popularize the study of astronomy, and they will have for this purpose,
a series of journals published in Japanese. For scholars there will be
also journals in English, German and French, giving an account of the
work done at the observatory as well as matters of universal interest
to astronomers. In eclipse trials many observations have been made;
some of the plates are most beautiful, one taken of the corona of the
sun by Prof. Hirayama was exquisite, this work was done at Padang,
Sumatra. The instruments are three equatorials, two meridian circles
and several smaller telescopes. Proudest of all is the institution of
their Reflers clock which, I believe, is the only one in the Orient.
The library is excellent, containing very many valuable works of
reference. Mr. Ichinoye, while at the Yerkes observatory, took special
work in spectroscopy and double stars and he speaks with enthusiasm
of Profs. Frost, Burnham and Bernard, who are among the leading
astronomers of the world in solar and stellar investigation.
An account of the taking of the coronax of the Sun is given graphically
in the “Annal” of the Tokyo Observatory.
We left Singapore on the 4th April on the steamer “Van Outhoorn” of the
Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij, and four days later we anchored in
Oleh-leh, at the extreme north of Sumatra island. During the rest of
the voyage the steamer remained within sight of land. Our destination,
Emmahaven, was reached at one o’clock in the afternoon of April 15th.
There we took the train for Padang, only twenty minutes’ journey. In
Padang I was able to select an abandoned shooting ground for archery on
the seashore near Damar Street, as a site for the observing station.
It was found afterwards that this site was too near the sea; when the
sea was rough it was impossible to make sextant observations with
artificial horizon on account of the periodical trembling of the
ground. But fortunately on the day of the eclipse the sea was extremely
calm, so that we could get sharp photographs. Dr. Lau, a German
engineer, who had been resident for a long time in Padang, was most
helpful to us during the whole period of our stay. He provided for us
both labor and materials. On account of the excessive rain it was not
possible to commence the setting of our instruments until April 27th.
The principal instruments employed are as follows:--8-inch prismatic
camera, in charge of the writer; 5-inch coronagraph, in charge of Mr.
K. Hirayama; Vogel’s direct vision star-spectroscope in connection with
a 4-inch telescope, in charge of Mr. Sotome.
Now for a few words about the weather conditions at this station during
my stay. Observations at Padang for several days after our arrival
showed that as a rule the mornings were quite clear, but about noon
the sky began to be overcast, and in the evenings it rained. Since the
totality was to occur about one o’clock in the afternoon, we were all
anxious about the visibility of the eclipse. But later observations
showed that the weather was greatly improving. Still there was not a
single day in which the sky was entirely free of clouds, such as I had
enjoyed during my stay in India to observe the total eclipse of 1898.
The nights were specially bad, with either clouds or rain. Till the
time of the eclipse we had only a few clear nights, during which we
tried to photograph the spectrum of a bright star for focussing.
The morning of the day before the eclipse was cloudy; it began to rain
in torrents in the afternoon and by night it had not improved at all,
promising nothing but rain for the next day. The morning of the 18th
of May dawned cloudy, but afterwards it began to improve. The clouds
broke in several places, and the clear sky gradually increased in
extent. Noon was the hour of totality. During totality, although the
sun was still covered with thin cirrus clouds, it was yet possible
to observe the corona through them. The entire programme was carried
through successfully, but with little hope of getting results of value.
All the astronomers stationed at or near Padang on the west coast of
Sumatra met the same fate. Fort de Kock was the only place where the
sky was perfectly clear, although it was pretty near the northern
margin of shadow, and the chance of clear weather was the poorest. Our
site was excellent for the observation of the moon’s shadow. Two or
three minutes before totality we saw the darkness approaching through
the air, on the sea to the N. W., and the shadow swept with great
rapidity towards us; at this moment totality commenced. We also noticed
that the light was approaching, from the same direction, just before
totality ended. In making the exposures I was assisted by Mr. Shakushu,
a Japanese priest at Singapore, who rendered most efficient service in
this way. After the eclipse the development of the plates was taken up.
