HOW THE JAPANESE LIVE  THE Japanese though the most artistic people in the world are also the most simple in their daily lives. Their furniture consists of two or three heavy quilts called futon for each person, and which serve them for both bed and bed--clothes. Some small, flat cushions on which they sit; very small tables about 6 inches high, several hibachi or fire boxes, and some lamps, cups, bowls, wooden tubs and saucepans. These things, with of course clothes, which are kept in a sort of chest-of-drawers, and a beautifully painted silken scroll which answers to our picture, are the principal belongings of a Japanese family. Chairs are not used, neither are knives, forks, nor spoons, everything for which we require the latter articles being done by two dainty little sticks called “chopsticks” which the Japanese use very cleverly. These people rise early, and go to bed early; are nearly ways cheerful, and very polite to each other and strangers. They laugh and chatter at their work, but are not of course so busy as Europeans are in their houses as they have so little to dust and keep tidy and clean.
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