The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-24

the daily custom of each member of the
family. The little home is frequently
scrubbed and is quite orderly. The poorest
have a bed Of flowers or a table of plants
at the front. They may be beggars. but
they seem 10 have the artistic sense.
travelled seventeen hours on a railroad a
week ago, and l noticed all the way viii
lagos OF matched roofs with the border of
growing flowers on the top ridge. Il is
really very beautiful.
Poor, Gentle. and Polite.
THE people as a rule are poor, gentle.
and polite. All classes are very punctil
ious in matters of etiquette. If I EIay
judge them by their every day manners
would say they viii march to battle only
in the most polite order.
They are more accustomed to foreign
ers than dozen years ago; travel has in
creased so that l am not so much an OBJ
Ject OF curiosity as formerly l remem
Der that villages turned out to see the
queeT-looking beings that passed this way
twelve years ago Maidens and old wom-
en- with their black teeth. a hideous fash
ion that originated. I was told. in the jeal-
ousy OF husbands who were determined
that no other man should admire the wom-
en- already married.. men and children
followed us by the score, not certain as
to what order We belonged.
1T is different today Perhaps farther
on ! may find the same interest remem-
Der on one day l was engaged in a piece
Of Reedlework upon a kojoki. a small
steamer on the Inland Sea. In q most
good natured way my sewing was taken
from me and passed around among the
curious company on deck. for buttons,
buttonhoIes. needles. and fashion were all
new to them Seeing their good temper. I
vas not discomposed and in due time my
work was returned with many salaams.
The position OF a wife is not as trying
apparently as in other Eastern countries
She must be subject TO her husband. and
yet is not as absolutely SO as IN some 9TH
er lands. There are seven causes for di-
vorce two of which l TecOliact namely,
if the wife talks much and If she Is DISC
bedient to her n2other-in-iaw. Second
marriages are allowed, but not always en-
courag ed. One of the historians mentions
a young widow who resisted a second mar
-riage. She said that little swallow out
eide her window lost her mate the sum
mer before. When winter came she went
southwark as always. The spring time
brought the same bird back. but she came
alone. Her argument was conclusive.
The artistic sense is well developed in
Japan ] suppose no people have afforded
greater pleasure on this lire than these.
Fujiama. an extinct yolcs %, figures in all
their drawings and paintings. There IS
scarcely piece Of their artwork in which
Full does net appear. It IS a perfect ecne
and there is no higher volcano in the
world The Dutch described il long before,
Commodore Perry opened Japan to the
commerce OF the world. Two hundred and
fifty years ago Holland had some busine IS
relations with this country, Full was thea
active, and one of the writers spoke of
the 'whirling flames Of fire. that issued
from her summit. We can scarcely Won
der that a heather people woTshipad the
great Fujiama. for it was TO them the most
terrible emblem of power. They knew
none greater. Pilgrims still visit the era
ter to worship the sunrise.
A Land OF Villages.
THE Japanese arc gregarious. Along the
range of mountains re rarely see a single
house. but large villages nestle among the
hills. Evil has often Iurked near, and so,
both for safety and because they possess
social natures, they live in. communities.
It seems a contradiction to this that there
are temples in solitary places-on noun
tain tops or in secluded clumps OF trees
Pilsrinages are made to these shrInes-
Buddhism taught that in the fullness oe
life there is fuIlness Of sorrow, and thar
only in solitude can nature be mastered
and man ascend to the lofty heights OF
perfection.
Until recently every inch of ground,
even to the tops Of the high peaks, was put
under cultivation. The people were agri-
cultural, and to feed 0,G00, 600 people it
was needful that there be no waste But
establishments are increas-
ing, and there is more money. They sill
raise all that the land is capable of, but
there are waste places to be seen.
Rice was and is the staple of food, but
they are finding out that sturdy race
must have heterogeneous foods. and the i'm
ports are increasing. Last year the sugar
brought into the country amounted in
value to ST, 0000G0 The emergencies of
everyday life increase and men and wom-
en- must have new reserve of strength.
THE city Of Kobe, where I at present am
resting, owes its importance to its foreign
The same can be said Of Yo-
kohama Both were small fishing villages,
and not so long ago Kobe is a great i'm
porting point, because Osaka is very near,
which is the distributing city of all this
region The trade of Kobe is larger than
that of Yokohama, though the latter is an
export emporium. especially of silks
Il can say but little OF the situation in