VISIT TO THE OLD WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 3

VISIT TO THE OLD WORLD.

1 :'v j I. ( A PHEASANT. STA\ (N JAPAN. s ,-Dr. Platts-Mills; who ret, -nod to -Welling*-i ton.on Wednesday from a ten months' holiday tour with her husband :.nd brother, had j a most' interesting, visit to tho old world, cast, and west.; -They .went by a Japanese; 1in0,.. to Manila, China, and Japan, ancl speak, enthusiastically of the; comfort on tho boat. : Their, first visit of interest was to Manila, with its picturesquo Spanish architecture, its .narrow streets, its overwhelming native population, aiid its complex problem's. '"It is Vplace that makes the Americans'.tired,, but since the'rise of Japanese power in tho paci:, fie they daro jiot let it go. Thoy havd ceaseless trouble with tho' native tribes;, though they ,let little of.this bo known. -The'Spanisli' influence is a perpetual menace, and the question'of educating the natives is too; big'for thqm to-copo-with, so they have to content themselves with providing means of education', and : leaving tho''natives-to; avail themselves 'of- the\advantages or. not, r as . they please:-;.'. The heat; during >:the day is terrific, but in tho cool evening hours the whole white population turns out,"and hundreds of tiny, Victorias; drive round • the-rwell, it Vcorresponds -to. the 'Roman • Corso-rivlulo a native band -plays 'Wagner and all sorts'-of. classical ;inusic'most magnificently., .. ■ ■■■ " '.■■■■■ . In Japan Mr. -Mills's party were fo'rtunato .enough to Jmeot'-with ■a: ladv who know Japan well, -and under hei-,:guiuancp,.. a_s. well .as that of an -export Japanese, •'thoy v 'had.' a most interesting' pilgrimage to tile Shinto templo of. Ise, ana tlio., Bhuddist monastery of Koyasan, a pilgrimage which took them through unfrequented,,ways, and to.,tho in-.' terior of Japan: 1 : For some weeks they "strayed in these., out-of-the-way '])arts, .visiting tiriy fishing villages;'; sleeping in Japanese houses, watchingthe , children aim the. womon,. very much' impressed . with tlie bedrock poycrty '.of .'the ..people, their.;lack' 'almost; everything. ,wo consider, necessary ' to, life, arid their .general cheerfulness. , In tho cities the"position of women has been, improved by the introduction'of Western jdeas.' but in .tie" country they remain in, their old inferior . position; absolutely ' subservient to 'their -husbands'. The Japanese; husband ;'is never briital to his wife, bu< lie ignores hei', and she takes the., position a».->igncd to iler with a . look of ' patient resignation that- isnoticeable on tlio faces_ of. hundreds of Japanese women. ( V Dr. Platts-Mills'has; stories, to tell of pilgrims, of temples; and' shrines.'- -By the way, the Japanese havo a pleasant, custom of erecting monuments; to;-.the living, while they 'are in funds,' sothafin'caso of future-poverty, tlio dead may not':bo airircmembered.. In the temples,-among-tho rows. and .rows of iVhito wooden slips:.'that represent;tho .monuments of ; the dead, ;aro -various-.red. slips for the; living, ready to bo, painted white' after death.' Tho idea, of; erecting; ono's 'own, monument, .writing: one's oivn epitaph, .would appeal 'very strongly . .i.to ; . certain •• -.■JVeitern. minds. '• ■

