The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-12

clay. He makes birds, OF which every
feather is a separate scala OF iron; in
| sects, crabs. and lobsters--all with
movable joints: and even animals
whose iron exteriors seem to be COM
posed of rough hair. At Nagasaki, Is
a guild of tortoise shell workers. At the
works OF sakata. they take the rough
| shell of the reptile and fashion it into
| boats, fan frames. miniature temples,
jewelry, card cases, photograph frames
flowers, and odd ornaments which are
unknown to our civilization.
Masters of Horticulture.
The fame of japanese horticulturists
and florists is now worldwide. They
have given to us the double peach
blossoms, the California plumcot, and
numberless types of camelias, chry-
santhemums, azaleas, and Japonicas.
In fact, "Japonica" is but the Latinized
form of Japanese"
The United States Agricultural De-
partment, under Secretary James Will
son, has done wonders and the good
work continues in developing and i'm
proving seeds and plants imported
from Japan. The distinguished horti-
culturist, Luther Burbank, of Califor-
mia, is the creator and developer of the
rich and beautiful fruits and flowers
that are the pride of the Pacific coast
states; and they are all the result of
his original method of liberalization of
the Japanese plants with the best
American varieties.
In their carvings the Japanese range
from heroic statues down to the tiny
creations so small as to require mag
nifying glass to disclose their beauty.
While their painting is inferior to
ours in mathematical perspective, 1t is
superior in coloring, chromatic har-
mony, light and dark and composition.
Their superiority in light and dark,
or "spotting," is so marked that mod
ern artists have adopted their word
"notan" for the better expression of
the technical fact.
I am not an art critic. and, there
fore. cannot give an expert opinion
upon their queer invention of the dou-
BILE horizon. Neither can l speak with
any authority upon their theory of
plant harmonies and discords. But,
nevertheless, 1 know that through
these methods the japanese art mas
tiers produce effects so powerful, and
often so startling. that they are now
made special subjects of study in the
are schools of America and Europe.
When 1t comes TO ceramics, I find
| it difficult to repress my admiring
enthusiasm. In cloissonne art the best
of the world has never begun to equal
| the creations and productions of the
| japanese kilns. In metallic glazes in
| combinations of metal and earthen-
ware, in enamels and majoltca they
| are unrivaled.
To the Japanese mind nothing is too
poor to be beautiful. or too common
| to be beautified. The cheapest bamboo
walking stick is covered with beautiful,
grotesque, or symbolic carving. The
| little lacquer or metal platter, on
which your card is received, is upheld
by the three comical monkeys of
Nicko or embraced by an undulating
dragon. The kite flown by the small
| boy is a bird, beast, or reptile in
outline and color. The very trees
| and bushes are made to grow ip fam
tastic shapes of birds, fish, or animals,
so that everything in Japanese life sug-
gests and even points out the omni-
| presence of human power and intel
| ligence. Life In Japan for this rea-
son is a perpetual series of pleasant
surprises unnumbered, ever varying.
They have a tradition in Yokohama
that no good American or Englishman
ever returns to his native land. After
strenuous New York and over-crowd-
| ed London, Japan becomes the
land of the Lotus Eaters. 1t
is not surprising, as is fire.
quently heard said on the ter
| race of Yokohama's Grand Hotel,
| fronting the beautiful bay of Tokyo,
| that Sir Edwin Arnold and Lafcadio
Heard fell in love with Japanese life.
1t appeals to what is common in all
people-the love of ease, comfort, and
| beauty.
In our Western civilization these
are neglected. In Dali Nippon they are
great facts which appeal to all within
/ ifc horderS