no one can see
in the dark.
Some Queer Japanese Etiquette.
You may see a Japanese do almost
anything in the street except blow his
nose. 1t is not good manners to be
seen blowing your nose in Japan, but
YOU may belch in any company; it is
bad manners not to belch if you are
dining with a Japanese, it looks as IL
the dinner was not good enough for
YOU to overeat yourself. When he is
having a night out, he gets drunk be-
fore dinner, and not after.
Tooothpicks are only used with a
hand covering the mouth, and they
should by rights be inscribed with a
pun. Meals are served a la Russo. The |
Japanese have not only language OF
flowers, but a language Of hair and |
fans. Amorous proposals are made |
with the fan, and a woman's hair tells
a man of the world whether she Is
unmarried or a wife or a widow. IL /
even tells him IL the widow is willing
10 marry again. Large ears are
mark Of beauty in Japan, ana Tat pe0- /
ole are much admired. In the words |
- f.rff6a "a rotund physique IL con-