The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 2016, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 6, 1910 Page: 3 of 4
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HE REAL JAPAN
FROM THE STUDIES C& OBSER-
VATIONS OF THE WORLD’S
FOREMOST STUDENT OF MAN-
KIND WHILE LIVING IN JAPAN
AS A JAPANESE A* &
By- PROF. FREDERICK STARR
The Flowers of Japan.
The three occasions of the fall
iime for the Japanese are the mush-
room parties, the maple leaves and the
"■chrysanthemums. The mushroom is
commonly called “the king of foods,’’
«nd minute distinctions are made be-
tween those of different flowers. Par-
ties for gathering mushrooms occur
in every part of the empire, but there
are certain districts famous for their
plants; thus the neighborhood of Kio-
to yields a mushroom known every-
where, and Japanese travelers at this
season do not fail, in visiting Kioto, to
carry home a basketful of the much-
prized delicacy. Of all mushrooms,
those which have grown under pine
trees and are said to have the deli-
cate flavor of the pine are most
prized. The mushroom occurs con-
stantly in popular art. It is common-
ly associated with Uzume, “the much
happiness woman.”
The viewing of the maple leaves is
a favorite excuse for autumn picnics
among these people. The Japanese
maple trees are usually of small size
■with very little leaves, deeply and
narrowly cut. The change in color is
gradual. from the natural green
through brownish purple into reds,
. crimsons and brilliant orange. While
there are of course maple trees every-
where certain places are preeminent
-ror the gorgeousness of the autumn
coloring. Thus Nikko is famous for
its bright display. At this season
brilliant maple leaves (artificial) are
much in vogue as a decoration for
store windows.
Neither mushrooms nor maple
leaves, however, are to attract our at-
scores of rich maroon blossoms scarce-
ly three-quarters of an inch across.
Yesterday we saw the * chrysan-
themums at Narita. The place is fa-
mous for its displays, and the show
was brilliant. The favorites appeared
to be flowers of snowy whiteness 2%
inches across, with narrow tattered
petaloids. The massing of the plants
at such displays is striking. Thou-
sands of plants are crowded closely to-
gether so as to give a very sheet of
bloom.
The pervading fondness for chrysan-
themums is indicated in many popular
fashions. Thus few names for women
are greater favorites than Kiku—
chrysanthemum. The flower is used,
of course, in decoration everywhere.
Every one knows, too, that it is the
imperial flower, and appears not only
on the national flag, but on the stamps
and coins as well. It is true that the
decorative is a highly convention-
alized chrysanthemum—as, indeed, the
representations of flowers used in
decoration generally are. But do not
for a moment think that the chrysan-
themum used in decoration is Im-
perial. The use of the Imperial
chrysanthemum is prohibited by law.
It may be used on objects made for
the imperial family or on objects pre-
sented by them as tokens of aprecia-
tiou. The Imperial chrysanthemum has
16 petaloids. If you will notice the
next decorative chrysanthemum you
see, you will find that it has any num-
ber of petaloids except 16; that num-
ber it must not have.
Apart from the displays of fine
plants in notable bloom, remarkable
Flower Figure Group, Domangozaka.
tention era this occasion. The third
of the autumn delights is the chrysan-
themum. Just now one sees chrysan-
themum everywhere. Plants are of-
fered for sale on every street, and
particularly in the morning one meets
great push carts filled with growing
and blossoming plants. On the whole,
the highest taste finds satisfaction in
pure whites and bright yellows; there
are, however, of course, any quantity
of other tints, most of which have
their admirers. The names given to
the different varieties are poetical
and often indicate quick apperception
»nd interesting association of ideas.
Flowers in which the outer coloring
differs from the inner color of the
petaloids usually call up damasks to
the Japanese mind. Personally, those
which best please us are the dark
maroon-purple—sometimes verging al-
most to black—and the damask-sug-
gesting flowers with outer tint of
'golden yelkrw and inner of maroon. It
Is not only the larger plants with
enormous ' blooms that please, but
very many times the little flowered
^orms covered with blossoms not an
inch across are charming. In our
garden Cooksan set out two little
plants which we have watched with
wonder. One of them is a mass of
small flowers, not an inch across, of
sunny yellow. The other plant, scarce-
ly a foot in .height, has borne many
for their character or quality, there
is a curious kind of chrysanthemum
show which is very popular. Perhaps
the best, known of these is Dangaza-
ka. At Dangazalta there are four
chrysanthemum shows in competition.
They occupy both sides of a street
which runs steeply downhill—two on
one side, two on the other. In front
of them are curious box platforms
scarcely more than a yard square, and
mounted on posts which raise them
to a height of three feet or more
above the ground. In each one of
these^and every show has several—
is a spieler whose noisy cries would
do credit to Coney island or a Pike
show. The din made by these fel-
lows is prodigious, as each one seems
to make a special appeal to each and
every passer to patronize his show.
