The Washington times., 1904-01-17
~ OR heavens sake. stop that
r. crying"
To hear this good missionary
English in a nest OF Japane

To hear this good missionary
English in a nest OF Japanese
houses-and Japanese houses are so thin
that everything the neighbors say is
easily heard-was startling In four
months we had never heard any scold-
ing or even a child punished.
This unusual event proved TO be I'm one
of those international households not
uncommon in the East 1t was the An
gio-SaNon half OF the child that roared
and tyrannized over its submissive ia
panese mother.
His English father had bought him
bright blue ulster with brass buttons
In this he strutted up and down Negisha
Mura. bossing all the children Of the
quarter. A palmer instance Of heredity
and racial traits is rarely seen.
No one was more shocked at John
Tashirasan than Tara. the little niece
cf our maid. o Yen. The Honorable
Miss Dollar" Even when Tara had
the toothache she smiled through her
pain.
Bad boy #" said o Tara. Ills rudeness
Northumberland -lady-is EviI-mat-
ter-to -respected-earS Of the-augustly-
honorable-one-is.'' with great dignity.
and bowling her little head to the floor
Supposed Never to Cry.
Even japanese babies are popularity
supposed never to cry. This comes pretty
near the truth. for the land and all there
is in So seem to be theirs.
In any country where Shintoism or an
cestral worship prevails the children are
bound to have a good time. A son is nee
essary to carry on the worship of his
parents and to keep the ancestral fires
lighted
II man has not son. he adopts one
or takes another wife. If a woman has
not a son. she knows what to expect.
Polygsmy finds its excuse in religion.
Japanese girls are by no means 50
highly valued, but. as can be seen. they
work into the general scheme. Children
being religious necessity. their place
Is fixed. experimenting this is the natu.
raj JOY of parents in their own progeny
ana the sense Of possession.
Curiously enough. pampered as they
are, the children are never caressed. The
japanese regard kissing as vulgar. ami
mai. and unsanitary Even foreign chill
dren would willingly give up being kiss
ed in return for never being scoIded OF
whipped
When a japanese child is born every
body brings it gifts. Fish and eggs are
the proper presents. particularly eggs,
on which the family probably subsist.
until safety sets in.
Babies Wear Kimonos.
on the third day It is named and goes
TO the temple to be blessed by the priest
Girls are generally named after some
flower or fruit. as Tine. plum biossom)
or Kiku (chrysanthemum) Boys are
nicknamed, as Eitaro GLORIOUS big one)
-or perhaps saburo Cmeaning No. 3. the
third boy.
A baby wears layers OF those long.
easy slips we know as kimonos. which
cover its feet and its hands. Conse-
quently. it has no cause for crying when
it is dressed.
Even the poorest baby has it's daily
hot bath Hot in Japan means 10 de-
grees Fahrenheit. temperature thai
gives even a grown person lively recol-
leotions.
Its head is shaved. with the exception
Of a small tuft, until it is three years
old. one OF the few repulsive sights in
Japan is the number Of sore-headeC
children seen on the streets. Thes,
sores are not allowed to heal. the theory
being that in this manner all the evi
humors of the body are expelled.
When baby is a few weeks old it fl
strapped on the back OF one Of tn,
younger children and sent out into tht
streets. When our children are being
Graded and sung to. the japanese bah,
is beginning it's education. This seem,
TO explain that experiences Of the Japa
nese nation which within fifty years hal
become a world power.
The children Of the poor play in tn.
streets and the temple grounds. and ev
cry third child has baby on its back
This makes no difference in the games
The children play battiedore and shut
tlecock. toss their rice bags. run. jump
and even walk on stills with the las
born nodding its helpless head or per
haps fast asleep. its face turned upwar,
and head lying back on its bearer,
shoulders. As the baby gets older !
takes an interest in all that Is going on
and daily adds TO Its stock OF knowledge
Children are carried in this manner
until they are three years old. and hav,
n GRFAT DAMAGE