Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-08-10
KITES OF THE FAR EAST.

At Once the Envy and Despair of Civilized
 Western Youth, One might wander about the national museum for half year without taking notice of collection of extraordinary Chinese kites, which are suspended overhead in the middle of the west wing. Nevertheless, they are well worth looking at, exhibiting as they do a versatile ingenuity of dev.ce in flying apparatus undreamed Of by Europeans or Americans.
 The small boy of the United States, born an inventor because he Is q Ta1- kee, thinks he is performing faat 1T he succeeds in causing to soar Q simple pentagon of sticks and paper, Of most primitive shape, with 2 tail of rags. Such contrivance, in comparison with the scientific kites Of China and Japan. is the merest crudity unworthy of e civilization that vaunts itself superior to hoary and efete east.
 Can the youth of this continent afford to confess a mechanical inferi0ritT to Chinese and Japanese of equal are? As suredly not. And yet 1t must be admit ted that the adolesceut inteDigGnce of those races would regard the kites one 1 sees in this country with Gn utter and 1 superior contempt.
 The Caucasian kite bears tho sa29 relation to the Chinese f7er ae ls borle | by the flint hatchet to the modern nzc | It represents the acknowledgue ent ot 2 primary principle improved upon by thought In the collection spoken of are kites in the shape of frogs, lizards, cranes, owls gigantic flies and eDOr- nous locusts.
 Speaking of locusts, one Is reminded of a certain novel, translated from the English into French, in one chapter oi which there was mention of the hero 'e tying his horse to a locust treo in irort l of the heroine's door when about tc make her a visit.
 Unfortunately, the translator bought that the word locust" referred to thn insect of that name, and explained ti.- matter in an off-hand foot note, w1icN said that in the United States Iocus+a frequently grew to snch gigantic slzc that they were stuffed and utilized a' / the curbstone for fastening horses t. However, that has nothing to dc witl kites
 Among those described at the nu scum are human figures of all sorts, a: well as many queer animals of pupcl and sticks, beside the ones already men, toned; but by far the most eztraot' I dinary of all Is kite thirty feet O more long. in the shape of q suaEa-lill, dragon. No one but 8 Chiuuman or Japanese would suppose thal such { thing could be flown, and yet 1t is lsn0y51 that they float them with astonishtus ! effectiveness.
 Such kite does not tn tEo least rc semble any plaything oi the sortl-mo>v1 in this part of the world T. ia com posed of a number of pastoJ1,rt d. et- each foot in dianat1I. is.a5ened to gether with spaces between by | COZ = running the length Of t0a dragon, wit a ferocious-loolxing papcr hoa5.
 The string held by tho r2a9ipa at' of this extraordinary toy ;S a-h"c'}o1 9 three or more points in :r~ .'Tr"tu, S that 1t may be contr5''o.l ia t@s III While afioat the long t2il '@ s>' ~,. f. lating and serpentinc .uo.i on. thus pro ducing very realistio ot2rct
 Kite flying hos h24u reduced <. science in China VI, re ogI y t, .- sands of people will f: hcr upon {. ii on a holiday for the rarp-,so uf cc ing the sport. Many of t7u .ziyea -. cut loose and let g., ncc. H. it .- t. agined that they float a,e-y N,-. .Li fortunes that are thrUa. --.l>-,
 The Japanese are not les sUnCr--r
 Europeans in the nry of top suu'l.4n than in that of flying hitas. T'-i skill in this latter sport j. ao oAr2 -1 envy and despair Of elyilt.-4 0s14r youth. Washington Star,