Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-07-19
JAPAN AT THE FAIR.
The Energetic Little Country Great in
Peace as Well as War.
(By Frank Eberle.D


landscapes in every conceivable shade
most beautiful of all ware is Japan
csc process carefully preserved.
Some of these cloisonnee vases are
valued at several thousand dollars
each. They are in all shapes and
sizes, from a few inches to eight feet
high.
There is also a great display of Jap
anese porcelain ware of many varie-
ties, sizes and colors, and thousands
of brOnzes that are truly artistic. The
carving is uneXcelled, the expression
being 50 nearly perfect as human be-
inSs can make.
Beautifully carved furniture is to be
seen in many varieties. The coloring
is of the rich and artistic character
for which the Japanese are so famous.
There are magnificently carved cabi-
nets of red and black lacquer and gold.
lacquer tea tables inlaid with gold and
fine wood. One can gaze with wonder
for hours on these many thousand
beautiful pieces of Japanese work and
dazzling evidence of Japanese skill.
Passing from the beauties in wood,
metal and porcelain, the visitor ap-
liCCntly display of fine embroidery.
Here are kimUnOS i'll the richest silk,
embroidered in most beautiful cOlOrS
and various other articles in silk, such
as parasOls, fans, curtains and wall or
namcnts. Just beyond are many fine
pictures of animals, birds and land
scapes.. embroidered i'll silk. No oil
paintings were ever more perfect or
more true To life. There is a picture
of a CoCktight. with feathers flying in
the air 50 natural in appearance that
the scene seems real and the birds
actually alive.
There are deliberately embroidered
screens which required years to make;
magnificent silk shawlS. handkerchiefs
and other articles for ladies', thousands
of yards of the finest silks; toys in
endless variety, fine furs, kimOnis of
many co.ors. painting and gliding on
leather, a great collection of Japanese
hats, Japanese lanterns of all sizes.
shapes and colorS and thousands of
beautiful things made by the skillfuI
hands of the artistic Japanese.
y model of silk factory is a feat
ure of the exhibit here, too the
thOroughness is manifest in every de-
tail There is model of the house
where the silkworms are reared and
cared for, another building shows
where the silk is spun and woven, and
the entire process of silk culture is
fully displayed.
In the palace OF education the Japa-
nese exhibit offers another surprise,
All the schools of Japan have dis
plays and more evidences of Japanese
thoroughness and attention to detail
are given. Charts show the school
attendance, averages, the number of
readers in library, number of copies
of journals published, expenditures, etc.
The Japanese school course con-
sists of eight years i'll the primary,
five years in the intermediate, three
years in the high school and in the
university three and four years. They
have three kindergartenS also and
their technical schools, normal schools
and agricultural schools, besides their
regular paid institutes, just as they
exist in Europe and America. In the
public schools the boys are taught
bronze work, wood carving, lacquer
work and to paint in water colors and
the girls are taught embroidery.
Great care is shown in the methods
employed. and nothing is omitted that
might aid in perfecting the education
OF Japanese children.
The busy Japanese are fully alive
to their fishery interests and have an
IL Of Eg-n &c
tackle and fishing appliances of every
description in their well-equipped sec
ton in the forestry. fish and game
building. Nine distinct varieties Of
fishing boats are shown. There are
row boats with peculiar oar. giving
the side stroke to propel the boat,
which is decided improvement over
the ordinary oar.
In the palace of agriculture Japan 5
agricultural display asserts itself. 1t
is in charge of X. y. OhaShi, Japanese
commissioner to the worlds fair, and
is arranged with great taste as well
as completeness. The rice exhibit is
the principal feature and every phase
of rice culture is infinitely shown.
The grain is taken from the time it
sprouts to the matured stalk bearing
the ripened rice. 20 varieties of which
are exhibited. The insects that injure
rice are shown in glass cases and the
diseases affecting rice are shown in
their several stages of development.
The methods of hunting the insects
destructive TO rice as shown in photo
graphs and drawings.
\ large display of fruits is eX-
hibited. the Japanes" persimmOn being
present in many varieties. Fruit cul-
ture in all stages is seen in pictures
and drawings. The culture of tea and
methods of growing tea scientifically
are shown in detail. even the fertili-
zers required b. certain soils being
displayed.
There is a tobacco exhibit of con
siderable magnitude. In Japan to-
bacco is a government monopoly. The
| exhibit shows the land desirable for
| tobacco and the methods of tobacco