ADVENTURES WITH A CAMERA IN MANY LANDS 



109 



the shutter a half dozen times just to let 

 her know that her kindness and fascina- 

 tion were appreciated. 



USING A CAMERA IN JAPAN 



Sometimes a photographer is embar- 

 rassed by official kindnesses. In Shiraoi, 

 in Hokkaido, the Japanese were making 

 a well-meant but vain attempt to incul- 

 cate into the Ainu their own love for 

 bathing. As an aid to this object, they 

 had built a bright new bath-house in the 

 midst of the hovels in which the Ainu 

 dwelt. 



I was the guest of a Japanese official, 

 and the right to take the official photo- 

 graph of this auspicious occasion had 

 been given to a commercial photographer. 

 I had no desire to buy a formal picture 

 of this group, in which the Japanese, 

 clothed in Western dress, mixed with the 

 fine-looking old Ainu chiefs and their 

 wolfish-looking sons. I hinted as broadly 

 as possible that I would like to secure 

 some poses of my own, but all in vain. 



One of the Japanese officials might be 

 smiling or frowning or something, or his 

 frock coat might not be buttoned prop- 

 erly, or his silk hat might not be held at 

 the regulation angle, and an uncensored 

 print let loose on the world might bring 

 the Japanese Government and the Mi- 

 kado into disrepute. 



Until the ceremony was over, I was 

 not allowed to take a single picture. But 

 afterward I was at liberty to take all the 

 pictures I desired, and secured a portrait 

 of an Ainu Saint Nicholas which satisfied 

 me better than would all the silk hats in 

 Dai Nippon (see page 103). 



THE: SMILE TALISMAN IN CEYLON 



A smile works in all languages and its 

 power of reflection exceeds that of, many 

 a mirror. If this funny old world is ever 

 to make friends with itself, it will be the 

 face with the smile that wins. And to 

 get a smile onto the face of an unwilling 

 subject is not easy. Sometimes one has 

 to resort to horse-play to get the people 

 in good humor, and even when well- 

 intentioned fun overshoots the mark, it 

 is well to have established an atmosphere 

 of friendliness. 



One of the great prizes to the people 

 of Asia is the tin container from which a 



film has been removed. These can be 

 given away where money would intro- 

 duce an undesirable element into the re- 

 lations. But usually there are several 

 claimants to the tin tube. 



The tiniest baby is always entitled to 

 .first chance, but when the claimants are 

 all of an age, I have had to decide by 

 the ancient "eenie, meenie, miny, mo" 

 method, and the result is usually great 

 amusement and profound satisfaction by 

 all concerned. 



In Negombo, Ceylon, one small boy 

 suggested that I throw the tube and let 

 them scramble for it. That worked ad- 

 mirably the first time. But there was a 

 small lad who seemed to lack strength or 

 spirit and he gave signs of thinking that 

 that was not a square deal. 



All the boys were barelegged and I 

 stood near the edge of a shallow pool. 

 This small boy was nearer to the water 

 than the rest; so, while pretending to 

 throw the second tube ahead of me, as I 

 had the first, I tossed it over my shoulder 

 into the water. It fell quite near the dis- 

 consolate youth, but others were quicker. 

 A more agile boy rushed for it and, 

 stumbling over a guy rope, fell sprawling 

 into the water. 



WORKING AGAINST SUPERSTITIONS IN THE 

 ORIENT 



There was nothing for me to do but 

 laugh as loudly as the rest, and when the 

 boy picked himself up with the prize in 

 his hands and a smile on his face, every 

 one was happy. But I was glad that he 

 did not wear a Little Lord Fauntleroy 

 suit and a broad, starched collar, and that 

 I had made friends with the crowd be- 

 fore the accident happened. 



Throughout the Orient there are in- 

 numerable superstitions which make it 

 difficult to secure personal photographs. 

 Not only are Oriental men jealous of 

 their women folk, but there are few 

 places where the illiterates do not have 

 some fear of the evil eye. Many fear 

 misfortune if their picture is taken, and 

 there are still Mohammedans who have a 

 religious" objection to lending themselves 

 to the representation of living beings. A 

 people who have made caligraphy their 

 ideal of art do not readily lend them- 

 selves to portrait work. 



