The New York herald., 1879-08-25

! "A "a
and gives token that those in command are setting
the watches for the night. Nearer distinguisha
BILE from her white wheelhouse rides the Ashuelot,
while ships of other lands dot the bay. As you look
ball fire shoots into tho air and hangs pendant
for a moment and expiodes into a mass OF shooting.
corruscatng stars and you know that our friends in
the town are rejoicing the presence OF General
Grant From the other hills flame breaks out aud
! struggles few moments, and becomes steady
asserting fame and you know that this is
a bonfire and that the people have buiided 1t to
show their Joy. Other bonfres creep out OF the
/ blackness for while you have been looking night
has come, and reigns over hill and valley and sea,
and green has become black. Lines of light streak
the town and you various decorations IN Ian
terms, forming quaint shapes. One shapes itseil
into the flag of America another into the nag OF
Japan, another into triangle. another into Japan
ese word-the word in red lanterns. surrounded by
. border of white lanterns-and Mr.. Yoshdo trans
lates the word to mean u sentiment in honor OF Gen.
eral Grant These lights in curious forms shoot up
in all parts of the town and you know that Nagasaki
illuminated. and that while here in this venerable
! temple the merchants have assembled to give us
tertanment the inhabitants are answering their
YOU LOOK below on the Streets around the temple
you the crowd bearing lanterns. chatterng. Won
dering, looking on. taking what comfort they can
of the festival in honor Of the stranger within
DINING IN THE OLD FASHIONED STYLE.
But while could well spend our evening stroll
ing this gravelled walk and leaning over the
quaint brick wall and studying the varied and
changing scene that sweeps beneath us we must not
forget entertainment The servants have brought
in the candies. Before each table is pedestal on
which u candle burns. and the old temple lights up
with a new splendor. To add to this spendor the
wall has been draped with heavy silks embroidered
with gold and silver with quaint and curious legends
of the history Japan. These draperes lend
richness to the room and you admire the artistic
taste which suggested them. The merchants
centre OF the room, and to tho General they kneel
and press their foreheads to tho floor. With this
demure courtesy the course begins Other attend
ants enter and place each table the lacquer bowls
and dishes instead OF covering the tables With
variety OF food ana tempting you with auxiliary
dishes OF watermelon seeds and almond kernels.
in China the Japanese give you small variety at
time. l afraid however We have spoiled our
dinner. Our aaiabe friend. the Japanese Minister.
warned in the beginning not to be i'll a hurry to
tions into the science of Japanese table, but to
pick and nibble and wait-that there were good
things coming. which we should not be beyond the
condition of enjoying What comfort, for instance.
a roll of bread would be and glass OF dry cham
pagne! But there is no bread and no wine. and our
only drink is the hot preparation from rice.
with its sherry flavor, which is poured out
OF teapot into shallow lacquer saucers.
and which You sip. not without relish, although 1t
has place i'll any beverage known to your expert
| ence. We dining. however, in strict Japanese
fashion, Just AS tho old daimios did, aud hosts
good artists to spoil feast with champagne.
Then it has been going on for hours, and when you
| have reached the fourth hour of a dinner oven a
temperance dinner, with nothing moro serious than
hot inspid sherry like rice drink you have passed
beyond the critical and curious into the resigned
| condition. II we had only been governed by the
| Minister might have enjoyed this soup, which
comes first in the course and Us you lift the lac
quered top you know to be hot and fragrant. 1t is
| soup composed OF carp and mushroom and aromatic
shrub. Another dish is prepared fish that looks
|
be fish as you prod it with your chopstcks.
This is composed OF the red snapper fish.
squares. 1t looks well. but you pass it by we'll
another dish that is poetic ut least for it is
preparation of the sky lark. wheat fonr cake and
| gourd. One has Of the violation OF pro-
preties in seeing the soaring lark SHARED from the
Clouds the dow and the morning sunshine, to flavor
q cake OF wheat We treat the lark better Mt home,
and might pass this to the dscrcdit of Japan il
we did not remember how much the lark
tributed in the Palais Royal and that the
French alike wanting in sentiment. We
| not offended by the next soup. which comes
| hot and smoking q soup OF buckwheat and egg
| plant The eggplant always seemed to be u vulgar
pretentious plant that might do for the trough, but
was never intended ror tho dignity of the table But
| for buckwheat the true American, who believes in
| the country and whose patriotism has not been
deadened by Debates on army appropriation bills
has tender, respectful feeling. Somehow it has
| no business upon foreign table, and at daimio's
dinner feel that it Is one Of your contributions
to the happiness of the world, that you have gwen
it your unit in the sum OF human entertainment.