.; -Visitors to :Japaneso towns have, been, disappointed, at-'.finding'. everywhere s landscape gardens .with minature mountains, streamsand forests, but- never- a. flower, and, they have believed- that, after all, . Japan-.has/no flowers.Dr.' Platts-Mills can -tell a different story.,' It -was -past tho: cherry season, when: sho :was 'there,-' but: it: was- in .tho time of wistaria.: Travelling ' thrpugh:.-the country,, one coihes upon valleys l full of blossom and- ■ rieh -' greetf -foliage,- foliage -'of a- green so -vivid that a' Japanosoi-artist-'-declares it requires a special-vivid green'paint with-which to' picture it. • 'There is the - camphor tree, wide-spreading with ■ branches' golden-tipped;' there are pines, arid trees, well-known to us, (tlie party' counted 98' things growing: wild that they- had' seen in' New - Zealand); and there are gorgeous blooms, lriasses of azaleas;'. pink arid white) - great fragrant white magnolias, .lifting', themselveshigh among' the. shrubs, trailing cluste -s'"of' wistarias •white and pale purple,; everywhere a riot, of: colou rand fragrance.. When tho party arrived at .the foot of the hill on which the Koyasan Monastery stands, they were met' by' a : priest, speaking perfect English who had been sunt by the high priest to \velcoriie "them. lt was the. first time, during'five'years that lie had exchanged words with any European, so little , is, the. monastery visited by, foreigners:. Since the, Shinto, religion was, proclaimed tho state religion of , Japan, the - Mikado . has not been able to. visit any Bhuddist temple or. monastery,, so the visitors wore .allowed to use tho. apartments at Koyasan that had -formerly been set aside for his use, rooms googeous 'with , golden laquer and decoratcd : with pictures by famous artists. They drank tea out of delicate, china cups 1500-years old, but this was a fearful pleasure, so great was tho dread lest ono should bo allowed to slip. The rooms, each with one' perfect'object of art for sole ornament, recalled -the comment a Japanese gentleman, that' English ladies-make their rooms 'look like bazaars sot out with stals. This monastery is one of the largest in Japan,'and is - cf great age. Liko other places of tho sort which possess great treasures; and havo reason to dread burglars it has " iiigli.tingale •• floors," which are so wonderfully constructed, that with ovcry tread, no matter how gentle,, they make a sound, but instead of creaking in tho ugly modern fashion of jerry-built -houses, tho boards make a singing sound. It was a fascinating occupation to walk to and fro and make them sing. .' After a-happy month in; Japan and'a visit to China, the party crossed to Vancouver and travelled through Canada; During the jou'rnby some of- the trucks ran off tho lino, an-acetylene-gas, cylinder exploded, and tho train caught' fire, all in the middle of -a prairie. There wcrO' injuries and death, but the New Zealandcrs. resumed their journey unharmed, though hardly reassured. Five days and nights' they travelled -by train, and not onse did thoy hear the ring of the hammer to say that tho carnage wheels were being tested. At Niagara .they went down the steep little cable lino to tho bottom of the Falls; and on reaching Now York next day read the news of an awful disaster that ' ad taken. nbu*> « few hours' after their

visit, when this cablo'had parted, and the passengers- had been dashed to tho ground and kilted.

In New York; whom they had only a few days, Dr. Platts Mills visited the Ghetto, the Bowery, and the Columbia University. It was during the vacation, but she jvas taken through all tho University building, and was very much interested in tho department of Domestic Economy, where everything dealing with household matters, hygiene, and sewing, is taught, and whero students can take a Domestic Economy degree. A visit to the public schools showed vacation classes at work, and tho street children who >!■ I not want to take lessons allowed after hours to play in tho playground and gymnasium. Dr. Platts Mills did not spend much timo in. London; two months were spent in Guernsey, and two in Edinburgh. The question she heard most discussed in England was that of tho suffragettes, and though this is kept officially as much in the background as possible, she was immensely impressed with the real prominence given to it, and with tho chances-of the movement's success. The women who take -part in the demonstrations are gentlewomen,-.who are deliberately sacrificing a great many things that tlicy hold dear ,to conduct a campaign along the lines that seem most likely to bring success. They are shamefully treated, and the violenco and indignity to-which they are subjected are having the effect of bringing them sympathy from the ranks of their, opponents. .. It' was for the sake of her health that Dr. Platts-Mills .took. this, journey, and nor friends .will be pleased ,to hear that she has returned with her health quite restored. She will not resume tHo practice'of her profession-.