The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-02-25
THE JAPS IN CALIFORNIA.
Correspondence of The journal. /

|
SACRAMENTO, CALF, Feb. IS. In
view of the prominence now given tC
Japan the readers of The Journal may
| be interested in some notes on what ]
have seen of the japanese in this coun-
try. Their consulate at San Francisco
| has charge of 10000 in California, Ari.
IONA and New Mexico, and like num-
| Der in the States of Oregon and Wash
| ington. One thousand left Los Angeles
last week of their own free will for
Japan to join the army. Most of the
Japs have come to this country in the
past two or three years. There must be
a large number in this section of the
State The town of Florin, seven miles
from here, is almost entirely populated
with Japs. Their principal industry is
strawberry culture. You meet them on
foot, on bikes and in fruit wagons, and
must say they are the smarteSt people
know of. Most of them work on ranches
which they rent or take on shares.
Quite number have bought small
ranches and built shacks to live in.
When they accumulate fifteen or tWen-
ty dollars they obtain a postal order and
send it home; and when their savings
amount to $4,000, which takes about
four years, they return to their homes
in Japan, where they are rich men.
| have occasion to visit every week a
ranch where there are three families of
Japs Three almond eyed kids have
been born on the ranch, who are ever
to be American japanese. In due time,
if occasion requires, Uncle Sam will
have a regiment of fearless japanese
for his army. The naming of the Jap
baby is a great event. The parents give
grand dinner and each guest writes a
name for the child on a card These
cards are placed in an urn and the
mother draws one out and the name on
the card is the name that is given the
child. The Sacramento Union gives
this notice of japanese entertain
ment:
The banging of guns and the snap of
pistols, coupled with the clash of
swords and the like, drew a puzzled
crowd to the windows of Armory Hall
last night. A Union reporter, passing
the doOr-keeper in a moment of mad
vertence on the latter's part, found
himself, on lifting curtain in the hail.
which was crowded with an audience
OF Japanese lntently watching a dra-
matte scene upon the stage, in which
heroes won or died and deeds of valor
were evidently being recounted by
earnest tragedians When the reporter
was ushered out he was informed
politely but emphatica lily that the en-
tertalnment was for japanese alone;
that it is not exactly secret, but that
CaucaSlanS are not admitted, because
they would not understand the Ian
guage used, and because the japanese
society holding this festival and enter
tainment two nights in each year pre-
fers only its own people to be present.
A japanese woman will work all day
making fruit boxes with her baby fast
ened to her back, Indian style. He is
wee bit of humanity, and like the older
people is always contented and happy.
The Japanese mother never kisses her
child, but loves and caresses it just the
same. Neither do the older people
kiss. kissing is unknown in Japan, so
there is no exchange of microbes in
that country. Many of the women are
BARRIERS and their style Of hair cutting
is mostly in the shoe brush STYLE You
never see Jap loafng on the street,
or intoxicated. They give the courts
no trouble. OF the hundreds you meet
in the streets all have an objective
point in view; and they get there, too.
They have very neat pocket diction-
airy of about 10000 words translated
into English. The Chinese and Japa-
nese characters are similar and one
would think they were translated from
Virginia rail fence and brush pile.
Gasu Kohu is the United State: X is
ha, an editor; Kishi, bank, etc.
b. F. w.