The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-09-25
OBJECT TO OUR PERFUMES.
Japanese and Other AslasIce Dislike
Our odora.

tremely disagreeable odor. BY I'VE"
mean the white races of America
and Of Europe. According to the
japanese, this odor is not only
''piquant" but also rancid"
The Japanese, like all other Orien.
tal and like our Red Indians, find our
perfume very offensive, so much so,
that when one of the lieges of the
Mikado resides sufficiently long in
America or Europe to become i'm
pregnated Herewith, It is considered
sufficient to exempt him from that
military service which is obligatory
upon every Japanese citizen. In fact,
q Jap contaminated by our-well, let
us call it perfumes regarded as I'M
fit for association with his fellow
countrymen, precisely as If 1t were
afflicted with leprosy.
1t is considered unfair that they
should be compelled to exist in the
same atmosphere as one SO disagree
ably odoriferous, and not only does
the European perfume constitute
disqualification for service in the
army and In the navy of Japan, but
It actually, according to Japanese
law, constitutes q valid reason for
divorce
Until now the white races have al
ways fondly imagined that they were
regarded by the yellow people OF Asia
by the black OF Africa, by the Esqul-
maux, by the Redskins, and by the
indians Of South America, In the
light OF superior beings, almost as
demigods. and we have prated to our
hearts content about our prestige"
Il is rather disconcerting, not to
say humiliating. to discover that In.
instead of exciting respect and even
reverence, we create disgust, and that
we are tolerated with difficulty by
our dusky brethren owing to our of
fensive perfume.
OF course we a. equally sensitive
20 the perfume Of the dusky races.
The Chinese in particular have per
fume sui generis. 1t is a smell to
which defy any European or Amer
lean ever to become accustomed
During my frequent stays in China
I have sometimes endeavored to ana
lyze this smell, with which the ma
tIves are saturated and which seems
TO contaminate and to give a taste
and peculiar odor TO everything they
tcfuch. For a long time was at
loss to account for the reason of this
perfume, which. though neither very
strong nor pungent, is nevertheless
30 the noses of white people of an
exceedingly sickening nature. 1t could
nO6 be due to any lack of soap and
water, for the Chinese battle fire.
quently and are, moreover, extraorat
narily particular on the subject of
the immaculate cleanliness of their
garments. differing in this respect
from the japanese.
Ny doubts, however, came to an end
when recalled to mind that the Chi.
nese consider extremely stale eggs
are Infinitely greater dehcacy than
fresh ones. that aged and spoiled
oysters and other shell food causes
them to smack their lips with salts.
faction. and that they prefer their fish
very ganey and high.
Under the circumstances It is
hardly surprising that the perfume Of
their favorite food should cling to
them much In the same manner that
the smell Of garlic fingers about the
pesron Of q laboring man from the
South OF France. or from sunny Italy
Much the. same reasoning applies
60 tine Japanese. In fact, their per
fume Is even more pungent than that
of the Chinese. This is due to the
fact that their tastes run In the d.
rection Of the same kind of food, and
to the lack of cleanliness of their
garments The latter are rarely
changed, and never washed. The
people, It is true, bath every day,
mostly in water heated to a temper.
ature that would parboil any ordi
nEry civilized human being. But on
emerging from the bath they resume
the same old silk, wooden and cotton
garments, which not only they them
selves. but also their ancestors, even
to the third and fourth generation
have worn without interruption
Heavy silks and wooden clothes
though durable, are apt to require
cleansing after some 90 or 30 years
of constant use, especially in a tropf
cal climate. Hence It is not alto
gether surprising that the people of
Japan should present a powerful con.
trast 10 their flowers. which latter
by reason of some popularity of the
soil. are absolutely without any trace
of perfume.
So searching is this "perfum du
JApon" that white people who have
secession to spend any time in the DO
minions OF the Mikado become i'm.
pregnated thereby TO such an extent
that Il is not until years after their
return home in America or IN Europe
that they are able to rid themselves
and their efsects Of the ndor.