Barbour County index., 1910-08-31

calls story with which he Is "a
miliar. Thus the doings of Yoshitsure,
the deeds of the II Ronin, and the acts
of the 100000 gods are favorite sub
jects. Besides these groups of flow
er figures at Dangozaka there are as
tonishing productions in the way OF
training single plants to curious and
absurd forms. This training is done
by tying individual shoots or branches
to slender splints. A favorite form
for such training is fan; but rings,
bicycles, tram cars, sailing vessels
with extended sails) are not beyond
the range of possibility.
The least significant of the three
forms of exhibit at Dangozaka is the
display of blossoms. There are. how
ever, some things of interest. Thus,
at present, there is great plant COW
cred with a sheet of bloom which is
composed, they say, of more than
thousand individual flowers.
There are many such chrysanthe-
mum shows just now in progress. One
which makes bid for a higher class
Of patronage is to be seen in the
great wrestling hall. This building, a
new one, is claimed to be the largest
audience hall in the whole Orient.
Just nowit is given up to chrysanthe-
NUNS. There Is a great show Of
blooming plants for sale as one ap-
proaches. Within there are the usual
groups of figures. Most startling ana
striking Of all of these Is a very eff
fective piece representing the famous
passage in the old mythology Of
UZum dancing to please the gods.
The gods look sadly like Ainu gentry;
they have long and heavy boards quite
unlike what might be expected of true
Japanese. They are represented as
sitting in a semicircle on the ground.
The background is magnificent mass
ing of green and blooming flowers,
broken at the middle by the opening
of the cave in which the sun goddess
has hidden herself. Several of the
gods. supplied with characteristic
Japanese instruments, seem to be
playing the accompaniment to the
"woman-of abounding-happiness" as
she dances. The god-of-the-strong-
arms has seized the great stone at the
entrance to the cave of the sun god
dess and is dragging 1t aside, reveal
ing the goddess herself against brill
liant rising sun. After passing q
series of finely executed groups, most
| ly traditional, although one comic
piece is distinctly modern, we come
to a final performance which Is curl
Gus and Enthusiastically Japanese. 1t
represents scenes In Yoshitsume's s
life. In it there is great vessel sup
! posed to represent Chinese pirate
| junk composed of flowers. The hero
is seen in a canoe. The vessel re-
wolves in the apparent water to the
great joy of the crowd of spectators.
When it has completed it's revolution
it suddenly falls to pieces, while new
actors brilliantly Illuminated with
numberless small electric lights OF
different colors come into the scene
At the same time the ceiling of the
space above the spectators disappears
and one seems to be standing be-
| HCdIH I1S CONOlOO Will POAuoA'
clusters of wistaria. This whole cell
ing lowers over the head Of the crowd
in a curious and striking way, simple
but effective. At the wrestling hall g
very notable competition is taking
| place in chrysanthemums. The prize
flowers have been carefully collared
with white paper collars to separate
them from their surroundings and tc
give an opportunity for critical judg
ment upon the elements which have
made them the winners of the prizes
offered.
Another chrysanthemum display is
on near Shiba park. Here the chrysan
themums in bloom are the attraction
There is also great display of the
little dwarfed trees for which Japar
is famous Here one may see ancien'
pine trees a little more than foo
or two in height, some of then
gnarled and twisted in the most fan
tastic fashions, initiating the wildes
freaks of nature; little naples, th'
delicate foliage of which is turning
little plum trees, whose leafess trunks
and branches tell that winter comes
Here, too, are stone gardens-bu
stone gardens are another story.
Copyright, 1910, by w. G. Chapman.)