They hold out to the possible patron
a great handbill on which are repre-
sented in crude wood-cut pictures
some of the attractions to be expected
within. When lunch time corner, the
spielers do not quit their box plat-
forms, but unconcernedly eat rice e^d
drink tea in the presence of all, stop-
ping between sips and mouthfuls to
cry out their shows. Three forms of
attractions are usually presented:
First and most characteristic are the
flower figures; second, the trained
plant figures; third, the blooms. At
these shows the blooms really are the
last of the three points of interest.
The flower figures are usually of
the size of life. They consist of a
light framework made of an open
basketwork of withes. These are sup-
plied with heads, hands and feet of
modeled composition. The frame-
work is closely filled and covered with
moss, leaves, lichens and crysanthe-
mum blooms. The flowers generally
used are small and chiefly of three
colors—purple, white and yellow. The
foundation of the clothing is usually
green or gray mossers or lichens; the
embroidery and patterns on them are
in the colored flowers. These figures
are usually grouped in tableaux, which
have a suitable background. The fig-
ures themselves are so posed and
placed as to have considerable real-
ism and lifelike appearance. In most
cases, nine out of ten at least, they
represent some scene from national
history, tradition or mythology. The
noted heroes of the past, beautiful
and famous ladies, the god^ them-
selves are those who here are shown.
The grouping and posturing recall and
picture some striking scene in the
famous stories of the race. To every
Japanese child, each of these groups
is an object lesson and instantly re-
calls a story with which he Is fa-
miliar. Thus the doings of Yoshitsune,
the deeds of the 17 Ronin, arid the acts
of the 800,000 gods are favorite sub-
jects Besides these groups of flow-
er figures at Dangozaka +here 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 a 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 Datigozaka Is the
display of blossoms. There are, how-
ever, some things of interest. Thus,
at present, there is a great plant cov-
ered with a sheet of bloom which is
composed, they say, of more than a
thousand individual flowers.
There are many such chrysanthe-
mum shows just now in progress. One
which makes a 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 now it is given up to chrysanthe-
mums. There is a great show of
blooming plants for sale as one ap-
proaches. Within triere are the usual
groups of figures. Most startling and
striking of all of these is a very ef-
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 beards quite
unlike what might be expected of true
Japanese. They are represented as
sitting in a semicircle on the ground.
The background is a 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 it aside, reveal-
ing the goddess herself against a bril-
liant rising sun. After passing a
series of finely executed groups, most-
ly traditional, although one comic
piece is distinctly modern, we come
to a final performance which is curi-
ous and characteristically Japanese. It
represents scenes In Yoshitsume’s
life. In it there is a great vessel sup-
posed to represent a Chinese pirate
junk composed of flowers. The hero
is seen in a canoe. The vessel re-
volves in the apparent water to the
great joy of the crowd of spectators.
When it has completed its revolution
it suddenly falls to pieces, while new
actors brilliantly illuminated with
numberless small electric lights ol
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-
neath a trellis covered with pendant
clusters of wistaria. This whole ceil
ing lowers over the head of the crowd
in a curious and striking way, simple
but effective. At the wrestling hall 8
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 a great display of the
little dwarfed trees for which Japan
*s famous. Here one may see ancient
pine trees a little more than a foot
or two in height, some of them
gnarled and twisted in the most fan-
tastic fashions, imitating the wildest
freaks of nature; little maples, the
delicate foliage of which is turning;
little plum trees, whose leafless trunks
and branches tell that winter comes.
Here, too, are stone gardens—but
stone gardens are another story
(Conyvight. 1910. by W. Q. Chapman.)
BADGER LEPER DIES
Passes Away After Five Long
Years of Affliction.
Lived Life of Seclusion in Building
Set Apart-for Him at the National
Soldiers' Home in Mil-
waukee.
Milwaukee, Wis.—Albert S. O’Gor-
man is dead. Milwaukee’s leper, after
nearly five years of retreat in a little
brick house on the grounds of the
Soldiers’ home, is no more. Death
came quietly. It was the gradual dis-
solution of a body wasted by disease,
that could no longer find strength to
meet the daily strain demanded of it.
O’Gorman was a soldier. He served
many years in the Tegular army, see-
ing service throughout the east and
west. He joined the ranks when the
K i
O’Gorman and His Abode.
war with Spain broke out, and was
one of the foremost in Cuba and the
Philippines. It was while with the
army in the islands that he contracted
the disease which brought his death.
Upon his return froin war, O’Gor-
man entered the regular service in va-
rious army posts. Then he was taken
111. He asked a pension, and permis-
sion to enter a soldiers’ home. The
request was readily granted. A month-
ly income of $72 was allowed him by
the government. He was ordered to
the Milwaukee national home.
Then, and not till then, did O’Gor-
man learn .the true character of his
malady. He was examined by staff
physicians, who diagnosed his disease
as leprosy. There was no help for
him, they said, and preparations were
made to arrange for his comfort du-
ring his lifetime.
In a corner of the grounds a small
brick house, once the home of one of
the officials, was set aside for him. It
was a two-story structure, with three
rooms—a living room, a kitchen and a
bedroom. Furniture and books, uten-
sils and regulation clothing were fur-
nished him, and he settled down to
live the life of a recluse during the re-
mainder of his days.
