Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-03-23
PHILADELPHIA.
OUR sATURDA LETTER.

hind the Scenes on the Pavements- -Anecdote
of Mr.. Forrest, Etc, Etc
Especial Correspondence Of the Commercially
| PHILADEPHIA March 22d
The special excitement of the week has
been the visit Of the Japanese Embassy, now in
| the United States on an Educational exploring
| tour. The principal members OF the Embassy
were quartered at the Continental, and the 9TH
ers at neighboripg hotels, and their comings
and goings have kept that portion of the city un-
usually lively The Japs are not at all secusive,
roaming the hotel corridors all day-and good
part OF the night, smiling araby on whoever
addresses them, and entering into conversation
| to the best of their ability The presence Of
4 these Celestials gives renewed emphasis to a
| thought we must all of us have had at different
times in listening to the gibberish Of foreigners
! Why cannot there be one general language for
all people-say, for instance, English The
Japanese talk we'll enough, but they can't be un-
derstood. That is their grand trouble,
and il their tour in America shall re-
| suit in nothing more than a determine
tion to induce their countrymen to
speak an inteliigible language it will be great
point gained. As the thing stands at present
! their interpreters have hard time of it, This
| excursion il anything but a pleasure party to
thom. There are but half dozen of the forty
visitors who understand English, and but three
| who can translate on hand to their companions.
1t may be conceived that the services of these
unlucky linguists are in rather constant request
They are in danger of talking away their senses
and doubtless pine for the time when this little
| trip around the world shall be over.
| The Japs have set themselves down solidly to
/ business. They came hither to improve their
minds and they don't lose any time about it.
| Dividing into small parties, each one in care of
an interpreter, they have been pretty thoroughly
| canvassing our factories, ship yards, mills &c.
| They have visitedamong otherplaces, Fairmount,
| tho Mint, Baldwns Locomotive Works, Cornelius
| d Bakers Gas Fixture Establishment, and Oramp
i and Sons Shipbuilding yards. Everywhere they
| have shown the most intelligent interest in what
| they have been shown. The visit to Baldwns
| works seemed to make the most impression
upon them, however They could scarcely be
| got away, and an Interpreter stated to a friend
of mine that, at the hotel and for hours after
| wards, the wonders OF the steam horse filled
| their thoughts 10 the exclusion of everything
else. The leading mind Of the Embassy, although
he is not first in rank, appears to be one. Tam
eyossi Hida. He is an Engineer by profession
and his observations are especially in that drec-
ton Wherever he has been in our industrial
establishment, he has commanded the respect
| of the parties in charge, who have recognized in
the imperfsctly educated Japanese the pos
session of high mechanical genius. At Baldwin's
| of subjects that an hour before were entirely
unknown to him, is said to have been truly won
derful. He seemed to grasp the meaning Of
what was told him, even the most complicated
Matters without study or hesitation. " Him
make one Of those mocooco's," said Tommy
"him make one to morrow. II him want to, and
although Tommy, in admiration Of his friend,
may have exaggerated little, there is no doubt
but that Mr. Hida could very soon and will
have no question, make a mocoloco." 1 met
| Tameyossi in the Continental the other evening
and was greatly shocked with his appearance.
Most Of the Japs are short. ungainly, with rather
a vacant expression Of face, and looking so mon
strously alike that it ia difficult matter to dis
tinguish them. Mr.. Hida is a very different
looking person. He has clear cut face, of the
Wendell Phillips sort, piercing eye-direct and
comprehensive ive--is tall in figure and graceful in
carriage. Nayamo C'Tommy') is now as he was
twelve years ago, when he was in this country
with the first Japanese party, the life and spirit
OF the Embassy. He ia always in radiant good
humor and is a universal favorite everywhere.
The newspaper press has achieved another
notable victory in the exposure OF the bogus di-
ploma business AS in the case of the overthrow
of the militia Tax, 70 in the raid against the
Quack Colleges the credit is due first and all the
time, to the press. Without the agitation thereby
secured there would never have been a legisla-
tive investigation That inquiry is now ended
and with the immense mass OF concurrent testi-
mony placed before it the committee had but
one thing to do; to report bill repeating the
l
of the philadelphia University" The Bill has
passed both houses, and only awaits the Cover
nor's signature to become law. 1t is true that
the Elder Brother knows that the people want
this bill signed and that therefore he may be in
clned to refuse to put his noble pen to the paper
but everything has limit, the line must be
somewhere drawn, and the great reform knows
we'll enough what storm he would raise if he
baked the public In this. Despite his natural
leaning the other way he is tolerably certain to
sign. The injury these quacks have done the
fair fame of Philadelphia is not to be calculated
and now that We have squelched them it will still
be long time before we fully recover from the
effects of their raacalty
All Wilmingtonians who are familiar with the
upper part of Philadelphia know what beautiful
Avenue Spring Garden street is. Within few
/. years it has been opened west Of Broad street
and when the market sheds that dishgure some
portions of 1t are cleared away, 1t will be one o
the most beautiful streets in the city, or in any
l city OF the land By some unaccountable blum
der or oversight of our city forefathers however
Spring Garden street was never opened east Of
Sixth street. Here il magnificent Avenue, very
| nearly the width of Market street. locked ant
leading to nowhere. 1t butts right up agains
: Mr.. VIM, Il. Mauns mansion much AZ any littl,
blind alley might do, and one can hardly wall
along Sixth street without feeling the pity OF it
| From time to time there has been talk of cutting
> the streets through to the Delaware which shoul'
i be its legitimate terminus, but the probable cos
! of the venture has, until now, deferred citizen
|
u it looks as if the thing really to be done.
:. large public meeting to consider the subject ha
y been held and an act adopted to be presente
a to Councils. The act provides for the appoint
ment Of a board of twelve Commissioners, wit
power to make surveys, and that the Court o
y Common Pleas appoint jury to assess damage
10 on the properties to be cut through. The Com
y mission is to receive subscriptions to pay one
fourth of the damages and the city is to pay tn
l. remaining portion. Councils may demur to part
IF of the plan. but uptown" will not be statistic
" until something is done.
The burning of the Arch Street Opera Hous
occasioned more than the usual excitement al
n tendant upon fires. The destruction of plaC
of amusement always touches the public sympI
Of thy. The destroying element nowhere else pre-
duces such strange contrasts. The scenes aboI
Il, the wrecked Opera House early on the mornin
of the fire were humorousy suggestive. A ga
lart effort was made to preserve the portal
'u property and il mainly successful, but thel
was no time to store il all Immediately, and Il
b. pavements for good distance around were lun
le bered with theatrical ware that looked strange
enough by daylight, Stage-struck youth wa
r dored around among the rubbish fanoying then
NJ selves behind the scenes and it was atOgeth
as comical and painful sight as Arch street hi
., seen latterly They had been doing the pant
II mine of "AIazulme" (for minstrels fly at hil
( game in these days) and the Gorgeous rransfo
nation scene leaned, blear-eyed and habb
So against dripping wall. The primitive maohi