National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-06-12
SIX ETCuRs FROM VIENNA.
Tho Coutributious Of japan.


tBy Bayard Thylor.l
A connected description Of tho contribu
tons OF each country must commence here,
at the East, and, following the geographical
order adopted In appropriating the building,
terminate with the United States and Brazil.
On entering the eastern front you have Japan
on your left, recognized at once by the huge
brazen dolphin and its great pendent lanterns.
little more has been opened since last Wis.
tied TIA large collection Of cabinets and
boxes Of inlald wood, together with somc Of
the rarer varieties Of lacquer-work. After
making q second and closer examination ]
still ilnd that the bronzcs and embroidered
silka are most worthy Of notice. The objects
In porcelain, lacquer, Jade and crystal arc al
ready familiar to US. There il a curious suit
OF ancient Japanese armor Of steel and
leather, with saddle and trapplngs; also some
old weapons and other objccls which seem to
possess o historical interest, since In any
other respect they arc neither rich nor rase
In the character Of the paintings displayed
the Japanese show that they have learned to
appreciate the taste OF other nations. In
stead Of their twisted and conyentlonally
grotesquo ladies and gentlemen they exhibit
simple but exquisltely drawn pictures OF fish,
birds, watcr-plants and blOssoming sprays
There Ia also very quaint and charming pro.
cession OF grasshOppers, somo carrying blades
OF grass rs spears and little blossoms as
standards, while four bear closed palanqun
Of leaves, containing, perhaps, the Grasshop-
per Queen. A fayorits subject Of the Japan.
esc artists Is cock, hon and brood Of chicks
grouped with real dramatic skill. Among the
trlnkets / noticed some halrpina of amber,
the ends Of which blossomed Into feathery
orchls flowers, Of q dellcacy and beauty
which really cannot be described. There was
also landscape, made by cutting through
broad, thin sheet Of wood, In the manner Of
those lamp-shades on which the objects are
brought out by shadows more or less strong.
This, Of course, IL trick" rather than art,
but II Is exceedingly we'll done.
IN THE TURKISH DEPARTMENT
there Is much greater variety of industry
than In Japan, but II u all Of lower and
coarser character. The woven stuffs are
more like the English fabrics of fifty years
ago than the native fabrics Of the Orient
with the exception Of some very light cotton
stuffs which have tho luster Of silk. The
cOlors, also, have deteriorated. With the In
PRODUCTION Of printed English goods, the old,
laborlous, yet durably brilliant ways Of weay-
ing In colors have gone down, aud probably
forever. Even In collection OF very pretty
black pottery (from Asia Minor, I hclleyc)
there were English rather than Oriental
forms. So Of the ornaments In silver Hligree,
which were almost as well executed as the
Genocsc. A more interesting feature Of the
Turkish display IL the collection Of natural
products-wlnes, grains, woods, silk cocoons
and fruits. Although by no means complete,
Il illustrates ut least how much wealth yet
lies nndeycloped In the Empire, and also-to
one who understands the transmitted ideas Of
the pcople--how impossible Ia the bold, Keen
eyed, busy-handed civilization OF our day,
without modification Of that which In their
faith corresponds to dogma In ours. They
hardly believe, as yet, In the sacred charac-
ter Of the printed Koran; they shrink,
with the fear Of deadly sin, from the pho
tograph; they cannot separate art from
ldOlatry; and they seek 10 purify the soul by
torturlng the stomach. There must be
steady progress, however, when q railroad IL
proposed land will probably soon be built
from Dlidda TO Mecca. The colored wax or
plaster figures Of the races under Ottoman
rulc-of the I.aZis, Koords, Armenlans, Sham
mars, Drnses, etc.-show the beginning Of an
emancipation from ancient superstition In the
governing classes. Or, perhaps, the Turkish
commissioner thinks 1t would be no hard mat
ter to find corresponding souls for these
Images, on fhe Last day. In Turkey, as else
where, the priesthood is the great barrier to
the Development Of the people. But let any
one read the letter OF the Assyrlan boy to
l.ayard lat the end Of tho latter's work on
Nlneyeh)-the most dellPhtful expression Of
indifference In any language--and then turn
TO the very full and interesting display OF her
industry which Turkey now makes here, aud
he will feel that the old inertia OF tho Fast is
slowly giving way.