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Show I LETTERS OF A JAPANESE SCHOOLBOY. By HASHIMURA TOGO. To editor of Collier Weekly which is often read by all Japanese who can afford it, I assure you. Dear Sir: I am given to be told by some wise editors, etc., that these United States is now enjoying the temperance of prohibition in many states and more too. Although I can not notice such a movement in this street, perhaps it is slightly true. In several sections of this .kingdom . whisky-drinking is becoming unknown by law, saloonors is quitting that sinfulness sin-fulness and all bar-keeps is retiring from that public ofllce. In south, army of reform is playing "Marching Through Georgia" on water-pitchers. Is this a truthful news what I hear? I enquire to know, so I can go there, please. By newspaper print I read this early morning "Wave of temperance against saloonors is creeping in direction of New York." First I greet this with glad banzai, then I am depressed ot thought. Wave of temperate prohibition prohibi-tion Is on road to Now York, but will it arrive there? And if it should do this, what will happen to it when got there? In that sinful city, Rev. Chill-Avorthy Chill-Avorthy misinform mo, all drunkards too shy to call at front door of snloons Is invited to enter through fire exits which is provided by law in case of emergency. Prohibitionists wishing to discourage saloonors thoremust close all Are exits, which is a crime of law. Also some saloon is runnod by Hon. Rev. Bishop Potter who say, "Boys will bo boyish," and so start one. How to reform so rospoctablo place like this? That is problem for Japanese Boy. And yet I am earnest to say it. Prohibition Pro-hibition of drunk is a comfortable blesBlng to demand, because it is yery difficulty for white persons to be tame when exposed to wild beverages. Irish, Swedish, Italian & Jewish is most useful use-ful for comities by feeding them , whisky. Japanese Is also too patriotic B when enjoying alcoholic, and this is 3 dangerous for Pacific Fleet when it arrives around here. No, Mr. Sir, whisky drunk must be arrested in all staty where Peruna is not already doing so, i. ' In the great cities of America where all is brought together for living dver each other by sky-scrape apartment the sell of whisky spoil the low layers of society. Laboring classes stop being be-ing it because of alcohol poison and other ingredients to be found in it. Laborer so poisoned can not suppprt dear wife & child because he is resting rest-ing in jail for what he done. This' is especially true of Chicago. Tip-top layers of society also eiijoy poison from this liquor curse, but they are less pitiful because thoy do not rest in jail. Saloonors must not be forsaken by wealthy persons because they can still be respected when least respectable. But saloonerp must "be closed up fr6m low layers of society which must continue to work and keep up appearances of great city. If not those, who would? Whisky is divided into four kinds of, bottle by following statlstick: 1. Whisky of Scottish descent to be drunk standing up. 2. Whisky of Irish descent to be drunk setting down. 3. Whiskey of American nationality to be took in bed. 4. Whisky of patent medical origin to be took before death. None of these beverages must be taken without family physician. Alcohol Alco-hol do most injury, to cities. In country coun-try districts it is less harmful because there iajnore room for it. At the Sunday school of which I am a membership to learn languages, etc., wo there have Japanese Boy Temperance Temper-ance Xeague which meet every Tuesday Tues-day night for prohibition conversation. I attend to this meeting regularity, because be-cause free lemonade of delightful sourness sour-ness is furnished free. Hon. Miss K. N. McGee, Christian lady of lightweight light-weight beauty, come there to teach us how to do so. She instruct us in the song-sing melody, "Cold Water is the Drunk for Mo" and explain about the various mocking qualities of wine. When she say "wine is mocker" do she mean about some wine which is imitation or some other brand? She say, "Mr. Togo, you must not drunk any drink however mild, because tiifs load to stronger and stronger yet till gray hairs to sorry grave." ,"Do water-drunking load to lemonade drunklng?" I require. "Maybe so it might," she utter. "So thus, do lemonade-drunking result re-sult for soda-water thirsty?" "Perhaps is," she contradict. "Then if, do soda-water collapse to glnger-alo-tonic?" "I signify it." "And) this tjhen: Mjglyt Japanese Boy what is raised by ginger-ale crave for beor-drunking from this?" "I am dangerous to rely," say this Hon.