Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-09-15
SOME JAPANESE CUSTOMS.


The farmer read little notice of how
the Japanese pet crickets and talking
to him about it reminded me that 1 have
not given you a Chat on foreign customs
in a long time.
How wildly it brought back to me
scenes and incidents of my six years
over there Years so full of work and
responsibility that l did not have time
to be lonely.
The men and boys catch the black and
brown crickets and put them i'm cages.
You would smile to see the cages, just
about as big as quart cup, round and
with an oval top. They are made of
bambo split to about the size of ordi-
nary knitting needles.
Any boy who has fished with the crea-
lures knows how they will fight and
how the conqueror invariably eats his
captive.
/ remember the first time that / ever
saw a champion" He was in his cage,
as contented as you please for he had
just had feast. Three men had brought
their champions there and he had van
quished all of them. OF course they
had been rescued as soon as the fight
was decided against them. One at
time they were put in and after each
conflict the real champion was carefully
examined by his proud master, allowed
to rest and at 1t again was set.
ibid 1 see it?' Oh no, that was for
the men, and when the Mr. Master" as
the man of the house is called, has
guests the ladies keep out of sight. Tea
is always served guests, and If there is
no maid to take il in then a member of
the family very humbly assumes the
duty. But in a prolonged affair, like a
big Cd fight the box of Goals is often
taken in and tea is made after each
fight, or interval.
The Japanese FREELY is much larger
than our sort and gives a more vivid
light
A great compliment is paid one by
presenting one with lump of fireflies. i
taught the Bible to a class of young
army officers, and a lieutenant once
brought me a silk handkerchief full of
them. The material was the thinnest
of silk and the fire shone through like
gem. 1t was gathered together and
tied with a certain gold thread that is
always used with special presents. We
hung it in dark corner of the piazza
and it was beautiful The next morning
some of the girls got a regular FREELY
cage, made of wire netting, and put
them i'm it. They were fed on lump
butterflies over a damp spot in the road?
Well, that's the way the irehies took to
the cold moist rice.
The children used to bling me fire.
flies in very thin paper. Their paper
is made from the pulp of mulberry bark,
it is much tougher than any of ours eX-
cept our better grades of real linen pa
per.
Their cicado Qocus), is much larger
than the one in this country When July
comes, if several happen to select the
same tree, or are neighbors it almost
takes the flesh off of a foreigners bones,
but the Japanese do not possess the
same sort of nerves. I've seen them
brush off mosqitoes about like we do
gnats. Sometimes I would be saying 4
Japanese language lesson and a mosqui-
to, or several, would be nipping and fly
ing around my teacher. 1t would make
me want to get rid of it for her. She
would brush ii away as casually as j
butterfly. I've stopped my lesson and
said please kill that mosquito" She
was a Christian and could afford to kill
mosquitoes but the unbelievers dared
not for that mosquito might be rela-
tive or friend doomed for sins commit
ted in a previous life to return as an in
sect.
But the return to the cicado, the small
Logs take lump of bird lime, a very
sticky combination of rice flour and
water, L think, and put it on a pole and
locate singer" By sticking the lump
against the limb they catch the fly.
When a Japanese is buried one or
more canary birds is set free in the
cemetery. That is for the benefit of the
departing spirit. But as soon as the
place is clear of the people who went
with the ashes there are swarms of
small boys with this lime and the bird
is again in the hands of friends. L never
saw a canary flying around, and would
not even if the boys did not catch them
for the crows are too numerous. Some
skylarks, a few nightengales, myriads of
sparrows is a good way to mentios the
small birds of Japan. Crows and
pheasants are plentiful.
L wish that 1 might awaken a writ
ing interest in birds among the readers
of The Atlanta Journal. 1 know that a
great many of you are interested in the
BIRDS but you never write to us of your
observations. What sorts are most plen-
tiful in your community? What bird S
song do you hear first in spring ano
which is last to leave you? This At
lanta Journal not only covers Dixie
like the dew, but goes all over the world
1t would be interesting to hear of the
birds of different states Cannot we
have a bird number? Don't wait to see
what the others are going TO do; just
get busy with your own eyes and pen
your ideas Faithfully yours,
LIZZIE O. THOMAS.
Tuscumbia, Ala