Newspaper Page Text
JULY 22, 1905.
THE SUNNY SOUTH
FIFTH *PAGE
~-o-~o-+o-~o-~o-~o-~o-*o
Amusements of Japan Contrast Strangely
With Our Ideas; No Actresses On Jap Stage
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
Written for THE SUNNY SOUTH.
O the American the Japa- j
nese theater Is a show in :
more ways than one. in- '
stead of checking his over
coat or umbrella the pat- !
ron leaves his shoes in the I
fojrer. In one way he gets j
more for his money than |
in the I'nlted States, be- !
cause the play begins in j
the morning and lasts until |
ten or eleven o'clock at
night. The interTor of the j
playhouse is lined wih re- j
fresfiment stands and restaurants, so that J
all kinds of food and drinks are served
to the audience in taeir seats. The neigh- j
borhood abounds in teahouses and ..ie
easiest way to arrange a theater party is j
to give an advance order to the proiirleTT.r j
of one of these places, l.ike the specula- ,
tors in Americg the tea house people
control the choicest seats which enable '
them to handle a large volume of tne ■
business. They arrange all details even
to having their attendants enter the
theater and wait upon their patrons
There are no chairs, so the spectators j
in the main portion of the building squat j
upon mats. The gallery gods stand up j
and peer through rows of liofTzontal
bars. As the mob in the “peanut heaven'' |
presses against the wooden slats that !
divide them from the more select pat- |
rons, it reminds one of a lot of convicts I
herded together in a big cell. The ad- j
mission to this pen Is only a few cop- j
pers. hardly enough it would seem to pay i
for keeping i f clean. When the perform- |
ance begins (Tie management takes no I
chances on the audience missing any- J
thing. As each performer makes his en- |
trance the drum beats to call attention
to his arrival, and his exit being not* f J
In the same way. Old men sit near the ,
footlights to chant an explanation of the |
proceedings as they progress. The stage ;
hands take plenty of time to arrange
the properties in full view of the audi- I
ence, and every small boy in the house '
delegates himself a committee of one to '
go back of the curtain at Intervals to i
•see that everything is being conducted
properly.
NO ACTRESSES IN JAPAN.
The Japanese stage loses its attraction
for the American man when he rinds
that no women ever take part in l lie per
formance. The female characters are
represented by men with squeaky voices
and their impersonation of the fair sex
is a sorry burlesque. All the actors are
stiff as pokers. Tf one of them should
stump his toe lie would break in two.
The high, unnatural tone they assume
sounds like the hidden voice in a
Punch and Judy show. When one of them
had
tender
Street Scene During a Festival.
I actors meanwlifte standing in their places
as rigid as statues.
If the coolies use too much effort and
j shove the platfrom beyond the proper
point the angry performers indulge in
: much expostulating and gesticulating
j which is not incidental to the play.
ACTORS PASS THROUGH THE
AUDIENCE.
ThO"“ king part in the performance
make their
the front
fr
i exit
fr*
has to make a long speech in this strain- | rather than from the
entrances and j n °t mean th
if the building
gs. To faci'.!-
irrangemeni there are elevated
from the eflTort that
burst a blood vessel.
The stage is made in tie form or a
turn-table, so that Instead if raising or
lowering curtains, as in our play houses,
the whole thing revolves.
While one scene if toward the audience
Mother is being arranged in the rear.
The platform Is on roler and at the
proper moment coolies finish th# ‘no
tice power to turn it Abie scene dis
appears with much sliaKOP and squeak
ing, its successor come
A Havy Weight Japanese Wrestler.
he seras ready
,drto view, the
walk-ways level with the stage (similar
to those which our magicians some
times use to get nearer their audience)
which extend to the foyer. It is only
recently that a regular system of light
ing the playhouses came into vogue.
Formerly a cowled super hovered around
the actor holding a torch near his face
so that the fine play of emotion in h*s
features, would not be overlooked.
This super had to know his cues perf*v*'-
ly or there was a prospect of setting
fire to the false whiskers of the star.
It is an unwritten law of the Japanese
stage that any assistant starting such
a conflagration shall end his professional
career on the spot.
Japanese stars have several sources
of revenue unknown to American ac
tors. When the spectators become ex
cited they throw hats, belts, pipes, and
even iheir coats on the stage. This does
the performer is to
these articles as souvenirs.
