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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1905)
AO THE SXJXDAY OREGO7AIN', BQRTlAa, JTJI,X 16, 1905 JVT Ofc TCUa5 iSBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBM nv;H. '.'' JSBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBsl BBBB""'"a48iisisMBBWmsBBBsssF ,sbsssbBssbbbssbssbbs1 (The picture accompanying thla letter were taken by Tama Mura. the most noted photographer In Japan. They are special poces for Mr. Haakln.) TOKIO. Juno 16. (Special Corre spondence o The Sunday Orcgon ian. One chilly evening, -when the cherry blossoms were scattering: before a wind so strong that It hinted of a typhoon, we went to the snug little house of old Tomlla, there to sit upen the soft, clean mats, smoking our pipes and pass ing the sake cup, while our venerable host told ua stories of the girls of fair Nip pon. Tomlta was no mean order of Jap anese, born of lowly merchant or artisan blood, but a descendant of the valiant samurai. His fathers were numbered among the dashing retainers of those war lords who, in the feudal days, fought each other unmolested because the youthful Emperors, unmindful of affairs of state, preferred to dally in seclusion with con cubines or prattle over the shallow verses of court poets. Samurai Swords Are Rusting. Since the present son of heaven turned from his harum and his rhymesters to quell the warring shoguns, tho swords of the samurai have been rusting. Shorn of the opportunity to fight, they have grad ually fallen Into the ways of peace. But no matter where their descendants may be found, whether poring over go-ern-inent accounts or even running between the shafts of jlnrikishas, they clothe themselves in the pride of their samurai stock until It gives them an individual ity almost as distinctive as the marked garments of the coolies. Tomlta turned from warrior to book-worm. "When the hour came for tho Mikado's hosts to clinch with tho Russian Bear, the old man cried because his infirmities prevented him from following his two sons to the front. One of them fell before Port Ar thur and the other was lost at Mukden. Inasmuch as It is part 3f the Samurai creed that to die on the firing line is man's most noble end, old Tomlta did not lend himself to further travail, But rubbed his withered hands and chuckled with the I have spoken. satisfying thought that tne iron or ms ancestors had showed true In his boys, proving them worthy sons of the empire. Then he went back to his books. We find him a master of the lore of his people and proud as If he were a prince of the blood. All this goes to show what kind of a man it was who told mo the facts herein contained, the same being put down as nearly as the translation will permit. In exactly the same manner in which he spoke. Tho Appetite of the "Worm. "Yes. honorable sir, I know that It has been written of Japan that the flowers have no scent, the birds no song and tho women no virtue. But you know the ac cSjttf. of one's faults will always travel a thousand miles before the report of his Tho Ixyal Bonlns It excmplles the Oriental Idea that a woman's cardinal virtue Is self-abnegation when the good of her husband or master is concerned. A young samurai was in need of a stipulated sum of money to make good his honor in a certain transaction.. As he had no means of procuring the funds his integrity was at stake. Without his knowledge his young wife volunteered to sell herself to the keeper of a brothel for a term of months, providing a cash pay ment was made to her in advance. She askod a price equal to that of her hus band's obligation, thus saving his good name without reckoning the awful cost to herself. Of course all concerned Jolt keenly the dishonor of the means used to save the young man's reputation, but the disgrace wan not considered as great as if his good name had beep sullied. "This reveals the difference in the viewpoint of the Occidental and tho, Oriental as to what constitutes womanly' virtue. The 'Western idea is that per sonal chastity is the prime requisite, while to the Eastern mind the body may be defiled to safeguard "principles or honor that ere considered higher. Such sacrifices are not regarded lightly, and are only condoned on account of the high motives which prompt them. But this Is a tale of the olden times. Such things happened only infrequently then and their occurrence has ever been rare. He cause an occasional woman, prompted by the noble resolve to do what she believes her sacred duty, sacrifices herself. It does not follow thnt all our women arc immoral. Please put It in the writing as The law of Sclf-Control. "Self-control is taught the Japanese girl from her babyhood. The forms of eti quette in this regard are inlolablc Con vention frequently requires her to pass through the most trying ordeals without showing emotion. The experience which recently befell tho wlfo of Prince Klta Shlrakawa will Illustrate. An ancient court formality requires that every Prince of the royal blood must die in his own house. The nobleman In question met his fate away from home while serclng his country as a soldier. The omy thing to bo done under tho circumstances was to bring his body home and observe tho same rites as if ho were alive. 