Since the weather in camp was very hot in the daytime all the plates
were developed at night, ice being used abundantly. The resulting
negatives were nearly all satisfactory, which was contrary of the first
expectation. Yet the effect of the clouds is clearly seen in the long
exposed plates of the 5-inch telescope.
[Illustration]
GOVERNMENT STEEL FOUNDRY
General Nakamura, the head of the Government Steel Foundry, when
interviewed in Tokyo, desired to express regret at the impression given
to the public that he advocates a high tariff on steel imported from
other countries, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the
institution which he represents, to the detriment of foreign producers
and to the exclusion of necessary importations from other countries. In
reply to questions he stated:--
“I do not advocate the increase of the tariff, nor has the question
yet been considered by the Government. What I said was that, among
the causes of the hard position in which the foundry is placed is its
inability to compete with supplies from abroad. So far losses have been
sustained by the foundry, but without an endeavor to place the value of
the turn-out on a par with foreign imports, how long can this be done?
We are endeavoring to regulate this, and possibly a more radical, or
somewhat readjusted, protective policy may be beneficial.
“There are, of course, other causes for the still undeveloped
manufacture of steel in Japan. The present output is insufficient
for the needs of the market. Only one-third of the supply needed is
made by the Government Steel Works, and even this one-third does not
include what is needed for the other branches of consumption, such as
machinery, hardware, etc. On the other hand, the demand for steel has
considerably increased from what it was before the war, and has so
very much outstripped the supply as to be a cause of anxiety to me as
director of the works. The fluctuations in the price of steel, which
have been considerable, have also had a serious effect upon the market.
In the perfecting of the quality of the material itself, for the first
time this year it underwent the inspection of Lloyds, and it was
pronounced that the output was qualified as material for shipbuilding,
provided it passed examination. The Government Foundry has therefore
been registered at Lloyds.
“There is, as stated, great opportunity for the development of
skilled labor among the operatives, and considering that iron work
is so difficult, the progress made is most gratifying. Most of our
instruction in steel manufacture has come from Germans, and most of
our officials are graduates of the Tokyo University who have studied
abroad. In the housing and care of the operatives some care is taken.
Rent is free, but the accommodation is not adequate to shelter the
9,000 employes. Secondly, there is a convenient supply of food at
low rates, a commissary, and in case of injury a relief fund, which
provides medicine and temporary wants, and, in the case of death, looks
after the widows and orphans. A society for this purpose has been
formed, and its interests are one of my chief concerns. The operatives
are recruited from Fukuoka prefecture and from other parts of Japan,
and while not feeling that the Japanese are particularly adapted
to this work, given the time and experience I am pleased with the
results. The average age of the operatives is thirty, and so we have
the advantage of youth and strength in our favor. The Chinese mine at
Taiyeh supplies one-half of the ore used by us, and the rest of the
ore is brought from different parts of Japan. Owing to the condition of
transportation the price of iron is appreciably dearer than in America.
Beside the material supplied to our army and navy, the remainder
is sold on the open market and consumed in the usual manner in the
manufacture of utensils and implements of commerce. The machinery used
in our workshops is from Europe and America, wherever we find the best
and most up-to-date plant.
“In conclusion I want to say that this question of duty is a serious
one--an exceedingly serious one--one which entirely rests with our
Government, and it is not my part to enter into the decision except to
present existing conditions. It is the purpose of the Government Steel
Works in time to supply the whole demand of the country. This is our
ambition, and that is why we are focusing our attention at this moment
upon the causes of our inadequate production and failure to make good
our initial programme.”
[Illustration]
JAPAN IN NOVEMBER
There is no time when Nature is so approachable as in autumn. That
season is like the green room of the actress, when she lays aside her
stage attire and in deshabille she is communicative and you gain many a
secret into her methods and her ideals and aims!
Her laughter is no longer art, but natural, and she shows her foibles
and her whims with a childish abandonment. Kamakura has in resume, the
exquisite traits of Japanese scenery. The dominating features of the
artistic and the diminutive and then the glimpse, just a glimpse of
the grand. The sublime is a note I have never heard touched in Japan,
except at Port Arthur.
