The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-29

San Francisco, We beat the eKorea'ss
4 time twenty-seven minutes in carrying
( the Hartman party. Hurrah! How we
/ all cheer. But it is all over in a min
i ute and the Korea soon. ecomes only
a cloud of smoke and black speck on
/ the water
The japanese are great people to bow
E 10 each other5 when two japanese gen
/ tlemen are introduced. they bow very
low twice. The men are always bow
ing and taking their hats off to each
other; but when a crowd enters a pub
lie car, the women make way for the
men to enter first When a porter
takes your hand baggage at railway
station and shows you to your car, ne
takes off his hat and bows politely
when he leaves you. Without exception,
the japanese are -the p0litest people i
have ever seen. They are always bow
ing and scFaping to each other, and we
have seen so much of this that Mateel
and / practice it in our rooms at the
hotel; I bow to her twice, and she bows
twice to me. When it is dull, we amuse
ourselves by bowling and Scraplng to
each other; if I should be fortunate
enough to meet those two Processes
again, I hatter myself that I viii be
able to paralyze them. When they
bowed to me yesterday L was too much
surprised to do myself justice.
And when it is recorded in the
archives of the State Historical socle-
ty at Topeka that the two young
daughters Of his majesty, the En-
peror of Japan, bowed to the Atchison
party in a public park in Toxic, let II
be specifically mentioned that the bows
were directed to me; my daughter ao-
mits it. and is mad about It. The Fed
Grafton of W0men's clubs at the next
meeting at Hutchinson, will probably
pass resolutions cCndemnlng the pau
49, .5--- TrvE
mains that the princesses bowed to
ne.
Wonderful people, these japanese,
They have trap for catching ne15. II
is a metal affair, built something like
toast rack. This trap is placed in your
bed when you retire. The bows hold
the cover off the bottom of the trap,
where is placed a sugary, sticky mix
ture, containing human blood. In this
sticky mixture the heas become en-
tangled and die
It is so quiet in the great dining
room of the hotel that am almost
afraid to speak above a whisper The
beef served is a revelation; I think l
never tasted really good beef before
Is it in the cooking, L wonder! but
the Imperial is a European and not
a japanese hotel. must ask the
manager where the beef comes from
We are always hearing that the best
Kansas beef is shipped away this
must be some of it. And while [ do
not like to travel on the ocean,
must admit that it produces wonder
full fish. Having been brought up on
catfish and sunfsh. and buffalo fish,
the fish here are another revelation.
1 am sincerely glad that the ocean is
good for something.
The guests at the hotel are also
strange to me. Two Of them look like
Italian baritones in grand opera COM
panies. Three others are here as a
delegation from the pope to call on
the mikadO (whose daughters bowed
to mel.
dine with every day. He is an Eng |
lishman we met on the ship. We were
rather fond of him, and saw good /
deal of him. When the ship landed in |
Yokohama, government tug came
off to meet him. with two japanese I
gentlemen. Inquiry developed that he /
was the representative of a dozen I
London banks which have decided to /
loan the japanese government ten [
million dollars, providing the security /
is satisfactory, and the Englishman's |
business here is to look into the securi- /
ties. He viii remain in Japan eight I
or ten months. We met him at the /
Imperial hotel soon after our arrival (
in Toxic, and have eaten all our
meals at his table. One evening he I
showed us his rooms on the ground /
floor They were engaged for him in /
advance and are very handsome. He /
is to be presented to the mikado, and I
to all the big men of the country. He +
is very modest and secretive concern i
ing his own affairs. The statement /
concerning his business here I got T
from Frank Pixley who was news /
gatherer before he became a writer of /
comic operas. The Englishman has I
intimated that possibly he may be I
able to show us some sights ordinary
travellers do not see; but uHfortun- I
ately, our time is limited, and we will |
not be able to take advantage of the /
very unusual opportunity. E. w H.