The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-21
"A Big, RED CREATURE
That's How an American or English
man Seems to. the Ordi-
~@zz~-.-.. .-~. nary Jap.
Prof. Ernest Fenollosa Gives an En-
pertaining Talk on the Jap
"... anese View. s.s4.s

a'Dou you know how an European ap-
pears to an unsophisticated Jap?" H..
Professor Ernest F. Fenollosa, who is
to lecture at the Unitarian church to-
morrow night upon Japanese art, an
swered his own question this morning:
.i''Why, the American, Englishman or
German is, in the first place, to Japanese
eyes, q. very large and red creature. We
don't look fair or white to the Japs, as
you might suppose, but red. Next, the
European is very hairy. The old Japan
ese pictures Of Europeans showed them all
with bare and hairy arms The European
eye, thinks the Jap, Is large, prominent
and staring. His gaze is rude and pene-
trating. His nose Is uncommonly big and
long and protruberant. To this huge, red
haired grimacing monster the Japanese
would compare himself as a delicate. re-
fined, intellectual and spiritual creature,
far and away the superior Of the European
beast. But If the delicate one. is tenn
porarily submissive it Is in view of the
fact that the red and hairy demon pos
sesses certain uncanny secrets as to noisy
cannon and intrusive cannon balls.
This was the way we looked to the
Japanese in the old days when Japan was
first opened to commercial intercourse
with the rest of the world. .r' -
Given now the Japanese ideal of beauty,
for instance, Of feminine lovliness, is very
different from our own. Their ideal has
changed with the varying fashions of diff
| ferent periods But generally speaking. at
present they see no charm in blonde hair,
| which is absolutely unknown to- them.
| They couldn't tolerate blue: eye for the
| same reason, especially a big blue eye. A
| tall broad shouldered Gibson girl would
be repulsive They fail to see the least
| attraction in that grand feminine curve
| that sWells outward from below the arm
pit around the outside of the hip and re-
| turns to tie ankle. This exquisite OVal
OF our ideal figures would disgust the Jap
He thinks that broad hips are coarse
| And girl with long legs-we]l. she might
| do for those wild foreigners who have nc
| taste, but never for any subject Of the
| mikado.. -
Rosy cheeks. pink cheeks, coral ears
| everything, in fact, that suggests fine
color to us is distasteful to the Jap. He
agrees with us, however, in demanding
bright eyes a small, rosy mouth, slopine
shoulders, small hands and feet, taperins
! fingers, a low, sweet voice. :. $780, H.
But the girl Of his dreams is short
with short legs. jet black hair, little eyes
| a pale complexion, a nose rather long ane
aquiline but small and by no means promi
nent. Her bosom must not be too ample
and her hips should be extremely narrow
The very slender woman-with few Of thu
lines that we call feminine Is the lady fol
a Japanese poem. -rf =
This type. indeed, follows the genera
| appearance Of the aristocratic women O
Japan. The girl Of the common people
who more r,early resembles an older alb
original race has round, generous form
round, full face, a rather fat, broat
nose And the Jap. critics can't under
stand why we should like and admir-
some of those cute little 'roly poly Japan
ese girls He says they are countrif1et
and coarse =.