The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 25, 1895, Page 13

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 1895. T g i rs, has Christianity d in full comparison power. But here at denly shot up a new the nearest Christian en to selland a few ser- o we know of the e students, r or five years ago m Yale on their way home, Harvard, latterly some from schools. of Japanese ladies further than n or two met with at Vassar Col- p course lectures but as for time has come for us to take ly; not that there is anything al talk about their over- all for that, but \s comparisons.” yv.if we do not are in' Japan are 100 sn d in peril of “odi he world y some ¢ take care that the Christis lifornia. two Japanese studente to mother and myself eht got telling storie my s Bat what, outside of | Japanese? | coming to me here to | I regret to say I know | men of | land or unsettling rates for | since the horns of the | answered the boy as he laid his finger to[tions. To another he gave marble, to down, twisted and | the edge. Now, what the sober-faced and | another sandalwood, and so on till enough | earnest student meant to say was that the | ax was not sharp, but dull, foolish. | These dozen or two students who have | | come and gone during the last few years, | serving me and receiving such instructions | as I had time or disposition to give, were | all men of fortune and good family, so far |as I found out. No money ever passed | between us, and they came and went, usu- | ally in couples, at will. Of course the ad- vantage has been on my side from the first. | | For besides teaching e quite as much as I teach them they do all sorts of work, even to the most menial sort, so far as per- | | mitted to. . | The two first who came were men from | Japan, brothers, one but & boy of 18 and quite ill. Worst of all, he was so home- sick that haif the time he was in tears. | His brother did all the work, and, even as his own heart bled, langhed and played | \d did all things possible to keep the | ving boy from despair. I never Hetors | saw a brother’s love. They kept at their | books till the night was far spent, and then | the elder and stronger was up with the | sun. They wrote much and both werei poets. : It may be mentioned here that all| Japanese entlemen, all without exception, | write poetry. Of co | their work, to make help them along in the lar tof it would have been beautiful reading “HE WAS SO HOMESICK THAT HALF THE TIME HE WAS IN TEARS.” | | about filial duty and regard. Oue was to the effect that a poor son, too_poor to pro- vide a musquito bar for his venerable parents, used to wait till they were asleep and then stripping himself to the skin, creep in and fie on the floor before them: till nearly morning. Another was about @ poor woodcutter, who used to cut wood and bear it on his back to a wine mer- chant each day and so get a flask of wine for his old father, who was very feeble. But one day he broke his ax, and in de- spair threw himself intoa stream. Butthe water turned to wine, and clambering out he filled his flask and hastening home was moved to tears with joy to hear his father szy that never before had he tasted such sweet wine. Still another story reiated how that one cold winter a starving old mother begged her son to go forth to the frozen river and get her a fish. He went at once but found only thick and impene- trable ice. In vain he passed up and down but found no opening. At last he threw himself down on the ice in utterde- spair, when suddenly the ice opened and two beautiful fishes leaped ot at his side; and this they say was the beginning of air- holes in the ice. But to get the full effect of these and dozens of like simple and pure stories, teaching the highest duty of man, you should have them told by the Japanese students in their droll and complex syn- tax. They dig their words right out of the dictionary, and they generally get the right word, but sometimes the application is uaint indeed. For examiple the other ay my foreman was passing by where one of the young men was chopping wood. “How do you like to cut wood?’ “Ver: well, sir,” But he ax he very foolish,” without any revision. Here is a couplet | } from the homesick boy to his dear river | that runs through Tokio. In fact all | things they wrote of, as a rule, were | Japanese; although one of those now with | |me is writing a book in Japanese to be | | published under the title of ““Glimpses of | Americans.” But here is a stanza from the homesick lad as he wrote it: Liove my lovely river, © strong and swi grace, The fishes ta he EQ.\T;."‘"‘ ? The sunshine on he face. And now permit a_brief synopsis of one of his long'Ipocms. They have three forms of poetry. The above is of the briefest. The | following, of which only the substance and some of the formis set down,isof the Iongest. ‘‘Last evening I saw the sea mist rollin from Japan and build a mighty white palace on Santa Clara Mountains beyond the great dark and solemn bay of San Francisco; and then the vassing sun for- tressed the towering and terrible palace all about with fire. Then I slept with the sun and dreamed this dream: In ancient times a great king like Solomon stood here where I sleptand planned to build a gleam- ing temple away beyond the dark bay and marshes on the mountain where I saw the palace of clonds. And he called to a man and said: ‘This temple must be white like the snow and_it must never hear the sound ! of hammer. 