They are a pledge of appreciation of a
far more substantial character. The
| valet of the celebrity soon appears nnd
j returns each article to its owner. col
ic,ting in lieu thereof a cash sum named
! by :he star. For example, Danjire, the
Joseph Jefferson of Japan, who is n —-
dead, used to collect ten dollars for
| every good looking hat that was thrown
! to him. The scale varies With each
! actor. This hat throwing is seen at
j Spanish "bull fTghls, but there the mata-
j dor makes no charge. He merely se-
ilects one hat from rhe lot. rests it on
his head for an instant, then throws It
J aside and proceeds with his work.
The Japanese star also makes a fixed
! charge to all who wish to visit him in
! his dressing room. He mn *• give his
i signature, offer some little gift, or, if
' especially impressed with his visitor,
even delay the performance long enough
to serve tea. An actor With a reputa
tion expects to make more from his
I fees than his salary amounts to.
■ SHERLOCK HOLMES IN JAPAN
| The professional reader ranks next
! to the actor as an entertainer. Al-
i though his long-winded yarns deal
I with many topics they cost his hearers
! but' a few coppers. My interpreter
1 translated what one hoary-headed sa-
: vant was reading. It was about a judge
1 named Oka who was a famous charuo-
i ter in Ins time possessing such wit and
l resourcefulness that his very name was :
i a terror to every evjj doer.
| The methods of this Oriental sleuth
j were so upique that Sherlock Holmes
j couldn't hold a candle to him. Wit
ness these instances of his shrewdness:
A young girl, left in poor circum
stances, gave her baby to a neighoor
woman to bring up while she went
away to work the understanding be
ing that the little one should be re
turned to ner upon the payment of a
sum of money for its keep. vvnen the
time came for the restoration of tiie
child to its parent, the foster mother
disputed the agreement and claimed the
youngster as her own.
The wise Judge found himself in a
dilemma. He had no evidence other
A Theater in Tokio.
| than the conflicting statements of the
I two women confronting him. It was
! here that he showed Ills wisdom. He
I ordered the disputants to take hold of
| the child's arms and pull against each
! other, the strongest to have first claim
i for possession. As the first sign of pain
i Pitted across the child's face from this
j unusual tug-of-war, the real mother let
I go her hold, while the imposter braced
J herself to make use of all her strength.
The judge at once arraigned the cruel
pretender and restored the little one
to the woman who by her gentleness
had proved her relationship. He
only to rely upon the inherent
ness of mother-love.
Once when a storekeeper was robbed
Oka found the thief by a clever ruse.
The merchant sold pickled vegetables
which, when touched, left a strong odor
on the hands. As soon as the Judge
learned that the stolen money had been
secreted in the vegetable bin, be sum
moned all the servants and proceeded
to smell of their hands. Tn this way
he promptly detected the thief.
BEWARE OF FAMILY CATS.
On still another occasion a man who
hail been away from home for a length
of time learned that Ills wife had been
unfaithful to him during his absence.
Not having any idea who had trespassed
upon the sanctity of his home he gnye
the case to Oka. That worthy again
proved himself equal to the emergency.
He secured a list of possible culprits
end then called for the family cat. With
pussy reposing on a mat by his side he
summoned the suspects one after the
other to question them. As one young
man entered tabby showed signs of rec
ognition. She purred, rubbed against
his knees, then climbed into his lap
; nd went to slee.p. When the wise man
pointed him out as the guilty one he
thought the gods had betrayed him and
his confession followed, if Mr. Conan
Foyle has retired his famous character
Sherlock Holmes, from lack of material
he can surely get some original ideas
by looking up the record of Judge Oka.
The story-teller concluded his reading
with a humorous yarn that caused roars
of laughter equal to the merriment
aroused by some of the monologue ar
tists in our vaudeville houses. He said
there was once an old man who had a
love of money, a fondness for good
things to eat, and a wonderful imagina
tion. The miser lived over a restaurant
which had the reprttation of serving the
finest eels in the city (eels and rice | '•*
the great Japanese delicacy). As the
epicures assembled each day iu .the *-at- j
i’ig house the appetizing odor of frying j
eels filled the rooms above. The imag- :
ination of the miser was so strong that
when their savory smell filled his nos- '
trils he could sit down to his meal of j
plain food with the keenest relish. 1
When the owner of the restaurant found
this out he presented a bill forthwith.
