The times., 1899-08-20
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the pagoda as pictured in the letter from
the City of Observation-Disclosures:
The hillside below me and above me was
ablaze with pagodas-from a gorgeous golden and
vermillion beauty 10 a delicate grey stone, one
just completed in honor Of an eminent priest,
lately deceased at Mandalay. From above my
head there a faint tinkle, as OF golden
bells, and talking of the breezes IN the tops
Of the toddy palms. The massive white
pagoda shot into the blue from the west OF a
walled hill that commanded four separate and
desirable views, as you looked either at the
steamer in the river below, the polished silver
reaches TO the left, the woods TO the right, or
the roofs of Aouimein 10 the landward- Between
each pause of the rustling of dresses and the low
toned talk of the women fell from above the
tinkle of innunerable metal leaves, which were
stirred by the breeze as they hung from the
'hfee Of the pagods- 4 golden image wlnked IN
the sun; the painted stared straight III front
Of them over the heads of the worshipers, and
somewhere below mallet and plane were lazily
helping 10 build yet another pagoda III honor
OF the Lord OF the Earth.
Sitting in meditation, while the professor went
round with a sacrilegious camera, TO the vast
terror of the Burmese youth, i made two noia-
bic discoveries. and nearly went 10 sleep over
them. The first that the Lord OF the Earth
is Idlenes-thick, slab idleness, with 4 little
religion stirred in to keep it sweet, and the
second that the shape of the pagoda came
originally from bulging toddy-palm trunk
Here also did Kipling meet Hans Brett
mann, the German orchid-hunter who told
the tales of "Bimi'' and of "Reingelder
und der Sherman Flag" and also another
tale, most improper, and not found any
where in the works of Kipling except here.
In Singapore he met the American young
ster who furnished the germ of an idea
for Captains Courageous" So the foot
steps Of romance may be traced through
all the Indian and Indo-C Chinese letters.
In Hongkong the youthful author explored
certain dives and slums which, for rea-
sons of his own, he has not yet seen fit
TO put into his books. In Japan he saw
lovely things, but neither have these ap-
peared in his fiction. There is considera-
bic cocksureness and superficiality in his
views OF Japan, although some of them are
done with a dainty touch. One of the
charming paragraphs is that which de-
scribes the making of Satsuma vases.
Here in a cabinetlike house sat the men, wo-
men. and boys who painted their designs on the
vases after the first firing. That all their ar
rangements were scrupulously neat is only say
ing that they were Japanese; that their sur.
roundiDgs fair and proper is only saving
that they were artists. A sprig Of cherry bios
som stood out deiantly against the black Of the
garden pa!lng; gnarled pine cut the blue OF
the sky with its spiky splinters it lifted Itself
above the paiing, and in little pond the iris
and the horsetail nodded TO the wind. The work
ers when at fault had only to lift their eyes, and
nature nerseU Nouid SfaclouSiy supply the miss
ing link OF design Somewhere in dirty Eng
land men dream of craftsmen working under
conditions which shall help. and net stife the
haif-formed thought. They even form guilds and
write semi-rlly ythmieal prayers 10 Time and
Chance and all the other gods that they worship
to bring about the desired end. Would they
have their dream realized let them see how they
make pottery IN Japan, each man sitting
snowy mat with loveliness Of line and color with
in arms length of him, while with downcast eyes
he-Spiashes in the conventional diaper of q
Satsunia vase as fast he csni The Barbarians
want Satsuma and they shall have it, if it has
TO be made IN Kioto piece per twenty mi
nutes So much for the baser forms OF the craft
The owner Of the second establishment lived in
a blackwOod cabinet-it was PROCLAMATION to call
1t house-alone with bronze of priceless work
manship. q set Of blackwood furniture and all
the medals that his work had won for him in
England, France, Germany and America He
was q very quiet and catlike man, and spoke al.
mogt in a whisper He led US through garden
1T was nothing in his eyes, but we stopped to
admire long. Stone lanterns, green with moss
peeped through cIunps Of papery barnboos where
bronze stofks were pretending TO feed. A dwarf
cd pine, its foliage trimmed to dishike plaques,
threw its arms far across fairy pond where the
fat, lazy carp grubbed and rooted and q couple
OF sand grihes squawked at US from the protection
Of tbe-waterbutt. So perfect was the silence Of
the place that heard the cherry blossoms fall.
ing into the water and the lisping of the fish
against the stones. We were in the very heart ot
the Nilow-Psttern Plate and loath to move for
fear OF breaking ii. The japanese are born bower
birds. They collect w2ter-Norn stones eJlaintlv
shaped rocks and yeined pebbles for the o-na-
mentatloH OF their homes When they SHIFT
house they take the garden away with them
pine trees and all-and the incoming tenant has
a free hand.
There is a subtle touch of eomprehen-
sion OF the japanese view of the English
IN the description Of q Kioto painting
which represents the "Apotheosis OF Art:''
All the penciled scon of the artist was re-
served for the closing scene, where an English
man, his arm around his wife's waist Was in
specting shop full OF curios- The japanese are
not impressed with the grace Of our clothing or
the beauty of our countenances.
This bit OF insight is in rather curious
contrast 10 the crudeness Of a part of these
chapters on Japan.
Then come the opinions of America. and
the loftiness, and the sarcasm, and the
crushing scorn of the young Anglo Indian
for the great Republic. Ii really Is rather
funny, when one comes to think of It.
Especially sit funny in the light of the
authors subsequent career, and natural
desire TO suppress these undeniably clever
but decidedly topsy-turyy letters. But they
are worth preserving, If only to show
American readers how little even a bril-
liant correspondent can know of coun-
try from a hurried journey across it. Also
some OF the most picturesque passages are
quite justified by the facts. Nobody can
deny that the Chicago stock yards, consid-
cred as a spectacular amusement are bar
barous. that a sensational preacher is an
ethical ahsurdity and an artistic abomi-
/ nation, and that there are things in this
country, which, from an esthetic point OF
view, are badly in need of reform; for in.
stance, custom of undertakers in GER
tain large cities, Of which more hereafter
Be that as il may, Mr.. Kipling began hi.
opinions on board the steamer, where
This was written ten years ago, remem.
/ ber-he met some peculiar American types
mainly eypatriated, and some OF them ex.
pressed doubts as to the future of thell
( alleged country This is a part of tht
conversation. An American who had beer
three times round the world, and had re-
sided in most countries on the cont
nent, remarked. among other things:
There was never people yet could govern them
/ selves You can't persuade the mol
Of any country TO become decent citizens
The more power YOU give the peopl
Z better classes corrupt, and our lower classe
I lawless. When YOU reach level
/ every man with 4 vote and the right 10 sell il
I the right 10 nominate fellows OF his own kidne,
to swamp out better men--you'n be what W
are now-rotten, rotten, Totteni
Then a man from Louisiana spoke. an,
this is what he said, and the young Rriton
who was taking all this seriously, replied
what would do us a world Of good now woul,
/ be big European We're getting slacl
and sprawly. Now war outside our border
| would make US all pull together. But that's
( luxury shan't get"
Can't you raise one within your own Dor
( dersg" / said, hippantly, TO get rid Of tn
thought OF the great blind nation in her unres
| putting out her hand to the sword.
Events seem TO have proved that TIL
man from Louisiana possessed a long head