THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



11 



Odds and Cnds. 



SKETCHES OF CHINA AND JAPAN. 



Akticle IV. 



BMucation in Japan is not such a slow institu- 

 tion as one would naturally suppose, judging 

 from the ignorant look the subjects so often show. 



As a specimen of Japanese intellect, I herewith 

 present a eopv of the Mikado's Proclamation, 

 taken from the Japan Gazette. It also fully 

 explains some reports that seem to have been 

 circulated in regard to the new move on the part 

 of the Southern government, which I gave in 

 Chapter 4, of these sketches. 



PROCLAMATION. 



" Being now established in my reign, and in 

 the Government over all people, (of Japan), I 

 have taken into consideration that Yeddo is well 

 adapted for the seat of Government, inasmuch its 

 it is the greatest, the most populous, and the 

 wealthiest city in the Eastern Empire. I tiiere- 

 fore decree that Yeddo shall be the seat of my 

 Government, and the city shall henceforth be 

 called Toukei, or the Eastern Capitol. Tliis I do 

 because I consider my whole Empire as but one 

 body, and therefore I am anxious to show no 

 partiality to either the Eastern or Western prov- 

 inces. 



"Let all my subjects be informed tliat such is 

 my decree, given in the seventh month of the 

 the year Tatsu. 



" The aforesaid being the order of the Mikado, 

 the people of Japan are further notified that 

 since the establi-shment of the Government at 

 Yeddo in the 11th year of Kecho, (A. D. 1600), 

 the city lias attained a state of enormous pros- 

 perity ; but through the recent change in the 

 form of Government, it has been feared that the 

 inhabitants would lose th..-ir wealth, and the city 

 would fill into decav. The thought of such a 

 calamity causes great griet m his Majesty. 



** And further, owing to the recent extension 

 of our foreign intercourse, it is desirable that the 

 whole of the Japanese military forces should be 

 so proportionately distributed as best to protect 

 the interests of our Empire. 



" His Majesty, therefore, taking all these cir- 

 cumstances into consideration, has determined to 

 visit alternately, his Ea.stern and Western Domin- 

 ions, and thus he will be able to learn, from 

 personal observation, the extent of his people's 

 prosperity. Accordingly, his Majesty will reside 

 sometimes at his Eastern capitol, (Yeddo), and 

 sometimes at his Western, (Kioto). 



"Such is the beneficieiit intention of His Ma- 

 jesty for the welfare of all his subjects: this bis 

 edict is to be proclaimed to all, and to be fully 

 understood by all, so that his people by appreci- 

 ating it, may be able to express their grattituce. 



"Yet, let'tlieir be no reason to fear that our 

 people shall become proud because they are 

 prosperous ; and let them not neglect their ordin- 

 ary employments. A state of luxurious idleness 

 is a natural consequence of prosperity and wealth. 

 Should this be so with our people, they will 

 endanger their jirosperity, and even cripple their 

 resources. With due regard therefore, to their 

 future welfare, let them attend studiously to the 

 development of their arts and manufactures, 

 and to tlie extent of their commercial interests. 

 Bysneh wise action our people will best preserve 

 Iheir Country's prosperity. 



"[Printed by order of the Japanese Govern- 

 Jnant, and published by Suwaraya Mohe, living 

 at Nihon Bashi Dori Ichoomi, in Yeddo.]." 



There certainly is a very prominent mark of 

 civilization in the Mikado's proclamation, even 

 sometimes one thinks it goes a step farther than 

 ordinary civilization. Where is the American 

 Governor who leels for his people as this Mikado 

 did? Willing to inconvenience himself by the 

 establishment of two Dominion, in order that 

 " the inhabitants would not lose their wealth, 

 and the city fall into decay." It shows human- 

 ity ; and now that Thk Farm and Garden is 

 the iirst of the American Press to recognize thi.i 

 fact, it is well worthy of our people to consider 

 the kind suggestions of this ruler, whom it is 

 natural for us to look uiion as a heathen Prince ; 

 but back of it all, notwithstanding, there is the 

 brightest exam))le of a christian career. The last 

 paragraph, extortini; the people not to "neglect 

 their ordin.arv employments," and engage in " a 

 state of luxurious idleness,— a natural conse- 

 quence of pros|)erity and wealth," is well worthy 

 of a sermon; and the Prince's prediction that 

 such " will endanger their prosper.ity, and even 

 cripple their resources," is inde«d well said, and 

 goes to show what great minds these heathens 

 have. 



Exercise For The Girls. — Dr. H. F. Ham- 

 ilton says, that at least once a day, girls should 

 have their halters taken off, the bars let down, 

 and be turned loose like young colts. Calis- 

 thenics may be very genteel, and romping may 

 be very ungenteel, but one is the shadow and the 

 other the substance of healthful exercise. 



Hon. David Davis likes to do a kindly d. .n 

 his own way, and is much annoyed by being 

 " found out in it " by those Argus eyed people 

 the reporters. One holiday time, a little ragged 

 newsboy, from whom he had often bought a 

 morning paper, appeared before him at the usual 

 hour. Calling a messengev he sent him out to 

 buy the boy a suit from cap to boots. When 

 they returned, he directed his barber to cut his 

 hair and give hipi a bath. He then took the 

 metamorphosed boy to his room and gave liini 

 some kind advice, which was supplemented by a 

 handful of small coins for Christmas, and then 

 sent him home to his mother. That she hardly 

 recognized him is not strange, but neither will 

 be likely to forget that day, or the kind man who 

 had so generously provided for them. 



ASTHETIC FOWLS. 



A gentleman owned some ducks which used to 

 stand for hours about some very brilliant China 

 Asters in his border, as if admiring their color. 

