The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-06

company's (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) best
and largest steamers, and set out from
the far east still farther east till we
reached the far west. One great and dis
agreeable novelty awaited us on this trip
in the shape of the worst storm the
and into which we had the misfortune to
run on the last day. before reaching the
first stop at Victoria, B. c. ,....z.s
This was the first city I had ever seen
outside Of Japan end what struck me as
very funny was that, the dock laborers,
porters, ETC., Wsre~all big. strong, white
men instead Of little Japanese coolies to
which had been accustomed all my life.
Still more was 1 struck upon landing to-
see even milk ice carts, and so on drawn
by big, strong horses with European
drivers on the box, instead Of being pro-
PEELED by the ubiquitous Japanese coolie,
who in his own country is used for a
T employed here. OF course this novelty
soon wore off and I was ready to enjoy
the sights Of the city.
OF course we have a European settle
ment in Yokohama with European office
buildings and residence part called the
bluff, where foreign residents live in
| houses built according to the style in
vogue in their own several countries. I
myself lived in a large, eight-roomed,
two stored, stone house with large
garden so l was not quite unaccustOmed
to buildings of that kind. But the height
of the houses in even so small town as
Victoria was surprise to me. In Japan
we cannot build higher than two or at the
| outside three stories, on account of earth
quakes, which we frequently experience
there, and the magnifcence Of the shops
still more astonished, me. Shops as they
are here do not exist in Japan, and the
display in the windows. the large num-
Der and variety of shops, dealing in gen.
tlemen's wear, ladies' apparel, shoes, UNI
brellas, etc., was an agreeable surprise
to me- I would have liked to stand an
hour before each shop, and still more
would have liked to go into each and buy
| to my hearts content. But the steamer
! would not wait, and so I deferred this
/ pleasant occupation till a later and better
| opportunity.
The scenery in coming up the straits of
| San Juan was so extraordinarily grand
| and beautiful, as to put anything we have
! in Japan into the shade. OF course,
| Japan, too, has fine views, as for exam
| pie the magnificent inland sea; but such
| a wealth of timber and snowy mountains
| in the distance I had never seen and
| the land Of the stars and stripes, to give
! me favorable impression of this coun-
| try. 2 Ill.
| The first United States port we reached
was Port Townsend, that magnifcently
situated port of entry to the state of
Washington, and here~I got the first in
sight into the smart, working, the quick
action, as we'll as the amiability and affa-
bility of Uncle Sans officials In japan
the behavior of officials is usually over
bearing and anxious to show their au-
thority, and so the department Of the
American officers was AN agreeable con-
trast to that of their brethren in Dai
| Nippon (fair Japan).
I have 40 doubt but that there are some
county superintendent who will oppose the
inspection Of any schools under their charge
upon various grounds Some will claim