ns 
TIIE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
of comfort and turned to nature for consolation. Nor 
was I repulsed. Japanese scenery is never disappoint ing; 
by reason of its endless variety and abrupt changes it 
falls in with every mood, and is never for an instant un¬ 
friendly. In Japan the valleys smile unceasingly, and 
the hills, crowned with feathery bamboo, nod an eter¬ 
nal welcome. 
So at the instant I forgot my “small self ” enough to 
look about me, I began to feel repaid : we were ascend¬ 
ing a path which, at first quite wide, had grown too nar¬ 
row and precipitous for any save a horse or the surer- 
footed kago bearers. Wild and strange was the road 
we were traversing; many little streams dashed over 
the hillsides, and the rocky precipices, cleft at intervals, 
afforded distant views of exquisite valleys baskiug in 
the sunlight. 
As we proceeded on our way, I often called out to the 
bearers to slacken their speed, that I might photograph 
these scenes upon my mind’s camera, knowing full well 
that Nature, like the bits of glass in the kaleidoscope, 
arranged herself in a new pattern at every turn. Sharp 
contrasts were shown in limited areas : from the very 
edge of a charming valley with a tiny stream like a 
silver ribbon flashing through it, towered a gloomy 
crag, half way up wlmse summit fretted a foaming 
cascade. Alongside the fertile meadow was the bleak 
and barren field. At one moment the path was car¬ 
peted with moss so deep that the feet of the bearers 
were entirely hidden ; in the next arching pines made of 
all the place one grand cathedral, and, ere we had well 
enjoyed the “dim religious light,'’ were hurried out 
again upon the edge of some precipice to gaze giddily at 
the foam flecked torrent so far below, or contemplate 
the pretty villages with their well kept farms and gar¬ 
dens nestling so comfortably up to the sides of the stern 
old rocks. But the sternness was softened: for the 
precipices were hung with garlands, with trailing vines, 
and clinging shrubbery. 
It really seemed as if Nature withheld nothing here ; 
profound stillness reigned, broken only by the voices of 
the bearers as they called to one another or broke into 
snatches of song; no houses were to be seen, although 
occasionally a temple roof rose out of the dense foliage. 
At noon I gave the order to stop for an horn’s rest 
and refreshment; I improved the opportunity to in¬ 
dulge in a friendly chat with my kago bearers. 
These were two able-bodied men, not overburdened 
with clothing, having, in fact, but a single garment. 
Dress in the interior of this country sinks into in¬ 
significance. If the weather is cold, robes are assumed 
for comfort, but as soon as the emergency ceases they 
are again discarded. Yet there is usually a leader of 
even these scant fashions in every waysido village, 
showing once more that human nature is the same 
everywhere. Some of these kago bearers, like their 
brethren the bet I os (grooms), are tattooed from head to 
foot in the most wonderful manner, having etched upon 
the bronzed epidermis landscapes, masks, foxes, tor¬ 
toises and scores of other quaint objects. 
Whenever I could take my eyes from the feast which 
Nature spread before them, they fell upon the marvels 
of art which were depicted upon the broad back of my 
good-natured bearer. 
For, in addition to great Strength and power of en¬ 
durance. these men seem the happiest of mortals, and 
meet with incredible good nature the heaviest of biu-- 
dens, the steepest of roads, or the sharpest of angles. 
Indeed the rougher and more tiresome the way, the 
louder their song, the merrier the laughter. The primi¬ 
tive Japanese is a favorable contrast to those of his own 
humble rank in life among other nations. Whether he 
\, plants rice or fashions rough straw sandles, pulls the 
jinrikisha, bears one end of a kago pole, or ferries the 
traveler across the treacherous mountain stream, he is 
always respectful, never sulky, and as smiling at the end 
of a laborious journey as when he tossed off the cup of 
sake tendered by the merry kitchen-maid in the early 
morning. 
Again I coiled myself up in the kago and become once 
more indifferent to physical inconvenience in surveying 
this wonderful country. As the sun sank lower in the 
heavens the ascent became more rapid, lofty peaks be¬ 
gan to nse about us. and a pale mist obscured the low¬ 
lands ; the semi, that wild locust, whose shrill notes had 
deluded us so many times into looking around for a 
large bird, sang louder, and, when twilight came on, 
was joined by the sharp, clear, bell-like pipings of the 
suju-muslii (bell insect), the pine groves and bamboo 
thickets bent lovingly to whisper together, and through 
the still night air was heard the echoing babble of a 
hundred mountain streams. Presently the full round 
moon lent her radiance, and afar I could discern the 
glancing lights of Miyanoshita. 
Soon with loud cries the bearers broke into a run, and 
directly I was shot out at the door of the village yadoya 
(inn) where I found my party awaiting my arrival. 
Very soon afterward tired nature was seeking sweet 
repose in the heart of a Japanese bed. 
From frequent recourse to the kago I became inured 
to the discomfort, but never so entirely reconciled as on 
that bright summer's day when I took my first journey 
in a “ basket slung from a pole.” E. T. Honjo. 
HOW TO TRAIN THE MEMORY. 
YotTE memory is bad, perhaps, but I can tell you two 
secrets that will cure the worst memory. One of them 
is to read a subject when interested; the other is not 
only to read, but think. When you have read a 
paragraph, or a page, stop, close the book, and try 
to remember the ideas on the page, and not only 
call them vaguely to mind, but put them in words 
and speak them out. Faithfully follow these two 
rules, and you have the golden key of knowledge. 
Besides inattentive reading, there are other things 
injurious to the memory. One is the habit of skim¬ 
ming over newspapers, items of news, smart remarks, 
bits of information, political reflections, etc., so that 
all is a confused jumble, never to be thought of again, 
thus diligently cultivating a habit of careless reading 
hard to break. Another is the reading of trashy novels. 
