Morning journal and courier., 1883-12-08

called,-a tall perpendicular ladder set in the ground, supporting at it's summit bell These lookouts are scattered throughout every village, and are ascended in case of an alarm.
 In general Japanese village has a most slatternly appearance. No matter how com modious and substantial some of the houses may be- they look coarse to the eye because they are unpainted- The villages usually consist of one long street, from ten to fifteen feet wide, upon either side of which border the houses, without intervening courts, and without lawns in front. Indeed, even the landscapes seldom show much in the wey of lawns. The rocks may be artistically put together, the shrubs and hedges may be pret- tily trimmed, and there may be pleasant fountains playing. But the ground is usually unverdured, though kept scrupulously clean As for the great majority Of the homes, the only neatness displayed is in keeping the floors polished and the mats spotless. This is always accomplished with superlative nioety. It would be we'll if the same people would keep themselves as clean as they do these precious mats and floors. Personal filth and disregard of all sanitary precautions characterize the mass of the people,-espec- islIy in the interior.
 Every time I visit the Japanese settle ment in this city, ask myself, who does the buying? Every family seems to have full assortment of goods in some special line dis played for sale in front of their dwelling. This is doubtless due to the fact that so much of the native trading is done for payment in kind instead Of in cash.
 I have had good chance Eo see the Japa- nese and the Chinese races brought into com petition in certain departments Of activity. The Chinese are stolid, emotionless, but deep They receive insult, praise, censure and badl- mage, all with the same silent indifference, except in cases where familiarity with them has been Etu6iously cultivated. Both are un- tirinely faithful in the special service where unto they are called. The Japanese differ, however, in being nervous. tremendously polite. and exceedingly anxious to please. Take it az table walters at the European ho- tels. If Chinaman makes mistake and brings the sugar and milk to your right in
 stead Of your left elbow he says nothing and looks nothing He simply corrects the n1is- take when he discovers it. But tho Japanese would start nervously. attempt an apology iu
 s'pidRun English, and enlist your sympathy by profound bows Ibis attitude of subiec- tion on the part of both peoples has embold- ened good many persons of brutal dlsposl- tions to play the tyrant over their native help.
 I am getting to be an expert Dantomiismt Unless you carry phrase book around with you when you patronize the natives this IS necessary. 4 person never realizes the use- folness of language until he travels alone where all communication has to be by sigma. When you settle right down to business. Sou can of course accomplish good desl by system of gestures but 1t IS very tantasizlng at times. Frequently when l have bsen ont in the neighboring towns where there WAS no chance of securing the service Of an inter prefer, I would find myself Invo4untarIly pre-
 suming that my English would be understood, -6ven the while l was trying to convey my meaning by sign language. Such phrases as the following would leap to my lips: 70. l didn't mean that.'' of could only speak, I would like to return my thanks for your kindness" ''Oh, what Is that: tell me ln signs"
 When come to Japan next time, 1 hope certain improvements will have been made. I hope the people will have come to discern fhe difference between an agreeable perfume and 8 horrible stench. I despair of the at tainment of universal diet and universal time in this world, but I do long, in the interest of the tourist profession, for the time when there shall be universal language and uni verssl currency. What with American mon ey, English pounds, Mexican dollars andJap- ansse satsee eli differing in value, and al! ctr culatipe, at least in such cities as Yokohama and Tokiyo, the money problem becomes startliugly complicated one. l think have mastered it, and I trust that my reason is still unimpaired; but would not trust my self to expound the intricacies which it in wolves in letter like this. My knowledge in the premises ia so delicate that might get tangled up.
 As for the tina question, I have not al- tered my watch since leaving tho central States. While at the present moment 1t is by Yokohama time fifteen minutes of nioe o'clock in the morning, it is at San Francisco seventeen minutes past three o'clock this af- ternoon by absolute time. By calendar time it is seventeen minutes past three o'clock yes- terday afternoon. It will be seen that the difference in time represented by the gap be- tWesn Yokohama and San Francisco Is six hours and thirty-two minutes. This time was distributed among the twenty two days consumed in coming across the ocean,-the ships clock being altered precisely at solar noon each day, and the alteration varying from ten to twenty minutes, according to the distance run. The paradox afforded by the difference in real and calendar time is, of oourse explained by the fact that we dropped one day out of our reckoning in making the voyage.
 1 have not altered my watch since starting on the journey, and it accordingly indicates abcut three hours earlier, or Iatef (as you choose to regard it), than San Francisco time. Of course there will be no more med ding with the calendar in making the circuit of the globe. The whole matter IS made clearees to my mind by presaming that had 6Q. and performed the trip in exactly twenty. four hours. To mo it would have been nooa all the time was ea route. It IS also apparent that during the excursion both and my friends st home would have lived twenty-four absolute hours; yet to me 1t W would be still Monday noon when had com plsted the circuit, since I travelled with the sun (anothsr inacouracy); while to those left behind in New York it would be Tuesday noon. Consequently it becomes necessary for west bound round the world travellers to drop just one day out of the calendar, and | for the east bound travellers to add one day l by doubling. As matter of convenience the | extra day is added or subtraeted by all tray 1 slers, from whatever point the start IS made, l at the one hundred end eightieth meridian,- l just half way around from Greenwich. | There do not think there is any discrepan- l ,y lurking in that exposition of the matter, 1 but shall not be willing to risk my knowl- sdge on the subject by debating the question with any doubting Thomas.
 At or near Singapore I shall be half way around and then I expect my watch will be with local time once more, and my letters to America will begin to travel back westward l instead of eastward.
 For land travel at least, plead for the in reduction of a uniform time system. The confusion arising from three, four or five Jystems of time in large American railway 1 ,enters is an abominable nuisance. Soma ] init should be chosen, say fifteen degrees, Pithin which there is but ens standard of ime. If fifteen degrees were chosen, this would make the variation between contiguous districts just one hour; and the equatorial of uniform time would not be ar from 1000 miles. Of course this dis ance would be reduced considerably as far forth as the chain of great lakes; but even hen the advantages to be derived from the proposed change would be quite apparent.
 My next letter will probably be dated from Jikko, in the interior of Japan, in north westerly direction from Yokohama, and dis ant about 110 miles. Nikko is scenically the irst city of Japan, and all travellers are en- husiastie in singing it's praises.. It is hard to each and this fact discourages the great ma ority of tourists from attempting to see it.
 shall make a mighty endeavor. For nay WI purpose found system of maps very