The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-21
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN DESCRIBES JAPAN AND ITS PEOPLE

1 too narrow for any other vehicle than | q hand-cart. The highways connect ing the cities and principal towns, how
 ever. are of good width. and substan-
 tial1y constructed and well drained, and
 have massive stone bridges spanning | the streams.
 The clothing of the men presents an
 the European and American dress pre-
 walls. The silk hat and Prince Albert coat are in evidence at all day func- | tions, and the dress suit at evening parties. The Western style of dress Is
 also worn by many business men. pro-
 fessional men and soldiers, and by
 students after they reach the middle ] school, which corresponds to our high ! school. The change is taking place
 more rapidly among the young than | among the adults, and Is more marked in the city than In the country. In
 one of the primary schools of Kyoto, I | noticed that more than half of the children gave evidence of the transi-
 ton in dress. The change Is aso more noticeable in the seaport cities than in
 the interior. At Kyoto the audience wore the native dress, and all were seated on mats on the floor while the next night at Osaka all sat on chairs, and nearly all more the American dress. At the Osaka meeting some 40 Japanese young ladies from the Con gregational College sang My Country Iris of Thee. "in English.
 The shopkeepers and clerks generally wear the native clothing, which con- sists of a divided skirt and q short kimono held in place by a sash The laboring men wear loose knee brooches and shirt In warm weather; in cold weather they wear tight fitting brooches that reach to the ankles and a loose coat. In the country the sum mer clothing Is even more scanty. I saw a number of men working in the field with nothing on but a cloth about the Joins, and it was early in November when I found a light overcoat com fortable.
 A pipe in a wooden case and to- bacco pouch are often carried In the belt or sash, for smoking Is almost universal among both men and women
 Considerable latitude Is allowed In footwear The leather shoe has kept pace with the coat and vest. but where the native dress is worn the sandal is almost always used. Among the we'll to-do the foot is encased in a short sock made of white cotton cloth, which is kept scrupulously clean. The sock has a separate division for the great toe, the sandal being held upon the foot by a cord winch runs between the urst ana second toes, and dividing faS- tens on either side of the sandal These sandals are of wood and rest upon two blocks an inch or more high. the front one sloping toward the toe. The san dal hangs loosely upon the foot and drags upon the pavement with each step. The noise made by a crowd at a railroad station rises above the roar of the train. In muddy weather a higher sandal is used. which raises the feet three or four inches from the ground, and the wearers stalk about as if on stilts The day laborers wear a cheaper sandal made of woven rope or straw. The footwear above describ- ed comes down from time immemorial, but there is coming into use among the 'rikisha men modern kind of foot wear. which Is a compromise between the new and the old. It is a dark | cloth, low-topped gaiter. with a rubber | sole and no heel. These have tho sepa- 1 rate pocket for the great toe. The | saldals are left at the door. After | taking cold twice. I procured a pair of | felt slippers and carried them with me | and the other members of the family | did likewise. At public meetings in l Japanese halls the same custom Is fol- |