The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-12
without the least personal choice in the

e. ms mother that he'd like to take a look around himself and select his mate for lire But he added with a resigned sigh, 1t distressed my poor mother so much l never spoke of it again.
 I met while in the east on the easiest social footing, many Japanese and China men-the footing at least was easy-but so far as the Japanese men are concerned there was always anatmosphere about them Of extreme convention and re- straint. They were polite, exquisitely,' elaborately polite, and not like a Turk lsh minister l knew once in Washington, who used to come to my house, spend the minutes paying me and the sother women who happened to be there elabor- ate Oriental compliments in French, then look about restlessly and say:
 Where is your husband? I want to talk with him on matters of interest?
 No, the Japanese man wouldn't be rude for the world, but woman feels all the time that there is nothing of the least irens yqoseomm
 serious moment he would care to discuss with her
 "The first dinner I attended was given by Admiral Togo at the Mobiles club and knowing that some Japanese naval officer would probably take me in to dinner, asked an experienced American naval of- ficer what I must talk about.
 
 Talk of the birds and the flowers he admonished. Ask about the cherry blos- som season Mention the chrysanthe- nuns, an& he added, you might say few words about Togo and the Diabutsu if you feel as if you can venture that deep
 T was taken in to dinner by one of Admiral Togo's aids a very handsome, powerful looking Japanese commander, who didn't look over 30 He was strung across the breast with medals, received he said. for killing Russians
 ,"Ee had been educated In England so, of course, his English was perfect, and he had none of that awful nervous shyness so many Japanese men have with for eign women; and what did he talk about?
 Flowers, just as the American naval officer had suggested and at each plate were tiny silver boxes filled with bon bons and inscribed with the great a6- miraPs signature. These were in dainty satinwood boxes which sat in state upon minute scarlet furoshiki. Everything is done up in these colored squares. of silk or cotton and carried as we carry shop ping bags here at home.
 This huge warrior was as ohildishly happy over the little boxes and bits of satin as Pttle boy over his Christmas stocking. He explained to me minutely
 
 ed, showed me exactly how to fold my little bit of red silk about my little box with the red cord, and then to put the little bundle In the minute outer box and tie that in turn with a bright green cord.
 A Talk About Flowers.
 This was all perfectly natural and characteristic of the Japanese and his love of dain.y detail and his nice, delicate sentiments about the small, artistic things of life that mean nothing to any men except Orientals and Frenchman.
 was natural, too, that our talk should get no farther than the outer garland on the surface of things. It was wistaria, chrysanthemums. cherry blossoms from the soup to the coffe and, going up the stairs, he turned to me beaming, this Sampson-lilse slayer of hairy Russians and asked: And what do you think of our little trees?'
 wonderful exquisite, uniqtie!' I cried gishfuly, though I was wildly convulsed inside and I did want to shriek out and lose all my politeness just once and say: What, those little trees born like dash hund under a bureau? I think they are the most foolish Of all the grotesquely absurd things in this delightful crazy little Japan. And why oh, why do you Japanese want to grow litle Tom Thumb trees hundreds of years old anyhow?
 "Still, while I may find fun in the gro- tesque oddities of this country and her people, find great deal to admire in that love of delicate detail exhibited in the mighty fghty man and also In his sincere, love of flowers and of all tho poetic and lovely things in nature.
 A Chinese Mormon.
 The Chinamen allow their women . great deal more domestic authority than do the Japanese, and Japan declares with scorn that China is ruled by the women. It Is very true that the Gilman treats the women of his household much more considerably than does the Japanese, and I think the Chinamen must like the com panionship of women better-must be more used to pleasant kind of comrade relations with his slant-eyed sisters and cousins and wives than any other Ori- ental. I often found myself in the east, when taken in to dinner by Chinaman, forgetting entirely that he wore pig tail and lovely blue silk trousers and talking to him as freely and from entire ly the same standpoint as I would babble with a man of my own race.
 "One of these celestials conf1ded to me that he had two wives and IS children, one evening over desert, yet 1t didn't make him seem at all different from the man at home.
 "safcadio Hearn failed to tell the Amer ican public that Yokhoma Is the Paris of the beautiful ls. mode gowns we can buy and get made there for almost noth- ing.
 Slant-Eyed Modistes.
 "The Chinamans ability to copy a frock, seam for seam and button for button, is an old story, and the anecdote about the reproduction of dresses and pockets In the New World copied from the old Is about the age of the Sphinx. "I'm not referring to this ancient type of Oriental tailoring. It would give the Japanese and Chinese tallors no claim to be classed with the creative artists of Paris
 Their talent has been developed by English and American residents; no, not finer ixtricacies of dressmaking.
 "A good Chinese or Japanese tailor or dressmaker in Yokohama can look at the latest Paris models and copy them ex- actly. His embroideress can also do the same dainty handwork of Parisian art ists in dress; and as for fitting, these Orientals cut and fit clothes as well as any tailors in the world
 "When I make this statement I mean the frst-class tailors in Japan-those who have been working a long time for the diplomatic set in Tokio.. for the English colony in Yokohama and for the prosper ous globe-trotters from the rest of the world.
 A Dressmaking Artist.
 There is Chinese william in Yokohama who is one of the best tailors in the man milliner always has horrible artis- tic temperament. -re runs to villiany as naturally as great cook runs to bad temper. Nt
 'The smiling, clinging sill n Svengali of the east was trained in ethe art of dressmaking by the wife of one of our American ambassadors. His meanness