8o take you this piece of white ivory across the dark bay and through the | deep marshes and up the mountain to the master builder who will be waiting for you | there; but’ mind that no rain or stain or | nail of any sort touches it. Deliver it as you receive it, stainless white.” Then he callea another and gave him a piece of solid silver, with the same stern injunc- 1 | The reverse side bears his signature, but as | Japan. So one day he asked through his | tears that I should show him | where I_hoped to_rest after “life’s fitful | him the spot she had chosen for her grave, had been delivered to build the temple. Then the great king himself followed across the dark bay and deep marshes and ascended the shining mountain to look upon its mighty temple.. But the man who had set out first of all with the piece of polished ivory had not yet arrived. But at last, even as the king stood there thanking the master builder and the many who had safely and promptly brought theif burthens through a poor old man, bent and broken, struggled up the moun- tain, bearing a stained and grimed piece of ivory in his palsied arms. What is this?’ demanded the king, savagely. ‘It is the piece of ?ure white ivory with which you intrusted me. I went the wrong way. I met beautiful women and careless men who mocked at me for bear- ing a load when I might rTest and revel. 1 was tempted and I disobeyed you; but, oh, I am so sorry! so sorry!’ «So saying his head fell forward on his arms and the piece of ivory and he shook with sobs and tears fell on the ivory in a shower. “‘Come! come!’ cried the King gladly and at once when he saw the tears of re- pentance. ‘Allis forgiven. Lift up your face and pass into the beautiful white tem- ple.” And as he lifted up his face behold! the ivory on which his tcars of penitence nad fallen was white as snow.” Let me here add an original poem ad- dressed to myself by the elder brother. he has since died I am advised by a stu- ient now with me that it would not be stiquette or considered resvectful to his memory to give it pubiic mention. And here I must ncte, so unlike our- selves, that they have, all those of gentle breeding, the most inconquerable aversion to having their pictures or any mention of themselves in our prints. 1t is not super- stition, as with barbarians, but modesty. shyness, a shrinking from notoriety. 1 had made a magazine article ont of material that from time to time fell into my hands from these two first students, and finally T got their photographs. But their horror nmountec{’ almost to rage when they found they were to be pictured in a zreat magazine, and I had to give the thing up. I have mentioned that the younger one was ill, dying from homesickuess, dying to once more see his beautiful, beautiful the spot fever.”” Itried to divert his mind, but he would not be put off, and so reluctantly I took him up to a high, rough spotand pointed out a heap of stonesand a pile of wood. He seemed shocked at the time, but after a few days he got mother to show and he then quietly selected a flat close by. As he grew worse he refused to have a doc- tor. I explained that as I had already burned cne body and buried another with- out procuring a doctor’s certificate or con- sent of the Coroner I was in bad repute on this score and might be indicted if I kept it up. The boy was simply terrified. He would not stay in the place or in the country longer. Protest as his gentle brother might he would go, and go at once, to Japan, where a person ceuld at least have liberty to die without being forced to have a strange doctor or a coarse Coroner’s jury to sit on his remains. But here is the poem by the elder brother. When I re- flect that not one of us all in a miliion can tell which end is up or down, while thou- sands of them are writing and reading us in every Japanese province, I feel that they must know much that is to us “as a book that is sealed.” The Japanese gentlemen are not only all poets but all those who have been with me have held stoutly that their poets, es- pecially their earlier ones, surpass all others of the globe. They continually insist that all the outside world knows almost nothing of Japan. A young man from Stanford’s told me the other day that Lafcadio Hearn, a diminutive half Greek whom he knew in New Orleans, is the only one who has any conception of the heart and soul of Japan. Are the Japanese stu- dents who are with us in such numbers, and still coming, Christians? Yes, and no, They all agree that Jesus was and is the one greatest teacher by far. They will tell you quietly that the Japanese are better Christians than the Christians. The one | intolerable thing about us or our religion is the'noise of it. Their religion isa sort of meditative philosophy at home. They enter a temple, always open, and meditate. The Catholics will, for this reason if no other, have the upper band there as in the Islands before ioqg. My little invalid, soon after being told that he could not die without a doctor very well without making trouble, went, I am told, to Oakland to meditate in one of our churcaes, as in a temple at home. He found them all tightly locked! This seemed to bring things to a crisis; besides the war was coming on, and the elder brother found in thisa fair excuse to take the poor boy home. This modest and most perfect little