The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-05-13
JAPAN IN TIME OF PEACE.
The Inhabitants of the Island En-
pire Are the Happiest Peo-
pie in the World.

cat Yokohama | witnessed the annual
feast of boys" says writer in the Re-
vue de Paris. ION that day the jap
anese 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 fiutter 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 al obstacles, just
as the carp goes up the rivers in spite
of the current. All the inhabitants go
to the tops of the neighboring hills to
enjoy the queer spectacle of the city sur
, rounded by these singular fishes. Album
dance of healthy and cheap amuse-
ments is one of the characteristic traits
Of japanese life.
1.-THE japanese are singularly fond OF
long walks in the country. They al,
mire all the changes which they find in
: the land and the clouds, the reflections
of the scenery-all the different colors
! of the moon and the brilliance of the
! snow They follow with the eye OF an
! artist the movements of an animal, of
! a bird. or even of an insect. | have
seen japanese of very humble station
) In life standing for several moments adj
miring the storks gliding among the
pine trees. and the lanterns of pub
lie garden. They know how to take an
interest in things to which the most
sensitive of Europeans are Indifferent.
For flowers they have particular devc-
ton. The most popular festivals, the
national festivals, are celebrated not as
they are among us, to mark the ami
versaries of bloody battles or OF
wretched revolutions, but to welcome
the appearance of certain flowers. They
move along in joyous bands, from the
beginning of the month of February to
admire the blossoms of the plum tree
and to enjoy their odor, which is cele-
brated in their old songs. They go to
see the cherry trees in blossom, at the
beginning of April, the azaleas, the
glycins at the beginning of May and the
lotus in the month of August In au-
tumn the red leaves of the maple trees
become the objects of their delight. The
first week in November is the time fol
the chrysanthemums.
I'm the suburbs of the great cities
each village is remarkable for the mum
Der of it's flowers. The public and priv.
ate gardens of the Japanese are alto
gether different from ours. They have
graveled walks bordered by pines ant
naples. There are immense trees, dwar
trees and shrubs chosen for the color q
the leaves or flowers. There is lake
there are streams, bridges, rock work
stone lanterns and tiny Shintols
chapels. all of which form the indispens
, able elements of japanese garden
They are arranged like a picture, follow
); ing the rules of refined aestheticism dat
ing from the fifteenth century and vary
ing according to the different schools
In the garden of tea house of Osak;
J japanese friend said to me: In tw'
, weeks all Osaka will come here in tn
morning to witness the opening OF tn
, iris
Frequently in some spot, famous 10
the beauty of its flowers or for the mag
nificence of the landscape, woodland
, an island, a lake or cascade, tempt
; lis erected japanese families love to g
there. They bring the old people and al
the little children At first they go t
salute the gods. The gravel spread Il
front of the temple crackles under tn
feet of the pilgrims, and in this notihe
the gods that visitors are approaching
These visitors ring little bells and ella
their hands to call up the gods, just
they do TN the taverns to call up the serV
ants. Then, with smiling faces, they sa
a short prayer and drop their contribu
lions into the boxes, after which the
visit the temple and admire the antlqu
sculptors and the gilded lacquers. Final
ly they all go off in family groups t
chat and to laugh in the tea houses es
tablished in the neighborhood of tn
holy places"