Kamakura has also the needed accessory of a landscape, i. e., historic
background. The center of ecclesiastical domination of Buddhism in the
middle ages, the spot where the miracle of Nichiren was performed, that
beautiful episode which is so often treated in art and which reminds us
of those famous martyr dramas dear to the heart of the Christian.
Heaven has not always interceded to save the sainted, and how the heart
leaps, when we read of those rare moments, when it has. Nichiren, we
are told, was busy during the whole of his time in exile in “teaching,
preaching, and itinerating.”
But like many a Christian saint he did not temper his zeal with
discretion and was rearrested.
The story is familiar to all, but it is beautiful, and like that of
Joan of Arc or Constantine or St. Martin and a host of others, will
bear repeating.
“Kneeling down on the strand, the saintly bonze calmly uttered his
prayers and repeated ‘Namu mio ho ren ye kio’ upon his rosary. The
swordsman lifted his blade, but a light blinded his eyes, the sword was
broken and the saint was saved and afterward pardoned.”
The surf was dashing in fine shape on the day we visited Kamakura and
the soft grey, like the color of a faded tapestry brought to our “inner
eye” the old saint and the huge blade broken, and the terror of the
evil men. Japan has this touch with the supernatural which raises her
in our esteem!
The first glimpse of the Buddha set in the bower of maples was not
disappointing. Its vast proportions and its solemn repose fitted into
the coloring of red and yellow and the curtain of Nature softly hung
in folds of crimson and green, and a veil of mist harmonized the whole
into an etherial essence dear to the mystic. The Buddha of Kamakura
is the Prince of India, and those Hindoo lines of proud lineage, the
arch of the nose and lips and eyebrows, all tell the story of his
kingly degree. The hawk-like glance of the sovereigns of the kingdom of
princes, is of course subdued in the religionist, but I doubt if it is
extinct.
The Buddha is after all a man and the gentleman and the boor still
show! We went once in Paris to the cloister where the women of the old
noblesse are immured and there in spite of almost inhuman rigidity of
demeanor caused by every crucifixion to mind and body “the goddess
was known in her walk” still. So difficult is it to warp and contort
Nature! So difficult and so futile!
“Consider the lily how it grows” is an injunction that no churchman has
ever fathomed. Nor ever will! Only God did that!
It is well that Buddha sits among the maples and the cherry blossoms,
for their wisdom may penetrate his bronze heart! The view from “Kwannon
temple” is a rare bit of Japan.
There in the tea house we sat and drank it in, with the stimulating
beverage.
The cliffs, the village, the ocean, the dainty colors, the aged aspect
of it all and the stir of new life, everything toned into an autumn
symphony, it only needed Chopin.
But Chopin was far away and there is no music in Japan! How curious
that the fickle goddess left that out and set all the harmonies of
Nature in the heart of the Philippines! The “Hachiman shrine” is a bit
of Saint Marks, with its pigeons, and the avenue of ancient trees and
torii which leads up are good and far less distracting than the temple
approaches of the cities.
Better than all was Nature’s sanctuary where all is harmony; where no
narrow sect nor vulgar stare, nor discourtesy disturbs your thought,
and where one can read the word of God uninterpreted by any narrow
priest, or any narrow passion, but in “Spirit and in Truth.”
The colors defy all art to reproduce them, the declining year, the
memory of the rich hued summer, the pathos of something gone, the hush
of stream, the absence of bird notes, the quiet, the intimate quiet
of Nature, which is never oppressive, never aught but refreshing, and
which leaves no scar nor wound!
The delicacy of the laying away the past and the hopefulness of it
all! We would almost like too, to fade away into the ether, laying off
the coarse garment of the flesh and finding what Buddha and every sage
has sought!
“Some soft warm place in field, or wood,
The mother will be sure to keep,
Where we shall lay us down to sleep.”
[Illustration]
SUNRISE OVER ASIA
I
Over the old worn world he came,
Flaunting his flames of red!
The stern walls of Asia guarding the sky,
Waited in calm, as in years gone by,
Upward he came, breathless, we said--
“Can he scale this fortress, centuries strong?”
