The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-10-29

'ahe vi these getas sandals, shoes, whatever
outer footwear is used-for the very good reason
that the people sit on the floor Con mats or the
moor ITSELF, eat on the floor Every daintily, how
ever) and sleep on the floor, so that to walk over
the moor here with the muddy feet would be the
same as If an American should walk roughshod
over his chairs, table, and bed: for in japan the
neatly kept and usually covered floor takes the
pace OF all such furniture. Even in the Japanese
department store visited this morning cloth COW
ers were put over my shoes, and this afternoon at
the M no Go Reiya Shinto temple had to go in
my stocking feet
And then the babies-who ever saw as many
babies to the square inch? About 10 per cent
OF the male population seems to be hauling other
men. but SO per cent Of the female population
seems hardly enough to carry their wise and
happy-looking little Jap babies-not in go-carts
Ia go-cart or hired nurse is almost never SEEM
but on the back. And these little women who
when standing only tall as you are when
sitting-they seem hardly than children
themselves, that you recall Kipling's saying of
Japan "a four-foot child walks with a three
foot child, who is holding the hand of two-foot
child, who carries on her back one-foot child"
Boys in their teens also seen with babies
strapped on their backs in the same loose-fttng.
sack-like baby-holders, and after work time the
father takes turn at the same business. You
are reminded OF the negro who said to another:
"'Fo' Gawd, Bill, you's got the most children
any niger l ever seed. Why, passed yo' house
yistiddy mornin' at nine erclock and throwed a
brick top and holered 'Fiah! an at Ave err
clock niger children was still runnin' out!' It
seems sometimes as II such an incident with Jap
children substituted for negroes: doubt if there
is negro here) might actually happen in Japan.
And those two men bowling to each other as
they meet-are they rehearsing as Aphonso and
CASTOR for the comedy show tonight, or are they
serious? No, they serious, for yonder is an
other pair meeting in the same way, and yonder
another couple separating with even more violent
"convulsions of politeness"-and nobody laugh
ing but yourself. No wonder the Japanese are
strong: they only need to meet a few friends
day to get exercise enough to keep them in trim!
Look again-those women meeting at the depot,
for example (for there are familiar-lookng street
cars and less familiarlooking passenger cars amid
all these strange surroundings) There is the
woman with her hair combed straight back which
means that she is widow, with a funny
Japanese topknot which means she Is married,
and younger one whose hair is arranged in the
style of unmarried girls and though they are evil
IDENTIFY bosom friends they do not embrace and
kiss at meeting-nobody does in Japan-and you
only guess the depth Of their affection by the
greater warmth and emphasis of their bows to
another.
They are trained in polteness from their youth
up, are these Japanese; and 1t Is perhaps the
greatest charm of both young and old. I must
have seen full hundred thousand Japanese by
this time, and do not recall one In the attitude
of scolding abuse while authorities tell me
that the Japanese language simply has no words
to enable one to swear or curse. l was also In
terested to have the American Ambassador tell
me to-day that in all his three years stay in
Japan and with all the freedom with which a
million children about the streets and stores.
he has never seen man impatient with child.
At the Imperial University yesterday morning I
noticed two college boys part with the same deep
courtesy used by the older men, and the little
fve-year-old girl near Chuzenji the other day
thanked me for my gift with the most graceful