The farmer and mechanic., 1913-12-02

We had a rather rough trip from
Seattle to Yokohama on the "Shid-
yuoka Maru' Of the Nippon Yuson |
Kaisha and had the racks on the ta-
BILE most OF the time. Some OF the |
ladies resigned their seats at the table |
early in the proceedings but most Of
nc were old sailors and preferred the
tail end Of a typhoon to dead mo-
notoDy. Part OF the time we made
nver 200 knots a day but for three
days running we averaged less than
$50. the ship spending the other 50
knots in pitching and rolling. we
took the Great Circle which brought
us close TO Unalaska and about SIX
days out we saw the snowy SUBMITS
of one Of the Aleutian Island. We
met only one ship during the whole
T., days but saw plenty of whales and
porpoises, while petrels followed US
the whole way over. We crossed the
1SOth meridian at night SO did not
see il. The menu at dinner read
Tuesday, September 80, while at
breakfast the next morning 1t read
Thursday. October End. The first OF
october. 1913, like the 5th of Septem-
ber 1916 Of my previous trip, was lost
out Of my calendar entirely. Seems
funny to lose two days out of ones
life and never see them go. We NOV
ed the clock back about half an hour
every night, amounting TO Z hours
and 10 minutes by the time we got to
Yokohama. but as we jumped a whole
day on arrival we we're 16 3-4 hours
ahead Of Seattle, and the cable l sent
must have gotten home long before
| sent it,
find Japan as interesting as ever.
and in it's state of transition the close
contrast Of Eastern and Western
Methods and customs is most instruct
i've One sees the most up-tO-date
bank buildings Of stone and cement
side by side with the flimsy native
honses of smooth wood and oiled pa
per. men in full European costumes
side by side with those in kimOna and
the right Of way over rikshas and
heavy cars pulled by men, narrow anG
unpaved and i'll smelling lanes open.
ing out from broad, we'll constructed
avenues along which run mOderr
electric cars. The bulk OF the people
still live, eat. dress and act as thei
forefathers did, but signs Of Westerl
ideas are to be seen everywhere, es
pecially in the large cities.
- United and Cosmopolitan.
What impresses one most in travel
within a couple of decades the wOrl'
which was formerly sectional an
provincial has begun to become unite
and cosmopolitan; in every cOuntr
the best and most advanced ideas a
TO housing, social customs and meth
ods of commerce and government ar
being eagerly sought after and adopt
ed to local needs; and as the railroad
the steamship and the telegraph, ne
TO mention the rapidly increasin
population, tend to bring people
shoulder to shoulder and to brea
down barriers this old planet is be
coming a much better and more con
Portable one on which to live. N
the least significant sign Of the time
is the trend towards the city beautifu
and in Japan as in America, in Ge
many, in India, we find the paths b.
ing made broad and straight and SUI
shine being let in. In japanese citi
there were formerly only narrow, VI
paved lanes without sidewalks al
with practically no sanitation, but t
day in Tokyo, KyOtO, Oseka, ct
there are being driven through ca,
town broad. straight avenues wi
curbed sidewalks, street cars, electr
lights, sewerage, etc, and as the O
buildings are torn down to make W.
for these they are largely replac
with better and more up-tO-da
a lot Of this work, and as they had
large center from which to start I
work there has been easier.
In old times the Shotgun or gene
alissimo who exercised the preroe
tive Of the Emperor resided at I
kyO. His palaces were within
mOated wall and outside were t
other circumscribing walls WI
moats. the intermediate spaces bel
% \
mios and barracks for their retaine
In 1868 the Emperor seized the
ecutive power and occupied the pa
ces Of the Shotgun, but the first spa
outside was parked and the seco
given over to modern banks, theatr
and place of business, while the ou
wall is now utilized in part as
embankment for suburban elect
ears. in these outer grounds in
center of the city broad avenue '
constructed all the way around
inner moat and from this beginni