191 1] In Karuisawa 



My first lecture engagement was at Karuisawa, a 

 mountain resort frequented in summer by American 

 missionaries from Tokyo and Yokohama. Ignorant 

 of the presence of the Russian Ambassador to Japan 

 as one of my audience, I spoke with undiplomatic 

 freedom, casually quoting President White's descrip- 

 tion of the Tsar as having the "brains of a haber- 

 dasher's clerk." His envoy at once appealed to the Anem- 

 American Embassy at Tokyo to know if my utter- J^^''^^^^'„"^ 

 ance had been made at its instigation or with its 

 approval; the Embassy officials naturally disclaimed 

 all knowledge of the matter. For their relief I ex- 

 plained that the offending quotation was not an 

 integral part of my discourse and that I had no in- 

 tention of wounding Russian sensibilities. This 

 explanation proved satisfactory. A little effort to 

 start a sensation at home was attempted by an 

 American correspondent, but the Japanese journal- 

 ists frowned upon it, and nothing more came of the 

 affair. In the lectures which followed I made no more 

 breaks, though sometimes skating over thin ice. 



On my return from Karuisawa, Mrs. Jordan, Ni'k^o 

 Benians, and I made a trip to Nikko, already visited '■'""""^ 

 by me on my previous journey to Japan. From there 

 we went on horseback up along the raging Daiya 

 to the somber falls of Kegon, then across the famous 

 "Moor of the Red Sedges" to the charming mountain 

 lakes of Chusenji and Yumoto.^ On the banks of the 

 Daiya, not far above Nikko, stands a row of about 

 fifty ancient "enchanted statues of Jizo, Lord Nour- 

 isher of Uttle children." But no one can be quite sure 



1 See Chapter xxvil, pages 68-71. 



n 355 3 