gentleman was found dead in one of the sacred temples soon after reaching Tokio. His elder brother took his place as an officer of high rank in the army; and before he died, in spite of his aversion to honorable mention, soon found his name and fame world-wide. Here are two short poems, together with their literal translations, which I have begged from one of my present students. He tells me that Bosho, of three centuries back, is their Shakespeare and chiefest of poets. Of course I knew not one thing about Bosho, or Giata either, but must say that these dainty little bits do not strike me as great or !.mmoulnrly bright. ‘We can learn a lot from Japan if not too full of conceit to receive further learning from any source. By the way, in conclu- sion let us_have at least one more lesson to laugh, for they were filled to the neck with their own -consequence, and- in less than a day had won the contempt of us all by their assumptions. And so at din- ner the foreign students quietly filled their glasses with water and then one of them passed the wine. “But the glasses are already filled with water. How can we take wine in them?”’ ““What a pity! The wine is excellent; but of course you cannot receive it if al- ready full of water.” ¥ I bad become used to their little Ori- ental problems and such silent and unob- |, trusive lessons, and, seeing the conceited young men were too obtuse to receive this hint without a !ur%lcal operation, I pro- ceeded to make the point clear, hoping that the single lesson might enter deep and do good. They grew angry, and went home the same day, complaining openly of my fatuity for the ‘‘Japs,” when I merely preferred good manners. And here let me write it down that if you want the respect of a Japanese gentleman do not talk “‘pigeon talk”; use your best Eng- lish. And while on this point I may say you can get along much better with a Chi- nese merchant, or any sort of Chinese above *the post of a poor servant by using good, plain English. In conclusion, let me repeat I have learned much of the Japanese students— much more than from any other people. But outside of what I have learuegeirom them it is our duty to learn all we can about them. As their nearest neighbors, the world will expect this of us. Back of all this lies the cold commercial advan- tage of untold millions, if wisely and practically approached. Japan, * com- mercially considered, is a laden little pear tree at our very gate; and if we do not hold our hats and sbake it others will. 1t may be news to the most of us that the Japanese students of California have for years supported a newspaper in their own tongue in San Francisco. From editorials translated to me from time to time I have found it broadly democratic and very radical, eager for English and American ideas, as_opposed to the slow and old methods at home. The paper has all along been forbidden circulation in Japan because of its republican or radical proclivities. But its moral tone is unim- peachable. It is, and was long beiore the war, relentless toward the Chinese. One editorial devoted to this protested that the Chinese were in California only to gather money, while the industry and energy of DAlRE o . e et iyl s ) M1 'j[lllf‘/[l/(l'>'_'("(!|‘[| 1 i = A Japanese Paragraph. the Japanese in the United States was directed solely to the lofty purpose of get- ting knowledge in the higher walks of life and the principles of good government. One striking editorial on the duty and responsibilities of an editor insisted that an editor 1s a high priest in a sacred tem- ple, who has no right to think of taking or making money, nor must he give the peo- ple that for which thef' clamor, but only that which is good for their good; that he shall not give them murders and scandals, or stories of trouble and sorrow, but only good and beautiful thoughts and things, as a wine merchant must not give a drunken man with depraved tastes strong and intoxicating drinks, but only such good and wholesome wines as may strengthen and cheer him on and help him to be a healthier and better man. The editorial closed by comparing the lower class of Americans who persist in reading sensational novels and newspapers to the fhfl"e” who become addicted to the opium abit. From what I have gathered in my con- tact with the Japancse students, and I doubt if any man in the United States has rubbed elbows with them more nearly than I have here under my own roof tree, I conclude that not one of them is here with the thought of remaining here longer than he can fit himself for usefulness at home. It was chance rather than design that threw the first ones this way, and they have continued to come—not that there is anything here that almost any man else- where might not _give them if he would, but because my little huts on the hillside are always open to all who come, of what- ever color or country. And then the home- sick little “brownies” say that the open little houses here and the meditative life among the flowers and birds remind them all the time of “‘beautiful, beautiful Japan." FAINTED FOR LOST MONEY. Max Sachse, a Commercial Traveler, % Overcome by Bad News., Max Sachse, a commercial traveler, who lives in the Lick House, has won for him- self the record of fainting away into un- consciousness when the news was broken to him that his money in a bank had been garnisheed. ¥ He is well known about town and