St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-04-20
FROM A MOUNTAIN TOP.
sunriae Ms Viewed From Fujlsan, Japan
LOftiest Peak.

Sunrlae AS Viewed From FujaBan, Japan'0
Loftiest Peak.
The morning was clear and bright,
and we all crouched in hooks Of the
rocks, wrapped in our quilts, and gazcd
1t the straight gray line of the Pacific
and the gradually frightening line
above it, watching for the first sign of
the approaching god. On the most
prominent rock priest knelt. waving
strips of paper tied to stick and
chanting prayers and eulogies, and
soon the sun rose, as he assuredly will
every morning, whether he is prayed
to or not. There was such u vast space
If mysterious blue sea and distance
below the horizon that the big
orange ball appeared to be already
halfway up the heavens when We
irst saw it. This daily occurrence
seems ever new and wonderful. always
has something of the miraculous about
it, and to most minds it brings q sense
Of thankfulness. as the sunset gives
that of repose; though why we should
feel grateful both that it is time to be-
gin work and time to leave of is .
puzzle to me. My thoughts turned to
an early morning near Plevna. and to
an honest Turk, who, as the sun rose
over the bare bulgarian hills, turned
on his box-scat, and gravely touching
his forehead. wished q good-day to his
little brothers in the carriage he was
driving. There was mixture of
courteousness and solemnity in his
manner which seemed exactly suited
to the important moment
When the orange glow had turned
to dazzling glare, we walked round
to the foot of Kenga-mine, the highest
of the peaks encircling the crater, and
looked westward at the shadow of
Fuji, a great pyramid of tender blue
stretching for miles across the country
at its foot, darkening a slice of the sun
lit distant mountains, and towering
above them into the sky, clearly de-
fined on the light mists and clouds of
the horizon. So sharp was the outline
that it seemed as if our two shadows
ought to show on the distant sky: but
though we waved our arms frantically.
there was no visible movement on
the edge; we were too small. When
we returned to get some break
fast many of the pilgrims were
saving their morning prayers at
the little temple. Scngen Sama"
is the goddess Of Fuii; o pref
tier name for her is "Ko no hama saku
va Himc"-''the princess who makes
the blossoms of the trees to open. :"
There il another little temple dedi-
Gated to her on the north side OF the
crater. and mary more imposing ones
in various parts of Japan. On ban
ner which hoated in front of this Sec
oud temple there was an inscription in
Japanese. and under it these words in
English: "Piace for worship the
Heaven. I suppose this was an effcrt
in the direction of civilization and ra-
tionalism. ..but l resented it as an at
tempt to explain away the flower-lov-
ing princess, and to dethrone her from
the mOuntain-top where she has
been "orshipped in peace for SO
many centuries. Close by the ban
ner is another spring. The Famous
Golden Water" and q small shed,
where bundles OF chopsticks and other
mementos arc sold and where for ten
sen you can buy skin can fall Of the
famous water to take home to your
friends Most OF the descendin. pill
Rr:ms havc one or two OF thsse tiung
wound them with the vses ee thsif tsev.