Whereupon the stingy tenant produced
his money-hag. rattled it, then returned
it to his pocket. When asked to explain
he replied: “You have charged me for
the. smell of your eels and I have paid
you with the sound of m.v money"
JUGGLERS AND MAGICIANS.
The jugglers land magicians seen In
Japan are far more clever than those of
the same nationality who appeal in the
United States. It seems the best per
formers do not care ;o leave their coun
try, although it would be to their de- I
cided financial interest if they could he
persuaded to do so. During the frequent
festivals many wonderful performances
may be seen in the temple grounds, or
in the district where the bazars flourish.
Since I have been tn Japan a notice !
appeared in the newspapers about some.
men walking barefooted over a bed of
coals at one of the temples. I saw a
15-year-old geisha girl do some remark
able juggling in a tea house one evening.
Although the room in which she per- \
formed was poorly lighted, she trans- i
ferred a spinning top from the end of
her linger to the tip of a fan, opening j
the same as the whirling toy continued!
to spin on the knifelike edge of pnper.
She preserved its balance there until
she concluded her dance.
One afternoon 1 saw a magician sus
pend a piece of bamboo about 2 inches
In diameter from two smut poles. The
two ends of the bamboo were attached
to the uprights by slender pieces of tis
ane paper, scarcely strong enough to
sustain its weight, yet he took a stout
club and struck the bamboo a blow heavy
enough to break it In two in the middle
without severing the paper slips, which
were its only support. I have seen so
many sword swallowers here that i have
about concluded that >a. certain portion
of the population subsist on that kind of
diet. One sees innumerable puzzling
tricks performed with twisted bits of pa
per. Breaking a stone with the fist is an.
j other amazing feat.
j MYSTERIES OF THE EAST.
These tricks are all the more puzzling
| because they are performed In the open
! where there is no opportunity for me-
j ehianical assistance or optica! delusion.
I The spectators entirely surround the per-
j former and lie has no chance for conceal
ment or manipulation. While there is
i plenty of skepticism few can offer any
; plausible explanation of the apparently
; impossible feats which are accomplished.
■ A story ip told about a distinguished !
! foreigner, who, while being entertained !
by a prominent family here, aiowed his J
disbelief in 'the reports he had heard con- |
cerning the native magician's skill. in |
order that he might be convinced of their
cleverness, or be able to expose tneir
tricks, a number of them were sum
moned to appear. The visitor was told
to point out where they should perform.
He complied by choosing a. location out-
of-doors. He scrutinized the proceedings
minutely, but was unable to offer a sin
gle suggestion try way of explanation.
The last trick consisted of emptying the
dirt from a large earthenware vase in
which some flowers were growing, so
that one of the performers could crawl
into it. The skeptic examined the vase
to convineve himself tl.iat it was solid,
then moved it to the exact spot where he
had been sitting in order not to be made
tjje victim of a trap seer arrangement.
'j he performer slowly lowered himself
into the vase as all present watched in
tently, especially the incredulous for
eigner. In a few moments the latter
felt himself touched upon tine elbow and,
although he had not taken his eyes from
the receptacle, there sat the wizzard at
his side calmly smoking a pipe and smil
ing affably at the undisguised aston
ishment of the guest of honor. The se
cret of that trick would make a fortune
for a Hermann or a Kellar, but a hand
ful of coppers gathered here and there
GREAT AGENTS' CASH CONTEST
Six Hundred Dollars In Cash Prizes!
Contest Covers July I st to October 1st 1905.
To stimulate the work of agents for the three months supposed to cover
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The rules for counting subscriptions to the different editions is plain and
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Each Subscription to Weekly constitution and Sunny South combined, Counts Two.
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The Great PtUe Offer $600.00 Cash.
For the largest list of Subscribers, counted under above rule from
July 1st to October 1st. 1905 $
For the next largest list as above
100.00
50.00
These apply to the whole territory of the Con stitution.
To insure the distribution of a large part the prize money evenly over our whole ter
ritory, we have subdivided it into the following sections, for which we offer special prizes;—
1st Section. Virginia and N. Garolnia- 4tb Section. Alabama.
