Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-01

aching to turn Il on someone. and could
always be INVOKED to treat you like a house
on hre. and keep back the spectators while
you took a snapshot or painted a large pic
ture. Time is no more to a japanese than
to an Italian.
The Foreigner n show In Japan.
Even in Toxic a foreigner draws a better
crowd than a conjurer, and a Jap likes to
be close when he is looking. II Il was not for
the midshipmites Of police, In ten minutes
an artist would be part OF a human ant
heap. You always know when you are out
side a theater or temple by the rows Of abb
surd boots and shoes and sandals and clogs.
The Japanese leaves his boots outside when
be goes into anything-even a 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 a temple is marked by a
huge reed gateway. The outside OF a thea
ter is hung at the same angle as a bedroom
ceiling in a Queen Anne villa, with blood
curdling pictures about the play-the most
realistic posters in the universe. The Jap
anese 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 a man
was sent to prison for daring to insinuate
that the first emperor, Jl~mmu-Tenno, had
behaved uuhistorically in being a nephew
81 Fha ann Thara MA zraat apda.,,Nt1,
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 a Japanese
newspaper. It would not do for the real
editor to be away from his post all the year
round.
IL is a Land of Rain.
Rain is a feature in Japan. You have TO
seal up your gloves in pickle bottles when
the rainy season begins and put a warm
ing pan in your wardrobe. The mildew is
very fine. The poorest Japanese has his
macintosh, which is made of straw, and
costs three half-pence; he matches himseli
and wears a hat and umbrellas combined
like the hat sunshades of Hong Kong. II
he is a shade too we'll of to be matched he
may yet be useful to the artist for his mag
nihcent Japanese umbrella Of rich yellow
oiled and vanished paper. You can buy II
at a temple.
The japanese keep their beautiful TEN.
pies better than the shoddy Chinese tenn.
pies, but they are quite as willing to turr
them to miscellaneous account IL they arr
poor. The Temple Of the Moon at Kobe hal
It's advertisement Of a well known brand o.
beer hung up on the notice board OF bene'
factors and the exquisite little temple o.
Dai-nichi-do at Nikko is let for lodgings
But these glorious umbrellas, which coult
be let as market stalls in Paris, are disap
pearing, because 1t is a form Of swagger II
Japan to carry a Sarah Camp. II 1t is onl!
a Japanese imitation, II he is fashionabl,
1t must be adopted, Just as a Japanese dud
thinks Il necessary to spoil his charming
native costume by wearing a dirty gra,
bowler resting on his ears, the only way
Japanese can keep a hat on. The coolie'
idea is better; when II is hot he takes hi
hat of and ties q towel round his forehea'
to keep the sweat from running into hi
eyes. 1t is now against the laws to g
naked. Japanese interpret laws very lit
orally.
No Use Keeping Law in Japan.
went into a public bath house one da'
and saw both sexes bathing stark naked
az thought IL was against the law for mel
and women to battle together, Mr.. Mayeda.
"They are not bathing together" Their
was a bamboo floating on the water, and tn
women were all on one side Of 1t. 1t Is n
use keeping the law in Japan. II a police
man wishes to lock a man up he does no
wait for him to be guilty. Japanese don
keep the law, they obey the police. Blu
they don't think about having rights-the
hadn't even the right to live thirty year
ago.
They have a craze for massage, which I
called shampooing. They don go to tn
massager-the massager comes to them
Their secretiveness about their home lif
is not outraged. because m~assaging Is tn
monopoly Of the blind. The toot-toot o
the massager's twin-penny whistle, and tn
clop-clop of his bamboo stan are the mos
familiar sounds after dark, The blind maj
waits till night to go his rounds, partly be
cause the Jap likes 10 take a bath In boil
ing water, and be shampooed at the end o
his days work. because, as he sagely oh
serves, no one can see in the dark.
some Queer japanese Etiquette.
You may see q Japanese do almost any
thing in the street except blow his nose
II Is not good manners to be seen blowin
your nose in Japan, but you may belch Il
any company; 1t is bad manners not I
belch II you are dining with a Japanese; |
looks as II the dinner was not good enougl
for you to overeat yourself. When he i
having a night out he gets drunk befor
dinner. and not after.
Toothpicks are only used with a han
covering the mouth. and they should b
rights be Inscribed with a pun. Meals al
served a la Russo. The Japanese have nj
only a language OF flowers. but a language
hair and fans. Amorous proposals are mad
with the fan. and a woman's hair tells
man OF the world whether she Is unmarriet
or a wife, or a widow. II even tells him
the widow is willing to marry again. Lars
ears are a mark Of beauty in Japan, and II
people are much admired. In the words
Grifhs, "a rotund physique Is considered
good gift OF nature"
II is cheap to set up a laundry in Jspar
you do your washing in the street withol
soap. and you do your ironing without iroI
by stretching the wrung-out garments q
boards In the sun. The japanese even writ
} their letters In the street, making a table
! their left hand. They write with a pail
> brush on a roll Of wrapping paper, which
4 ol-a.. a. N... - nka.k wrtNk -