The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-04
HaK gARANEsH sEoR RNoTIoM
Faelal and 0tAer signs BY which Their
Feeilngs Can Ne UndeFStOod.

Feelings Can Ne UndeFStOOd.
To TBE Enron or TIE SuN-Sir; Allow
me a word about the Calm of the Japanese"
| The writer Of the article In n Sun Of Sunday
Is In error In thinking that the Japanese sail
ors expressed no surprise or astonishInent
while visiting New York In the sightseeing
automobiles. He does not understand Jap1-
nese facial expression. What appeared TO
him as calm" wa quite the opposite.
Darwin In 1887 presented the anthropoloRi-
cal world with a formula for physiognomical
| researches. using sixteen questions Tor 'eH-
preston OF the emotions In man and ami
mails" Professor Wernich OF the Toxic
Surgical academy IN is7t put these questions
10 the japanese and obtiiped an abundant
set OF answers. some Of which, In accordance
with japanese popularity, are tinged viii.
Occidental colorings. as some of the japanese
Questioned were already In contact with for
SiVn tdtuA
Astonishment On the Japanese is expressed
by widely opening the eyes, slight raising OF
the head, stretching 1t up and by drawing up
Of the eyebrows. I watched those rubber
neck sailors as they passed me on Cathedral
Parkway and reco gniged this expression on
many OF the faces. While deeply meditatinr
| on the sights they saw or trying TO understand
some surprising fact bawled out TO them
through the megaphOne by their japanese
guide many OF them put their heads slightly
aside and shook them at intervals. and while
converslng with those beside them they drew
the air between their teeth "a Ia Malay with
| an IF" sound: they wrinkled their foreheads
and held their mouths open. These sig0a
shove that they were struck with aston
ishment and we're not so calm as American
observers supposed they were. Complete lob
stinhte) silence would imply not calrnness but
contempt in q japanese.
To Explain further how different the Japa-
nese expressions are from ours. / may add
that turning the face TO one side with a single
bitter laugh. like hal" means In Japanese
supreme disdain. So also does a single smile,
such as Mr.. Sato used TO employ when inter.
viewed sometimes during the Portsmouth
Peace Conference. Puflng out the lips and as
sumption Of q falsetto tone OF voice with widely
opened eyes, means scolding or reproval
among the Japanese. The sputtering forth
OF words while speaking to a mistress or
master means bad humor when q Japanese
servant in New York so speaks. He need
not use any facial expression at all: his face
lie blank. Japanese are too shy 10 show eX-
pressione Of guilt. Only by the deep sinking
OF the head can you tell whether tho Japanese
child is guilty or not. Adults do not sink
the head at all and maintain a blank ex-
precision.
Jealousy in a woman Is shown only by the
eyes being widely opened. the mouth being
tightly shut. Not a muscle fiickers; yet she
is wild enough to stab you. Japanese never
nod the head vertically, as we do, to express
the Affirmative. A slight bow expresses II.
The negative is expressed by a Sin gle side
wise turn OF the head. 80 that the right ear
| comes to stand a little more forward; or II IL
expressed with the hand held downward. while
the wrist is@mo,yed four or six times toward
him who is making the sign,
III a person TO be called Is at some distance
the arm is lifted forward &C the breast Level
the hand, at breast level, with palm turned
outward and fingers extended, means for
% D1of hia nose ane Wiz GaPa f8ser neV extended eHes %' as ssu our
American boys do in derieion. The Japanese
identical sign is holding the wrist to the nose
held like this in front OF the other is doubiI
The Japanese never wiring their hands in
agony. nor do they ever make use of the
muscles OF the neck. They. never throw up
AandshaEdins i unEnown in JsPa5. Equal:
foweT than the other party would imply
Acknowledgement of inferiority. Friends
'tr Ds.u e s;nRi GtRe af I tb Ssf head Si shd t hso ds of Tears
together but neyer, wiring them as we do,
bic head and does not lift the eyes but holds
f fae eg IL h shfsPf i ' Ssftsi just H as s sfssn as ast az
pain as well as we can: All the talk OF his
stoiclsm In this regard is stun and nouEense.
When condemned to death the Japanese
criminal cries out IN fear. Just as any other
| limbs tremble. Hell no drawer than any other
mortal. In victory he is extremely "cocky,"
but In failure or defeat he is abject. All
ing stiffness OF backbone and tea ching much
bowling and self-depreciation: but. toward
an enemy a Japanese is extremely "ohesty"
until the enemy proves his superiority, when
the Japanese is meek enough.
ALBERT 3. AsHAEAp. NJ. d,
NEW YORK, June 3.