His answer ’twas written in cohorts high!
He triumphed, night fled,
The day was begun, and Asia, she of the long, long night
Said, “Welcome, my son!”
II
So up rises the day on the days that are fled!
And Asia’s sun glows a brilliant red,
And the future resplendent of Asia will come--
Come as this sun, a splendor of life on the days that are dead!
South China Post
MANILA AND THE PHILIPPINES
Just outside of Asia proper as in a proscenium box are these islands,
half mystic, half savage, like the kings who sent men out to conquer
the world, with sword in one hand and hostia in the other!
No place on earth has had possibly a more romantic experience, full
as it has been, of the acts of primitive unchained manhood and the
infinitely worse aspects of human nature, the avarice, intrigue
political and ecclesiastical eccentricities of civilization. The whole
story is written in the annals of these verdant radiant slopes, not
all written yet! Then on pages brilliant as some illumined missal
is inscribed the devotion of the chivalrous sainthood of Spain. The
dramatic element is furnished by the Chinese invasions followed by the
British and our own and as you pass along these streets, the walls and
towers “cry out.”
Just outside then of Hongkong, the “superb” the Genoa of the East, her
prows turned to every point of the compass, her flags the colors of
human statehood, of petty kingdoms and massive empires, the gateway
of Asia, the Asia of the North, destined like everything Northern to
outrank the South, in virility if not in subtility and charm, we of
the Philippines have a glance which takes in more than a piece of the
oriental horizon it embraces. The chiaro-oscuro after leaving the
islands at the end of a long sejour, when as at the close of life, the
colors seem to blend into one dominant tone, is a sort of soft grey,
enveloping the receding city, built so far away, at so much sacrifice;
over all the blemishes the cruelties and crudities of a society hardly
half formed, of a state hardly above the first foundations, one’s
feeling is wonder and pity, wonder that men and women have had the
courage to face it at all, pity for their heroic struggle against
ignorance and all the human brood of evils under a tropic sun, which
dries the blood in the veins and leaves the nerves tingling to every
breath and thought.
But were this all, who would have the power to live out their story
here! In the phantasmagoria of this tropical nature there is something
ever new, ever fresh, ever upbuilding and upraising, the forces of this
universe of which we are a part. There is a measure in this Oriental
dawn, like the lines of Omar Khayyam, which swings in the rhythm of the
hours. Every day we feel we can, every day we do! Then in the embrace
of the transcendant peace of the Oriental night, we learn to watch and
wait, knowing we shall be soon with “Yesterday’s seven thousand years.”
There is something in the atmosphere, a certain occult fluid, which
takes the place of ozone and strange as it may seem these sunburnt,
sunscorched lands have rushing over them the gales of ardor, of desire
to run the race of manhood worthily, every nerve taut, every tendon
stretched.
“Time cannot change, nor fortune stale her infinite variety,” would
well describe Manila.
Gathered from the four corners of the earth a motley crowd is
her citizen’s roll! Embryo politicians, incipient scholars and
philanthropists, altruists of curious conflicting lives and creeds,
every social curiosity in the gamut, from those who never saw a ship
until they reached San Francisco, who were once a cordon bleu and
are now posing as grande dames, (?) to those who have given up all the
beauty of some castle height in Spain, or some equally refined home in
America to spend their best of life and service as a tropical gift,
lavish and unstinted, without thought of return.
We also find all the comical inconsistent forms of religionists of
every shade of narrowness and Pharisaism, at once gallant defenders
of their faith and guilty of inhuman barbarity to their fellows,
intriguing clothed with piety, just as in the old, old days, but where
is “the milk of human kindness” on the other hand sweeter to the
palate, sated as it must become with all else, where do you see lips
quiver more tenderly over a sorrow, or eyes light more divinely at
noble word, or deed!
There is something intensely human, in our city, expressed by the
Spanish word “simpatica”! All the personalities are so well known, so
intimately and injudiciously discussed and so ineptly criticised and
then in a moment of abandonment, the praise is so real, the encomiums
worthy of an Attic sage!
