Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-07
JAPAN HAS Problem
WITH UNEMPLOYED
49,.
=
Thousands Visit Toxic From
Country Districts in
Search of Work.
NINE. lCHIkAWA, ACTRESS,
|. ON STAGE HALF CENTURY
Wide Range in Social Customs Noted
Throughout the Empire-Climbs
Highest Peak.
TOXIC, August 81, 1918.

| TOXIC, August 81, 1918.
Like many other great cities the num-
Der of unemployed is ever on the increase
in Toxic where men gather from the
country with high ambitions. unfortu-
| nately, however, high places are Few and
talent apparently superabundant ,coess
quently, even men with good qualltca-
tons are realizing about, vainly seeking
| employment. Some Of them come to the
free lodging house at HOMO. Toxic. tired
| out: some even are on the brink of starva-
| ton.
This summer the small lodging house
| is taxed to its utmost capacity. The d.
| rector Of the house tells pitiful stories
of his nightly dodgers. Men in the prime
OF life," he says, come here every day
starving, having had nothing to eat for
three or four days. OF the young men
| who come to me for help. the majority
are from the country, They make their
| way to the city with high hopes and
write home exaggerated or imagined
stories of their success. few years
later they go back to their homes on bor-
| rowed money and dressed up in royal
style to impress their family and friends
with their success not yet realized.
When they return to the city their situa-
ton Is worse than it was before. for they
are then saddled with the debts they in
CURED to create false Impressions at
home. These young men begin generally
as hard workers OF ambitious students,
then they become cheap laborers or
coolies. and finally end as lOafers, shell
tered in the poorhouse."
Japan is dealing with the problem OF
the unemployed on scientific grounds
having profited by the greater experience
of America and Europe.
1a1f Century IN STAGE.
Mime. Kumehachi Ichikawa, the Sarah
Bernhardt" of Japan, died recently at the
age Of seventy, after spending nearly
half a. century on the stage.
Like japanese warriors, who are proud
to die on the battlefield, japanese actors
and actresses hope to die on the stage.
Kumehacht was no exception and her
prayer was answered. for while perform
ing one of her favorite dances at the
Mikuni Theater, in Toxic, she collapsed
on the stage and never recovered.
Nine. Ichikawa was born in a samurai
family, and commenced her theatrical
training at the early age Of six. She soon
proved herself an enchanting dancer At
twelve she ,.haa many pupils, some OF
them her seniors In age. studying Japan
csc dancing With. her. But 1t was at the
age Of two and-twenty that she made her
first appearance. ION the stage as pro-
fessional actress. Her thorough training.
coupled With herr personal attractiveness.
made her more and more famous until
one evening Danturo. the star actor of
the era, WAS greatly impressed by her
genius and asked her to join his company.
Kumehachis belonged to the old school.
her to carly her role successfully in
new plays; including number of
Shakespeareap Tragedies. She was vir-
tually the only actress of the old school,
for at that time Japanese feminine roles
were alsayH PLAYED by men. View ac-
tresses, however. are now being brought
out, and. Kuhnehachi gave willing assist
ance to the ;tfaiAing Of young girls re-
cruited blythe :14nperial Theater Of Toxic.
Wide Ranxe,in Social Customs.
The Japanese empire shows a wide
range in social customs. Remote prov
inces observe usages and indulge in
social ceremonies: that are surprising,
when they are related. even to the
Japanese themselves An educational in
spector Of Toxic has just returned to
with strange tales of the customs OF
funerals. while on ,7the island the-in-
s sRe funeralS askisheT n The coffin
was covered with twp, suits Of the, dead
mans clothing. and surrounded by q
score of women Of sorr0wfql face who
proceeded to utter along nonosyilabic
howl Of lamentation The visitor was SO
affected. that .hesNtept with the mourners.
but later. he found out that all this: sor-
row xas ;put>, oi;;ssffit being enacted as a
part ofsal prescrihed. funeral ceremony.
The iaaanders develop physically much
earlier than the. people in other parts Of
the empire: Girls marry at twelve or
thirteen yeas. and young men at four
teen or YfHzen: The young wife visits
her pafents-in- taW and helps by fetching
pals Of water fromsthe we'll: After. that
she is .taken. into; the horne of her hus-
band = r 80 - ! =:
On EQahima, the; young people. enjoy
moref 1reedom, in the mater of counting
than I'm central. Japan. They are left
to themselves to- select their own life
mates. :rsuch after the, fashion ;sof the
west. When a young .suitor proposes to
the girl Of his choice. the girl declines
two or three times as a matter of form
and In order that she may enjoy the
period of courtship.
Girl Surmounts Mount Full.
Mount Full. dead volcanic mountain