Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1912-09-28 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE FAR EAST.  The visit of Prince Arthur of Connaught to Japan to attend the funeral ceremonies of Japan's greatest ruler, and the tragic death of Count Nogi and his wife, have teen the means of causing renewed interest in the doings of our Far Eastern allies. It would be difficult to find a people whose social ideas were more opposite to ours, says Mr Douglas Sladen, in his book, "Queer Things About Japan." In lir Sladen's sketches the poor Japanese is described as the Italian of the Far East. ile lives on next to nothing, and thrives on it. with a smile that never comes off. Unblessed by trade uniens and their delegates, he works as long as he can get anything to do, and is only idle when unemployed; though, a a sot-off for dispensing with a Sabbath, he observes certain holidays. These are inexpensively celebrated.' He just walks some hundred miles, with the minimum of luggage and at a corresponding cast, to see a famous ga.rden in its glory, and is amply rewarded by the beauty of the flowers. In this respect, he could teach some useful lessens to the , British excursionist. Their power of doing without what we consider neoestsaries of life is astonishing. "I have seen," Mr Sladen says, "a hosier who did without everything he did not sell himself. He had a shirt, a collar and tie, and scarfpin and studs; but he had no trousers. And the effect of their absence was heightened by his wearing 'braces because he sold them." In fact, the visitor to Japan must be prepared to fall in with the custom of the country., and acquire the art of "doing without." And this is rather comprellensive, for the Japanese  "Have no bread, no beds, no fires, no hoots and shoes, no trousers for the men, no petticoats for the women. This sounds alarming, but both sexes wear instead several dressing-gowns, one over, the other—the kimonos of commerce. In their houses they have no windows, no doors, no walls, no ceilings, no chests of drawers, not even a washing-stand, and the wardrobe Is only a lot of boxes piled one on the top of another. In the kitchens they have no range, no pots, no pans, no flour-bins, no flour, no kitchen tables. But then they have no tables or chairs in the drawing_ mom, and in the reo.l native house the drawingroom itself is only a lot of bed-rooms with their walls taken down. There is no reason why you should find anything in a Japanese house except mats and a charcoal stove for warming your fingers and the teapot and committing suicide." A fact in Japanese life, of far-reaching consequence. is the non-existence of the new woman, who, if transplanted from our Western Islands, would, no doubt, be promptly suppressed. The wife's position is admirable—from the husband's point of view. Her first duty is to wait upon him, and to minister to his every want. To honour and obey is the part of her marriage vow which, beyond all others, she is expected to observe. If he puts ou European dress, rho shows her a shadow of corresponding politeness, but once back in the native costume, she becomes, again, the Asiatic wife; follows 'lira like a maid in the , street, mends and wa:-.lies his clothes, wakes him in the morning, makes a cup of tea • for him before he leaves his august bed on the floor, and generally plays the devoted slave to him, and his father and mother, and any elder hi:others he may have about the house and their wives. And in the later words we come upon another curious custom, probably a survival of tr.ibal. organisation. When a wealthy Japanese (Les, instead of his property being divided among his .children, the eldest stip takes the whole; but hC is bound to maintain his brothers, unless they successful enough to set up ,horse for themselves. The daughters nced not be considered, for they are mar•ried off almost as a matter of