Kansas University Weekly.
153
LITERARY.
Stray Leaves from a Note Book.
Stray Leaves from a Note Book. $ \* \* \* \* \* \* New years day is a fete day her in Japan, for it is everybody's birthday—at least everyone is counted a year older on the first of January than he was the day before. A child born on the thirty-first of December is called a year old the next day. Hence the appropriateness of the New Year's greeting, O Medito gozianeasu, (I congratulate you.)
The custom of making calls on the first three or four days of the year is universally observed, and every foreigner may safely count on several hundred guests, for the curiosity of the native is unbounded, and he will never miss an opportunity of entering a foreign house, eating foreign food, and observing foreign ways.
One thing which robs a call in a foreign house of half its charm is the necessity of sitting on a chair. A straight-backed chair, which stands squarely on four legs, a Japanese can manage tolerably well, but a rocking chair is a thing fraught with peril. When there is no help for it, he will perch himself timidly on the very edge, and then, when the chair sways gently backwards and forwards, as it is bound to do, for his feet do not touch the floor, he seizes the arms in a convulsive grasp, his face pale with apprehension.
Then, too, the manipulation of a knife, fork, and spoon, which seems so easy to us, is a most difficult feat for him; and he can never get it out of his head that he must take most of the refreshments home in his sleeve, as Japanese etiquette demands. This close adherence to Japanese customs occasionally gets the native into trouble, as the following incident will show.
One New Year's day an officer in the Japanese army made the round of the foreign houses, clad in a suit of foreign clothes resplendent with gold lace and brass buttons. At one place a piece of custard pie was offered him. He accepted it with many thanks, and, after a moment's hesitation, inserted it carefully in his
trousers pocket, mounted his horse, and rode away in state, confident that his conduct had been irreproachable in every respect.
I am reminded of another story which, contrary to the precedent established by Kipling of not telling other stories, I shall relate forthwith.
When the first foreigners came to Kanazawa they were greeted with open arms, and an elaborate feast was given in their honor. The chef in charge conceived the idea of surprising them with some foreign delicacy which would be a sweet reminder of their native land. All the dignitaries of the city were to be present, and it was a glorious opportunity for him to distinguish himself. And distinguish himself he certainly did. Course after course of soup, raw fish, rice and sea-weed was served; then a hush fell on the assembly when a large platter, enveloped in blue flames, was borne in and deposited in front of the guests of honor. They were sufficiently overcome to satisfy even the chef, who had concealed himself behind a door to witness the effect of his master-piece. The blue flames gradually died away, and a half dozen leathery pan cakes were revealed. They had been soaked in alcohol and ignited, after the manner of English plum pudding.
If the Japanese feels ill at ease among the unfamiliar surroundings of the foreign house, he has his revenge when the foreigner returns his call. Although a visit to a Japanese house is something of an ordeal even to the initiated, it is not without its compensations; one never has time to say anything, and he develops muscles seldom called into play.
Visitors are always met at the outer door by a servant, who ushers them into the reception room, after their shoes have been removed, and gives each one a square silk cushion half an inch in thickness. After a few moments the hostess appears, kneels in front of the oldest of her guests, places her hands together, palms downward, on the matting, and rests her forehead on the backs of her hands. The guest is supposed to do like-wise and after a proper interval has elapsed both resume an upright posture, and the hostess passes on to the guest next in age and importance. Now it is