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Show 1 IlTOHlflM KIM JPIM ij..! I (Copyright Charles Scrlbncr'a Sons, 1503.) Tho stars float high In tho sky of Japan, so thnt when tho moon rises a vaster domo Is lit up than I have ever scon anywhere any-where clso In tho world. " Tho first moon I caw In Japan wns rising over tho bluff, whero the foreigners llvo In Yokohama, and climbing slowly toward these distant stars. Tho Happy ExJIo and 1 had climbed a narrow, winding bu3h bordered alley, broken hero and thoro with short flights of stono stops, and wo sat on mats In his Japaneso homo. Somowhoro outsldo out-sldo a nightingales was singing, and tho flno ncedlo point of tho first cicada was Jabbing vibrations Into tho night air. To tho left of tho Happy ExJIo was a beautiful beauti-ful box of lacquer, and ho reached out a caressing hand for it. That was his nct-suke nct-suke box, and ho pulled out Uttlo lacquer trays, in which lay his dlmlnutlvo treasures. treas-ures. "I havo only about forty hero," ho said, "but thoy aro all good. Tho dealors can t fool ma now, and If over a now nctsuko is brought In from any part of Japan the owner directly or Indirectly lets mo know it Is hero. Sometimes I will strlko ono In some far Interior town, but I know It has been sent on thero ahead of mo that I may think I havo stumbled on a treasure. IMy big collection Is at home and do you know that a man In Boston has perhaps tho best set in tho world? They havo risen In valuo enormously and aro rising all tho time. Thero aro not so many Iml- Iiatlons as pcoplo suppose, for tho reason that tho carvers can't afford to spend tho tlmo that Is necossary to make oven a good deception. You seo In tho old days each dulmio had his carvers, who did nothing but made nctsukes and all tlmo was theirs." Then ho began taking them out. ISach ono represented a myth, a tradition or a proverb. "I love theso things, not only for their cxqulsllo carving and their color and age, but because they aro so significant In reflecting re-flecting Japanese life and character. You hae no idea how much you can learn about Japan from studying theso curios." A hlfky and soda wero brought In. We watched tho moon and listened to tho nlg.illngale, and tho Hap"py Exile's talk drifted to old Japanese poetry, to tho little lit-tle seventeen syllablo form in which tho Japaneso have caught a picture, a mood, ono swift Impression or a sorrow. Hero aro thrco that he gavo me but Inaccurately. Inaccurate-ly. Ho said; 'A mother Is sitting on a mat, perhaps alone. Tho wind rattles tho fragllo wall, and sho turns. "The cast wind blowing Oh, the llttlo finger holes Through tho shogls!" Now, shogls aro the llttlo squares of latticed paper that makes the fragllo wall and mischievous children delight in thrusting thrust-ing their fingers through them. Thoso' llttlo llt-tlo flngor holes were mado by tho vanished van-ished hand of a dead child. ' This Is a plcluro in three strokes: . "Moonlight: Across the mat The shadow of a pine." Think of that for a while. And hero Is another mother cry for a dead child. Thero are summer days In dlc is chasing dragon butterflies, and tho children who dlo must pass through a hundred worlds. So this mother'u thought, runs thus: "Oh, little catcher of dragon-flies, I wonder how far You'vo gone." But I liko best the first: "The east wind blowing: tff' Oh. the llttlo finger holes :, Through tho shogls!" Wo drifted out Into the night' air. Every house was dark and auleu The Happy Exile stopped once to pat a yellow cur on tho head. "All these peoplo know mo," ho said, "and I can step Into any house without a word und sleep the night." But we followed fol-lowed that narrow alley up long flights of narrow winding steps, under thick bushes that arched above us and shattered tho moonbeams about our feet. Thoro was not a cloud In the sky when we reached the top of the bluff, and I felt for the flrst tlmo what the magic of this land was to the Happy Exile. Tho moon was soaring on towards those stars tho stars that float high In this sky of Japan. At a Wrestling- Hatch. Once I took refuge In a wrestling' match. I found a great pagoda like, circus Hko tent made of bamboo with matting for room Outside long streamers of various colors floated from the tops of long poles. High above and on a llttlo