The heroes and favorites are after all well chosen in our city and her
gratitude outlasts many a more ambitious burg! There is heart in what
Manila does, often almost incoherent heart, but what is the rarest
science, the most ambitious churchism, to one drop of that pure wine of
goodness and enthusiasm, “pure and undefiled” like Him who went about
doing good?
Slowly we are evolving a city from the middle ages to the present type
of town, full of modern action and our institutions are rising from a
substructure long prepared by the past.
Work along the humanities at the Catholic university of St. Tomas
and by the Jesuit Fathers, at their famous school, the “Ateneo,” has
prepared the way for a national university whose buildings are rising
and whose instruction has already commenced.
The work of the nuns, Spanish and French and German, has been an
excellent training for Filipina mothers and their family life.
They have formed whole generations of good women, whose grace and
true womanhood put to the blush most of the American, or European
importations, with their petty jealousies, their slanders and their
utter frivolity.
Today the Filipina girl, like her sisters in every land, aspires to
greater learning and the way is being opened also for them.
Still in bastion like walls within the walled city, whose ancient moat
and ramparts are the pride of our town, you can see as in a vision
of other more refined days, under cape of black, white and of soft
outline, faces glowing with a devotion to the highest ideals, not of
our time. They are like a rare vintage in crystal from the sunny slopes
of Spain, or France, uplifting all women at the sight and shaming the
ignoble types of today!
Spain taught her children scanty science, if you will, but if we teach
these people one half the goodness she left in their souls, we may
congratulate ourselves, congratulation we are not likely to be worthy
of, unless there is a speedy change for the better.
Our hospitals are several of them, of the latest equipment and directed
by the devotion of well instructed nurses. St. Paul’s, under the
supervision of the catholics, though free to all in its beautiful
catholic spirit, is perhaps the most popular institution in the city.
French devotion has made it the delight of the sick and weary.
Among new hospitals are the “University,” the “Civil” and the parent of
all “San Juan de Dios,” an ancient institution of splendid traditions.
“San Lazaro” for infectious diseases will some day be one of the
foremost of its kind in the Orient. We need sadly a home for the
aged, as our over-crowded alms house is not up to date and we ought
to have other provision for our children. The “Looban convent” where
a most lovely charity is dispensed by a mother superior who radiates
goodness, with her choice spirits about her, needs more assistance and
sympathy. The “Mary Johnson” hospital is combining a training school
for nurses and the Municipal Board is encouraging in every way the
training of young woman in this most necessary branch of learning. The
sanitary conditions of the city are slowly being put on a par with
those of other cities. A new water system just opened brings the purest
of mountain liquids to our homes and down in the depths of earth a
drainage up to date is being laid. We need a first class hotel large
and combining the charms strangely little utilized, of our climate and
delightful nature. Our present hostelries are by no manner of means
to be as severely criticised as they are, as they afford quite a fair
degree of European comfort. Buildings for trade, commodious and lofty
and pretty private villas are going up in all parts of the city. Our
water front, an unsightly mass of made land, awaits the hand of the
architect to raise the state buildings, adorned with the symmetry of
art to embellish our chief glory the wide, cool stretch of ground we
call “Luneta” where we hope to see soon the statue of Rizal, who is the
chief glory of the New National life!
A trip through the Southern islands on one of the “Smith Bell”
steamers, affords entrancing pleasure and variety of experience, and
the summer capital of Baguio and hot springs and sylvan sights are
reached by the Manila and Dagupan Railway. We have a press which
has talent but is handicapped by a narrow and very false idea of
conservatism and there is a disposition to restrict its freedom, which
is a sign of weakness if not of culpability. Great states and great
people are not afraid of criticism nor even slander. Innocence is
subjected to both, here as elsewhere, and the most innocent the most
subjected here as elsewhere.
Who, but loves this people who has lived among them, not expecting
perfection, nor a degree of disinterestedness which we do not as a
Nation possess nor as individuals illustrate?
The Filipino has qualities which the longer you know him, commands your
respect and sympathy and his imperfections are no more disagreeable
than those of more highly developed peoples.