DEAR FRIEND NISHIDA,--Your very welcome letter came to-day. I
was beginning to be anxious about you, as my cook, who arrived here only
yesterday, said that it was extremely cold in Matsue; and I was afraid
the bitter weather might have given you cold. I am very glad you are
taking care of yourself....
I am now a little more reconciled to Kumamoto; but it is the most
uninteresting city I was ever in, in Japan. The famous shrines of
Katō Kiyomasa (the Katō-sha and the Hommyōji) are worth
visiting; they are at Akitagun, a little outside the town. The city is
packed with soldiers. Things are dear and ugly here--except silks. This
is quite a place for pretty silks, and they are cheaper than in Matsue:
but there is nothing pretty in the shape of lacquer-ware, porcelain,
or bronze. There is no art, and there are no _kakemonos_, and no
curio-shops.
The weather here is queer--something like that of the Pacific slope, a
few hundred miles north of San Francisco. The nights and the mornings
are cold; and at sunrise, you see the ground covered with white frost,
and mists all over the hills. But by noon it gets warm, and in the
afternoon even hot; then after sundown it turns cold again.
Mr. Kano was too modest when he told me there were other teachers who
spoke English better than he. There are not. He speaks and writes
better English than any Japanese I know. However, there is a Mr. Sakuma
here, from Kyōto, who has a very uncommon knowledge of _literary_
English: he has read a great deal, has a good library, and has made a
special study of Old English and Middle English. He teaches literature
(English) and grammar, etc. Mr. Ōzawa (_I think_) is the second
English teacher: I like him the best personally. He has that fine
consideration for others which you have,--and which is not a common
quality of men anywhere. He speaks French. The Head-master, Mr. Sakurai,
a young and very silent man, also speaks French. Nearly all the teachers
speak English,--except the delightful old teacher of Chinese, who has
a great beard and a head like Socrates. I liked him at once,--just as
I liked Mr. Katayama at first sight. I wonder if there is anything
in the learning of Chinese which makes men amiable. Perhaps it is the
constant need of patience and the æsthetic sentiment also involved by
such studies, that changes or modifies character so agreeably. I don't
know much, however, about the teachers yet. I say good-morning and
good-evening, and sit in my corner, and smoke my pipe. So far they all
seem very gentle and courteous. I think I shall be able to get along
pleasantly with them; but I don't think I shall become as friendly with
any of them as I was with you. Indeed there is nobody like you here--no
chats in the ten minutes,--no curious information,--no projects and
discoveries. I often look at your pretty little tea-tray, with the
_semi_ and the dragonflies upon it,--and wish I could hear your voice at
the door....