Morris tribune., 1906-07-14

discomfort, but am told that they do
not live long. It is bad form, from
the standpoint of your guide, to take
carriage or to ride horeback in
Japan. The rickisha trust has boy
cotted the horse.
If the national carriage is the ricki-
sha, surely the national tree is the
bamboo. What the pine is to the
American, the bamboo is to the Japan
csc. Yes, and more too, for so far as
know we do not depend upon the
pine for our food. The Japanese eat
the young bamboo sprouts and the
roots; these are delicacies in fact
Then for all sorts of building purposes
the lath for the interior, the frame for
the roof, uprights for the verandas,
pickets for fences, framework for
umbrellas, cave troughs and water
mains for the villages, and thousand
other uses. once saw surveyors
chain made of thin stripes of bamboo.
The Japanese are famous as carpen-
| tiers and artisans in other lines. Es-
! pecially in the making of little deli
cate articles do they excel. The car
| penter uses all his tools backwards Cor
else we do and he plans his house
backwards for he builds the roof first.
| hardly think that in the doing of
larger work, this little oriental COM
pares at all favorably with the man
from the West but certainly he shows
a wonderfully skilled hand as he works
out the details of his toy-ike house.
We spent some pleasant hours in
specting the Girls Mission school at
Kobe. 1t was organized by the
American Board of the Congregation
al church and now holds a command
ing position in Japan. 1t was pioneer
in the work of promoting education
for the girl in Japan. The school
system of Japan is justly regarded as
one of the best in the world. It is
distinctly modern and patterned on
western lines. The work for girls
however is still much criticized and
private schools are springing up all
over the empire.
After the week spent in Kobe, we
engaged a guide for the rest of our
tour and from that moment we had to
arrange nothing. Our slightest want
was anticipated. If we desired to go,
we went; if our ihclinations babe us
stay, we stayed. The first journey
was down to Miyajima, one of the
three great sights of Japan. Miyajima
is a sacred island in the Inland Sea
where is an historic Shinto Shrine.
At high tide the temple, which is built
on piles, is partially surrounded by
water. The "torii" Or shinto gate is
in the water even at low tide. This
particular tori is a favorite theme for
artists and photographers. We saw
the temple first at night when all the
temple lanterns were lighted for us.
ct is probably needless to remark
that we paid for the illumination.)
The Japanese stone or bronze lanterns
are unique part of every temple.
Some are most beautifully carved and
have stood for centuries about the
temple grounds and have become
colored by the elements. Next day
we visited the temple which is ramb-
ling affair and this particular one is
much painted and be-laquered, though
as a rule the Shinto shrines are very
simple, in fact were designed at first
as simple huts. Here again Buddhism
has tinged the native religion Off re-
ligion it can be now called and add
ed the ornate and decorative features.
The chief priest here is "baron" and
a very genial man he proved to be.
We were invited into an ante-room
and we were treated to some tea Chat
awful Japanese tea it was too.) We
conversed through the medium of the
guide and discovered that our host
was much interested in America.
Later he arranged for sacred dance
for our special benefit. 1t was a weird
performance and the music (?) was of
the same character, Or worse, as the
Egyptian and other Eastern melodies.
be it said for the Japanese dance how
ever, that whatever it lacks in grace,
it is at least most modest, be the
dance sacred or profane. l cannot
confess to being powerfully impressed
with the grace or movement of any of
the native dances. There is stiffness
and rigidity and stiltedness which isn't
attractive. The charming feature of
the Japanese dance, apart from it's
modesty, is the color effect of the cos
tunes. Later in Kyoto, we saw a
"cherry dance" and the color scheme
was about perfect. Of Japanese
music, the less said the better. If you
\ ,soA L