-if it is not useful it is considered inartistic, and will not be
accepted by the Japanese public. The form of a vase or a cup, or the
shape of a handle, must all be designed with a view to its usefulness;
and every little work of art that is made, every cabinet and curio
(apart from being decorative), is designed to convey some maxim-like
idea, a lesson that will be useful and helpful in one way or another to
the beholder.

On entering a Japanese tea-house you will see a kakemono hanging on the
wall that strikes you at the first glance as being a perfect picture,
with the bold but simple Chinese characters on the white silk and the
tiny slip of vermilion which is the signature of the artist. It is
placed well in the room, and is altogether a thing of beauty; but when,
on closer inspection, you read the decorative letters, you will find
that they give you some dainty piece of advice to help you through the
day, or some pretty idea on which your eye and mind can rest.

Then, again, the games that the children play in the streets with sand
or pebbles--they are teaching them arithmetic, construction, patience,
and innumerable valuable lessons.

Usefulness is the basis of the ancient caste system of Japan, which
system exists at the present day, and upon which the relative usefulness
of a man depends. Take the Samurai. They occupy the premier position as
Japanese aristocracy, because, although they wear silk, they give up
their lives for their country--and no man can be more useful than that.
The agriculturalist ranks next in dignity; for none can do without food,
and therefore his usefulness is indisputable. Then come the workmen, and
last of all the merchants, who are considered as "no class" in Japan and
are greatly looked down upon--producing nothing, they merely turn over
articles made by other hands for a profit.

[Illustration: "NEWS"]

The most beautiful article we possess (one that is entirely our own) is
the hansom cab. It is perhaps one of the greatest triumphs that the West
has produced in the shape of a conveyance, and simply because it has
been designed with a view to its usefulness. Would that we were always
ruled by this splendid quality! Unfortunately, we are not. We are ruled
by our own tastes, which, I feel bound to admit, are not artistic. Think
of the sombre, happy-go-lucky arrangements of our London theatres. How
is it that in the best-managed of them an actress will so far forget
herself as to li