The Saint Paul globe., 1904-03-16

nual feast of boys. On that day the
Japanese stick up bamboo poles In
front of their houses. On the tops of
these poles are attached enormous
paper fishes of the most brilliant cOlors.
and these fishes swell out and flutter
in the breezes. The number of fishes
attached to each pole signifies the
number of boys in the house. In this
way the parents express the wish that
their boys may be able to ascend the
current Of life, overcoming all obsta-
cles, just as the carp goes UP the rlv-
ers in spite Of the current. All the
inhabitants go to the tops Of the neigh
boring hills to enjoy the queer spec
tacle of the city surmounted by these
singular fishes. Abundance Of healthy
and cheap amusements is one Of the
characteristic traits of Japanese life.
1.-THE Japanese are singularly fond
Of long walks in the country. They
admire all the changes which they find
in the scenery-all the different colors
of the land and the clouds, the reflec-
tions of the moon and the brilliance
of the snow. They follow with the eye
of an artist the movements of an ami
NAL, of a bird, or even of an insect.
I have seen japanese of a very humble
station in life standing for several
moments admiring the storks gliding
among the pine trees and the lanterns
of public garden. They know how
to take an interest in things to which
the most sensitive of Europeans are in
different. For flowers they have par
ticular devotion. The most popular
festivals, the national festivals, are
celebrated, not as they are among us,
+ to mark the anniversaries of bloody
battles or of wretched revolutions, but
to welcome the appearance of certain
flowers. They n 1ve along in joyous
bands from the beginning Of the month
of February, to admire the blossoms of
the plum trees and to enjoy their
odor, which is celebrated in their old
songs. They go to see the cherry trees
in blossom, at the beginning of April,
the azalias, the glycins at the beginning
Of May and the lotus in the month of
August. In autumn the red leaves of
the maple trees become the objects of
their delight. The first week in No
vember is the time for the chrysan-
themums.
I'm the suburbs of the great cities
each village is remarkable for the num-
Der of it's flowers. The public and pri-
vate gardens Of the Japanese are al
together different from ours. They have
graveled walks bordered by pines and
naples. There are immense trees,
dwarf trees and shrubs chosen for the
COlOT OI ln0lF leaves OF 1iOW0IS. ln0T0
is a lake; there are streams, bridges
rock work, stone lanterns and tiny
Shintoist chapels, all Of which form
the Indispensable elements Of Japan
ese garden. They are arranged like q
picture, following the rules of refined
aestheticism dating from the fifteenth
century and varying according to the
different schools. In. the garden of a
tea house Of Osaka asJapanese friend
said to me: In two weeks all Osaka
will come here in the H1erning to wit
ness the opening of the iris
Frequently in some spot, famous
for the beauty Of it's flowers or for the
magnificence of the landscape, wood
land, an island, a lake or a cascade,
temple is erected. Japanese families
love to go there. They bring the old
people and all the little children. It
is the gayest of all pilgrimages. At
first they go to salute the gods. The
gravel spread in front of the temple
crackles under the feet of the pilgrims,
and in this way notifies the gods that
visitors are approaching. These Wis
itors ring little bells and clap their
hands to call up the gods, just as they
do in the taverns to call up the serv-
ants. Then, with smiling faces, they.
say short prayer and drop their con-
tributions into the boxes, after which
they visit the temple and admire the
antique sculptures and the gilded lac
quers Finally they all go off in family
groups to chat and to laugh in the tea
houses ablished In the neighborhood
of the holy places.