>h(iul(UT liar, miiij^le with ihe iTdwds in the park- and (ni tlic streets or staticm themselves at points 

 of vantage and (lisiila\- their li\in^^ to\-s to the passini; thnmgs. 



It is staled that in temlal tiine> in Japan, e\en in years when famine prevailed and hundreds 

 were dying' of starxaticm, the demand for and the trade in gnjdtish cnntinued with hut little 

 abatement, because the children cra\ed the t'lsh and their demands could not Ije resisted. 



Idle \-ogue that the gdldtish ac(|uired in Japan many years ago and has retained with increasing 

 popularity is an index of a signiticant featuie of the Japanese character. The line of the purely 

 beautiful per\ades all classes of people, and is evidenced in many ways that are either unknown or 

 hut little de\eliiped in many uther natii)ns. It is \er\- natural that the esthetic temijerament of 

 the Japanese slmulil I'lnd much In gratify it in the lieautiful colors and the graceful forms and 

 moxements of the goldfish; and it is iioteworth\- that of the two oriental peoples ami mg which 

 the cultivation of the goldfish reached an advanced stage at an early date, the Chinese should have 

 directed their efiforts mainly to the production of the grotesque, bizarre, or horrifying, while the 

 Japanese strove for the graceful, harmonious, and pleasing. 



In the Jaiianese In nnes, goldfish are usually kept in small globes suspended in rooms or iti 

 lialconies, or in ])onds or fciuntains in the miniatme landscape gardens with which a large propor- 

 tiiin iif the hi>u>es are pinxided. 



In the thousands of landscape gardens, ]iarks, and temple grounds all over Japan, there are 

 ponds and lakes stocked with turtles, carp, and goldfish: and one of the favorite amusements of 

 the crowds that constantly resort to such places is to feed the turtles and lish. Just as in X'enice 

 there is ahvays a vendor ready to sup]jlv one with corn for the do\es of Saint Mark, so at the 

 public resorts in Japan there is ahvays a person to provide hollow balls of colored rice Hour to be 



10 



