Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-05-18
IN OLD JAPAN.
Scenes and Incident. Of Trip Through q
Country.


Country.
From the spring-time, when ] reached
Japan In the rain and hogan to grum-
BILE ut the weather, and all through
the damp and downpour Of the summer
months, I had been consoled by the
promises OF my friends. They assured
me that when the autumn came ]
should have week after week OF glori.
GUS sunshine. clear fresh air, and
probably not wet day between
Michaelmus and Christmas. Either
the season WINS an exceptional one, or
else this Is u chcrshe myth; there GER
tainly were more fine days In October
and November. but not week passed
without one or two whcn work out-of-
doors was impossible. They talked.
too. of the glory OF the naples, OF hill
sides and rocky ravincs clothed with
scarlet and crimson, and their enthusi-
psm In this mntter was amply justified.
but no one had told me OF the beauty
of the lilies oil the field, which decorate
so many of the banks between the rice
patches with their tasScls of glowing
scarlet saw them first near llamamnt-
su, q pleasant town on the TolSailo.
which ! reached on the 10th of Sep
TENDER, after little tour in the inte-
rinr: their bri liant color nj once at
trncicd me, and | hastcncd to make
drawings Of them. for my passport had
almost expired. and | feared that ]
might not find them elsewhere. There
was no ncci to be IL such hurry, for
they seem to grow abundantly whcr-
ever they get n chance. llumamatsu was
ori,c unlike any other Japanese town
| had seen; the houses had projecting
upper story AMI broal overhanging
roofs, ana the principal trade seemed
to he In toys. There were shops full
of drums I'M kites. and dolls with all
their belongings, and the thousand
and one things which the Japanese de-
light in giving to their beloved chill
dren. As | passed little garden J
saw what looked like fearful airocity
dozens of babies heads, pnlc and
gray as If in death. cut oil at the neck
and impalcd ON short stakes. stood
about the ground: iut on comm near
err. the mystery was eXplaire !: they
were life ,izel dolls hca Is of pa
pier-mache. put out to dry in the
sun before receiving their final cont ot
paint. The nei-hboring villages were
peculiar: very cottage was protected
from the WIN Is by high hsds OF
clipped ycw. and the street seemed to
pass between two green walls oven
which the heavily ihatchrd roofs JUS
pccpcd The openings rave u glimpse
of court-virl> AM cottage 'front.'
where women ana men were hard Mt
work. thrrNhing their beans of many
colors and sprcI ling them on mats t.
Try. weaving .lue cotton cloths, oi
winding off The slic.ns of shining yell
low silk. The tvphoon II fortnight
earlier had strcwn the Tokniio with
pine-trces: n passage vile enough fol-
la inr iisha tn pass had been snwr
through some of the great PROSTATE
trunks. and Others were still
supported by their mangled limbs
i 80 that we could squeeZ,
under them. They sally impedct
the work of company of whitehead
anrinecrs, who. with all the --latest
military contrivances, were laying q
Rcld.telegraph along the road. What
n contrast were these sons of chang,
to the ii .hermen returning from theil
mornings work with heavy loads O
bonito. and to the peasants with Their
simple and primitive implements. al
WORKING and living as they have done
Cor centuries past! Politics ant
changes of government matter very
little to them: the rice crop and thu
take OF fish are affairs of much NOR,
importa nee: they are the real life OF q
country. preserving its. habits. COS
tunes. and traditions. ana STAYING of
for time the influences of railroads
and steamships. which threaten to re
due" mans condition throughout thu
world To one dull level of uniformity
Alfred Parsons, in liarper's Maya
zine