The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-03-29
Keeping House in Japan
Continued from paqe one)

cooked in the foreign way, are as good as
anything to be had at home. Meat is
difficult to procure, but game and fish are
pretty fair substitutes. Butter, also, is not
a native article, but is imported from
Australia. Otherwise, one has everything
he eats at home. In serving the food, the
Japanese servants are willing to take infinite
pains. They love nothing better than
guests for dinner, who will appreciate some
little effective way of making things look
pretty. One of the most charming
suggestions is to be found in the decoration
by means of tiny flowers carved from raw
vegetables, such as carrots, beets, and
and potatoes. The idea that prevails with
US of having all the china on the table in
sets is directly opposite to the japanese
point of view. To begin with, the
porcelain is always blue and white, just as
towels and kimonos and everything else
run to blue and white. In the famous old
kutar; ware, and the mari, blue is used as
foundation, with red or green enamels or
gold sometimes put on top of the glaze.
The dishes are all manner of odd shapes,
oblong, octagonal, leaf-shaped, in the
design of boats, oval, and. providing they
are of the same general color tone, are in
perfect harmony and yet infinitely more
varied and beautiful in design than our own
rather stereotyped Aower-pattern services.
The maid or boy who waits on the table
uses graceful lacquer trays, for there is no
object made in Japan, however mean a
service it is put to, that is not inherently
beautiful.
The servant problem, as in every coun-
try in the world, is inexhaustible in its
possibilities of discussion. A man servant
wages run from seven to ten dollars a
month; maid is paid at the rate of from
five to eight, though country girls can be
procured for as low as two and half.
The servants have their own quarters
removed from the other part of the house,
and furnish their own food and clothing
and charcoal for heating. A great deal
more personal service is rendered by ORR
entail servants than any others. The house
boy runs to the postoffice with the mail,
wraps packages. sweeps up the gardens and
walks, helps balance the monthly accounts,
carries notes to your friends, tends to the
stoves or braziers, and to countless similar
tasks. The amah takes care of children
and makes very good nurse, providing
you do not leave her too much alone. She
is the slave of the baby, for the Japanese
are remarkably gentle, not always wise,
with children. Whenever you want any
thing, you clap your hands together; and
with quick shutting of soft feet, and
long drawn "A-i-i-i,' the servant will
come running to perform what you ask.
On the surface, the servant problem is
not especially complicated, but the petty
dishonesty, and the family complications
of the servant, make it intricate beyond
power of expression. When your servant
wishes to leave for any reason, you never
know what that reason is. She may come
to you and explain that she has an uncle
who has commanded her to come and live
with him. She will explain that she owes
her uncle much money, and therefore is
under obligations to him and must 60.
"But not for long?" she adds. 81 have a
scheme. l will borrow more money, until
he will become tired and want me to go
away again. Then l will come back to
my good kind mistress" In the mean
time, she offers to substitute her younger
sister, who is sixteen years old. So you
take Toki-san; but she proves to have no
head and to be extremely stupid and in
experienced, though apparently willing. 1t
is not until year later that you discover
Utasan has been married to the son of the
odious uncle for months, ond that Toki-
san is only now getting to be fifteen.
Yet with all its trials and absurd little
situations, housekeeping in Japan is very
pleasant experience.