New-York tribune., 1908-02-09

edge of the phonetic values of English letters;
but in the literature of Japanese sgnboards
there is another class of errors which is plainly
due to the looking up Of English words in Jap
anese-E English dictionaries and the putting OF
such words together without regard to the rules
of English syntaX. When, for example, Jap
anese wishes to paint on signboard the words
Shop of the Courteous Barber he turns in his
dictionary to the Japanese word for courtesy
and finds opposite it a whole group of nearly
synonymous English words, among which is
kindness" Not having knowledge enough to
discriminate between shades of meaning he Sc
lects kindness" almost at random, and asso-
ciates it with shop and barber" as follows:
Barber the Kindness Shop" Another Japan
ese, practising the same trade, refers to himself
as the Cheerful Berber'; laundryman gives
notice that he is a High Washman,' and a
sartorial artist describes himself as The Sub
lime Tailor" High" and sublime" seem inap-
propriate at least hyperboic adjectives to
apply to ''washmen' and tailors but reference
tc japanese English dictionary shows that
among the definitions there given of these words
are eminent superior" and great; and
such We're the ideas that the japanese signboard
painter intended to express. l passed almost
daily, for weeks, Toxic shop whose Signboard
bore the words 'Nourishing Drugs but whether
the proprietor sold cocktails cod liver oil
never aScertained.
me perennial enjoyment In Japan those Of
the butcher who advertised Beef and Hen
Net; the milhman who meant to recommend
Best Fresh Milk but who solemnly assured
his patrons that Fresh Milk Is Best; the dairy
farmer who called his establishment Squeeze
Out Place of the Milk Dealer" and the photog-
rapher who invited the passerby to Come in
and Try and Take Your Shape"
On almost every street in Yokohama and
Toxic one sees signboards on which queer eff
fects have been produced by slight errors In the
spelling of English words. Among such are
ELECTORAL Engineers" Wholesaler and Re-
tainer." "Mishn Shop 'Courious Shop" and
Furniture and Curious Sold and Bay An
other blunder common Japanese signboards
is the result of joining sellers with their goods
by means Of the conjunction and" This ac-
counts for such signs THE japanese Bicycle
& Co." Confectionery Biscuit &, Co." and
Great japanese Sporting Dogs & Co"
Just why the Japanese are so desirous of hay-
ing English signboards over their shops do not
know. It cannot be wholly for the purpose of
attracting English and American customers be-
cause the resident foreign population in japan
eSe cites Is small and many of the signboardS
are In quarters TO which tourists seldom If ever
60 Perhaps the tradesmen regard their srnat-
tering OF English evidence Of culture and
social distinction Our shopkeepers ana
hotel propretors often use French on their sign
boards and bills Of fare, although in the villages
where they carry their business they never
expect to have French customers
1t is curious fact that japanned English
prose- in spite OF its grammatical fawlessness
is almost invariably Ineligible. The parts Of
speech may all disagree. and the metaphors
may all limp. but there is seldom room for