New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-30

choice specimens OF Japanese uS 1noJ niio" u' '''
we already know its beauties and It's iault rio"ef
birds and fishes are nearly perfect In drawlne the
lapdscanea and human figures are fiat. stiff, and
more or less conyentionally grotesqne; the purity
and contrast of the primary and secondary colors is
remarkable hut there is a general absence of half
tipts Some of the embroidered silk stufs are abso-
lnteIv dazzling in color There reds and vioets
with a glory beyond that attained by aniline, and
donbtlasa permanent. branch of apple blossoms
on An ashcolored ground wreath of scarlet ounce,
daringly thrown on field of violet, or bunch Of
the golden iris on peculiar shade Of bronze, are
effects which stick to the eye like positive stains.
can understand why half our painters infected
with Japanese art but must insist, under penalty
of their wrath that it is q hot restless, surface
quality of color the imitation Of which viii not
help us to restore the lost Venetian harmOnies. L
find nothing more beautiful here than those balls OF
rock-crystal, with luster like that OF moonIt
water, of which the Japanese are 80 fond. Some OF
them are exquisitely cut in intaglio. Among the
stuffed animals there is q wonderful cat
little creature not more than eight
inches in length, with amber eyes, and a
skin of silky snow except two shiedshaped spots of
dappled orange and black, ON the TANKS, There is
also dog not much larger, with preternaturally
bullying forehead, and large, projecting human eyes
One large case contains very interesting collection
of all the esculent and medicinal roots of Japan.
The japanese Commissioners, students, and work
men who are now here, must number two or three
hundred. We meet them in the streets and restaur-
ants every day all wearing costume as If born to
it, all dignifed self pOssessed, Observant and intel
Hgent When reflect that il is not yet twenty
wears since stood on the deck of the Susquehanna,
steaming into Yedo Bay, with the land sealed for
lv;,,e he
action and the excitement of a great doubt and un-
certainty hanging over all on board, the words of
Morses first dispatch inyoluntarily recur to my
mind: What hath God wrought
suspect it must have been the sight of pic
turesque house, courtyard and barn. with the des-
ignation "Elsass- Lothringen,7 which provoked the
correspondent of the Paris Pairie, at the banquet
given to the Press by the Viennese journalists, to
refer with doubtful taste to the territorial loss of
France. Another Partisan correspondent was very
open in his condemnation of the remarks the Aus
trian editors kept silent, and so did those from
Northern Germany, 80 the note which might have
made discord dropped under the table, But
here is the house. and, whether Intentionally or not
il is one of many signs which mean that Alsace Tor
Elsass) is, and is to remain, German. AS you turn
toward the building for machinery ON issuing from
the eastern portal you presently come upon IT, The
architecture like that of all the older farm-houses
in Southern Germany,-a stone basement, over
which is a stout framework of timber, the inter
stices filed with stone, brick OF woven twigs and
stiff clay plastered smoothly over but leaving all
the beams upghts and stays visible on the outside.
The roof is Of tiles either hipped," with steep
pitch Here the imitation is complete, that fruit
trees are fastened as espahers against the basement
wall there is patch of grass in the courtyard, the
barn is stored with implements and products and
over the entrance is painted the old motto:
" Hate fest Reich, Bauer,
rs falie sIss oder sauer'
which may be thus roughly translated:
- FARMER, stick 70 the Empires power,
Whether 1t turn out sweet or sour!'
A swinging sign at the corner tells you that this
is the BEre- HiseI FARMHOUSE Tavern, where all
AIsatian dishes and drinks-German, with a dash of
France in the soups, sauces. and entrees-may be
had. When you mount the steps leading to the sim
Gle entrance you find that, except room, all the
building has been arranged for the of hungry
and thirsty guests. This room, on the right, Is at
once an illustration of Alsatlan domestic architec
ture and habits OF country life. The walls, and the
ceiling between the joists, are of implanted wood
neatly wrought into panels Across one side there
is a wooden partition, with upper border of open
lattice-work and a large arch, before which hangs
a curtain at each end. This forms what is called
the " Aloovep Within it is the bed, of carved oak
with four pillars, and plaid curtains. When the
farmers wife happens 70 be sick the curtain before
the arch is drawn aside and she can still overlook
her domestic kingdom and govern it from her bed
Within the Above stands also the lOon upon which
is woven the family linen.
In the outer room the furniture is new, except
large press. or chest of drawers which Is not only
very old, but famous piece of Alsatian workman
L hoe dar Mt Of al IL
covered with elaborate carved work, with curiously
wrought pillars at the corners, above which is a
cornice of ancient design. The story goes that one
Of the towns of Alsara desired to present this
10 LOUIS Napoleon, during the hight of his power,
but that the farmers wife who owned il refused to
sell it, although 10000 francs offered. Whether
this is true or not | cannot say, nor could learn
whether any romantic family history is connected
with the article but it is certainly rare and adj
mirable piece of furniture. The pretty andlady or
barrnaid was TOO busy waiting citizens Of the
new German Empire TO answer my questions.
Her quaint black dress, with dash Of
red about the bodice, was quite pictu-
rescue. Both she and the men on duty,
in spite of their uudeniabe dialect, had touch of
French profuseness and cheap courtesy about them
but they are sure 20 do driving business this Sum-
mer In a large glass case, IN the same room, there
is a model of Castle Thaunweiler and its inhabIt-
ants in papier mach6. The figures of man and maid,
sheep and cattle, the adjoining meadows. are
very spirited and the is thronged with sight
seers from morning until night The same artist
I'VE may call him sol also displays an interesting
procession Of hgures-the Homecoming Of an Asa
tian bride The musicians, supposed to be playing
their loudest, march first: then comes wagon,
drawn by oxen, with the carved cothes-press,
packed with new linen, the great marriage-bed and
canopy, with the brides name embroidered in full
on the counterpane pots and kettles of copper for
} k,toha. - okaas L,aadfn a. roll