2Co an nouncement of death could be rnado nor good qualities gets beyond the front gate. . signs of grief manifested until the corpse We of the East have a saying that a heron reached the ancestral palace, can rise from the stream without stirring j "At every station along the railway the up tho mud, so we are careful to leave J funeral train was met by cheering unsaid tho words which might give of- crowds, and officials offered congratula iense. But tho foreigner! No! He tory speeches Just like they would havo spares not our feelings. When I read I done under ordinary circumstances, in these unkind things I consolo myself by reply the personal attendant of the the knowledge that we all feed upon what j Prince thanked tho speakers, saying that our appetites crave. Tho worm eats Bmartweed and our traducers who dwell at such length upon unsavory subjects reveal their degraded tastes. ' , "No. I do not admit that tho statement Is wholly true. For tens of centuries the Oriental woman's honor has been lightly held and her station has been menial, but the Japanese are far and ahead of any other Asiatic people in rectifying this in humanity. As education to Western ideals spreads tho evil or our old customs Is diminishing. Our prayer Is, give us time to teach tho frog in the well the way of the ocean. The masses of our peo ple cannot be weaned from hereditary In stincts like a page can be turned in a book and they surely will not be punished by a God of whom they have never heard. Yes. I will gladly tell you some stories of Japanese girls in order that your honorable readers in America may save an understanding of our poor ways. For the Master's Honor. "One of tho favorite tales of bid Japan concerns itself with the fatal quarrel of Onoye and Iwafujl, two ladies In waiting upon the wife of a dalmio. Onoye was of common birth, being thhe daughter of a merchant, while Iwafujl belonged to tho higher class. It was so unusual for a ple blan to attend a lady of quality that her presence was resented. Tho Jealousy be came so Intense that finally Iwafujl struck tho gentle Onoyo with her sandal & most flagrant Insult and challenged her to combat with the sword. Onoye could not meet her rival because her common education had not Included in stractiea la fencing. The Insulted girl pondered long over her inability to right her grievance. Seeing no way out of the Slfficulty. she killed herself. "The .climax of the affair was the prompt vengeance of O Tiara, the spirited maM. of Onoye. Although & servant. O'Karvi was the daughter of a samurai and knew tho art of self-defense. She pubfctoly' returned the Insult Iwafujl had -rutted ipon her mistress and disarmed her is the sword bout -which followed. When the particulars of the fatal quar rel reached the ears of the dalmlo, he rewarded tho plucky O'Haru by appoint ing her te the position of her dead mis tress. The saying- goes In Japan that ne Had better nourish a. dog than an unfaithful servant. loyalty to the mas ter' e kww Is expected of all who serve, ( consequently the interference of O'Haru (as wmimhm &k her reward Justified, v; Another ed etery is the ia&eeat which k touched upon In the play of his master was moved by their kindness and regretted the slight indisposition " jksblsbbbbbbbbbbbbbs1 .IMBBlssssssssssssalt ijrmmmmmmmmmmk; JsSSSSSSSBP-ISSSSSSSm SBBBBBBV- sTrVSBBBBBBSTB VbbbbbbbV f v- mBmmv? V"--'"1 sbbbbbbbK r "y'-'m LK.Lss -TEef '- sssHCJssFVsssssssBSsy ARUM't- ;ssssBjKsBssBLsssssns)sBsssS JKiLkSBSSSSSSSSSSSJS ' i ' J. .SBBBBUSBBBBBsSSBSSSSBSSBSSSSSsV' 4y J? was named and 30 days after sho was taken to the temple and placed under the care of a Shinto deity. This is cus tom. A more dainty mite than Sad a San was never born during tho time of the Wisterix In her gay klroona she was as gorgeous as a butterfly with its flam ing coat. When she grew older the blind music teacher came to Instruct her In the art of playing the ramlson. the Japan ese guitar. She was also taught to paint and bow to serve the ceremonial tea, as well as to arrange flowers artistically which made it impossible for him to ap- Uad the proper way to open and close a re mem in person. Tho rarce j door. Her education included all the vari was continued to the last stop where the 0us points of domcsUc etiquette which a widowed princess, and her little son were waiting. The heart-broken wife had to advance to the covered stretcher and smilingly address the same endearing words- of welcome to the dead 'that sho would hare bestowed upon tho living. Sho performed her part of the ceremony without a trace of emotion. The Japa nese woman never falls to live up to her duty as she sees it "The easy means of divorce in Japan makes the position of the wife uncer tain. The present sorrow of my little neighbor, Sana San, causes mo much gner. i have known her all her lire. polishcd young lady should know. "But Just as the bud of a maiden was flowering so beautifully she had to bid a tearful farewell to teachers and school mates to become a wife. Alas, that Is one of the errors of our country! Our wpmen are cheated of their girlhood to early become such household drudges that they are little better than slaves. Tho par ents of Sada San