Evening star., 1895-09-21
The Situation in tho East and the
Outlook for the Future.
ATTITUDE OF RUSSIA AND ENGLAND
Observations Made on a Recent
Trip by a Journalist Traveller.
AMERICA AND THE ORIENT

summer, have returned to Washington
much benefited by their trip.
A Star reporter obtained from Mr.. Noyes
the following particulars concerning the
situation in Japan and China:
Mr.. Noyes. this is your third trip to
Japan?
Yes I visited Japan first in the autumn
Of 1891, on a round-the-world trip. Last
year I revisited 1t in the spring and this
year in the summer, so have had the op-
portunity of seeing 1t in various seasons.
What is the best season to visit Japan?
Probably the ideal time is in October and
November, when the skies are always clear
and the temperature delightful for travel
and sightseeing. But Japan is charming
in the spring. when the vegetation is at its
freshest green, and the whole country Is
having sort of flower festival. The Jap
anese are great lovers Of flowers. and every
season has its celebration of the various
flowers as they blossom successfully in
turn, as the plum and cherry in the spring.
the iris and lotus in the summer, the chrys-
anthemum, maple. etc, in the fall, and so
on. But the blossoming period of the mag
nificent double-blosson cherry, almost as
large as our rose, is the great festival time
Of the year.
The Japanese summer also has charms
with Its rich vegetation and brilliant,
gorgeous flowers, the lotus, iris, etc.,
but the moist heat of the rainy season
Is apt to be oppressive in July and August
and indisposes one to move about much
The temperature during our stay in Japan
this year was not above 50, but the extreme
humidity of the air makes the weather more
oppressive than a temperature of 90 in
America. One can always, however, get
up in a few hours from the cities to some
of the charming mountain resorts where
the temperature is quite cool enough.
AS my present visit to Japan was mainly
to get the benefit of the long sea voyage
across the Pacific. I didn't iced to hustle
about sightseeing when the weather was
unfavorabIe.
Japan After the War.
Did yon find any change IN Japan from
the war?
Not SO much a change as development
Of another phase of the many sided Japan
ese character. The Japanese are a bundle
OF contradictions. See them in countless
swarms working in the rice swamps up to
their waists in mud and water. or in the
tea fields or the mulberry fields, one would
think them a dull patient lot of drudges.
with no thought above the level of the soil
they cultivate.
See them again in their myriad little
family workshops, where with the simplest
of tools they turn out the most exquisite
products in the way of silk fabrics, lacquer
work. bronzes, and other metal work,
wood and ivory carving, porcelains, shell
work, &C., and note the variety and taste
of their designs, their exquisite sense of
color their passionate love of flowers and
everything beautiful or sublime in nature;
their gentle, pleasing manners; their love
of children and the beautiful devotion of
children to parents and the young for the
old; their laughing acceptance of every
mishap with the philosophical saying 1T
can't be helped"
In view of all these things the visitor
who sees this side of their life is inclined
to look upon the Japanese as a gentle re-
fined, artistic, peace-loving people, rather
disposed to shirk a serious view of life or
any rough conflicts.
Afnme With the War Spirit.
Now, after an interval of less than a
year, find them transformed into nation
of warriors, fighters from head to toe with
Spartan endurance. and the country ablaze
with military enthusiasm. Every man, wo-
man and child in Japan seems fired with
the war spirit. They have war dramas at
the theaters; and dioramas, panoramas,
peep-shows, &c, without number In every
quarter represent the battles on sea
and land. The newspapers abound with
war pictures, and the book shops display
no end of caricatures, some of them very
clever, illustrative of the bravery of the
Japanese soldiers and the cowardice of the
Chinese. The soldiers returning from the
wars are made much of, whether they
come in regiments or singly, and when they
have been ovated in the mass they are
celebrated singly. A jinricksha man who
went to the wars was received on his re-
turn by his fellows and escorted through
the streets of Yokohama by a mile-long
procession Of his fellows, with music and
banners and a general hurrah.
bath room boy at the Grand Hotel.
Yokohama, who was shot through the
head, but miraculously escaped death, had
a like demonstration in his honor; after
which he returned quietly to his work at
the hotel
Every day there is a like procession by
some fraternity in honor of soldier COM
rade, and the different wards or districts
of the cities also celebrate the return of
soldier fellow-citizens, as does every vii
lage and hamlet.
Nursing u Sick War Horse.
On our way from Yokohama to Kioto we
were continually being side-tracked to give
the right of way to the returning soldiers.
At one station we met train containing a
cavalry regiment with their horses. A sick
horse had been unloaded from the train
and the whole village seemed to be occu-
pied trying to revive the crippled animal by
offers of tempting bits of food, wisps of
green grass, ETC., and. these falling to give
him strength to walk, they set about va
rious devices to transport him to better
quarters, and finally they rigged up a sort
of sling and carried him off bodily upon
their shoulders. The Japanese horses, it
should be added, are funny little pot-bellied
ponies. so that 1t is not so difficult to shoul-
der them in this fashion.
All along the road were soldiers eating
houses, built by the people of the country,
and provided with food for the soldiers 60
ing to the war and returning. Delegations
of citizens were in attendance to see that
the soldiers were properly attended to-
Every arrangement for the comfort of the
soldiers was carried out with beautiful pre-
olson. Every village had its tasteful tri-
umphal arch, composed Of evergreens and
flowers. in honor to the braves returning
These arches, made of eyergreens and