The Washington herald., 1922-06-24
JAZZ CRAZE GRIPS
JAPAN AND RAISES
STORM OF PROTEST
Age Old Customs Are.
Shattered as Youth
Flocks to Halls.

viruient form. a year ago the
sight Of kimonoed maiden upon
a ballroom floor was a sensation;
today the big cities are supporting
hundreds Of dance halls for Japan
csc. amongst whom the right Of
foreigner is unusual, while the sub
urbs are seeing the opening up sf
road houses and terpsichorean pa
vilions to which the giided youths
and literally powdered japanese
happers crowd many nights a
week.
Gone are the days when the male
portion OF the community did their
dancing by proxy and squatted
around their foot-high dining
tables while slowly weaving. grace
ful geisha trod the stately meas
ures Of old Japan. Into the limbs
OF the discard has gone the old
convention that no Japanese girl
should ever appear in a hall for
public entertainment. the conven-
ton that gave the bride her FIRST
glimpse OF her husband when she
bowed 20 him before the marriage
shrine and which gave her never
an opportunity Of meeting in a So
cisI way even the Intimate friends
Of her spouse.
Dancing Kept secret.
Up until about a year ago a Jsp-
anese maid who had Travelled
abroad and learned to dance could
indulge in this form OF amusement
only through being a guest at some
"foreign" home. and her iapses
were kept as close a secret as pos
sible. lest she lose caste among he-
Japanese friends. Despite this,
many young japanese learned &c
dance and a few began 20 dare the
shocked comments Of the older
ladies and the headwareing Of the
older men and attend the hons"
given at the larger foreign styie
hotels for their tourist and foreign
resident guests. Then the whisper
went around that one OF the impe-
rial princ"~ses was taking lessons
In the waltz and that the crown
prince himself wa. becoming inter
ested. and the floodCstes were Lot
down. Dancing had become not
only nice but proper. and Japan
went on a Jazz debauch-
Within the last month the dane
Ing craze has grown most rapidly.
given IT'S impetus by the visit Of
the Prince OF wales and by the as
founding fact that the prince
regent strolled around amongst the
guests at the ball given hy the
British embassy and openly en-
joyed the spectacle Of the whirling
men and women.
Must stop st Midnieht.
But old customs do not die with
out a struggle. nor are century
entrenched vested rights willing TO
see themselves jostled without a
protest. The police. those guar
disns OF all the outgoings and in
comings Of japanese life. are re-
senting this new form OF social
gathering. There are no rule, ot
precedent 20 go by, which worries
law and order officialdom. while the
sword-swinging guardians Of the
public morals. whose faces are in
vsriably set against change. feel
that their conservatism is being
severely jolted. In lack Of any
thing else set forth in the law.
they have notified all hotels and
dance-hal proprietors that fox
trots and one steps come under the
rule that no public entertainment
can be held later than midnight
and that Home. Sweet Home
must be heard before the clock
chimes the end of the day.
The main and best orga nized on
position TO the dancing wave. how
ever. comes from the geisha. that
sisterhood OF trained women whose
education ha. been wholly devoted
TO the art Of entertaining the tired
business man. The role OF the
geisha Is 20 give the feminine touch
to all male social affairs. The place
heretofore recognized for the wife
and daughter was the home. and
there only. When the father. hus-
band or son entertained for friends
IL was always IN restaurant. tea
house or some place as legal and
recognized but less respectable. and
such affairs were always attended
by the geishs- at so much per hour.
The geisha was not only the host
ess pro tenn. but she was likewise
the Chatty entertainer. the orches-
ira and the artist to do turns" be-
tween courses. such as dancing.
singing and sleight OF hand. She
was. and still is an Institution,
sdnCNlOncu bN law ana CUSTOM. Sne
became a geisha only AFTER wears or
close apprenticeship and hard
study from the age OF oF and
was as proud Of her certificate Of
graduation and Of her police
license to work as the western
girl OF her college sheepskin and
her wedding certificate.
Now the geisha swskens to find
her expected young men patrons
fiocking OF to dance halls and
spending long hours and much cash
with and on young girls with only
their natural charm and q dancin-
knowledge picked up in a few
cheap lessons. 1t is an invasion of
the geisha sphere Of influence from
the home. and the geisha doesn't
intend to stand for Il II she can
prevent IL. The home Is the place
for the young man TO 60 when he
wants a wife. but no place to seek
a companion, according 10 the
geisha viewpoint.