You think OF glowing buckwheat nelds over which
bees hunmipg--of honey, favored with the
buckwlleat of overiaden tables in many American
home. crowned with steamng mound of brown
and crisp cakes. oozng with butter. You think of
frost and winter and tingling breezcs from the
granite hills. Ii brings you October and in this
wandering around tho world. disposed one al
ways should be to sec sunshine wherever tho sun
shines, have seen nothing to rival an American Oc-
tober. But buckwheat i'll soup is uniting, and
allied with the ess plant is degradation. aud no
sense OF curious inquiry-of investigaton-can
tolerate grave u violation of the harmony OF the
table. You push your soup to tho end of the table
and nip of the end OF fresh cigar, and look out
| upon the town which the dominant universe
has thro wn the star sprnkled mantle night, and
follow lines OF l,gnt that mark the welcome
enjoy ing, and the rockets they
shoot up from the hillside to break into masses OF
dazzling fire and illuminate the heavens tor mo-
ment in u rhapsody OF blue and. scariet and green
| and silver and gold.
| MORAL LESSONS.
you have faith you will bravey into tho dis
that your silk draped attendant places before
| you, aud he does bows TO the level OF the table
aud slidos away. This is called oh-hra and was
| composed. / sure. by ambitious daimio.
who had given thought to the science of the table
and possessed original genius. Tho base OF this
dish is panyu. Panyu is fish. The panyu in
itself would be dish, but in addition have u
fungus, the roots OF the lily aud the stems OF the
| pumpkins Tho fungus is delicate, ana reminds you
Of mushroom but the pumpkin. after you had
fished 1t out and saw that 1t u pumpkin seemed
forlorn and uncomfortable, conscious doubt of "a
better destiny in its New England home than flavor
ing mess OF pottage. What one objects to in these
dishes is the objection you have frogs and snals
They lack dignity. And when 70 real Amer
lean food, like the pumpkin and buck wheat We expec
10 SEQ 1t specially honored. aud not thrown into u
pot and boiled III mixed company. Tho lily roots
seemed out of place could ind no taste Ia them,
and would have been content To have known thon
| as turnips. But your romantic notions about tho
! Iiy-the lines YOU have written in abums the
poetry and water coors-are dispelled by it's actual
presence in boiled state. sunuscd with arrowroot
and horseradish. Here tho extremes OF lie
the arrowroot which soohes the growing palate the
| horseradish which stimulates the declining tastes,
and yet they are necessary to proper appreciation
OF the lily and the pumpkins The combination
seems like a freak OF the inag nation the elements
antasonistic and lncongruous. But the kettle
levels anu once that the bending
and the golden pumpkin with their pretentious
associates, are thoroughly boiled, they simply
soup after all. II must have been philoso phical
dainio who inven ted this dish. meaning. doubt,
to teach his guests the solemn lesson that there
glory, pomp. ambition. neither sentiment, nor
virtue. nor modesty. pride, that escape In
| the iulhlment of time the destiny to which time
dooms US all.
MUSIC.
! sIusici In the ancient days whom a great dairno
dined his friends music and brightoncd the
least Somehow IL seems to have been always thus,
| Ill n
ancient Jerusalem. an the Indian forests. / should
like to prize essay written in PLAIN English on
the subject OF music. that would tell you somsth ng
OF the influence upon life of this world of har-
mony-how II brightons and hcightens existence;
how it's tones follow from tho lullaby that oothcs
the unconscious infancy to the dirgc which
falls unhccdcd upon the unconscious ears Of death.
Wherever touch these ancient civilizations music
comes to do us honor. At Jeypore, where host
claimed descent from the stars, the nautch girls