Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-09-14

lected. The shed before the altar
contains indeed some curious yotives.
among them a great board on which
are represented in brilliant colors and
poor art the heads Of something like
300 horses. each accompanied by a
written name Why these horses
should be here represented by
votive we cannot say. but interesting
surmises might be framed. On either
side of the supporting cobwork there
are cavities within the limestone rock.
One OF them is directly under the shrine
itself The other has been cut into
the opposite wall of the rock cleft
diagonally through 70 the natural
front face of the ridge. In both these
cavities there are today ranged great
numbers of little figures Of the kind
preston of loneliness here in their
chilly. unsunned. neglected caves.
Some modern genius is developing
a curious idea in the case of this line
cliff. At present passageways and
rooms are being excavated in IL. There
is a main entrance several feet in
width and height, rectangular in
form. and developed to represent the
doorway of a rather imposing edifice
which opens directly into a fairly
large room cut in the solid rock. This
room is decorated with urns and vases
left in the cutting. Near by, a small
er room, also rectangular, has a plat
fol 10 oil
ing from the original rock mass; it
also opens to the outside world. but
by a much narrower and less impor-
tant doorway. The two rooms are
connected at their rear by a narrow
passage cut through the living rock.
From the large room other Railways
have been begun, and apparently the
plan is to develop in this place
series of carefully made rooms with
furnishings all from the living rock.
So far as we could learn Of this room,
the place will be used, and has been
used already, as a social hall or res
taurant.
Is 1t not curious how an old idea
affects all following time? Unques-
tionably the shrine of Kwannon in its
rocky cleft and the groups of Kwan-
non figures in the caves below have
been suggested by the old-tfme cav
erns. Had they not been, the strange
idea of the religious founders would
scarcely have been given BIRTH and
so II is the fact that some ancient
men dug homes in the old cliff, that
led some recent financier to under
take this strange. rock-cut restaurant
or refreshment hall
But we hear the tin horn OF the
basha driver, hasten back TO the road
side. and crowd our way into the I'M
fortunate vehicle. A seventh passen-
ger has to share the seat with the
driver, and we jolt away five miles
to the station. where we arrive with
less than Ave minutes to spare to
train time.
Japan IS a great country OF con-
noisseurs and collectors; It is a land
Of perennial exhibits. Yesterday we
had the pleasure of seeing a curious
collection by a well-known connois-
seur. a man of wealth. education and
position. It was the collection of
toys of Marquis Tokugawa. The
marquis is a younger member of the
family of the last of the Shoguns OF
Japan. He has a beautiful property
behind the Shiba park. On his prop
erty a large building is devoted to
his private library, one of the best in
all Japan. He is interested in vari-
Gus subjects in ethnography and an.
thropology. and among other things
has made a very considerable cOllec-
ton Of toys not only Japanese. but
from all portions of the world. These
have been on exhibition to invited
guests for the past three days. and
it was this exhibition that we had
the pleasure OF seeing
There had been large attendance
of visitors. and printed catalogues
were given to all. Several large halls
were devoted to the display which
was arranged upon a series of tables
and to some degree upon the walls.
A classification had been adopted, and
the specimens arranged with reference
to 1t. Japan. as everyone knows. is a
veritable children's paradise. Nothing
is too good for the little ones. From
the beginning of the year at January
/. with its kites and battledore and
shuttlecock, on to the closing of the
year, the childrens' year is marked
by a succession of toys appropriate
to the season. Lafcadio Hearne never
wearled of mentioning the variety and
daintiness of these devices. Well.
here they were displayed in all va
riety Notable of course. were the
different kinds of dolls. in which
Japan delights. There are dolls in old
families that have been passed on
from generation to generation through
200 years. In the dolls of such col
lectious one may follow something of
the history of hairdressing among
these people There are dolls of
every size from little creatures less
than a half-inch in height to dolls as
large as the children for whose amuse-
ment they were fabricated. Most curl
Gus perhaps of all are the dolls with
little heads of peas and clothes of
ancient damasks and brocades; these
are 200 years or more of age. Also
notable amoug the toys of Japan are
the great variety and range of wire
puzzles: we have ourselves some OF
these. but in comparison with the
Japauese ours are nothing. Il kite