Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-04-02
MANCHESTER'BOY
AT JAPANESE Dinner
A. A. WELLS TELLS OF HIS EN-
PERIENCES IN CONNECTION
WITH WORK IN EAST.
WRITES ENTERTAINING LETTER
Makes Trip to Inspect Oil Conditions
In Japan and China for Com.
pany He Represents.


Wells, who left last week for her home
at Mount Clair, New Jersey, we are
permitted to give our readers extracts
from a letter which her husband
wrote late in February, and which she
received just before leaving for the
east. In this letter Mr. Wells writes
in most entertaining fashion of the
experiences he is having, and tells Of
the customs and habits Of the Japan
ese. We take the following para
graphs from Mr. Wells letter:
81 am expecting to 60 on trip in
a little while to make report on the
oil conditions in Japan and China, and
as it is impossible to get public
stenographers in this part of the world
am going to take one of these ma
chimes with me to make out my re-
ports. The arrangement is a little
different from the ones that we have
in the office, so l want to practice up
as much as can, for it would be a
very tedious job to make out all the
reports expect to have by hand.
They have promised to give me
memoranda tomorrow Of the proposed
trip and the time to spend in the
various places. and IL / get 1t In shape
before it is time to mail this will
add 1t later in the letter. In case it
is not there you will know that have
not gotten 1t.
We had another big snow few days
ago which is not quite all gone yet.
1t is much warmer today, so expect
by night it will all be gone; at least
I hope so, for when there is snow the
streets are so muddy that it is al
most impossible to get about. in fact,
it cannot be done without getting your
shoes all mud. ! certainly did my
self good turn when bought these
big, heavy shoes last fall. / wear
them all the time with big, heavy
wooden socks, and take it from me,
they are none too warm.
Last night took walk with
Scotchman whom I have met here,
and who also left his family at home,
and we both agreed that we were glad
that we had come alone, for while
Japan may be g. very nice place to
visit in the spring and summer, there
certainly are other places that would
rather be at this time Of the year. l
think there has not been more than
half dozen days when 1t was COM
Portable to walk on the streets.
Last Tuesday was q big holiday
here, something like our Fourth OF
July, and it was, Of course, celebrated
lin thoroughly appropriate manner
There were a few professions on the
streets in which the high officials took
part, all rigged up in their fine uni
forms and gold lace, with cooked hats
and plumes, some in autos and others
on horseback, and in one case l saw
one Of them in q rickshaw. They had
= dance in the hotel on that night.
the first they have had since we have
been here, although at the Grand In
Yokohama they have one every Sat
urday night. That seems to be the
kyenote of the whole Japanese life.
They seem to like to put things on
and then they don't get them done at
all half the time. I know men here
! in the hotel who have been here for
weeks, and they cannot seem to get
the people to make up their minds
what they want to do. There was one
man here from Australia who was
/ here little over two months. and
after putting him of from day to day.
he decided not to wait, and told them
he was going home on a certain day.
They wanted him to wait over for the
next boat, but he would not do it, AMI
finally he did go without their making
up their minds. That seems to lead
up to my own case here. The plant
has been here for I don't know how
long, and still they haven't made up
their minds where they want to put it.
guess they want to have me do it
Cor them, but of course can't do that
until l have had a chance to look
Ground bit, for don't know the con-
ditions yet. Well, at any rate, l have
been here for nearly four weeks, and
| Cor all the work 1 have done, except
TO see the conditions little and get
acquainted, 1 might Just as well have
been at home. hope to get down to
business some time this week and get
things started, but 1 may be disap-
pointed again, for that is the way all
the old-timers here tell me the way
| things CO. They all do give me little
satisfaction, though, by telling me that
! things usually do get done after a
| time, that is, that when the japanese
do get started they usually see il
Through to the finish. From this you
will probably think that will never
get home, and that may be the case
but l hradly think so. have an fdes
THAT after we get back from this triE
we will know pretty we'll what is tc
be done, and then we can get at it. In
case we have good luck it ought moi
take so very long to get the work done
and when it is, don't imagine l viii
waste much time getting back home
l went to sleep this afternoon and
did not go to church. as / have been
in the habit of doing since l have beer
here. Oh, by the way, have been tolt
that there is Miss Daniel here whose
| Continued on page A.