2d Section.South Carolina and Florida 5th Section.Miss. and Louisiana.
3d Section, Georgia. 6th Section. Texas.
7th Section. Arkansas and Tennessee.
Special prizes for these sections are: o
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These are to be awarded after the first two prizes are determined.
The Section prizes thus amount to <v/ Mnes 7)
For the ten next largest lists, counted under the rule, from any agent within any part of the
territory $10.00 each
For the ten next largest lists, as above, $5.00 each
For the fifteen next largest lists, as above, $2.50 each
202-50
Grand total of 44 cash prizes
lOOOO
50 00
3750
$600.00
A Live Force of Active Working Agents Is Wanted In Every County of the
Whole Southland.
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j Is enough t*> satisfy t)
i mysterious old m,in who van do it.
{ THE WRESTLERS OF JAPAN.
I Xo mention of th amusements of Japan
j would be complete without mention of the
j wrestlers. They have an organized soci
ety and appear in tournaments at regu-
rtiles o
of foul
ly: T*
thrown
Jn the side show than a candi-
stellar athletic honors. The
the :ame are unique. Any one
oints constitutes a defeat, name-
lie forced across the tine, to he
>r to touch hand or knee to the
floor. The sport Is not what an Amer
ican would consider wildly exciting. The
wrestling champion, like the theatrical
star, receives both a salary and a good
income from trie donations of admirers.
THE CHAMPIONS.
“Bowling is the greatest of all exer
cises for the physical development of
women," says Miss Birdie Kern, of 2326
Dickson street, the champion woman
bonder of America.
“Look at me," she continued. “I am
only about 5 feet 6 inches tall, and most
people would wager that I do not weigh
over 120 pounds. But 1 tip the beam at
145. 1 do not look to be so heavy. That
is due to the excellent physical training
I have had during the past two years. I
have never restorted to any other exer-
I vise than bowling, for I consider it the
| finest sport and the best physical de-
1 aughing at the Story Tellers Jokes.
veloper in the world. I cannot remember
| that 1 was ever sick a day in my life,
. but f have been in exceptionally good
health since I began bowling two years
ago.
“In all of my bowling feats I have used
the 16-pound bill). It requires a great
dtal of strength to handle this heavy
ball, but it feels like a mere shell in
my hands. I can throw it as easily' as
some very good women bowlers throw
the 4, 5 or 6-pound balls."
The wnn/m champion bowler of Ameri
ca is a petite little girl, afld no one-
would guess that she weighs, more than
i 115 or 120 pounds. She has a clear com
plexion, light brown hair, blue eyes,
pearly white teeth and a physical de
velopment of which any woman might be
envious. She has been solidified by her
bowling practice, -and stood alongside
the average woman -of 145 pounds she
would appear much smaller.
At the bowling tournament in Milwau
kee last February Miss Kern won the
championship and her father lost it. Her
score was 654 and her nearest competi
tor made 548. Miss Kern is the daugh
ter of Martin Kern, who held the cham
pionship of America for three consecu
tive years. The score which gave her
the championship was about 100 points
better than her father's record, which
lost it for him.
As the result of her bowling powers
Miss Kern wears two handsome gold
j medals, engraved with the world "Cham-
1 plon." The first medal she won in a
bowling contest with Miss Hizelbach.
champion of Chicago. Miss Kern beat her
rival and won the medal. Last February
at the national ten-pin tournament she
badly defeated all of her competitors
in the championship contest and oarried-
off tbe honors easily.
i.Miss Kern's record in Milwaukee wa»
better than that of any at the men from
St. Louis with the exception of McDon
ald. the street car motorman, whose
average was slightly higher than hers.
She is so expert that she would give
any man in -St. Louis a hard fight for
honors In a contest for the local cham
pionship. Her usual average for three or
four games is about 180. There were
■ thirty contestants in the team which
fought for the championship prize at
Milwaukee, and most of them had been
bowling much longer than Miss Kern.
Two -or three times n week during the
cooler seasons of the year Miss Kern
bowls on her father's alleys. She puts In
from three to f\ur hours steadily with
out any apparent exertion or fatigue. In
her local contests she bowls with Mrs.
Frank Ellis, her next door neighbor, os
her partner. Mrs. Ellis is a very good
bowler, and averages about 160 to 170
during a series of games.