Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-04-30
JAPAN IN TIME OF PEACE.
The Inhabitants of the Island En- pire Are the Happiest Peo-
 pie in the World.

least Of bOyS, says a writer in the Re- vue de Paris. ''On 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 flutter in the breezes The number of fishes attached to each pole signifies the number of boys in the house. Tn this way the parents express the wish that their boys may be able to ascend the current of life, overcoming all 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. Abun- dance of healthy and cheap amuse- ments is one of the characteristic traits of Japanese life.
 "The Japanese are singularly fond of long walks in the country. They ad- 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 I have seen Japanese of a very humble station in life standing for several moments ad- miring the storks glidiSg 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 devo- tion. 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 for the chrysanthemums.
 "In the suburbs of the great cities each village is remarkable for the num- Der of it's flowers The public and priv ate gardens of the Japanese are alto gether different from ours. They have 1 graveled walks bordered by pines and naples There are immense trees, dwarf trees and shrubs chosen for the color of the leaves or flowers. There is a lake; there are streams, bridges, rock work,
 stone lanterns and tiny Shintoist l chapels, all of which form the indispens- able clements of a Japanese garden. They are arranged like 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 Osaka a Japanese friend said to me: Tn two weeks all Osaka will come here in the morning to witness the opening of the l iris'
 'Frequent1y in some spot, famous for the beauty of it's flowers or for the mag nif1cence of the landscape, a woodland, an island, lake or cascade, a temple l is erected Japanese families love to go there They bring the old people and all
 the little children 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 notifies the gods that visitors are approaching. 1 These visitors ring little bells and clap I their hands to call up the gods, just as they do in the tayerns to call up the serv-
 ants. Then, with smiling faces, they say l a short prayer and drop their contribu- tions into the boxes, after which they visit the temple and admire the antique
 sculptors and the gilded lacquers. Final
 ly they all go off in family groups to
 chat and to laugh in the tea houses es- tablished in the neighborhood of the
 holy places.