Abstract
THE lecturer commenced by referring to the vast differences between the Chinese and the Japanese nations, of which the English people, as a rule, do not seem to be aware. He instanced various points of contrast; one of the most important being the intensely oriental secluded character of the private life of the Chinese on the one hand, and the Japanese dwelling in houses unfurnished and left wide open to the public gaze on the other. But why, he asked, in this comparative absence of nearly all that we should call furniture, does one article pertaining to the ladies' toilet—the bronze mirror with its stand—hold so prominent a position?
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The Mirror of Japan, and its Magic Quality 1 . Nature 19, 539–542 (1879). https://doi.org/10.1038/019539a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/019539a0