in a from the little Orientals. “There came once two American boys, professedly to learn for a day or two, but probably only variety of circles, soeial as well as com- mercial, He represents an Eastern whisky distillery and enjoys a good patronage in and around San Francisco, but sometimes things do not all fall in his way, as, for in- stance, he met a reverse quite recently which brought with it mental troubles that affected his heart. He allowed himself to owe a friend $43, but some difficulty arose over the payment, with the result that Sachse was attached Friday afternoon for the amount of the bill. He had something like $1500 in the Hibernia Savings Bank on deposit, and that sum be said was good security for any small debts he might incur. In the course oi events Max was called on by another friend for payment of still another little bill. Not having money in _hand at the moment he gave up his passbook as secur- ity for the debt. The man with the bankbook dropped a word or two to his companion about Sachse, and thereupon the trouble began. “Max owes me $43,” said No. 1. “Why didn’t you secure it?”’ remarked No. 2. ““Do as I did—get his bankbook as security.”” No. I did not wish to hear more, and he hastenea off to have the bank deposit gar- nisheed. An hour later Sachse was en- joying a quiet game of poker in Denhardy’s club on Kearny street, near Post, when the news reached him. *‘Max, your money in the bank is tied up,” said the club manager asa Deputy Sheriff appeared with a legal paper. Max looked up in blank amazement and fell backward ina faint. Those around him failed to bring him to conscicusness, and_he had to be moved ina carnage to the Lick House,where he slowly recovered. A COMST GUN FACTORY, Proposed Removal of a Large Eastern Concern to California. An Expert Talks of the Recent Competition for the Army Weapon. Captain W.I. Reed, U. 8. A., has been looking about for a site for the mannfac- ture of the Handen gun, a magazine rifle which is now being made in the East, but it seems the inventor, T. B. Wilson, is anxious to remove his works to the Pacific Coast. This officer has appeared before the City Fathers of Stockton and later of Oakland to ask for the granting of a site for the proposed factory, but as yet noth- ing definite has been decided upon. Captain Reed gives an interesting chap- ter of history regarding the change in the equipment of the United States army. On the 16th of December, 1890, a board of officers was convened by order of the War Department for the purpose of select- ing a magazine system for rifles and car- bines for the milifary service. Before this board were presented fifty- three magazine guns, thirty-nine of foreign invention and make and fourteen of Amer- ican invention and make. The result of the vroceedings after a period of sessions of three yearsand three months was the recommendation for adop- tion for our service of the Krag-Jorgensen, a foreign arm, being the joint invention of Captain Krag of the Danish army and Mr. Jorgensen, an emplove of the factory where the gun ‘ont made. The recom- mendation of the ard was approved by the general ummanding the army, the ordnance department and the Secretary of War, and the manufacture of it was ar- ranged for at the National armory at Springfield, Mass. i')l'he ‘American inventors being dissatis- fied, one or more making complaint of un- fairness, etc., to the Secretary of War, an act of Congress. approved February 27, 1803, was passed to extend the time to the American inventors to July 1, 1893. Of the {ioun.een guns presented one was the Han- en. There are no private gun factories in the United States that keep pace with Euro- pean establishments in the manufacture of war guns. Japan has its “Murata,” a maga- zine arm which compares_favorably with all Buropean guns. The Winchester and Remington manufactories produce guns suited onlv to the general trade and' ordi- nary use. It is not believed that any of the Eastern gun manufactories have made much effort to conform to the new conditions in the manufacture of war guns. On this coast there are manufactories of very superior powder and shot, and in order to secure a profiton these Pacific Coast productions the makers are obliged Qg purchase shells from Eastern concerns, and those insist upon and will not make a shell unless their brand is on it. So that the shotgun ammunition made on this coast must bear the imprint of their. work on the empty shell, while _the most important com- ponents of the cartridge are carried off in smoke, leaying no trace of their Pacific Coast origin and perfection. The valueof such exports from San Fran- cisco to countries bordering on the Pacific Coast, according to Captain Reed’s investi- gation, was in 1889 $232 928, in 1890 $293,349, in 1891, $282,113.. The exports from New York for the years named were respectively $430,346, $392,185, $407.291. So the San Francisco exports are almost two-thirds of those of New York, and ail of thisammu- nition was brought by rail atlarge expense. ———————— Died From His Burns. Joseph Steele, the five-year-old boy who was so severely burped on Thursday afternoon, died at the Receiving Hospital yesterday after- noon. The little, fellow:suffered terribly. He was playing with matchesin the yard in the reupofyhh‘ rents’ residence, Eleventh street, when his dress caught fire. 13 night! First Evil Spirit—Brother! Brother! I