had a proposal for her and sho was disposed of In the usual way. She was sent to meet the young man who wanted her for his housekeeper at a party given by a mutual friend. She could find no special objection to him. On the seventh day after her birth she j therefore the matter was arranged, lore Recollections of John L. Sullivan WHEN I blew Into Chattanooga, Tenn., on my big- tour, the story had gone ahead of us that I had dropped out of the party and my part In the show was being- faked by an understudy. We "didn't pay much attention to the yarn, thinking It would blow itself away, for the man who would undertake to carry out the proposition I was making of giving any white man J1000 who could stand in front of me four rounds wasn't easy to get. But blng! up comes the chief of police of the city. "See here," says he, "I get the re port that ypu haven't got tho real John L. Sullivan Along, and I don't propose to have the people hero swin dled by any Yankee tricks." We tried to explain that I was tho real goods, but he was leary of the whole outfit. .-You'll have to convlnco mo xr the show tion't go on." was the sonff he sanp, so we let him alone. That night when I stepped on the stage, the chief of police came on, too. "1 desaand that you prove your Iden tity that you are John I. Sullivan, and -until yeu 4e, ir for the shew." I was tearing ma aa bad. a salad to prove It with a couple of wallops on him. "You set any man In the house to come on the stage for five minutes and I'll give him 51000 and show you that I'm Sullivan all right, and the only Sullivan." This caught the house, it satisfied the chief and tho show went on. The chief I afterwards found to be a first class trump. A Chicago drummer let me win 525 from him. at tho same time using me to advertise his goods in a most scandalous way. It happened In the West. In tho smoking-car we were talking of the pleasant fashion la some of the wide-open places of shoot ing up any man with gall enough to wear a. plug hat. TJ like to see them shoot me up, no matter what kind of a,. hat I wore." said L . "O, I think you'd weaken," spoke p this drummer, giving me the dare. There are some things they don't let folks do out here, and even you caa't break the rules." "You're another." was my reply. "Now. see here, said the druatater, "I've got a. hat you wouldn't 4re wear In the town we are geig te I think it was Dubuque. Iowa). &4 311 bet you. $15 on It." I flashed my roll to hist erawj serve. But the Japanese has the saving trait of being able to profit by the ex perience of others, and he will mend hi way. Tho new era for. our women began the day the Emperor rode through " th streets of Tokio with the Empress by hl side. As old. men like me, who are grounded in the tenets of precedent, pass Into Nirvana, the old Ideas will go with them- The new Japanese woman will be able to lift her gentle eyes from servitude and come into the equality which West ern standards rightly decree every man owes to the partner of his sorrows and his Joys." Such were the wise words of Tomlta prophet, sage and reconteur. As we arose to stretch our cramped legs and say fare well, par lean and wrinkled host used the fine words which are the mark of Orien tal courtesy, saying that he hoped we would come again to grace his humble roof with the honor of our distinguished presence. We left him bowing low In the doorway. How bright would flare the light of Asia if its mongrel millions knew but a fraction of the lore and logic that is stored in the mind of this rare old scholar. Good-night, Tomlta, and good bye. The years are heavy upon you and your books must roon be closed- May your land mourn you as you deserve. FREDERICK J. HAS KIN. Is not demanded In our marriages, a cor dial liking being all that Is necessary, or. more strictly speaking. Just so there is an absence of positive dislike. Bride Has No "Wedding Blng. "The customary exchange of presents occurred. I suppose you know that la this country the groom presents the bride with a silken girdle as a substitute for a wedding ring. The form of the old Japanese marriage ceremony was neither religious nor legal In Its character. It consisted merely of drinking sake from a cup with two spouts. The bride comes to the home of the groom accompanied by her own servants and effects the young woman always furnishes the house. If the parents are well to do she also brings enough clothing to last her the most of her lifetime. This Is possible because the fashions do not change. The husband of Sada San proved to be a good-for-nothing. Like a cur with no more courage than to do much barking before its own gate, he made constant disturbance in the house hold. "For the sake of her baby the patient little mother endured his mistreatment with a spirit of resignation, until tho un feeliag brute divorced her. There are seven reasons why a Japanese man may sever-the marriage tie, the usual excuses being that the wife is disobedient or that she talks too much. But the woman cannot gain her release by preferring the tame simple charges. Whenever a couple are divorced the man always takes the Children, baaa iaan nas reiuraeu to uia i paternal roof, broken In spirit and pre- maturely old, crying for her baby and