Connecticut western news., 1880-03-31

to learn. My interpreter, (a young Japanese
 who writes English better than he speaks it,) came to the office a few days since, dressed in European dress, his first suit You should have seen him admire himself. Nc little boy
 in his first pants was ever prouder, and I mo- | tice when he has his new clothes on he walks | around among the Japs as though he felt him- | self at least ten feet above them. I have one witty fellow who never approaches me without | taking off his cap, and when the interpreter is | around with his new suit on, he takes his cap | of to him, either for fun, or out of respect to the clothes.
 will now tell you about one of the many | temples that are near this place. The most of
 the temples are built on the mountain side, or
 near the top of the mountain. The streets or | roads that lead to them are marked by stone
 pillars set upon the corners, one each side of | the road, with 8 cross beam of stone, and a
 festoon of heavy straw rope hangs from one
 pillar to the other, with tufts of straw tied up-
 on it. What this signifies do not know. Az
 you get nearer the temple the pillars become
 more numerous, and more artistically carved,
 with square holes cut in them, in which there
 is light placed at certain times. Near the
 main entrance is placed what looks like very
 long bodied dog, sitting upon his hlnd legs,
 with a very long tail standing up perpendicu-
 dogs are carved from granite, snd sit one on
 each side of the path. asked what these
 dogs were, and was told, "They are angels"
 t After p passing the main gateway, you come first |
 ments, for some come a long distance to "Chin Chin Josh" as they call it. The large or main temple stands in the centre, and is the grand mystery. It is square building about 30 feet square, with heavy overhanging roof, and
 standing about 15 feet from the ground upon
 8 square platform which is reached by steps on every side. This building has no windows,
 but each side is composed of two large doors,
 and the whole heavily ornamented with brass | The brackets under the roof are enormous
 birds and serpents, carved from wood, and
 painted different colors, the whole very
 grand and pretty. In front of this mysterious
 placed large bell with rope attached and hanging down to the platform. The worship CT puts some money in the box which stands
 in front just by the bell rope he or she then
 their hands loudly, they bow down and say the
 prayer. The ringing of the bell and clapping
 of hands is to awaken the god or the person
 they worship so their prayer will be heard.
 stands one nearly as large, but it is open, or
 inclosed with slats, with nothing inside but 8
 few paper flags This has the money box and
 bell, as all do. Scattered around the main temple are numerous smaller shrines, (they would be called in the Romish church), but , not attached to the main temple, for the build. ines are scattered oyer @ number of acres of
 ground, and always in grove of very old
 | trees. If a tree dies it is supported in an up
 right position until it decays. The trees are sacred, or have been more than they are now
 in one shrine there was & white pony eating barley, and on a shelf were placed cakes and
 dainties, by the worshipers; the pony eats the barley, and the priest the dainties. In one there was picture of ship in storm at sea this was doubtless the shrine of the seafaring part of the population, for very large number of the people are fishermen. In one shrine you will see a lock of hair in another bone . in one was & life sized stature of white horse in another box said to contain lice , ; and flies, etc. On one side is a large low building, the floor of which is covered with ] mating, and i'll one end of the room is large s copper Image, representing one Of theil deities. There is no bell there, and the peo I pic prOstrate themselves on the mating il D front of the image: Outside of the gate of ont y temple stands six bas-reliet statutes carved or granite; supposed them to represent the sa ' cred kings or micados. While was looking ] at them @ woman came with Q pail of wate v md dipper, and poured water upon each i'm
 age. On the ground in front of each wa Q placed little earthen vessel containing ashes = After wetting each image, which she though giving them drink, she lighted what locke, n like a small bundle of cigarets, made of som d material that would burn slowly, and place' t one upon each earthen vessel before the i'm l, age, and arranged it so that the smoke woul' ,, float around the image. She probably ha' J placed them food before came. Thus they giv U them food aud drink, and & smoke after th II meal. It is said the priest takes the food if 1 s pleases him, not, it is left for the dogs, whic e are very numerous You must not think tha l. these people are bad because they worship IT their deities thus they are much more con !. sistent than Is-2O of Europeans and Ameri ', cans who are living among them. At state s times they have evening gatherings in ,thei s temples then the scene is wonderful. Tn e whole place is lighted with paper lanterns [ lt every shade of color, and seeming thousand l, in number. Crowds of people come and go, @ !. if it were great fair. | do not yet under :. stand about it, but will learn after while. . wish you were here to see the many curiou B. sights.
 t. The mountains are wonder they stand u IT detached, peaks of the brightest green clear t h the sunsets, and among them are valleys cul a tivated for tea. We have game here such a nave strawberries green peas, new potatoes |" spinache, asparagus, lettuce, and a number C other vegetables very good, hut without name
 pronounceable. For fruit We have oranges d pine apple, bananas, and a fruit, resembling }, very large thorn apple, with seeds like tn " tamarind and endless fruits to come, peculi, to Japan. The weather is warm, about hk
 June st home. The countryis most beautiful B. and it is treat to see the gardens, everythin ts seems to grow so luxuriantly, A Japanes m will support family of of less than one-ha r. an acre of ground. Everything is cultivate n, m barley, rice, and in fact everything is trans n planted and cultivated, as we do our gardens n The foreign town (Kobe) is beautifully lai Id out, and built up of fine houses on large lott Ju with shrubbery and roses of every kind. Tn g streets are wide, and kept as nicely as tn n bay, which is twenty miles wide here it Ina ', fine park is lit with gas. Yesterday sa' Ill Jap rolling a-lawn mower. You see we hay O. everything, and more too. The native tow g (Hiogo) adjoins the foreign town, indeed the l. are all one, for there is no division. One sid l. of the dividing street is foreign, the other na ia tive. There are twelve trains day each wa x es on the railroad that passes through here Tn | tpl1pranh 'e There arc ships in the harbor from almos Y every nation steamers arrive and depar Id every day for China and Yokohoma, and thei are dozens of smaller steamers running t , Oraco, and other ports on the bay. There ar , very few horses here think about 12 a n told, which are kept fer riding. All labor 'r done by man and COW power. They driv COWS before the bullock carts, and all the tral 3, the cC a' is carted to the mill on two vince a. trucks, drawn by four men, who cart one to- n at 8 load. There are 20 baskets filled wit ", r coal placed on the truck, and thus brough n mode of bamboo which grows here. The COW
 are chiefly employed in carting gravel for tn, \. streets, and carting rice to and from the rio y mills, of which there are or close to us on ,9 2 tain. Almost everything that has to b < moved is carried by men. have IA men do o ing two mems work there are two or thr' e men watching me all the time, ready to obe, y any motion may make, and seem very SOFT, k if they misunderstood me. The natives ar [. pretty sure to try to have their own way, an,
 after they have been shown, try to do som
 other way. In such cases bring the int CT
 preter, and lay down the law to them. and tn
 next transgression brings dismissal of tn
 transgressor. There is no other way but to l. ,a fierce. They are the most polite and kindt e disposed people you ever saw, and appreciat " fair dealing, It needs great deal ofpatienc ee to get along. and sometimes 1 feel as tired a 2 though had done all the work myself hay