hear the voices of the Second Evil Spirit—Brother ! Brother! I hear them too k First Evil Spirit—The moaning of a slaughtered babe. Second—A lover mourning his murdered mistress. Third—A demon talking with an Afric ghoul. All—Oh, the merry, merry voices of the night ? L Darkness is over all Heavily hovering; Spirits to spirits call, Murk hides their lovering. Darkness is evil’s hour; Darkness is evil’s shield ; In darkness’ mystic power 111 finds its field. II Hark! From yonder looming tower Faintly peals the midnight hour; The hour when spirits walk the earth And mingle in their horrid mirth. In the churchyard old Are moldering bones ; ‘The moon gleams cold On the white tombstones. A screech-owl’s hoot, as it sits in a tree,: Strikes on our senses dolefully. Miasmic, dreadful churchyard ghosts Flit by in weird, despairing hosts; In frightful peals that sting the ear The laugh of the spirits of evil we hear. Mocking, Deriding, Horror-betiding. Comfort and joy fly away at the sound. Its accents impart A chill to the heart As loudly they ring from the burial ground. Day, day, day will return! II1. The voices of night are awake in the city, Their burdens assail us, t heir tones our ears greet ; The clouds kiiow no mercy, the pave knows ne pity, The darkness has crept through each alley and street. In yonder bright palace are high mirth and revel, From ’neath yon dark arch sounds a starving man’s groan ; Sweet music of night to the ears of the devil, The moan of the dying, uncared for, alone. From out the dark corner that sheltered the deed The blood of the murdered one ¢rieth to heaven. In terrible accents—in vain doth it plead, For deafness and blindness to darkness are given. Day, day, day will return! 1v. Far out on the waves of the great restless ocean The voices of night in their horror are heard, Nor ever are still, but forever in-motion, Like that of the waves by the fierce tempest stirred. Down, down in the sea Great caverns there be ‘Where dead men are waiting the coming of light, And demons and ghouls, tormenting their souls, Call forth cries of agony all through the night. The lone mariner The grim sound doth hear And starts from his slumber in horror and dread ; And lies in affright Throughout the black night Dreading to meet the dull eycs of the dead. Day, day, day will return. V. God! It is fearful—the gloom and oppression Of darkness, where evil and terror do lurk. ‘With never a gleam of the sunlight’s possession, But only the moon shining down through the murk In glittering Quelling all coldness, boldness, Filling each heart with a terrible chill. Nowhere does help appear—nowhere is hope for u No one to bid our tormentors ‘““be still!” Day, day, day will return! VI bas 3d Is it a rift in the veil of the glooming, Slanting a gray haze across the black air. Are those the clouds that so darkly were looming, Marshaling now like the legions of prayer! Out of the east, all their weapons a-glinting, Hasten the armies of conquering light ! See, how=with crimson the mountains are tinting! Day is advancing to vanquish the night! ADELINE KNAPP. s S S e A SILE ENTHUSIAST. Professor Joseph Newman Intends to Reorganize Its Culture. Professor Joseph Newman is an enthu- siast in sericuiture. All visitors to the Mechanics’ Fair- have seex the exhibit of wild silkworms feeding on cascara, and heard the professor’s animated discourse upon tnem. Although over 70 he is about to reorganize the California Silk Culture Development Company. He is a native of Warsaw, Poland, and in a measure self taught. He learned the art of silk culture in Brandenburg, Ger- many, and afterward studied in Italy. He has been a resident of San Francisco for thirty-six years, exeagunz a fraction of that time spent in Washington, where he was laboring for the recognition oi his favorite plans, Because of those labors and indeed his enrl{ successful experi- ments, he has been known as the pioneer sericulturist of America. His was the first exhibit of American silk at the Certennial Exposition and at the Vienna Exposition. He presented a silk banner of California culture, colored and completed by his own hands, to Congress in 1870. 3 In 1890 he presented his project and maintained its merits before a Coneres- sional committee. His plan was consid- ered impracticable and he confesses that he has been styled a *‘crank,”’ but his faith in the ultimate success of his plan is strong. A JAPANESE TOUT. T. Nakamura Arrested for Obtaining Money by False Pretenses. Nakahara Ushido swore out a warrant yesterday for the arrest of T. Nakamura on the charge of obtaining money by false and fraudulent pretenses. George T. Marsh & Co., 625 Market street, sent to Japan for Ushido to work in their novelty store. When the steamer on which he was a passenger reached this Eort Nakamura went on board and told im that if he did not pay bim $25 he would not be allowed to land. The money was required to square the customs offi- cers. Ushido got scared and gave Naka- mura the $25. Nakamura was arrested on the mail dock by Corporal Cockrill and ldcked up in the City Prison. THoSE WHO WISH TO KNOW --THE--- GREAT SECRET OF NATURE SHOULD READ “ELASTICITY A MoDE oF MortIon.” e 2y A ROBERT STEVENSON, C.E. Member of the Academy of Sciences. 50 ‘CENTS OF ALL BOOKSELLERS. Trade supplied by the Industrial Pub- lishing Company, 40 California street, and the San Francisco News Company.