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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1904)
The Tearless Children of Japan .V 1 6ml i EVERY JAPANESE CHILD IS TAUGHT THE ART OF. WRITINu. LmLm (Copyright, 1903, by Mary Qay Humphrey.) Oil. Clod's mVi. stnn that rrvlnir." Fl To hear Oils good m'sslonary Eng I llsh In A. net of Jununese hnuitoii and Japanese houses are no thin that everything tho neighbors say Is easily heard was startling. In four months we had never heard any scolding or seen a child punished. This unusual event proved to be one of those International households not uncom mon In the east. It was tho Anglo-Saxon half of the child that roared and tyrannized over Its submlsrlve Japanese mother. Ills English father had bought him a bright blue ulster with brass buttons. In this ho strutted up aid down Ncgisha Mura, boss ing all the children of the quarter. A plainer lnstmes of heredity and raclul traits Is rarely seen. No ono was more shocked at John Tashlra an than O Tara, the llttlo niece of our maid, O Yen, "The Honorable Miss Dollar." Even when O Tara had tho toothache she lulled through I er pain. "Had boy," said O Tara. "Ills rudencss-to-Honorable-forelgn-lady-ls. Evil-mat ter-to-respected-eurs-of-tho Augustly-Honor-able-one is," with great dignity, and bow ing her little head down to the floor. Even Jupaiicso babies are popularly sup posed never to cry. This conies pretty near tho truth, for the land and all there Is In it seems to bo theirs. In any country whero Bhlntolsm or ances tral worship prevails tho children are bound to have a good time. A son is neces sary to carry on the worship of his parents and to keep the ancestral fires lit. If a man has not a son ho adopts one or takes an other wife. If a woman has not a son slio ' knows what to expect. Polygamy finds lis excuse In religion. Japanese girls are by ho means so highly valued, but, as can be Been, they work into tho generul scheme. Children being a religious necessity, their place Is fixed. Supplementing this is the natural Joy of parents In their own progeny and the sense of possession. Curiously enough, pampered as they are, the children are never caressed. The Japa nese; regard kissing as vulgar, animal and unsanitary. Even foreign children would willingly give up being kissed In return for never being scolded or whipped. When a Japanese child is born, every body brings it gifts, Fish and eggs are the proper presents, particularly eggs, on which tho family probably subsists until satiety ets In. On the third day it Is named, and goes to the temple to be blessed by the pi lost. Girls are generally named after some flower or fruit, as "Urae," plum blos som, or "Klku," chrysanthemum. Boys are nicknamed, as "Kitaro," "glorious big one," r perhaps "Suburo," meaning No. 3, the third boy. A baby wears layers of those long easy lips we know as klmonas, which cover its fce and its hands. Consequently it has no cause for crying when It is dressed. Even the poorest baby has its daily hot bath. Hot In Japan means lid degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that gives even a grown person lively recollections. Its head Is haved, with the exception of a small tuft, until It Is 3 years old. One of the few re pulsive sights In Japan Is the number of ore headed children seen on the streets. These sores ore not allowed to heal, the theory being that In this manner all the vil humors of the body are expelled. When a bahy is a few weeks old. It Is trapped on the back of ono of the younger children and sent out Into the streets, 'hen our children are being cradled ant ung to the Japanese baby Is beginning its education. This seems to explain that ex pertness of the Japanese t nation which within fifty years has become a world power. The children of the poor play In the streets and the temple grounds, and every third child has a tvby on its back. This . makes no difference In the games. The children play battledoor and shuttlecock, toss their rice bags, run, jump and even wulk on stilts with tho last born nodding Its helpless head or perhaps fast asleep. Its face turned upward and head lying back on Its bearer's shoulders. As the baby gets older It takes an Interest In all that Is going on and daily adds to Its stock of knowledge. Children nre carried In this manner until they are 3 years old, and have their do'ls strapped on their backs. . Thus entertained and with plenty of company a Japanese child has little cause for complaint. Indoors tho mother performs; nil her household duties with the baby on her back. Our manner of carrying a child In tho arms seems very wasteful of time and strength to a Japanese mother, who kieps her arms free and cares for her buby at the same time. Meanwhile the baby learns to cling with its toes and fingers like a llttlo animal. It unconsciously learns what Its elders know, and the precocity of the Jap anese children In taking caro of shops, In selling and carrying on that exerci.se of mental shrewdness . which farmers call a "dicker" is the astonishment of every for eigner. . Every boy and girl In Japan has the samo birthday, regardless of dates of birth. These the wholo country unites in cele brating. The girls' birthday Is called the "Feast of Dolls" and takes place on Murch 1. On that day all the dolls of the family fur generations back are brought out and ranged on a red covered shelf. Among these are the emperor and empress. Little lacquer tables are put before the dolls, und for three days food Is served to them. A tremendous amount of visiting goes on and the streets are filled with gaily dressed children going to seo one another's dolls and sharing In candy and rice cakes. At the close of the festival the dolls are care fully packed away with new additions to their company. There is a common belief that If dolls have enough companionship, In time they will acquire souls. O Tara had a bare polled doll, which she cared for tenderly. Each day sho bathed its eyes in hot water. "Wherefore, O Tara," I asked. "It has eyes, but sees not." "No, augustly honorable foreign lady. But If O Tara loves enough, baby see." The boys' birthday Is May 5, and Is called tho "Feast of Flags." Sacred to the boy Is tho carp, tho fish of greatest strength and courage. It alone can leap wutcrfalls and travel up stream. The country bristles with flagpoles and from euch wave bril liantly colored paper fish. These fish are mado douhl?, and tho wind entering the wide mouths swell them out until they seem to bo swimming in the' air. Each polo will have a half dozen fish of different hues, and the color effect of this forest of gay masts viewed from some friendly hill Is one of those beautiful results that this artistlo people know ao well how to pro duce. The children enter Into almost ' every form of Japanese life. When the mother goes to the temple to pray she brings home gifts for the children. Many of the temple grounds are like a continual fair with toy and candy booths and open-air entertain ments. Japanese toys are Innumerable and cheap. ': . ..' ''TV' m jrT -'.V ;1 : r- ,. ' ; j ( j '.' : ;. ' ' . 