The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-04-02
SHOPPING IN ORIENT
INTERESTS SHRINERS

The shopping craze" gets everyone
in the Orient, and II is interesting
and rather exciting ia q way. One
sees so much that is curious, unique
and beautiful, that the temptation to
buy everything in sight is very strong.
Not very many purchases were made
in Japan on our way over, as we were
TO come back. ln Manila the various
home made cloths, made from the fibre
Of the pineapple and palm. together
with hand embroideTies, were the prin-
eipal things that interested US. except
a few articles Of small value that could
be picked up as souvenirs. While
prices were rather high compared to
China and Japan, the absence of duty
on Philippine goods helped some. In
Hongkong the shopping started in in
earnest. There was little else TO do,
as the various points of interest on the
island took but little time TO visit. As
our party came struggling back to the
hotels at meal time, each one was gen.
orally loaded with bundles. Then there
would be a general inspection and com
pairing Of notes. As the same price
vas rarely paid for the same article,
owing to how much timeswas spent in
beating down the eXOrbitant price US
ually asked, generally the first ques-
tion asked was: "HOW much did you
paw" He or she was the envy Of the
crowd who had made the best bargain.
The hunt for curios, or odd, old and
quaint articles for souvenirs became
an interesting game. Often one found
"gem" in some obscure 'hole in the
wall" in a narrow, obscure street.
There Fare no advertisements to guide
one, and no information to be had from
the natives, but a few Of whom can
speak a few common words Of English.
Many curi0s were dug up in this way
and carried back to the hotel or ship in
triumph. The finder, as a rule, could
neither direct another to the place nor
find it again himself. However, Mr..
Hill and myself spent a couple OF
hours to find a curious image brazed or
an old coin, evidently a very ancient
work, which one of the boys had un.
earthed. We found the place, as We
supposed, which was large depart
ment store.
At this time it might be well to ex'
plain that Chinese company has
started a general department store il
! HOngkOng, patterned after the Ameri
can idea, carrying everything, and al
one price. We saw many American
and European goods in the store. The
idea is meeting with success, and VIZ
saw the store crowded with Chinese
buyers. 1t occupies four stories, hav
! ing entrances on two streets.
Well, we were met at the door b!
floor walker, who could understand I
little English. We tried to tell hin
what we wanted, and after leading u
to several departments, called thI
manager. who seemed to be better in
formed. Getting new directions, WI
were taken up two flights of stairs
through corridors, winding around herr
and there, and finally landed into tn
furniture department and shown a din
ner gong. We tired to draw a pictur
of the article wanted. Down to tn
first floor we again wound our way an
taken to the hardware counter, wher
after much gesticulating and gibberin
on the part of the clerks, one of ther
triumphantly handed US a lemo
squee2er. We then gave it up.
BY the time we reached Nagasaki
where we had to wait for the ship /
be coaled, the shopping craze was 0
in earnest. | The town has nearly 200
600 people and has number Of indus
tries in the manufacturing line, nOtabl
t0rtoiseshel ware, while the silk store
carried good lines. The steamer launc
was besieged with peddlers of all sort
of junk, mostly tOrtoseshell ware an
Damascene jewelry. We surely ha
fun with the peddlers. They woul
stay on the launch as it went to an
from the ship. They asked outrageol
prices, but were ready to banter, ar
often accepted one quarter of whi
they originally asked for the article
AS an extreme case, saw one artic
sold for Is cents for which So was oril
inally asked,
Our return stay at Kobe was shOr
We were scheduled for two days /
this port, and those who had not take
i in Osaka and Nara on the going tril
\ planned to visit these places on tt
return, but we had but one day thert
so spent our time in Kobe. More shol
ping was done at this place, and two {
the largest collections of bronze wal
were to be seen in Kobe stores. IT
japanese are probably the create
bronze workers in the world. Or
could get anything from small ancIer
II incense burner taken from some o
H temple, to a life size japanese warrit
u on a horse. Large vases for the ga
: den, with the bowl three feet in dian
4 eter, made Of solid bronze, weighing
II thousand pounds, storks four feet higI
Il hand carved jardinieres, vases, lamp
Il braziers, and thousand things curiol
and ornamental, all Of this metal, wei
found in these stores, and at price
H ridiculuusly low compared to the price
asked in the large cities Of this coul
try.
The Damascene factories are locate
H mostly at kyoto, but there are a few
H Kobe, Tokyo and Osaka. This woI
Il originated in Damascus, whence it dt
H rives its name. All sorts of jewelr
H and pocket novelties, such as cigar an
Il cigaret cases. card cases, match boxes
Il are made in Damascene. The work hi
a foundation of steel. With fine razC
Il edge chisels the workman traces II
Il design, and then hammers in pure golt
/ The effect is beautiful and the steel
Il entirely covered with the gold if iewe
\ ry, or in case of large piece, a pal
Il of the steel may be oXidized to brin
II cut in better relief the design. Ever
Il piece of this work is done by hand.
l trying is il to the eyes that the artisa
works but a few hours a day and onI
about 10 or Is days a month. IT
highest class artists receive about
cents an hour.
ClOissone shops or factories are nun
erous in the same cities, and the wor
, of this class is no less wonderful an
beautiful. This class of work is use
in the manufacture of vases, iucens
burners, jewelry boxes, hat pins, un
brella handles aud articles of this NJ
ture. The hand labor requires as niue
skill and time as the DamaScene, an
many works are on exhibition whiC
required year or more Of time of I'll
artist Each artist puts his name on
fine piece of work, and the price of Il
article depends upon the reputatiC
ana skill of the artisan who wruugl