The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1906-02-09
THE JAPANESE AT HOME,
A Spokane Man Writes His ObserVa-
ton oD Their Character.

There recently appeared IN Ine
Spokesman-Reyiewa letter from Louis
Zeigler, who left Spokane in November
last with his wife, taking passage on
the Hill liner, Minnesota, for a trip
around the world.
II have some leisure from sightsee-
ing in this wonderful city and land, SO
shall iot down to you some OF my i'm
pressions of Japan. This lowery en-
pire is charming in many ways. 1t Is
one grand panorama of beautiful scenic
effects: its mountains and wales, its
hills and glades, its land and sea, its
peoples manners, customs and habits,
are all unlike those of other lands and
other folks. They are literally quaint,
queer and unique.
This great cluster Of isles, eighteen
in number, is surely the creation of
some tremendous upheayal caused by a
natural CONFUSION in the very, very
long ago. The form in which nature
left this part of the earth after she
brought it from the bottom of the sea is
highly interesting. The land is quite
mountainous and rocky, but the valleys
are very productive; were they not So
Japan could not possibly support her
$4,000, 900 Of interesting people, for
some say Il can find no authentic statis-
tics) that only one-eighth of her area
is tillable. ] hardly think the percent
age SO small but even if it were all till
able she could not support this vast
mass of humanity without the aid of
the ocean. Sea food is one of the main
factors of sustenance with these folk
81 am particularly impressed with
the mildness, patience and gentle II an
ners of the people so densely crowded
together l have seen no broil, no
rudeness, no drunkenness, no quarrel,
even in the most crowded streets; all
is forbearance, gentleness, and mu-
tual desire to aid each other in their
pursuits. Especially am l impressed
with their uniform kindness to chill
dren and their Difference TO the aged
and decrepit.
They are very courteous to strangers.
can not help assembling this more than
human excellence (from our stand
point to the mild and gentle doctrines
of the great Buddha Gautama, whose
teachings inculcated love, kindness,
mildness and perfect and universal
federation. The manner Of these peo-
pie are governed by code of morals
and ethics nowhere else in vogue, that
| know of. The ethical trinity is:
Meditation, forbearanee, and silence.
The moral trinity is: See no evil; hear
no evil; speak no evil. Can there be
doctrine more excellent than this?
In all or most of the temples we see
these principles symbolized by the
sacred monkeys; one with his hands
clapped over his eyes; the other over
his ears; and the third, over his mouth.
These monkeys are not worshipped
neither are the gods or statues of the
gods. 1t is the principle only which is
represented to the minds eye by these
figures.
"You may say that ] am enthusiastic
over the Japanese character [ confess
that l am, for in this line Of thought
they surpass US, and in the line of de-
pertinent they lead US by far. When
you see them in their daily life, you
will not longer wonder why they over
came the Russians in so short time.
With the japanese everything is love
for country, home, father, mother.
wife, children, brother and sister.
Life 10 them is nothing without these.
These sentiments animated them TO
desperate deeds. Then, too, they are
a very athletic race Of men; their daily
life tends to make them SO. | never
saw such physical development in men
before; they have legs like weavers'
beams and muscles capable Of enduring
endless .stoil. The jinricksha man
takes you 10 his cart and trots with
you for hours and miles without the
least sign of fatigue. He is Injured to
hard labor from childhood, and be will
easily bear what our people or the
Russians could not endure.
'Japan is fast coming to the front in
manufactures and commerce. The
japanese are shrewd and quick Of
mind. 1t is they whom we have to
fear as our future competitors in man.
ulactures-not the English and the
Germans.