Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-09-19
a time beneath the cherry trees with.

a time beneath the cherry trees with
out moving an eyelash, without utter
ing a word. Buddhistic contempla
ton the enthusiasts call it, but liner
tia is perhaps better word, and tn,
idea uppermOst in my mind about 4
Is a vague conception Ut an orienta
economy in pleasures which makes Al
unutterable, sacred much out of al
natures fleeting gifts,
Season 10 Fleeing.
And how fleeting this wonderful Ia
pan cherry season is. The plum bios
SONS. less beloved but scarcely less
beautiful, come in February and clins
to the trees for weeks. Indeed. ever
now in mid-Apri1 one may find them
IN low spots where the sunlight is
never very strong, but the cherry bios
SONS last only few days, and that
Is doubtless why the time seems like
great holiday in the land; why ev
erybody neglects all other things tc
go and sit beneath the trees and
dream. It is an indescribable thine
this cherry season. Even to paint
word pictures of the extravagance
OF the beauty of it, is thing impossi.
| BILE. but could that be done there
would still be much left to do in find.
ing ones way through the mystic
mazes of national sentiment which is
like nothing ever comprehended by
occidental mind. am in Toxic. the
strangest city in the world-a mar.
velous medley of sights and sounds,
l try to think what it must have been
&c hand of progress applied to its old,
useless, picturesqueness, such an un.
skillful motley of modern patches.
IN winter time when so many of the
trees are leafless this gaunt new out
wardness of Toxic is decidedly irri-
tating. One longs to get glimpses be-
hind the high unbeautiful fences
which screen SO successfully all that
Is of Toxic beautiful or japanese,
but one seldom does and as the win
ter days go by firm conviction that
no uglier city exists upon earth set
Ties itself in ones mind to the alb
solute destruction of certain fantas.
nc poesies which are always sure tn
illuminate ones first impression of
japan. But gradually the austerity of
winter begins to melt under the warm
smiling Of the February sun and then
suddenly upon many bare branches
that reach out over the high walls lit
tie pink blossoms begin to appear and
wee soft bird, with sad note in
It's beautiful song, begin to fill all the
bright mornings with thrillings. The
plum blossom and the uguisu under
the gray pink February skies form
combination which nature fashioned
in her gentlest mood and the burst
of joy which follows it at the bios
soming of the myriad cherry trees
seems fitting climax to so sweet a
herald of approaching summer. Over
almost every wall, over every wall in
deed, cherry trees lift their bare
branches through the February days
and slowly as the sun brightens their
provinces turns to purple, which
slowly fades to an expectant pinken-
ing flush. To me this promise time is
more beautiful in way than the time
of full blooming when Toxic becomes
a blushing. intoxicantly fragrant gar
den, and yet nothing was ever so
beautiful in the world as this.
A Bewitching Sight.
All that has been said, all that has
been written, the sentiment which has
named Japan the Land of First Sun
beams, the Flowery Kingdom, all the
enthusiasm, the hyperbole, is just and
unexaggerated, for never did the sun
rise upon more bewitching sight
than the 100000 cherry trees of
the little island empire in the full
glory of their mid-April Towering.
"The shine of day, the sheen of night,
are drowned in cherry blossoms light"
but what pity think we aliens that
beneath this rose pink glow there are
no joying throngs: no bursts of ex.
uberant youthful songs, no shouting
of rollicling. noisy children; no low
ers lost in dreams in such a dream.
land. To be sure there are throngs,
great, bright throngs moving restless
ly about or sitting motionless among
the trees, but they make no sign of
Joy and are silent save for the clank
clonk of their wooden shoes upon the
graveled walks If burst of song
reaches ones ears it is from the lips
of some staggering students and is
a resolved little note without mean
ing to senses trained to the positive,
the assertive in melody. It will express
sentiment of Japan to the Japanese
no doubt, and sound as heavenly sweet
to their ears as carolings of native
songs to ours, but it will only serve
to conceal from us all that is meant
to reveal. 1t is only weird fantastic
gurgling as inadequate to the express
sion of the feelings with which the
bright season inspires us as any sound
could possibly be.