The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-03-11
why THE JAPANESE
ARE UNDERS!zED
from Birth Babies Are Not al.
lowed Chairs, But Sit
on Floor.
MORE o CHILDHOOD
Have Peculiar Customs in Regard to
Dressing, Carrying and Naming
the ChiId-Marry Young and
Are Very Affectionate.
Why are the Japanese understood?

Because they don use chairs. i
That Is the answer to the conundrum
given by a number OF Japanese army sur
geons and scientific men. Under their d.
recuon careful measurements Of several
thousands OF soldiers were taken, and IT
was found in almost every case that the
shortness OF stature Is chiefly due to the
shortness Of the lower limbs. 4
Inc legs are short and stunted BECAUSE
almost from the day it is born the Jap
ansese baby Is taught to sit on the floor,
with its legs doubled under it at the
Knees; This posture results In an actual
dwarting of the legs, and Is the MAIN
cause Of the national deformity.
Among the japanese coolies, who spend
most OF their time in standing UP, work.
ing or running in the open air, the legs;
are noticeably longer than In the moret
sedentary classes.
It is believed that the general use OIL
tables and chairs IN the empire Of the
mikado would eventually result in adding
several inches to the average height of
Japanese soldiers, which Is, at present.
five feet and four inches.
The babies of all except the richest Jap
anese are carried about on the back of
an elder sister or brother from the timel
they are q few months old. The poorer
the parents the sooner the baby is ras-
tened on to the back of some elder men,
Der OF the family, and 1t Is not uncom-l
mon III the poorer quarters OF a Japaneset
city to see Il group OF children 6 or 81
years old playSg In the streets, each Of
whom bears a tiny baby sister or brother
fastened with a few straps to It's back.
These straps are lust sufficient To nre-
vent the baby from falling to the ground
leaving the comfort of its posture entirely
dependent on its own exertions. AS n re-
suit lhe japanese baby early gains n sur
prislng control OF Its muscles, and II is
almost impossible to drop even a tiny
cn''u from your arms, so firmly does 1t,
cling on With both arms and legs.
The dressing of a japanese baby i. n
simple matter. 1t wears nothing but min
lature kiInonos, the number varying with
the condition of the weather. These gar
inents are ftted one inside the other be-
fore they are put on. Then they are laid
down on the floor and baby Is laid into
them. Ihey are long enough to cover the
baby's feet and the sleeves are also long.
enough to cover the hands. Practically
there is only one garment, and the pro-
cess OF dressing a Japanese baby take
but two or three minutes OF its mother'si
time.
White Is the color of mourning in Japan
and is therefore never used in the dress OF
babies. Red and yellow are the fayoritei
colors Tor the dress of tiny babies, but
after the first month or two 1t Is easy tot
distinguish the sex of a baby by the color
OF Its clothes. Little girls are still dressed
In the most gorgeous of colors and the,
largest or patterns, while boys are early
shifted into more sober grays and green's
and blues and browns.
The Japanese are never demonstrat,ya
In their expressions of affection. kissing
Is unknown, and is looked upon as a dis
gushing way of showing love.
The great festival of the year in Japan
Is the Feast Of Dolls, celebrated on the
third day of the third month. In every
Japanese family OF any consequence there
Is u hreproof vault or store house, espe-
cially built to hold the dolls, which are
handed doWn from generation to genera
ton. All the year until the first day Of
the feast the precious dolls are kept safe
ly locked up in this vault. Sometimes
there are hundreds Of them in the DOS
session of one Of the great families. On
the first day of the feast the vault ia
opened and all the dolls are taken out.
They are carried into the finest room Of
the house, where a number OF red COW
cred shelves have been built to receive
them. Always first among these historic
Tolls are ef1igies OF the emperor and en-
press. and next to them in Importance
came small reproductions OF the court
musicians, all complete to the smallest de-
tails. Then there will also be miniatures
of other less great but more familiar per-
sonages, and for every one there is q COM
plete set Of doll furnishings. In the bou-
doir of one of the doll women, for in
stance will be found tiny combs, mirrors
and all the apparatus for blackening the
eyebrows, reddening the lips and per-
forming all the other mysteries Of the
toilet. There are also complete sets of
cooking and dining utensils, and the little
girls OF a japanese family. during the
three days of the Feast of Dolls, are kept
busy seeing that all the puppets are sup
piled with real food, proper to their rank
and station in life.
At the close of The third day all the
dolls and their belongings are packed
away in their freproof store house, not tc
be disturbed again until the next year
The Feast of Dolls takes the place OF
Christmas to the children of Japan.
japanese babies are rarely given the
name of a living member of the family OF
friend. The reason is the Inconvenience
Of similar names in the same family, mid.
die names, as a means of avoiding this
difficulty, being unknown. Little girls arr
commonly called after beautiful objects
in nature, such as Plum Blossom, Snow
Sunshine, Gold, or. Lotos Flower. Littl'
boys, especially among the lower classes
frequently start out in life with tn,
handicap Of being named Tiger, Bear
Rock or Panther. 1t is not considered al
especial compliment IN Japan TO call
child after any other person.
To such an extent is the art of nowe
arrangement carried in Japan that Their
are even several different and rival
schools, each founded by some eminen
professor. In the typical japanese roor
the single vase Of flowers and the han
scroll are the only ornaments.
BY the time she is 16 the Japanese gil
Is supposed to marry. All her life she ha
been taught that man is a superior crea
ture; that, for him, she must be willin
to do literally anything. and hat in hi
presence, under all circumstances, sh
must wear a smiling face and a cheerfl
habit of absolute obedience. Too ofte
the flower like maiden is q wife at 16,
mother at IS, and a faded old woman {
30. But no japanese woman makes an
attempt to conceal her age In fact, thos
who know how can tell from a woman
dress and from her coiffure almost e.
actly how Old she is. The colors of
woman's dress grow less brilliant fro
year to year. until at 80 tho girl that we
: a gorgeous read ard yellow butterfly /:
Is has become q gray or brown moth.
t Japanese married woman wears her ha
in a wide puff ON me top of her hea
With every year OF her life the puff d
minishes in width. until at 60 or 70
{ measures but q couple of inches. II
g number, variety a1lG SIZE of osnament
hair pins and combs worn in front g.
also all indicative CT woman's ge,