The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-02-14
FROM BOMBAY TO FRISCO
Paper Read Before the Prison Chautauqua Describing
"A Voyage From the Orient to the Occdentl
By Mr.. L.. j. w.
By Mr.. L. j. w.

AOOo-anQ Cno clgarCGCcS anu To-
bacco they disentangled from old
boots and old curios from ancient
India and other countries was re-
markable. There was one super
ior Englishman from whom was
unlOaded the contents of a modest
tobacco store on the weighing
table. He had cigarettes, cigars
and tobacco in such quantity as to
suggest that he was very wealthy.
We soon discovered he was not so
very wealthy, for he had to leave
about 80 per cent of his lovely
stock with the customs, which he
did with no good grace, and ] did
not blame him. Seeing the mass
of stuff the custom officers seized
was curious to know what would
become of it all. Having since
bought package of japanese to-
bacco, l am mystified no lon ger.
They must put all the stuff they
seize through a gigantic sausage
machine, a sort of a mixer, wrap
pers, labels, and all, and the pro-
duce goes inside tube of rice pa
paper to make the cigarettes. !
Was particularly interested in what
happened to a French couple, ap.
parently honeymooners, Judging
from their sweetness on the ship.
They had as many bags as a theat-
rical property man. They had to
open the whole lot, at least the
husband did. The lady refused to
be party to the desecration of all
that was interesting to the specta-
tors gaze in the way of lingerie,
and other things that they pos
sessed, just in order that a small
japanese could look for a package
of cigarettes, or other tobacco that
might be concealed in some of the
baggage. She merely said some
thing in French" and stamped
around until she came to what
looked liked a hat box, of which
she retained the key. She spent
about ten minutes with a piece of
chalk she had grabbed up when
the official was not looking, trying
to write the mystic sign in Chinese
characters in the hope the official
would think he had passed the box
Her husband as diligently rubbed
it out. When finally she had to
open the box, she swung the lid
back with such force it broke the
hinges, and then cried with vexa-
ton. l must admit, however, that
the officials were the essence OF
courtesy and consideration.
The next stop was at Yokohama.
As soon as l could obtain shore
leave, l boarded an electric suburb.
an train for Toxic, and had good
view of the landscape while the
mist was on the rice fields" and a
gentle rain was falling. That first
glimpse convinced me that japan
is beautiful. The land is plated
off like pretty gardens, reminding
one of nothing so much as those
dainty little bits Of agricultural
patchwork one sees on the run be.
tween Seattle and Portland. Beau.
tiful vistas of irrigated lands, and
wooded foothills and distant noun.
tain-ranges, pagodas, quaint cot.
tages. straw hated and capped men,
women and children. With crowd.
ed villages, surmounted by chin.
ney stacks, and brick piles, and OF
factory buildings, gave the whole
landscape an appearance of west
ern industrialism. There were
thousands of wires, telephone and
telegraph, on either side of the
line from Yokohama to the capital
with at least four sets of wires or
the poles. And every now and
then there were great, steel-lattice
masts carrying high tension wires
from the power stations on the
mountain streams, to some place
where factories work night and day