The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1902-10-22
SERVANTS In JAPAN
A LAND WHERE DOMESTIC SERVICE
is CONSIDERED AN HONOR.

The "Boys" That Wait on Table In
Hotels and How They Work.
Household Servants That Are Equal
In Birth to Their Masters.
They have some curious notions
about servants in Japan. Instead of
Its being considered Il disgrace to go
into domestic service iii that country
it is an honor, writes Mr.. Douglas Sla-
den.
Jinrillisha boys and grooms may not
have the honor of being servants at
I'LL, but are tradesmen, which is the
lowest thing of all in Japan short of
being an eta, or member of the class
of outcasts. Grooms are excluded as
betting, gambling, cheating lot (the
Japanese think ii impossible for
groom to be honesU and the riekshaw
boys as rough people without any man
ners.
There are two classes of servants,
personal and kitchen. Kitchen serv-
ants need have no knowledge of eth
quette. They are sometimes rough
creatures from the country. no better
than rlckshnw boys. They are dull
contented drudges, but Cook San (Nlr
Cook is held In n very different estl-
nation. In q small household he does
the catering and keeps the accounts rs
well us superintends the ridiculous lit
tie birds nest of charcoal ash which
cooks the meals in Japan.
To.
mility TO their employers which would
paralyze an Englshman with any
sense of humor and their masters as
sumo an etiquette mir of command.
But from every one else these serv-
ants expect considerable amount of
| pollteness.
Hotel servants are male and female.
| Hotels for Europeans generally have
men houscmaids MS well as men wait
crs and call them all boys"
TO go TO II Japanese hotel for the
first time Is like going TO Il farce. 1t is
| impossible TO keep serious. In tho din
Ing room you are surrounded by panto-
mime imps dressed in indigo cotton
doublcts and hose. who run about
shoeless and are called boys" and
look like boys until the day they die.
| Half Of them know no English except
| the numbers. Each has number TO
himself, and each dish on the menu
has a number, even down to the pota-
| toes.
NO. o. you say If you are new to IL,
I'll have some ., and III take some Z
and . with 1t, please He catches
| some numbers and brings them, but
you would have far better chance of
getting what you want II you simply
said .. Z, o
You can hardly hear yourself speak
for the serulf, scruff across the floor.
You think 1t Is lucky they don't wear
boots. AT very grand hotels they wear
blue serge suits like ships stewards
and bad limitations of foreign shoes,
and they don't run. and then they
don't walt so well. because IL is not
natural for n japanese boy" not to
| run.
A Japanese boy" has one good quail
| ity. Though he cannot understand Eng
fish. before you have been In the house
| three days he Will know your tastes
and II you like the breast of chicken
better than the leg you will get It, and
you viii have your steak TO look purple
or burned under when 1t is cut, MS you
prefer.
If he saw you using n teaspoon after
your wife, he would very likely bring
you n used teaspoon with your next
mornings tea His motto Is that there
is no accounting for the madness Of
foreigners and the forms it will take.
But your bedroom boy is very diff
fcreht person. He has Intelligence and
often fair command of English.
There Is nothing that japanese
room boy cannot do | would trust him
to mend my watch | have tried him
on such varied problems ms Turing n
| frightened canary bnck TO ifs cage,
| fishing up small coin that had fallen
| through crack I'm the floor and mend
ing the lock of n portmanteau. One OF
them even said that he could take In II
felt hat which gave him so large for
! him that his ears did not stop IT,
The Japanese like their hats 10 rest
upon their ears. They can mend your
| clothes or put Il button on and are
handler than sailors. They expect you
| TO show them all your purchases and
| always tell you how much more or how
| much less you ought to have paid
In the transient life Of hotel sou
see the farelcal side of japanese sery-
ants The pristine and sentimental side
you only get In n private family. where
| the servants. Ike the pages of the mid
die ages. may be equal In birth TO their
masters. but willing TO do service in
his household because he Is n famous
poet or noble or man Of science, 30 as
to gather the eruWa Of education
which fail from his table Exchange.