platform supported sup-ported by four bambootf a man was beating beat-ing a drum. He had started -beating that drum at daybreak. About tho entrance and around tho big fragllo structure wa3 the same crowd of men and boys that you would And at an American circus. To get in I paid two yen. Had my skin been yellow yel-low and my eyes slant I would have dropped but one. Tho arena Inside was amphltheatrlcal In shape, with three broad tiers of benches, on which squatted tho spectators In tho center and under a bamboo roof was a hummock of dirt about two feet high. Four pillars swathed with red and bluo supported this roof, and from each pillar was stretched a streamer from which dangled dan-gled llttlo banners covered with Chinese ideographs. A ring somo twelve feet In diameter was dug Into the dirt hummock, and In tho center of this ring wero two huge fat men, stark naked except for a rcech clout. As T came In they roso and took hold. To tho Saxon It looked at first glance like two fat ladies simply trvlng to push each other out of tho ring, ahd I camo near laughing aloud. Before I had approached ten steps ono of tho two fat men touched ono foot outsldo of tho ring. Ho had lost and tho bout was over, Now two more camo walking in with great dignity. dig-nity. They mounted tho arena and turned their backs upon each other. Then each stretched out his right leg, with his right hand on tho knee, raised It high In tho air and brought It down on the,carth with a mighty stamp. Tho same performance! with tho left leg. ahd then they strained downward until tholr buttocks almost touched tho earth. Turning, thoy squatted on their heels- opposite op-posite each other at tho edgo of tho ring, and each man .slapped his hands together gently, stretched them out at full length and turned "tho palms over. This wns a salute tho Japaneso equivalent of tho Saxon pugilist handshake. Eoch then walked to ono of tho posts, from which hung a little box of salt and his second thero handed him water In a sako cup. Ho rinsed his mouth, spurted tho water out, took a pinch of salt and threw it Into tho ring. Ono of them stooped and plucked a fow blades of grass from tho sod and throw them also Into tho ring Both acts wore meant to drive tho spirits of ovll away and It wns all so serious that I was aroused at once. Four times they squatted llko two hugo gamecocks, and four tlmc3 they got up slowly and strolled leisurely to the salt box and tho sako cup. At last thoy got together and thoro was a mighty tussle, and. to my astonishment, ono of thoso gianta threw tho other over his head and lnndcd him somo eight feet outsldo tho ring. Apparently thero was moro In It than was evident to tho casual deed. Tho fact Is. wrestling is an ancient and hcnorablo calling in Japan and goes back to the sun goddess. Sho had a brother, who used to annoy her by killing wild animals and tossing them into her back yard. Ono day sho got angry and ran away to a cave, leaving the earth In total to-tal darkness. Jjrr retainers and the brother and his retainers tried to get her out, but she refused to como out, having blocked tho cavo with a great stone. So thc-y performed antics and made strango erica until, tempted by curiosity, sho .pushed the stono slightly away and looked out, and thereupon one Tajl Knrac, stamping tho earth, rushed forward and tore tho bowlder away, and that is why tho wrestlers stamp tho earth today. This Is myth. What follows Is historical: "Onco upon a time," said an American correspondent as ho leaned over tho bar that nigh at the Imperial hotel, "a chesty ncble- got gay, and remarked that he was about tho best on curth. Tho Emperor heard of this, and sent a challenge broadcast. broad-cast. A big chap took It up and kicked in tho chesty noble's ribs and broke his bones so that ho died. This was twenty-four twenty-four years beforo celestial peaco was proclaimed pro-claimed on earth. "About nlno hundred years later two brothers claimed tho throno and they agreed to wrestle for It. Thoy did It by pioxy. though, and ono Korlsnto got the throno through his champion. In tho snmo century there was a wrestling match at tho autumn festival of tho Five Grains. TIiq harvest wns good that year, and tho Emperor argued thereupon that tho coincident wrestling must bo good, and so wrestling became