The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-01-30
LIFE IN JAPAN
HAS HARDSHIPS
From the New York News:

or the new Japan is the school girl.
she shuffles gracefully to her acade-
my IN the clogs and kimona of old
Nippon to study with docile facility a.
European college curriculum. and at
least one foreign language, as the pio-
neer of the new education There
are thorns in her path, too. undreamed
OF by the Occidental student. The
foreign language begins at the wrong
end of the book and reads from left
to right instead if up and down; she
finds difficulty in concentrating her
attention when raised on a chair and
imprisoned by a desk; her wadded
k1mona, comfortable in her fireless.
paper walled home, is far too warm
for the stove-heated classroom, and
she Is always likely to be married in
the midst of her studies.
In spite of these handicaps she read
lily acquires even the higher educa-
ton, and is most painfully eager to
excel, often taxing her frail little body
and bright eyes in studying by the
foggy flare of the andon long after
her elders are asleep. Her own Ian
guage by itself presents a fair field
for her industry, for in ordinary read
ing and writing at least 100 char
acters are used, and scholars, owing to
the admixture of Chinese, must mas
ter twice as many.
In addition to the new western
learning so far, at least, she has re-
tanned that of the Land of the Rising
Sun, where the proverbia1 "tuppence"
must always have been paid She
studies, as her ancestors, the daimyo
and the Samural studied, the art OF
opening and shutting doors, the DO.
lite handling Of teacups, gracious ac7
ceptance of presents, and so on; in
fact so careful and elaborate are her
etiquette lessons that no possibility
of unpreparedness for emergencies
is left for the Japanese maiden, who
gains an entire knowledge of how
to act on all occasions important or
trivial-together with habitual polite
ness and charm.
In the department class she mas
tiers the difficulties Of walking in
clogs and sandals, of sitting on and
rising from the floor, and of bowling
bows are often literally to the ground,
remember.
The arrangement of flowers is a de-
lightfu1 lesson, and important, con-
sidering that a flower vase is often
the sole article of furniture in the
| ROOM Much time is spent in demon
stration of how they should not be
grouped-old bouquets being the ear
lest object lesson.
Ceremonial tea infusing-quite
difficult and different thing from ordi-
nary tea making-is a very serious
study. The number and depth of the
salutations, the order of serving-ev-
erything in fact, from the heating of
the water to the washingof the tiny
bowls prescribed by a rigid and
elaborate etiquette, mistake in
which would be fatal to a well-bred
girls reputation.
The reduced gentlewoman instructs
in these dainty arts, but her lessons
are growing unpopular, and girls too
engrossed in sterner studies to pay
hearty attention to the minute exact
ments of old Japanese formalities.
Boys schools have already discarded
her counsels of perfection and prob
ably in few generations middle class
girls will make their salutations and
their tea minus the exquisite polite
ness of the Honorable Madame Eth
quette.
Music is always taught by women or
blind persons Aristocratic maidens
learn the biwa Qyre) or koto (harp),
and middle class girls the samlsen
or guitar. Dancing is not an accomp-
lishment much esteemed blythe high
ly born students-it is profession,
not a pleasure-but painting is very
important one and taught with. true
Japanese conventionality. The master
arrives squats on the talaine (mats)
and begins to draw either from mod
ell or his inner consciousness. His pu-
pills, squatting around him, watch in
tently his firm, dashing strokes. When
his sketch is complete they endeavor
to CODY his production and not until
like effect in the same number of
strokes has been obtained, and can be
reproduced from memory, may they
proceed to another subject. In this
the charming conventionality of Japan
is easily traced, although it's results
are not invariably happy, as when Ho-
kusal painted that fabulously impos-
sible so-called horse which all Japa-
nese admire, NOT because they think it
a horse. but becauseHokusal was con-
sidered such a-goed~ horse painter On
holidays, which*ars as common luck
lily, in the Japanese calendar as saints
days in ours, the: students march in
gay PROFESSIONS carrying branches of
blossoms and banners to the parks,
there to play games and drink tea
and sometimes even to have a peep
at a strolling theater, though to speak
! strictly, this 10y is forbidden the fair
sex unit \ fter Q: #s.5 I:
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