 They did not peck at them as if drawn there by 

 insects, but stood quite still and looked, anil 

 looked, as if fascinated by the brillian hues. By 

 and by, some rich purple flowers of another sort 

 bloomed out brightly, and this spot too became a 

 magnet for the (jucks. 



They showed their refined taste also in another 

 way. A young lady was playing one day on the 

 piano for company, and when she ceased, two 

 ducks, which had by some means stolen in, wad- 

 dled out from under the sofa, ami quacked 

 loudly " encore." All were surprised, and tried 

 the charms of music again upon chem. Instantly 

 they crouched down and listened as attentively 

 as before. After this they were often noticed to 

 leave the field and travel towards the house 

 whenever they heard the piano. May be the old 

 fable of Orjiheus had some foundation in fact 

 after all. 



An English scientist held the opinion that one 

 might manufacture dreams to onler. So he made 

 ui) his mind to dream one on Polar bears. He 

 shut himself uji all day to Polar bear literature, 

 excluding, as far as possible, everything else 

 from his mind. The last impression left on his 

 mind before drojjijing asleep, was of a large Polar 

 bear just stepping offa cake of ice. 



But he saw no Polar bear in his dreams. In- 

 stead he dreamed of whale fishing, with many 

 thrilling adventures, from which he awoke in 

 terror. His Polar bear experiment was a tailure. 

 But he was puzzled to trace the connection be- 

 tween the day's thoughts and his actual dream. 

 Finally, he remembered tiiat in one of the books 

 he had read, there was in one corner of a large 

 )>late, a tiny picture representing whale fishing, 

 and upon this his eye rested only for an instant. 

 But out of such meagre material the ilreani had 

 been manufactured. He tried a similar ex))eri- 

 ment for six consecutive days, taking a different 

 ubject each time. But only once did he dream 

 on the one he had selected, and then it was 

 mixed with other subjects on which he had not 

 thought for weeks. 



FEMALE THUMBS. 



The female thumb is said to be an important 

 index to the female character. Women with 

 large thumbs are held by phrenologists, physi- 

 ognomists, etc., to be more than ordinarily in- 



telligent — what are called sensible women ; 

 while women with small thumbs are regarded as 

 romantic. According to certain authors, who 

 profess to have been observers, a woman's hand 

 is more indicative of a woman's character than 

 her face, as the latter is, to a certain extent, 

 under the control of temporary emotions, or of 

 the will, whereas the former is a fact which 

 exists for any one who understands it to profit 

 by. Women with square hands and small thumbs 

 are said to m.ake good house-wives and gentle 

 wives. This sort of women will make any man 

 happy who is fortunate enough to win them. 

 They are not at all romantic, but they are what 

 is better, thoroughly domestic. Women with 

 long thumbs have tempers of their own, and gen- 

 erally a long tongue. 



There is a hint in this to a lover. Let him, 

 the first time he seizes hold of his mistress' hand, 

 examine, under some pretext or another, her 

 thumb, and if it be large, let him make up his 

 mind as soon as he becomes a married man, he 

 will have to be very careful. Again, if a young 

 man finds that his lady love has a large palm, 

 withO-shaped fingers and a small thumb, let him 

 thank his stars — for in that case, she is suscep- 

 tible to tenderness, easily flattered, very easily 

 talked into or out of anything, and readily 

 managed. But if she is a woman with a square 

 hand, well proportioned, and only a tolerably 

 developed thumb, then she is either one of two 

 distinct classes of women — a practical female 

 who will stand no nonsense, or she is a designing 

 female — a woman who cannot be duped, or a 

 woman who will dupe him. 



A CLOSE SHAVE. 



A close shave by a cannon ball in battle pro- 

 duces some queer sensations in tiiosewho happen 

 to have had the experience in such matters. The 

 London Herald relates the experience of M. 

 Boutibouse, the French savant, who served in 

 Napoleon's army and was present at many en- 

 gagements. \t the battle of Wagram, in 1809, 

 iiewas in the heat of the fray ; the ranks around 

 him had been terribly thinned by shot, and at 

 sunset he was nearly isolated. While reloading 

 his musket he was shot down bv a cannon ball. 

 His impression was that the iiall had passed 

 through his legs below Ins knees, completely 

 severing them, for he suddenly sank down, short- 

 ened, as he believed, to the extent of about a foot 

 in measurement. 'The trunk of the body fell 

 backward on the ground, and the man's senses 

 were paralysed by the shook. Thus he lay, 

 motionless, among the wounded and dead all 

 night, not daring to move when consciousness 

 partially returned, lest the loss of blood should 

 be fatally increased. That he felt no pain he 

 attributed to the stunning effect of the shock on 

 his nervous system, and he was still mentally too 

 numbed as to be able to rea.son as to why he had 

 not bled to death. At early dawn he was aroused 

 by one of the medical stall', who came nmnd to 

 lielj) the wounded. " Wbiit's the matter with 

 you, my good fellow?" said the surgeon, ".^h, 

 touch me tenderly, doctor," replied M. Bouti- 

 liouse ; " a cannon" ball has carried off my legs ! " 

 The surgeon examined the limbs referred to, and 

 then, giving him a good shake, said with a loud 

 laugh: "Get up with you; there's nothing the 

 matter with your legs!" M. Boutihouse sprang 

 u)) in utter astonishment, and stood firmly on the 

 legs which he had thought lost forever. "I felt 

 more thankful," said he " than I had ever felt in 

 the whole course of my life before. I had not a 

 wound about me. I had indeed been shot down 

 by an immense cannon ball, but instead of pas- 

 sing through my legs, as 1 firmly believed it had, 

 the ball had passed under my feet and had 

 ploughed a hole in the earth beneath at least a 

 foot in depth, into which my feet .suddenly .sank, 

 giving me the idea that I hail been thus shortened! 

 by the loss of my legs." 



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