That was five years ago. During
the intervening time, O’Gorman lived
almost happily. Two of his daily
meals he prepared himself on the
cook stove in his little kitchen. Each
day an orderly brought his dinner to
him. Tobacco was supplied in abun-
dance. Papers and books were plen-
tiful. He was a deeply religious char-
acter, and spent much time reading
the Bible, sitting on the low steps
of his dwelling, basking in the sun.
To look at the man, one would not
realize that he was the victim of the
most horrible of diseases. Pie was in-
clined to a pleasant personality. None
of the horror or fear of the evident
indications of leprosy were shown.
O’Gorman suffered especially during
the winter time. Cold weather, he
complained, increased the steady
aches and pains’to which he was sub-
jected. During last winter, he failed
IMMIGRANTS OF THE YEAR
Records Show an Unusally Large In-
flux of Foreigners During Past
Twelve Months.
Washington.—During the last fiscal
year 1,041,670 immigrants reached
American shores, of whom 736,038
were males and 305,532 females. Dur-
ing the same period 2-1,270 immigrants
were debarred, of whom 19,706 were
males and 4,562 females. The largest
number of immigrants came from
southern Italy, 192,673. The Poles
came next, with lift,348; then Jews,
84,260; Germans, 71,380; English, 53,-
498, and Scandinavians, 52,037.
No other nationality exceeded
50,000, but practically all races under
theNsun were enumerated among the
arrivals. Korea sent the smallest
number, 19.
Only twice in American history has
the immigration during any year been
larger. The year 1907 holds the rec-
ord with 1,285,349. During the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1906, the arrivals
totaled 1,100,735. Most of the south-
ern Italy immigrants are transients.
slowly but steadily, spring came, and.
he rallied slightly; but his system was
too far gone, and the convalescence
proved only temporarily.
O'Gorman was born in Ireland In
1856 It was in 1874 that he came to
the United States. He fettled near St.
Paul, Minn., and it was from there
that he was recruited into the regular
army.
The case of the patient attracted
much attention throughout the coun-
try. He was one of two individuals in,
the United States afflicted with the
plague.
Several times the state department
and the secretary of war considered
transferring his case from Milwau-
kee; but there were no leper colonies
where he' might be sent, and it was
decided finally, that he could be best
cared for in the little brick building in
which he made his home.
CHURCH WAS BUILT IN 1679
Queer Old Quaker Meeting House in
Buckinghamshire, England, of In-
terest to Americans.
London.—in the country of Bucking-
hamshire, England, is one spot of pe-
culiar interest to Americans, by rea-
son of its association with William
Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.
This is the little meeting house of the.
Society of Friends at Jordans. Situ-
ated in a wooded hollow at the foot
of a hill, it is the very expression of
seclusion and of peace. The building;
is a simple red brick structure, with
an interior of the plainest—plain
wooden wainscoting and benches, and
whitewashed walls without adornment
of any kind. On a small circular ta-
ble, used formerly by William Penn,
is the visitors’ book, in which the;
names of Americans figure largdly.:
The meeting house was built about
1679. At the present time two regu-
lar meetings are held in it every year,
4 4
Jordan’s Meeting House.
one on the fourth Sunday in May, the
other on the first Thursday in June.
In the neighboring village of Chal-
font St. Giles, situated some two miles
to the northeast of Jordans, is the
cottage where Milton lived and where
he wrote “Paradise Lost,” while two
miles further on, still in the same di-
rection, commanding the villa resi-
dences of Chorley Wood, is the fine
old half-timbered house of King’s
Farm, where William Penn was mar-
ried, in 1672, to Gulielma, daughter of
Sir William Springett.
Canada’s Mounted Police.
Winnipeg, Ont.—Undoubtedly the
best and most efficient police and mili-
tary organization in the world is the
Northwestern mounted police. Al-
though not strong in numbers, the
very sight of their scarlet coats seems
to instill respect for law and order
and their presence in northwestern
Canada is given as the cause of the
cessation of outlawry in-districts pa-
trolled by them and an increase on
the frontier of the states.
These scarlet-garbed police are
taught how to live in the saddle. From
headquarters they are sent to the far
off forts in the Klondike, Yukon or
other distant posts for two years’
service.
coming here to w’ork as laborers, ac-
cumulate savings for a few years and
then return to their native homes.
Some Greeks are likewise classified by
the immigration officials, but the He-
brews and the northern European im-
migrants are regarded as coming here
with the intention of making America
their permanent homes.
Heavy, Too.
“Isn’t it queer that the people in the
cold polar regions can live on such
light diet as they use?”
“Light diet?”
“Certainly. Don’t they’eat candles?"
Giving Him More Employment.
Goodman Gonrong—The world owes
me a livin’, and I’m goin’ to collect it:
Ruffon Wratz—C’lect mine, too, ole'
pal, while you’re about ‘it, an’ I’ll !er
yuh keep part of it as commission.
A Necessity.
He—Now, my dear, that we are on
the subject of providing for the table*
neither of us must mince matters.
She—But, Henry, I’ll have to, if you
want pie for dinner
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Vernor, J. E. The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 2016, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 6, 1910, newspaper, September 6, 1910; Lampasas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth906713/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lampasas Public Library.