- Miss McGee. "So sorry to hear!" I terminate. "Because weak-drunk lead to strong-drunk, strong-drunk, strong-drunk to powerful-drunk and yet you say it! What for you teach Japanese Boy 'Cold Water Is the Drunk for Me?' Water lead to lemon-aide, lemon-aide, lemonade to soda-water, soda-wa ter to ginger-ale, ginger-ale, to beer-glass beer-glass sakes of living- What to do with this thirsty?", "Togo," she. commute, "you are too foolish to learn what of. This oyon-Ingtimo oyon-Ingtimo when lemonade is pass around you must avoid it because too tempting." tempt-ing." I listen, and yet I will not do so. The reason why I make disagreeable argument about the temperance is not because t do not believe it is good for all human races. O no! It Is most best blessing for those communities which desire to be cleanly and modern plumbing. But why should this hon. lady be so Christian in the way she say it? Can only Christians be prohibition? prohi-bition? What about heathens like 1 am-so who do not care about wine-sip wine-sip & beer-gulp? Must they accompany accom-pany this quietness of thirst With song-sing about cold water? Answer is, No! Many heathens is very ab-stemperous ab-stemperous of stomach. Many Christians Chris-tians Is not. . Many Christians when become filled, up with alcohol fool obliged to make crimes, including boastful talk which lead to murder of something. Will driving out of saloonors saloon-ors in business do good for those bad persons? I hope to be. To enquire about what will happen to saloonors when drove out I go to Hon Strunsky, Irish gentleman who conduct saloon. "Honorable sir," I magnify, "if the legal laws of this San Francisco become be-come prohibition, so sorry for you! What would you do with this saloon to make profitable wealth from it?" "That is easy, to reply," say Hon. Strunsky, "I would turn it into a drug store." I have obtained a slight job of employment em-ployment waiting on table-board of Fujiyama Restaurant, H. Sunigawa, Prop. This profession give me $2 weekly sum, also throe times daily to eat it. As addition to money sum 1 receive $1 weekly from my cousin Nogi to help him do Japanese spy work. For this sum of ?8 weekly I expend it away as following: Schoolbooks which I can not borrow bor-row 55 Cigarettes & other dissipatod joys .16 Shoe-strings & neckties 20 Contribution to church when necessary nec-essary 05 Car-faro for Japanese ladles 46 Poker-playing & Music ,2G Total of this $1.00 After this money has wont you can count it, Mr. Editor. I have to keep $1.34 of weekly cash which I will save together for sufficient boat-faro to go back to Japan. Maybe I will not go at that time if so I will do something else and got married. Of evening time am frequent to attend lectures where I learn facts of Intelligence very cheap. Last night 1 go to speech of Dr. O. SumuchI, Japanese Japa-nese surgery, on subjeck of "Alcohol Inside of People." Hon. Dr. SumuchI had most beautiful lecture because of magic-lantern showing human stomach stom-ach under surprised conditions. Fo:-lowlng Fo:-lowlng charts was showed during lecture: No. 1 Pink of color. Exposure of .( stomach- during calm moments be- fore alcohol has got there. j No. 2 More rod of color. Expos- jj ure of stomach which enjoys happy, :; snilllns expression because alcshol !j have arrived. m No. 3 Angry mix of color. Expos- 'ja ure of this stomach when alcohol ;J have remain there too long for polite we'come. Stomach now enjoy angry rage and desire to quit. j No. 4 Color of Scottish plaid. Ex- jjj posuro of stomach wlven alcohol bave jl continue to do so, . too late. I am y.s' eorry for this stomach because it look 'm so brilliant, yet feel so dull! J . Dr. SumuchI say so about that , stomach when so fanciful from doc- $g oration of alcohol. He say, "Such ,f stomach is so satisfied by alcohol It '.ft will burn up by striking match to It." $ "Persons enjoying such a stomachs must avoid swallowing matches," is i answer of Jnpaness Schoolboy. 'if This is translation from Japanese temperance legend: -J Some time back in astronomy be- lore the world got a very good start and homely giants of disgusting pro- f? file was employing tlmbof-troes for f tcbth-plck, there resided in high top- v mountain one bad Drink Dragon. Now f,f when that there Drink Dragon got 'I thirsted he was a very serious snake, thank you. When them giants would :j; hour one grand ronry-sound from i mountain thoy would make consider- 7 able eye-wink anil decry, "Hon. J. Dragon Is enjoying trouble." ;f. One morning by daylight this great ' J; Worm made landslide down moun- I' ta!n in search of something with jj which to 'squelch his thirsty. Soon M asain ho come to Hon. Ocean and sug- y gest, "Good morning, Mr. Ocean,. I ': have came to drunk you up, please." Then Ocean laugh cons'.darable joke. "This is pretty wrong place lor t'lirsty Snake to come for thirsty ; rejoicing. I am great Prohibition .!. Wave. Nothing to do, Hon. Serpent." Then this Drink Dragon throw fire- 1; engine sparks from his gills making earthquake and ho go at the Hon. C Ocean to devour it up.. Ajnd . Oceaji, ' with cyclone of storms, rise up on i back legs to meet Hon. Dragon. One, two! thoy arrive togother! Such mix- ing of destruction, such powerful struggly! Ocean make hiss on red-hot red-hot steam pipe of Dragon and this Serpent make hot stew or Ocean. O great jiu jltsu! First Snake push Ocean to moon, t!:en Ocean drag Dragon to North Pole. But finally, when both is tired out, Dragon say! "Excuse mo, Mr. Ocean, while 1 V tcratch my eyebrow." And while Dragon was doing that peaceful act, Hon. Ocean took mean advantage and gulp up Dragon to doe-dowu bottom. But he was not. dead. Ob, no, thank you. Snakes do not slewed with this quickness of speed. Ninety-nine thousand years relapse and Dragon swim up, one day, on wave of tern- perance. And this time he Is called Sea Serpent and Is permitted to re- ;' main, please. Hoping you are the same, Yours truly, HASHIMURA TOGO. In Collier's Weekly. |