The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-13
KANSAS NEWS.
A Salina Boy Writes of His
Trip to Manila.
Visited in Japan and Enjoyed the
Customs.
GEISHA GIRLS DANCE.
Claims That Feature Was a
Disappointment.
Enjoyed the Dinner of Soup
With Chop Sticks.
GEISHA GIRLS DANCE.

Sa1ina, Kan, Dec. 13.-The journal
says:
Archie Brooks. who left here Septem-
Der 20, for Manila, to resume his duties
as secretary of the Philippine Lumber
and Development company, has writ
ten his parents that he arrived at Hong
Kong, China, October 26, and that after
stay there of four or five days, he
would journey on to Manila.
Mr.. Brooks has been with the Philip
pine Lumber and Development company
for five years.
Mr.. Brooks came home this summer
on account OF his health and for the
purpose of visiting his parents. He
arrived here August 10, and expected
to remain until Christmas, but was
called back to Manila by cablegram.
He left here in September and went to
Vancouver, where he took passage on
the steamship Empress of India. The
ship sailed from Vancouver October 3,
and the first letter written by him to
his father, H. E. Brooks, was COM
menced October >, on board the ship.
Although this was no new experience
for Archie, yet he records that the first
thing he contracted was the worst case
of sea sickness he ever experienced.
Nine hundred and fOEty-tWO people in
Guiding the officers and ships crew
were on board the vessel, composed of
lords, dukes, sirs, ladies, milliOnaires,
Englishmen, Americans, French, Span
iards, East Indians, Chinese, Japanese
and Germans. The ship kept sharp
lookout for Russian gunbOats, and an
extra head of steam for the purpose of
being prepared to put up a lively race
If any Russian vessels appeared, but
the occasion did not arise Yokohama,
Japan, was reached October II.
The second letter was written after
leaving Yokohama, and it is a most in
teresting account of the scenes wit
messed in the Orient a few extracts
being herewith produced from the let
ter:
I'VE have passed Yokohama, and it
is certainly a beautiful place, though
We were unable to see very much on
account of a hard rain storm. The
boat only stayed here a short time and
our sight seeing had to be done with
q rush. We arrived at Kobe twenty
four hours after leaving Yokohama and
remained there nine hours. Kobe is the
prettieSt, CleaneSt city L have seen in
japan, and we had lovely weather for
sight seeing. We visited the shops and
residences, which are very pretty and
unique. The shops are very interesting
everything under the sun for sale,
and the little shopkeeper is only too
glad to show his wares as all tourists
are considered prospective buyers.
After visiting the shops we were ia
ken to a tea house where the Japanese
women served tea and cake On enter
ing the house we were asked to remove
our shoes and were given japanese SAN
dals instead. We then went into the
house and were ushered into a large,
square room. The girls brought in mats
for us to sit on and we all had to sit
down, tailor fashion, on the floor. Tea
and cake were served in dainty Japa-
nese china Not exactly china, but a
sort of lacquer ware, almost as thin as
tissue paper, and the girls seating them
selves in front Of us, ready to serve
anything we asked for. After the tea,
cigarettes and native wine were served
tn el,a n int
After the cigarettes and wine we
made arrangements for the Geisha and
Jon Kena dances. with four dancing
girls and two playing musical instru-
ments. The dances amount to nothing
at all except that you cannot say you
have been in Japan unless you have
seen the Geisha dance.
After leaving the tea house we went
to a japanese hotel and had a regular
Japanese dinner which tasted quite
good In going into the hotel we had
to take off our shoes again and wear
sandals. We were taken into the dining
room and given mats to sit upon, while
we took our meals from tables about a
foot high. Dinner was served all in one
course, smoked fish, raw fish, baked
fish, rice, soup and tea, and all had to
be eaten with the chop sticks. The food
itself is very good and the cooking
much like our own style, except that
rice takes the place of bread.
Leaving Kobe we went through the
Inland sea of Japan, the scenery being
perfectly grand. Leaving the Inland
sea we arrived at Nagasaki, and leav-
ing there at 3 o'clock in the afternoon
we sailed for WI Sung, a sea port at
the mouth of the Yang Isl Kiang river.
1t is the sea port for Shanghai. On ar
irving there we found the weather so
frightfully bad that we did not go
ashore, so / have missed the opportuni-
ty to see northern China and also the
dismantled Russian gunboatS. But one
thing we saw here and that was a coll
lection or about % battleShiDS reDre-
senting the United States. Great Brit
ain, Germany. France, Austria, Italy
and China The United States was rep
resented by eight boats, the largest be-