The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-03-28
Our Olio.
Some Oriental Curiosities
Found at the New orleans ExpOsin.

! large and SO extraordinary that, after hav-
ing spent several days in examining it, I
felt compelled to abandon the idea of at
tempting to describe it in general way.
For the time being [ can only try to notice
few charming features of it which have
not yet obtained the large attention they
really deserve; but | am sure that [ shall
feel tempted hereafter to return to the same
subject. A weeks study is not too much
for the visitor to devote to this department.
Besides the educational textbook and
periodicals referred to in previous article,
there are some scientific volumes on exhi-
bition SO beautifully illustrated in colors as
to compare favorably with the finest litho-
graphic prints of such Partisan publishers
as Firmin-Didot. For example, there is a
folio work issued by Maruya & Co., of Kio,
of Plants in the Koishikawa Garden.
The plates are marvellous forEerisimilitude
and vivacity of color Half the text is
japanese, half English, and the English
style pleases by its polished simplicity and
scientific precision. Yet the translation
into our tongue was made by japanese,
Keisuke Ito
In small compartment near the book
table are exhibited the musical instruments
of the classical Japanese period, koto,
hichiriki, wagoto, biwa, samisen, shaku-
hachi, kagurabuye; and in connection with
these are shown various treatises in the art
of music, translated from the japanese
tongue. It seems that while the people of
Nippon have adopted the best features of
the European educational system regarding
music, they have not allowed their own ma
tive art to become obsolete; and the an
cient airs are still sung in the schools,
Just as the old and beautiful style of paint
ing is taught concomitantly with modern
drawing and water-colors. Nothing would
interest some of our fine musical critics
more than the report of Shuji Isawa on the
result of the investigations concerning
music which were undertaken by order of
the japanese Minister of Education, Oki
Taxation His chapters on the relation be-
tween Oriental and European music, on
Gagaku and Zokugaku classical and pop
ular varieties of the art), ON the tunings of
the instrument samisen, called 'honchosi,
niagari, sansagari, on the tuning also Of the
koto instrument, which tuning is called
hiradioshi, and on the japanese scale, are
learned to degree that would do credit to
German master-composer but too tech
nical to be treated of in this little article
What will be more generally comprehended
aud admired are his chapters on the simi-
larity between ancient Greek and present
japanese music, and on the history of the
latter subjects requiring immense research,
1t seems that the scale adopted for the
Greek seven-stringed Tyre corresponds ex-
actly with one of the scales of Japanese
popular music; and after illustrating the
fact by excellent diagrams, the writer fur
ther observes: s'There is no scale in the
japanese classical or popular music which
may not be found in Greek music" Some
of the practical experiments, he reports,
are curious and novel in the extreme.
During the investigation regarding ancient
Greek music, Isawa was especially impress
ed by that famous "Hymn to Apollo y
which has survived two thousand years,
and may be found by the reader in Chap
pell's History of Music. This Hymn to
Apollo, it appears, conforms precisely to
what is known as the "Banshiki cho'' in
japanese popular music; and when it had
been harmonized according to the princi-
pies of japanese gagaku by Shiba, the
court musician, and played on three wind
and two stringed instruments, "nobody
-,,.ooo,,t Gould 1otoo4 onv d;Graro,,oo batwaay
the ancient Greek and the present Jap
anese music" Shuji Isawa,. who seems to
have studied all branches of Oriental music
very thoroughly, traces the origin of the
Japanese art to Hindostan, and offers ex.
cellent reasons for his opinion that the
ancient music of the Occident might also
hvae had an Indian genesis.
l remember, when boy, having been
presented with an elementary work upon
natural philosophy, containing instructions
how to construct an electrical machine out
of old household rubbish Whether the
japanese educational authorities ever in.
vestigated the merits of that identical
book [ am not prepared to say but they
have certainly improved upon the sort Of
instruction referred to, and this in won
derfully ingenious manner. Those who
teach the elements of physics in Japan are
not allowed to excuse any imperfections in
their courses of practical instructions by
the poverty of the district in which then
professional duties are exercised. If the
school is too poor to purchase fine instru
ments and experimental apparatus, the
teachers are required to manufacture every
thing needed themselves. How this may
be accomplished with infnitesimal costs i;
fully shown in the japanese display Of
scientific apparatus made out of old cham
pagne bottles, broken saws, silk rags, plates
old wooden boxes, old pots, paper bags, and
bamboo pipes The exhibition includes an
amazing variety of simple chemical appara
tus; and Ichizo Hattori informed me, with
delightful smile, that the actual cost OF
the whole was less than twelve dollars in
American money But the ability of the
the japanese to manufacture scientific In
struments of irreproachable perfection anC
great complexity is fully shown by an ex,
hibit Of costly apparatus used in high-school
instruction.
Next in interest to the chemical anG
physical apparatus, think, are the scien-
tifc toys used in the kindergarten schools
of Japan. The principle of gravity is vel
elucidated by funny manikin that tum
bles head over heels upon the least dis
turbance of its equilibrium the principle
of leverage is exemplifed by figures of an
imals which perform various actions ac
cording to the way in which limb or {
tail is pulled But | saw something much
more ingenious than any of these-a set Of
wooden models, admirably contrived, by
which the youngest child can obtain some
rudimentary notions of simple geometry
and of cubic measure. The block is square
to begin with, but has been sawed into {
member of cubic angles, held together by
cotton hinges, and the square can be trans
formed into pyramid, a parallelogram, a
hexagon, quadrangle, a rhomb, or a rhom
bold by the simplest manipulation.
can not find time now to speak of the
drawings, nor of the various kinds of ex
quisite embroidery aud needle-work, res
pectively styled Sashinui, Tsu- -dzwuori, TAX
ayashi relief, Hameawase, Nuiwase, and Sas
himono But how lovely are the JapanesC
! female dresses on exhibition You cal
see a specimen of the beautiful girdle G