ENGLISH GIRL TURNS GEISHA.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 41, 25 March 1914, Page 5

ENGLISH GIRL TURNS GEISHA.

A geisha's life imagination tints With all the charming colour of the rose, And people won't believe her when she hints' Its beauties are not quite what they suppose. Because I'm rather queint and picturesque, They think that for a butterfly like me Existence is delightfully grotesque— How very muoh mistaken folks may be.

What with the poets' license and travellers' tales, we have such a vague idea of what the geisha girl is that the announcement in the "Daily News" that a young English governess had been the first of our countrywomen to take out a geisha's license in Japan, and had just been introduced to the geisha houses at Yokohama, was read with mixed feelings. "QUITE A LADY."

Mr Yone Noguehi, the Japanese poet, was surprised at the news, conveyed to him by a " Daily News'' representative. "But there is nothing derogatory in her doing so," he added promptly. "The high-class geisha is quite a lady, and goes into the very best society. The late Prince Ito married a geisha, and many high-class officials have chosen tbeir wives from among3t geisha girls, who are often highly educated and good conversationalists, as well as talented entertainers.''

"The geisha house is the Gaiety Theatre of Japan?" queried our representative. ( Mr Noguehi, although he had only recently come to England, appreciated the suggestion, but pointed out that the Gaiety girl's chances of attracting admirers were much greater than those of her geisha sisters, for the geishas only go out to give entertainments where they are invited. A GEISHA'S QUALIFICATIONS.

A geisha's qualification, he said, was that she could sing, dance, and play the samisen. To these accomplishments should be added the most necessary qualification of all —that of beauty. There were already a number of halfcastes (the daughters of Japanese who had married English, French, or Americans) in the confraternity. Mr Noguehi predicted popularity for "Miss Lena," as the young English governess will be called in her new profession. She might, he said, introduce foreign songs and dances amongst the geishas, and, if she did not mind wedding a Japanese gentleman, she might make a very advantageous marriage.