The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-02

put away. and have them out Except
their wives) one at a time to admire
they even apply the goodwin principle
to their wives. Phis method of shop
ping is slow, and as 1 was not buying
Quarterly Books or choice curios 1
tired of it. The right way would be
TO have an etiquette-servant like a. pris-
on-editor, to start an hour before you
and get through the gymnastics be-
fore you arrived.
You could choose one who held plen-
ty of tea, because If you don't drink
tea you are charged more as a worth
less person or a barbarian with no
knowledge of business.
The Eternal Tea Cup.
1t is better. however, to sit on your
heels and drink cups of Japanese tea
than to stand about bars drinking
whiskies. Once upon a time 1 pub
lshed a book in Japan. l was only
80 then, and had my life before me. l
called in on my way to the exhibition
to ask when / might expect some
proofs which had been due month.
l had to go upstairs and take tea on
the floor, and eat an orange, and some
bean-fiower sweets before 1 could ask
the question, lest should hurt the pub
lisher's feelings. 1t took half an hour,
but the time was not wasted because
he sent his foreman to the Exhibition
with me to get a free lesson in English.
If you have a good rikshaboy, he goes
in with you to tell you how to behave.
made up my mind only to deal with
pawnshops, unless 1 was buying cam
phor wood boxes or paper umbrellas.
When you buy direct from the manu-
facturer things are simplified bit, as
his whole stock may be under twenty
shillings' value.
Perhaps the Japanese don't really
have pawnshops, but the places which
look like them are the only shops
where it is any fun buying things;
and the things you buy are worth so
much more when you get to England,
because they were made in the days
when the Japanese did not go in for
shops, but all lived in big families,
which sometimes ran into thousands,
in the establishment of a noble whose
income was reckoned in rice
This sounds as bad as having your
name writ in water, but it isn't really
for the Daimio's income would have
run into the millions If II hadn't been
reckoned in rice. The Daimio paid
salaries, also in rice, to every kind of
workman to take the proper leisure
over making things. One wonders how
much time a Japanese would take I'M
only thing he hurries over is fetching.
The Humble Secondhand Shops.
In the humble secondhand shops
which abound round Shiba at Tokyo,
and behind the Theater Street at Yo-
kohamR, one buys for coppers little
gems of articles of domestic use which
are the most lovable things in Japan.
| They were made in the old Daimio
days when a thing had to be perfect of
its kind, and though Clipped and worn
and discolored, their elegance of form
| and ingenuity OF design make them
masterpieces of art.
1 do not only refer to the buttons
which they do not use for buttoning
| (netsukes), the four-trayed medicine
chests which would go inside of a cigar
case Gnro), and the pipe-tubes and
| tobacco purses, which are all the jap
anese has in the way of jewelry, but
the folding and telescope candlesticks
of bronze and iron, the finger bells
and gongs priests take out for walks
chopsticks and amulet cases, solemn
tea caddies, dressing cases for car
rying in your sleeve, looking glasses
made of bronze, and ivory card casef
for holding lip paint.
Beautiful Things for n Song.
The Japanese do sell some things toe
large to go in a lady's muff. For mere
songs one can pick up wonderfully ele
CANT ana decorated finger stoves
smokers stoves, kitchen ranges mad'
of wood which you could put in you
portmanteau, antique screens a foo
and ha.f high which are only mean
to look at, Daimios' trunks of 5Iacl
lacquer which open and shut like bis.
cult tins, and are slung on bamhous
tea baskets, without any sides. made
of old red lacquer with metal or wood
en- or even cocoanut shell saucers
square iron kettles as decorated as
temples, rich old lacquer wiring cases
used, not for containing the writing
materials. but the letter when it is
written, temple banners, images OF
Buddha, and countless other objects of
great age, high beauty and imperish-
able solidity, sacrificed for coppers al
the first chip; for the old Japanese
workmanship was so good that the
| lacquer lost it's value with scratch.
Another favorite line, secondhand, are
pieces of silk which have been priests
or actors or geishas dresses; ladies
and gentlemen do not use gay ma
terials.
The japanese secondhand shop, like
other shops, has no doors or windows
or counters, but differs in needing to
display all its goods to catch the pas
ing riksha. For this the vendor uses
receding shelves, such as we use in
our green houses; you see some tit
bit and call out stop a little" to your
/ riksha.
How to Deal with the Jap.
Then, if you are new to it and have
an hour to spare you say "Ikura ?"
(How much0 He names a funny price.
You reply, "Amari Takai" (far too
high.) He comes down a little. You
name a price for which you have no
hope of getting it. He raises you, as
if you were playing poker. You refuse
to be raised, and you both bluff till you
are tired, and then split the difference
All the time you are paying your