Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-12
CHILDREN OF JAP AN
The Happiest and Prettiest
Babies in All the World.
ALWAYSGOODHUMORED
WAILING INFANTS UNKNOWN IN
THE MIKADo's REALM.
Festivities and Rare Treats Provided
for Boys and Girls-Their Instinc-
tive Fear of Foreigners.
Observation-Disclosures


| They look like charming dolls dressed up
! for a costume ball They are the happiest
| children in the world. Born in a country
I where anger is almost unknown, where gem
/ tleness politeness and good manners are,
| with courage, the most admired qualities,
| they are never scolded, never ill-treated,
| never beaten and never insulted by their
| parents, They themselves are most tract
| able. They seldom cry and are almost al
| ways good-tempered. 1t never occurs to
| them to bite or scratch or kick. They are
| patience and quietness and goodness per-
! sonified The mother nurses her own chill
| dren and never leaves them during their
| early years. Whatever her social position
| she watches over them day and night. The
| poor woman who is obliged to work all day.
| unwilling and unable to be separated from
| her youngest infant, carries 1t on her back
| where it is secured with belt or shawl
| The mother goes about her business in this
| way, while the baby sleeps peacefully or
| takes note of what is going on around him.
| not at all troubled by the continual shak-
| ing he gets from his mothers movements
Foreigners are wont to pity the child rear,
| ing his poor little neck Will hardly Slano
| the strain of such a violent jerking as IT
! gets; but the neck of a Japanese baby is
| like strong India rubber-it bends, put does
not break. An English lady once wlshea 10
estimate the weight of children carried In
| this way and the amount OF fatlgue re-
| sulting to the mother.
| 81 was astonished.' she relates. You
| would naturally believe that you would
| have on your back certain inert weight:
| But it is not The child takes holo OF
| you and sticks to you with all the power OIL
| his little body; it is really as II ne Were
| part of the person carrying him. Just as
| good rider adapts himself to every motion
| of his horse, Japanese baby seems to an,
| ticipate the movements of his mother, ana
| however brusque they may De. nothile uii-
| seats him.
| In the upper classes children are not car
| ried on the back, and the middle classes
| are beginning to adopt our western papy
| carriages. Japanese families are senerdny
| very large and the eldest girl, at the age
| of six or seven years, replaces her motner
| as guardian of the youngest bapy, winch
| she Valiantly carries on her slender pack
! But her burden does not prevent heT from
running about, jumping, skipping and play
| ing with her little friends. Not easily 1or-
gotten is the sight of a group of little Jap
anese girls, from seven to twelve years olo,
| dressed in bright-colored kimonas, each one
| carving a little brother or sister on her
| back, engaged in their favorite game They
| Jump run, cry out and laugh with all their
| might and the baby, perched behind fol-
lows the game in great glee Laughing ana ana
| crying out as loud as his little lungs Will
| let him. Nothing could be more p1ctur-
esque than japanese park filled with chill
| dren playing.
Not to have any children is a fearful
=
| or two of marriage, mans wire gives
| him none he divorces her or else brings
into his home concubine. The latter,
though mother of his children, always ranks
| below the legitimate wife and obeys her.
Pride in Large Families.
| Great is the joy in japanese fanny at
| the birth of child, especially If 1t Is
| boy. Every family has a tall mast, two or
| three times higher than the house, planted
| In the yard. At certain periods of the
year large fishes, made of painted fabrics
| and blown up like balloons, float gaily from
the top of the masts, indicating the num-
Der of boys which the different houses
| boast The carp is the fish represented for
| this purpose. 1t is taken as an emblem OF
| courage and perseverance, on account of its
| habit of swimming up stream against the
| strongest currents. Like the Chinese and
| the Koreans, the little boys formerly wore
| pigtails, but these have disappeared since
| western influences began to be felt. A
| curious custom requires that all relatives,
| friends and acquaintances pay visit to the
| newly born baby and bring him presents
and good wishes for his happiness.
| There Is at Tokyo whole quarter made
up of bazaars and toy stores. 1t is sort
OF perpetual fair and a source OF indescrib-
| able joy. Further Japan is the country OF
childrens fetes. These are innumerable
for the girls as well for the boys. In
the middle of November each year the chill
| dren go to the temple Of their quarter to
| thank the god who has protected them up
to that day. This annual visit to the temple
is the occasion of a picturesque procession,
the children being dressed in new and
bright-colored costumes. The New Year
| fete is the most important of ALL During
a whole week children, parents and grand
| parents give themselves up completely to
| enjoyment. In the afternoon visits are
| made and received. numerous presents are
| exchanged. the little ones are stuffed with
cakes and candy and presented with all
| .rfo pF
| In jinrickShawS and on the electric cars
and in the evening, after veritable feast
the whole family takes part In games Of a
more or less noisy nature.
Fete of the Dolls.
| The greatest fete for the little girls is the
DOLLS Fete." On that day cupboards are
opened and dolls which have been jealousy
kept by the family are brought forth. Some
OF them are more than a century old, anc
they are all dressed in the fashion of theil
times. Every doll has it's trousseau, its
Set of furniture. silver. porcelain, kitchen
utensils and musical instruments of prec
ious wood or she'll Some of Them richly
dressed in superb costumes, represent tht
| emperor and the empress, and the celebrat
ed men of the country. The fete lasts TIRES
days. and during that time the dolls belong
to the little girls and they are free to play
with them. dress and undress them, change
their costumes and give teas and receptions
Needless to say, these three days are days
OF perfect happiness for the pretty littl'
Japanese girls. who themselves look like 81
many animated dolls. For the boys tn,
great fete is the Flag Fete," which take.
| place in May. On this occasion presents
arc made as at the New Year fete These
consist principally of toys. Swords, guns
pistols, cannons drums. trumpets and mil
itary CO are the things most sought afts
by the young Japs, whose martial spirit !!
thus shown at an early age. In ever,
house altar is erected upon which arr
placed figures representing the heroes o
Japan. Behind each one of these there is
flag bearing the shield of the hero, and a
hi: feet lie all sorts of miniature arms.
The Japanese baby's clothes are of tn
simplest kind. They consist of single lonl
! wide gown. which does not interfere wit
the child's movements, and cannot hurt II
1t is easily put on and taken off, and tn
child Is not tormented as western childre
are by the operation of being bound u
a dozen times a day in bandages an
swaddling clothes which restrict its lbert
of movement. When a child cries II Is no
rocked or handled or carried up and down
Its mother does not shout at it CIR coax
to be quiet. 1t is simply allowed to hav
! its cry out. and soon loses the habit. Hav
: ing nothing and nobody to worry 1t, more
over, Ii has few reasons for crying Extra
1 ordinary IL may seem To rs westerners