Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01

fortune cannot pass through the gate marked by it.
On New at the center of the sacred straw rope
over the gate rather complicated decoration.
1t is composed of fern leaves bitter orange called
daidai (Which looks like grapefrut), the leaves of
ynsariha IA species of laure) which is lined with white
and silken down side, bit of seaweed piece
of charcoal, and-and the lobster! Yes, lobster in
all its flaming, crimson glory.
and glowing symbol for longevity. Look at his far
bending waist, and be skeptica more! We in
Nippon do not have the at the fury height
of enthusiasm, to say to the best of men, "You
lobster!" The best compliment pay him is,
I'VE hope that you will be like lobster" Be assured
that you can never say potter heater thing than
this to your Japanese friend. So you will see the
lobster adding gay color to the New Years decoration
even if all the world be wrapped in white DEATH
When the Day Dawns
IN these latter days. the first thing you will hear on
New Years Day in all garrison towns of the Empire
will be calls to the tune Hear the cocks
great battle Rise we and Captains ALL" etc.;
and moment later thunder swelling of myriad voices
Ten thousand years his Majesty the Emperor) and
"Tei kokn Rikugun BansaH" (Ten thousand years to
the imperial army.
make to mountain hilltop long before the birth of
New Years Day There they forgot the chill of
winters early hour The death of the stars thrilled
them they mindful only of the pale flood of pearls
that the orient hills telling them of the birth
of year. And at first glimpse of the sun above
the crest of the hills they bowed their heads capped
their hands, and with reverence in their souls
SHIPPED the glores that shining and divine to
them as the very face of God. Verify they worshiped
the Heaven Illuminating Great Goddess-Amaterasu.
After that, they hurried home.
The Days Menu
A ND the family every member of it in his or her
dresses,-and the very best among the new
cothes,sits down to the first meal of the New Year.
First in order is toso 1t the cup of sake drugged
with medicine of marvellous and classic prescription.
So wonderful is its virtue that when drinks it,
the entire family will be without diseases; when one
family drinks it, there will be i'll health within RI
(about two miles and half In some districts
Osaka for example-there people who partake of
cup of tea before toso. 1t is called o-bukn cha
"a cup of tea with picked plum in it). After that
they face the simple fare of black BEANS dried abalone
of kazunoko dried of herring), and of taaH gobo
the of kind of burdock), ETC., all of which goes
under the traditional of O.jmsume. Of course
all festa joys of Nippon made of peculiar kind of rice
steamed and pounded in huge wooden mortar with
monstrous wooden pestle).
To my American reader, the MENU doubt, is
markabe only for its bizarre and ndigestble quality
Indeed, to the Western palate it tells tempting
That is precisely where the humble menu is
eloquent for the time when it did awake vertable
dream of opulence in the Spartan imagination of the
children of Elder Nippon, much turkey and cram
berry were wont to do with Puritan New England
And it was not so many years ago, either. But now!
Why the children of New Nippon simply turn up their
spoiled at the New Years feast Their eyes are
large with unutterabe wonder how in the world
their parents actually
o1r11 H.