a permanent national na-tional custom. When tho champion Klo-bashl Klo-bashl became roforco the Emperor gavo him (a. fan, which proclaimed that ho was the Prlnco of L.lons. Tho wrestlers wore divided Into east and west, and that's why they come Into tho arena from tho east and west today. Hollyhock was tho flower flow-er of the east, tho gourdllower was the PVmbol Of tho west, and thn nMi (n Mm stage. Is called tho flower path today. Tho pillars indicate the points of tho compass Tho next champion the Emperor called tho Driving Wind, and the family of tho Driving Wind alone can hold tho symbol of the rofcreo today." These wrestlers are exempt from military mili-tary service, and they constitute, I understand, un-derstand, a very close corporation. When an unusually large child Is born In Japan I he father and mother say, "Ho shall bo a wrestler." Theso wrestlers aro enormous men, and average over six feet In height Somo of them aro magnificent in shape, but as weight counts in the science, they encourage encour-age fat. Tho present champion weighs ever three hundred pounds. Certainly as a class tho wrestlers show what Japan can do In the way of producing big men. Constantly I have been surprised not only at tho thick set sturdlncss, but at tho average height of the Japanese soldier as I see him In Tokio on his way to tho front Moreover, I am told that tho height of Japanese school children has Increased In-creased three inches within the last ten years In the schools, where tho students sit' In chairs Instead of nquattlng on tho floor.- And among tho new types ono sees In Tokio today tho dapper men In European Euro-pean clothes about tho club and hotels, the statesmen In high hats and frock suits, tho half-modernized class, who wear derby hats and mackintoshes with fur col-ars, col-ars, and show their legs naked to tho knee when they step from a rickshaw the. most Interesting and significant is tho Tokio university student you seo lilting in his getas through tho public gardens, lie has an Intelligent face, looks you straight In tho oye, Is agllo as a panther. anu as tan, i believe, as the average col-lego col-lego student. I suppose the Emperor Issued Is-sued an edict that his peoplo should grow taller, ahd If ho did they will. BUt these students, one can't help wondering what, when they grow up, they will do for Japan Ja-pan and to tho rest of tho East. Tho Sale of the Geisha Girl. With blrdllke cries tho rickshaw men turn under an arched gateway Into a llttlo courtyard paved with stones. Tho wheels rattle as In a hollow vault and como to a sudden halt. Straightway there Is an answering an-swering bustle and the shuffling of many llttlo feet along tho polished floors to tho entrance of tho house, and many llttlo brown maidens kneel there and smllo and gurglo a welcome. There the shoes of tho visitor come off, and if any man has forgotten for-gotten the. flrst Instruction Kipling gavo that the visitor to Japan should take with him at least ono beautiful pair of socks thero is conslderablo embarrassment for him. lou Aro led up a narrow stairway, each step of polished wood, and into a big chamber covered with mats, the wall toward to-ward the Interior made of beautiful screens, tho other wall opening on the outer air to a balcony. At tho other ond of the room from the entrance a single beautiful vase stands on a little platform, and In that vase is ono single beautiful flower. In front of that vase Is the seat of honor, and the guests are arranged in front of it seated on thin cushions on tho floor. Stranghtway Utile ncsan (serving girls) carry In little trnyo, a box filled with ashes in which glow tiny bars of charcoal, a llttlo ash receiver of bamboo, a bottle of sake and dainty llttlo bowl.5 without handles for drinking cups. Now ono by ono the brilliant llttlo stars of the drama appear. A geisha girl glides In at tho entrance, another and another, and In a row sink to their knce3 and bow their foreheads, to tho mat. Rising, they an. proachi. ten steps and kneel again. Once more they approach, shuffling along the floor In their socks of spotless white (tho hdW p,seon toed' that th Hups of t&i i im separate Pocket), walking their brilliant klmonas may part not at n.'V VCn thcyu aro twins' in front of f,w V trays' wh-e U,ey sit smiling and Thri ?nrVV, food ad drink. rv,!i?rV- for lhc ,,rst llmp. wo aw Ka-uamu,S"Ban Ka-uamu,S"Ban you must kv. if you would be polite. She was pretty and ,,l an. graceful, and her years wero only tourtcen, which, by our confutation wcu d bo thirteen only, slnco tho Sa&K w.11 'sPPosed to bo a year old when born. Sho snoko English very well for had'nlaw 1 nffhai once' where sho nau piaed with American children Kho w ,a JEuraa,an-tnat 's. a alf-casfe-Sf'ni8 a lCCTQL whlch "he told a few f0n,ndenco' or 'ou co"14 not tell U iiVm 1 hvcr fa,ce' and tho ct would be no niUn ob?clo to the success of her career as a gdana girl. Straightway llttlo Kd- Kv w?th7hVJ favorlto the cllnnS; P"rt, with the women as well as with ihn men. and she acted as Interpreter and th Inn a quaInt' hrcwd,Cruncxpcct?d iVil i n women, Petted and caressed i aI?-lh0.imcn aoubtIess would havo liked to do the same, but that is not a V Japanese custom. Sho turned to ono man of tho party, and sho spoko slowly and with no shading of Intonation whalnver; ho wua tho very young gentleman with red cheeks who was hero with you the other night?" Tho man told her. "Why?" he asked. "IIo camo back to see mo alono. Ho wanted to seo me hero alono, and ho wanted Iho nesnn to lenvo the room, but I could not let tho ncsan leavo tho room, and I did not understand." That Innocneco aroused considerable Interest In-terest in everybody, and later tho voung gentleman's checks pot redder still when iho Incident was told him. Thrco daya later I went to tho icahotiso again. Ka-mura-san. baby that she way, was to bo sold soon to a Japaneso Sho already spoko such excellent English Eng-lish and was so very Intelligent that I wondered straightway If It might not bo fcasiblo to buy llttlo Ivamurasan myself and send her to school. Her mother, I was told, wanted her to go to school and Kamurasau said that was what sho wanted to do how elncorcly I was soon to learn. That mother had sold her several sev-eral years boforo to tho master of a teahouse, tea-house, and to get his monoy bnck tho master of the tcahouso must soil her again. So tho price of tho child, body and soul, was 750 yen. or J375 In gold. For $!0 a year sho could bo sent to school in Tokio, To-kio, and I doubtloss could find pcoplo to tako care of her. though Kamurasan said that sho woidd llvo with her mother and go to school, which was better still. So 1 set about negotiations, which wore many and Intricate. I had to see her own mother hov Imncn mnlhm- sho and other geisha girls lived In Tokio. and who made engagements for her and thorn to danco at various tcahonsc-G (sho would be a female manager of chorus girls in this country) and I would havo to see tho master of the teahouse. I saw thorn all, and not ono of them bollovcd that my purpose was what I said It was, though all of them, except Kamurasan had played with American children and knew English well, I told her about America, and strove to explain. Sho sat with her little fnco downcant, her oyes dreamy and apparently taking In every word I uttered. When I got through she said simply: "Yes, you will buy mo out; you will glvo me a house; I will be your Japaneso wlfo and wear European clothes." With her next breath sho would be saying how much she wanted to go to school. Tho mother of Kamurasan lives In Yokohama. Soon there vas an amateur theatrical performanco thero and I got tho mistress of tho teahouse to let Kamurasan Ka-murasan and a friend go down to see it In tho afternoon I went to see the mother. who was young, pretty und very ladylike. lady-like. Tho llttlo girl acted as Interpreter, and from her mother's Hps told this story: Kamurasan's father was an Austrian, and thereforo sho was a half-caste. That, however, was told mo In confltlenco with tho fact I must not repeat, slnco It would Interfere with her future. Tho mother had beon his Japanese wlfo, and sho loved him very much. After a time the Austrian had been obliged to go home. Ho left the inQthor well provided for gave her a house and a good deal of monoy. But sho was, she said, young and foolish, and extravagant, ex-travagant, made bad Investments, and lost It all. It waa then that sho sold Kamurasan to tho teahouse. .She would bo very glad to havo tho llttlo girl llvo with her at homo, and wanted her to go to school. Her father, her mother said, would