'V'- ". TWO LITTLE SHAVERS OF JAPAN. One sen Is a half cent. Ten rln make 1 sen: many of these toys cost no more than 1 rln. Here is O Saru, the honorable mon key. He Is of red cotton, concealing a bam boo spring. Press tho string and he runs up a pole. This costs 2 rln. A box of soldiers, samurai In full armor, cosls 9 rln. Ono of the simplest toys Is the "Tombo," or dragon fly. Imagine two pieces of wood shaped llko a T. The upper bar Is daubed with color. By twisting the lower piece and suddenly letting go, the toy darts into tho air, ' dipping, rising, hovering. In its rapid motion looking like a dragon fly, and making the same humming sound. The children, too, are In tho temple grounds imitating their parents' devotions by shooting prayer arrows, "firing" rolled up prayer papers, ns our children throw spit balls, piling up votive stones, and send ing paper prayer boats, touched off with a match, to burn on the temple ponds. . Hair Is to the Japanese almost what the toga was tc the Romans. The gun trigger stylo of hair dressing for men has gono down before western clvTlzatlon. The boys wear their hair short, and a shock of hair Is to the little boy what breeches with pockets are- to our children. All the girls wear their hair in the same wuy until they are married. Even little girls require a hair dresser, for nobody but a professional could master the lnttlcacies of the Japa nese coiffure. It is to preserve this that tho llttlo pillows of wood and paper are used to sleep on. A greater sacrifice to vanity can scarcely bo conceived. It Is placed under the nape of the neck and grows stonier each hour. The boys can have cotton pillows. The chiUren all dress like their riders. There are no "baby clothes." At 7 a girl gets her obi, or sash, which gives her a hump-backed look, but Is to the Japanese what. diamonds are to the westerner. Only little girls and gelshns wear gay klmonas. A bevy of little girls together In their flower-like kimonas with long-winged sleeves Is like a flock of bright-hued birds. Dressed for any function their faces are painted dazzling white and red. This is not to deceive. Pnlnt is frankly a decora tion. Another mark of girlhood Is the red petti coat. It Is an oblong piece folded around her and crossing in front. Now she begins those plgcon-like steps of tho "Three Little Maids from School."r This Is to keep her skirts together and not show her ankles, for In all Japan there is not a 'stocking. At the race course I have seen the knees of high-born young girls disclosed by the rude wind. When tho girl marries she gets a white petticoat and changes her btyle of hair dressing. ' But child life is not all play. The streets aro full of school children, with their bogs of books. But Imagine tho boon.' All Japan speaks softly. The children do not scream and yell even In play, and never In four months did I see a quarrel or fight. Teacher Is held In such respect that until recently the children In reciting turned their backs, it being rude to stare him In the face. In the Orient the children study aloud. This is to make sure they are studying. As there Is no alphabet In Japan the children havo to commit as a starter 3,000 Chinese characters, a mental effort which makes the foreigner understand the nimble, facile minds of these people. Tho education of the boys and girls take different directions. That of the girl Is to nial;o her the accomplished servant of the man. If she Is ill, bhe must conceal it. She must always be well and willing, have a smile on her lips and her hand:) free to serve. She is taught to sew and cook, to make herself attractive by playing tho samisen and koto, and to execute, what she thinks, is singing. Shg must be skilled In the involved paths of Japanese etiquette, to go through the tea ceremony, the "O Chun Tu," the foundation of all elegance, nnd to nrrange flowers according to her text books and rules a beautiful accom plishment which mikes our bouquets seem barbarous. She does not dance. Geishas ore paid to do that. Both boys and girls must write well. H-.ndwrillr.g ranks as a virtue in Japan. This they do with n brush In vertical lines that read backward. The boys' studies are more like those of our western world. Chinese Is tluir Latin, nnd English our French. American text books uro used. They havo athletic contests, tugs of war and grotesque races in which two boys are tied by the legs. There Is nn ancient con test known as "Taking the Castle." There nre two bamboo towers covered with paper over twelve feet high. These are besieged by opposing parties with wooden balls. In side are bo Is filled with burning fluid. The castle that takes fire first wins the game for the besiegers. In the end there Is a glorious bonfire for both sides. But the chief thing taught to every boy Is loyalty and devotion to the emperor. Ask any boy what is the dearest thing In life and he answers: "To die for the em peror." This is the secret of the bravery of the Japanese soldiers. It was a Japa nese mother who, when her only son was brought home dead from the battlefield, smiled and said, "Then he was able to be of some service." At the theater this loyalty la prominent In most plays. A celebrated play Is "The Troub'e of the House of Date." The lord is a little child. His playmate Is another child, his subject. A rival faction seeks to poison him. A box of candies is sent as a present. The child knows his duty and calmly eats one, dying that the trick may be exposed and his lord's life saved. In the long winter nights the children sit around tho brazier of coals, which is the Japanese hearth, and listen to stories of the chlldien's god, whose name Is jizu. When the children die they go to Jlzu. Jizu wears a klmona with long sleeves, and when the goblins aro after them they run and hide behind these sleeves. Here are bits from a hymn to Jizu: "Poor little soul, your life was brief In deed." "So soon were you forced to make the weary journey to the Maldo." MARY GAY HUMPIIRBYa