The jinricsha-men who pall the geisha about (not like the geisha patrons) are young stalwarts, being the pick their now fast dwindling profes. sion. Among them you find no tottering grandpas "or broker coolies. Dressed in their clean, neat cotton tights and jackets they deliver their dainty baggage with utmost speed and despateh, especial. ly as their runs are never long, being merely from the geisha house to the (teahouse or restaurant rendezvous.
Among no circles in Tokyo is etiquette and the niceties of courteous convention regarded with more care than in the gay world of the tea house and restaurant, and these Jinricksha-men are all gentlemen.
strict sense of propriety and decorum is observed by these good fellows and they would no more think of making @ too intimate ro mark to one of their pretty fares than a dentist would of stealing a kiss from a fair patient. Tt just {isn't done. Yet they are kindly their attitude, taking ente of their fair charges like faithful and watehfal dog will guard his mistress.
And the geisha on the other hand fare not unappreciative of such faithfulness. At Oban, and on special occa the opening of a new geisha house cor the "con of a now girl, money gifts, food or wine are given to propitiate the ricksha.men on whose kind offices the geisha must depend on keeping their appointments on time, with their elaborate toilettes the Ieost damaged.
And then there are the tips. thow¢h no riesha-man in the gay world would ever think of demean-tea-house maids would never Tet him depart, after delivering the geisha, without a 50-sen coin added to his treasury—for which he will nniake polite but not too obsequious thanks. We Japanese are especially sensitive to kindly feeling and goodwill, and to create and to maintain such an atmosphere is one of the chief aims of geisha, riesha-men, tea house proprietors and servants, the principle being that IE everybody is polite there jis no necessity for making rua demands and creating bad feelings, 46s for the Tourist Party Now as for the jinricsha-men who string out in long processions carrying the kankodan (touristy parties through the streets of Tokyo from hotel to temple, from busy mart to emporium and forth for an entire forenoon oF pam—they are a hybrid and tatterdemation lot, In these days. it is no easy job to get 100 Jinvieshas together on short notice and that for only a day's work at wholesale cut-prices, 40 to speak,—with the result that' some rather miserable spedments of humanity and of their profession turn up. Of course the tourists could be carried swith greater comfort and despatch by motor ears: over the great distances of the capital, but that would never do, The travel Hterature about picturesque Japan, and the quaint customs of the Japan with their strange means of pul conveyance and all that have been duly consumed, and John Doe from Missouri didn't pay his good money for a long trip to Japan to ride in a Ford cai As for these kankodan partie: the leader sets out at " snail's pace taking every opportunity to pause the pretext of. giving the "ijinsan" a chance to have ® good look at whatever is to be looked at, cither telegraph pole stuck in the middle of n four-foot sidewalk or "soba" boy delivering pyeamidie order of macaroni, 1 the first place these SJinsans weigh about 50 Ib, more than the average Japanese passenger; next one can't dash at high speed on a whole day and finally the coolies who Led up are mostly doddering xrandpas and no funerals are want.
route to spoil the successful culmination of such a highly important event tin Japan's, intornational relations as the visit of a Kankodan party. For whether wind-broken old coolie or a dashing young brave, the jintiesha-man la 8 trae Japanese and thus essentially ing himself by asking for'a tip, thy
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.