breaking her heart because of the sepa ration from It. Too soon has the gay little butterfly changed its bright shades to sombre hues. The shadows of grief and disappointment are upon her in the very morning of her life. I regret to own. honorable sir. that such Is the por tion of many girls In our fair land. The Light of Asia. "As a final word. I would add that I am an old man whose way has been that of my fathers. The precepts of my people are deeply rooted in my heart, yet I am earnestly searching the written records of other races for all tho good that they contain. I am free to confess that we of tho East exact too much of oTir women and hold too lightly their sacrifices. Even those who are treated best are not ac corded tho appreciation which they de- Police Chief Who Made Him Prove His Identity- Flim-Flammed by a Drummer Into Being an "Ad" but he was game, and going Into the baggage-car he carae back with a gray plug hat and handed it to me. X had never seen eae ef these before, and It shook me a little when I saw It, but it was up to me. When we reached the town, there was a crawd waiting, to see me, and when I got off the train la my seal skin coat and this white plug hat. a roar went us the usual roar that I raised everywhere la the West In those days. I were the hat around all day, and to please the "drammer had my picture taken fa the hat. Nothing bappeaea e-a aeceaat ef the hat and. the 4rummer gave' ap his $25 wltheut a whimper, and asked me to keep the hat "as a tribute te year serve," he said. I liked the hat aad wore It-several Weeks ea my tear. Twe- years attr. the drammer huated me up la Chicago and tela me that he gladly gave up the heeause ha saw daring our argument e-a the train, that If I would, wear the hat, every sport la the West weald waat eae. lis trailed me all the time, I were the hat. used my phtograpfc as an aL. and sold hats as fat as hl fee-us eoaM turn theea y . " I have see a sjeed maay mtm pt dm mod. out, hat these It aitrsjWtamis One man. a Frenchman, who went against me In Astoria, after lying in a sleep for ten minutes, got up and ran out of the hall and Into a brick wall on the other side of the street, where he put himself out for the second time. Another fellow, whose name I will pass up, came out of his dose, saying In a sort of whisper: "He isn't as big as he looks, he isn't as big as he looks; knock his head off, knock his head off!" I suppose "he had been saying that, over and over during the fight to give himself courage, and kept It up after the trouble was over. One chap in a Pennsylvania, town I slapped with the palm of my' glove and settled him that way. When he came out of it he said to one of his seconds, who was holding a saoage soaked with lee water to the back of his neck: "Have the steam pipes hosted?' There was such x roaring In his ears, yeu see. At a private mill in Boston, In my- early days, my opponent; afer getting his, in sisted that I had kicked him fa the hea'd when he was down, and. It was some time afterward that he was ceaviaeed that & wallop with, the net bad dea the bastoeaa for hJm. " "Don't ever hit another bm as hard as you hit me. Jean." saM PMy Ryaa to me after our ftght, "fee if yen 4e y'H kill him." - " Mtetah Jack. Jehason's haUooji in at up when he failed .to pat Jack 3towe wvay . to PWlaftaiaait as, jc tm scrapper ever thought he bad a. Jook-In for the big fellows belt he must give up the dream. Menroe was an accident, from the time he got that four-round decision over Jeff, as Jeff showed turn, later on In two rounds' in Frisco last Summer. The colored brother was lively enough In past ing Monroe, hut he hasa't the necessary punch. All the Johason-Monroe fight gees to show Is that white supremacy will continue in the ring as well as out of It. "Young Corbett" Is training oh Broad way, New York. This makes me to laugh. He ailght as well store Ice In the place where tad people go when they die. Per haps this yooag- man. is hoodooed hy his name. Anyway, he is dodging Abe Attell. aad to help along the dodge he has agreed to emeu with Tommy Mowatt la SC. Joe. with Charley Neary in Mllwafcee, aad with a third man in Butte att be fra September, although he told AtteH he weufcfe' t flats t anybody Mar SeptemW. Amu y "IW. Corbett"" is afraid est Isms aad t jaess he is, as much afraid ''! ... as Old Corbett was and Is of Fritz, l Aba has been following "Young CerBett" around the continent and has- chased him Into a dozen comers, but what's the ue It "Young Corbett" does the kind of training they do near the Broadway lob ster palaces he'U find- that eocktaihj don't improve bis wind, and that highballs den't strengthen a man's punch. Attell doesn't drink (he's like me, " now), and he offers to agree to whatever weight the young one wants' and will go six or twenty rounds, or ta a finish. But he's In the position Nelson is with Britt; and whUe Kelson may get a chance; at Britt after AI Herford is seat hack to Baltimore with his decoy duck. Kid Sullivan., you knew and I know that "Young Corbett" never, intends to-let Attell at him after a ."train lag" oa Broadway. Yours truly, JOHXT SUIXITAN. ' STIku a man f?wifa t ,Hm, laswieji alter b sat m arreiM'a k-ae..wha' TMlcamg Ik iHiiuiw at a , ii in 1 1