JAP BOYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12609, 25 June 1904, Page 5 (Supplement)

JAP BOYS.

Own out and see the great bole that the earthquake has made." Spoken, of course, J? Japanese, that is the kind of invitation that the boy of . Japan may issue to his friends when he " calls for them"' after entWllwT <Say theiwriUr of an article S2 Japanes, Boys at Home," in tS2*i n ? me parfc or other of tha * inlnil » £ T D , *'ft au « rt M««*e. 8 serious or only a pkyfui" one, takes lace eve daym tho year, and the fissures that open in the ground ? re «time! miles long. A^ 1 " 8 to see" is thus produced, and SiSfe 1 'sights." " by his fondness SnM^xl . ea * er,Wnments ' the young subSi riS *) Urado ; oves that ' despite di«sm.ar.ty of personal appearance, fie is as much a boy 1 as anT youthful Briton. T Many , DCS *. boys are naturally skilful at modelling in sand. Models of Fujiyama, Japans highest mountain, ara perhaps the •' somethings", most often thus conS2 d ° f > Sa L and sWn ' tor *• «*°- topped peak has a strange fascination for rß,tw? p t\ yoU^-and old - Sometimes a Buddhist temple is the model. O ln one croup of small ho » young sand artist produced a splendid temple. Isn't, it real! he cried triumphantly. Then a vanquished competitor threw himself violently upon the ground beside the " temple." which at ones collapsed, and he said r •' You want it all real, now you have got it. UThat was an earthquake." And says the naval cadet who tells the story: "Thereupon the templemaker hit the earthquake producer .upon the noser and. when I left, eight of them were hard ,at it, pummelling each other in fine style. ■< s ;: : .., ,~. .•■ In Japan ther\are few cities of large size, * mi*2? are man y tow »s. and a multitude of villa||s. Beys living in the latter have often a deal of work to do in the fields, cutting brushwood, or helping to cultivate the rice that is their principal item of food. Many of these boys are adepts at snaring birds; and, while not neglecting their work, they manage to keep an eye on perhaps half a, dozen snares at once. The country boy's education, : however, is by no. means neglected; and in the smaller "villages the schoplhouse is very often the most imposing edifice that is to be seen. ■ : Gardening is a favourite occupation with some young Japs ; and, allowed' a piece of ground in the, often small, garden of s his parents' house, a youthful "landscape gardener" will there achieve wonders in miniature. Very likely he will have a " pond," measuring a foot across and " stocked" with a couple fish canght by himself. •; i * On festive occasions the proprietor of this "garden" will give a modest firework display on his property, the fish being temporarily extracted from the " pond" in order that some " water-fireworks," made to skip and dart about on the suriace, may be let off. :. : ■ ' : . :■■' ;••■'■•'■.' „ .-•.';