The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1908-01-24
STRANGE ENGLISH
WRITTEN BY JAPS

learn the English language They
find the English language a pretty
hard nut to crack, but that doesn't
deter them. They keep right at it
and crack it.
An American gentleman, agent at
Yokohama for a trans-Pacific steam
ship company, now on leave in New
York, brings quaint package of ma
terial illustrating the efforts of the
English schoo1ed Japanese to gain a
half-Nelson on the language of Shake
speare.
A few months ago young Japanese
applied to the steamship agent for a
job as clerk in the Yokohama steam
ship office. There being no vacancies,
says the New York Sun, the agent
civilly got rid OF the applicant, and on
the following day he received this ex-
planatory letter from him:
Dear Sir: Many thanks for your
sparing precious time during business
hour on my visit yesterday.
l failed on that occasion, owing
rather to my sly nature to speak out
my principal motive for clerk life,
and should be much obliged if you will
take it into consideration. The cause
for my being clerk is that am lover
Of Charles Lamb, with whom have
many points in common. 1 have an
affectionate sister for whose sake I
will sacrifice my life and lead a sin
gle life, like the English humorist.
Was he not clerk in the Indian COM
pany till his retirement through the
approaching age? / said my sister,
but to tell the truth, she was my cou.
sin, and the past three years was
a tragic comedy to us, and from pure
love, and by mutual consent, we will
lead brother and sister life.
My second motive is that l may be-
come gentleman through your favor,
with whom l had no means to know
each other but such insolent way on
my part.
How glad my parents and dear sis
ter be if they hear some day that I
get position in your office.
l intend to enter some school with
in two or three days and train myself
in bookkeeping and in the practice of
typewriter
ME through an artless fronties
(front?). Yours faithfully,
KATsUTARo.
Here is a letter from Japanese
shipping firm to the steamship COM
pany respecting-well, respecting
whatever it means:
Dear Sir: According to your favor
of November %, 12-10th, with refer
ence to discrepancy of 275 sacks of
flour, we send you the invoice No 81,
which you have not. We beg you to
return the invoice when you will not
be short of it-and to inform us what
it will be intend by you in reference
to this discrepancies explanation.
One of the Japanese employees o. the
: steamship Office in Yokohama was
summoned up-country by the Illness of
!, brother. Here is the letter which
he wrote to the agent upon his arrival
!, home:
my Honorable Mr.. il will never
forget your kindness When l was
Fastening to return to my home felt
that train was exceedingly slow. Ger
tainly train was quick but my thought
! rather sooner than it's running. All
, things which caught my eye on the
way were very beautiful and attractive
. in the past time, but now they seemed
disagreeable, gloomy, clumsy and sor-
rowful
Then in the future what appearance
they will have to show me! All time
on the way home / could not avoid to
think fragments of the following
phrases: What is life? What is hui
man being? What is ambition? Life
is earnest or life is an empty dream.
From dust to dust. What is the i'm
mortality of the soul?
Such uncontrolling thoughts came to
occupy their places in my mind. Phan-
tom after phantom. Imagination after
Imagination, all time. l found such an
irregular conception of thinking and
could not get categorical thought.
But for moment changed from bust
ness man to philosopher.
When arrived at my home l saw
three doctors and many relations gath
ering around my brothers bed. At
sight of such a deplorable scene
thought that my brother has at last
gone, so l fastened to see him, but
happily he was breathing but could
not perceive me well, and only heard
my voice. In that moment / thought
all was gone, my tear dried, mind con-
fused, only l felt as If became a neu-
trail being.
But fortunately he came to correct
his mind, and to perceive objects well,
after two hours by taking care of doc
tors. Then how great was our glad
It was beyond description. But after
that he is staying in very perilous
point, whether he will die or live, sink
or swim in SO slight change of con-
dition his fate is to be destined. Doc
tor said his destination can be known
in the course of few days, then I
want to know probable tendency Of
condition of his sickness.