bo humiliated and chagrined If ho knew that Kamurasan was a geisha, and sho wanted her daughter to glvo the life up. Beforo tho Interview was over I could see very plainly that tho mother was still expecting the daughter to follow In her own footsteps. The three wont to sco the amateur theatrical performanco that night, and 1 could seo from another part of the houee a little girl explaining It to her friend and to her mother, and tho next night at tho tcahouso sho rehearsed sovoral features fea-tures of It to her fellow geishas, and hen Imitations of a barytone solo, the way he stood, lifted his shoulders, opened his mouth and puffed out tho volume of sound 'were very funny and mado her companions squeak with laughter. Now. there was a young American officer offi-cer who wns going around with me on these expeditions who was having considerable consid-erable fun over my philanthropic purpose pur-pose and was scornfully sceptical of my success. He was on hand that night, and suddenly Kamurasan eald: "My mother says I must not love young and handsome gentlemen." "Why?" "Because young and handsomo gentleman gentle-man changes his heart." "Well. I suppose I All tho bill." "Yes," sho said, "you arc a little handsomo hand-somo and a llttlo old." "But you arc not going to lovo anybody. any-body. You aro going to school." os, ' said Kamurasan, obediently Once more that night I tried to explain that wo did not rob cradles In America, and again sho looked dreamy and scorned to understand, but when I started to go she i beckoned mo bohlnd a screen: Did you bring tho 750 yen?" w It was tho Interpreter of tho tcahouso that mado mo permanently hopeless. The Interpreter wns soft voiced, gcntlo and spoko excellent English. Sho had lived several years with an American missionary mission-ary a woman whom sho loved, sho said, very tenderly. Tho Interpreter had been a, widow for several yoars, and had a llttlo llt-tlo girl. Sho would never marry again, she said, becauso sho would havo to glvo up her child. .So sho 6poko English In tho tcahouso nnd taught" the children of the master for a pitiful salary. I can not recall re-call ever having mot bucu frankness In Japan, and this was what sho oaid: "If you havo (0 yon to spare glvo It to tho poor families of Tokio whoso sons have gono to war. You buy Kamura from tho tcahouso and you go away to Manchuria; Man-churia; you will not know whether she goes to school. Most likely her houso mother will soil her again. Anyhow It is ueoless. She really does not want to go to school. Sho likes tho tcahouso, tho music, tho lights and gossip and tho coming com-ing and going of strangers. You can not chango her. and it Is no use. Glvo your monoy to poor peoplo In Tokio." After this Kamurasan's Instincts told her that something waa wrong, and she began to take perceptibly moro notice of tho young offlcor. Once, as I was told, she said to him: "I always liked you best you aro so pretty." I charged hor with this statement: "Who told you that?" is ever mind." "Ho Is a liar." said Kamurasan calmly. And onco I caught her making eyes at him behind my back, something that sho had never done with me. With this, too, I charged her. "No." sho said In denial, "ho Is your brother. He will bo my best friend. Ho will ho godfather to our child." I staggered half way across tho room. That infant talking of a child! "In heaven's good name." I said, "what do you want with a child?" "That J may not be lonely when T am old." said llttlo Kamurasan. Still, out of curiosity. I went to seo tho houso mother of Kamurasan. Her head was poised on her shoulders llko. a snake's, and hor eyes wero tho oyes of a snake, black, beady and glittering. A face moro hard, cunning, cruel and smilingly crafty I never saw, nnd It look her but a llttlo whllo to discover that I was an unsatisfactory un-satisfactory customor, and I couldn't help wondering what that Austrian father would havo thought and folt had ho scon that snake-llkc hng trying to barter with me for his own flesh and blood. I loft tho young officer there, nnd naturally tho house mothor tried to sell tho child to him. Kamurasan I never aw again. When I camo back from 'Manchuria I hoard that sho was gono whither, I don't know, but I'm hoping that somo day the Austrian father may by somo chanco sec these lines. |