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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1885)
150 THE WEST SHORE. SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY. The Jcoolkhh of India. The one class who inter ested WO Jyil licu'mlly in Iuiliit were the jugl"- I have always had a lanny for prying into the secrets of presti digitation, and 1 lost no opportunity of Boeing these sleight-of-hand gentry at their tricltH, and found occaHion to witness many of their performances in different parts of India. My investigations lead me to state positively that the most remarkable stories told aUiut them are fic tions, baaed upon the flimsiest foundation of fact The great majority of pnoiile like to be deceived in such mat ters, and will shut their eyes to palpable evidences of I .t.:i l I i " .1 " irnuii, wuim travniurs who eageriy seize upon every clinnoe to pail their narratives with sensation pointe nat urally throw a veil of mystery around the tricks of the Indian jugglers. Let us take, for instance, the two per formances that have been most frequently and most mar velously written up - that is to say, the mysterious basket and the mango-growing tricks. I have seen Ixith of thera over and over again, and have found the same easily de- wcuii irauu 10 exist in every case, The baskets are bell-hai(Hl and have a false bottom, lietween which and the exterior wall of the basket there is ample room for a very small child to stow iteelf away. The spectators are not allowed to touch, or even to come very near to, the basket, and in a casual glance at the interior one is not apt to detect the false bottom. The baskot is placed over the child, who squats upon the hard ground, and aftor sufficient time has elaaod for the youngster to crawl into m I'inuo "i winwmiueni, mo jnggior iiorruies ins audi ence by pasting his sword through the basket, and then umn uiisetting it, shows that the child has diaapiioared. Meanwhile a duplicate child, that closely resembles the first one, enters ujxin the aoene from the background, and the wonderful trick is completed The famous mango growing trick is even sillier than this. You have, of course, read how a man of mysterious arte plant a mango seed in a flower pot, and then makes a dwarfed fruit-bearing tree spring up from that seed. The facte oi Ute case are simply these: The seed is planted, and the pot is then placed under a sort of tent, whose volura lnous folds must not lie touched by any but the juggler. The latter then waters the earth in the pot, and does a lot of manipulating while his hands are oonoealed in the tent Meanwhile a fellow-juggler is performing a series of other tricks to amuse and distract the attention of jxwUtora. When juggler number one has had time to change the pot for another that is hidden in the folds of the tent, he ojens one side of the canvas a little, and the second xt can be seen with a half-grown mango tree in it After another interlude of the same sort, the tent door is again opened, and a third pot is disclosed, which contains a little tree bearing a mango. The whole thins is such a weak attempt at deception that a person, after studying it once or twice, ran only wonder if any one has really been deceived by it I always enjoyed the palm ing icrfiirmancM of the cleverer jugglers, for their skill and rapidity of action were something extraordinary; but their materialixiug tricks were such palwble alwurdities that there was actually no fun in detecting them. A JxrisesB CiTr.-Kumanioto is an inland city and very attractive. It is situated on a plain, with two fine river, running through it, over which there are nianv curious old stoue brulgea. The houses have terraced giux ens to the water'a edge, aud the streeU are planted in shade treea. In the summer evenings the rivers are alive with pleasure boat. Of an afternoon you may seo half the population of both sexea bathing Uig.-ther, in high glee, inuoix'ut tf my garments aud uuoousciou of any shame. J ust outside of the city is a public garden of innoiilArartla ATfunr. lair? smf. in fViA mimifoKla ot-irln rt Alt Japanese, in lake and grove and mountain and waterfall. In the centre of the city, built on a high conical hill, is a famous castle that commands the approaches in all direc tions. A broad, swift river sweeps its base on two sides, and wide, deep, walled ditches defend the other sides. The castle walls, of massive stone work, rise on terraces, (mnnvf offi1 ramnorf fVrtm flia Koao f-n Mia aiim,U Ti was built in 1592 by Kato Kiyomassa, a celebrated war- i mi ui mo unit?, oiiu una wiwiownM iuuxo biinu Ulltt OOSll- nate siege. It is stated on authority that Kato Kiyo- mnuan urhon tin a onafln waa ntnrmlatal in 1 KQO J. i death all the workmen engaged in its construction, sev eral thousand men, that none might know the secrets of its interior arrangements, rue castle is now garrisoned by imperial troopB. The Japanese army, numbering Ml. 000 rank and filn. hna Iwnn nnilnr iniitrnpfirm r.t P.nt officers in all it different arms for several years. The headquarters are at Tokio, and several thousand troops are always retained there. The others Bre stationed throughout the country, and for the most part garrison the old castles. The uniform nnd arms ure nfter the pencil pattern, ine garrison maintained at Kumamoto 1H a RonrcA of ftnnuiilArnhla rovanna in flm .' .1 . , ' ' . , w Mil IV no 1IJUUB- tries of the city, nnd the daily parades and drills of the different arms of the service, and the officers and soldiers off duty mingling with the population, add more or less to its bright and busy appearance. A cotton manufactory una luvAM.v.jr uucu onMiuiiniiwi jir wiucn gives employ ment to four nr fivn Ininrlrad famnla nnu reooive a compensation of ton sous a day, the establish mant providing thera with their midday meal of rice, fish and Veantnhlns. and nra anfiral . - ' -. ...... u.j WN1..II, "ItU vuia IUIUUU- eration. lhe manufactory is termed a school, the opera- . , uiiiB roquirwi 10 ween ine art to others throughout the nrovmnn nt Ilia ATmVotinn nt mi . . the old-fashioned simple loom and shuttle, and handle Sunny Roomr. Tl . , -. uuuu uuuscs UU BO ior me inoome thev mav vml.l TI,Q., . n . ested in the wnlntm nf fhnan ... :i A.i i.,. . a matter of observation we must insist that shaded houses .D u....t-.iUy mat every dwelling in which the young and erowins live ahnnM Uv. .,nifXi,. of it, rooms during every hour of the day. The import- Vi TV; 1 7" V- B Lur rfty8 ,n dwellings cannot be too hichlv estimntiwl T .D i. ...... j(. Mr , injro piuinuw) neaun ana ?n nT ..vWe "7, Rpt H.H ihat 8od health depends on pure air more than on the influence of the sun. They i?- Ki5reftH,,n ,nfluen on life and growth that they should be allowed to fill every room occupied by animals or plant Light may be J direct and Kant !VZ BofU1,nedl Vut ,ot them e,lter BuchTway as to I1" ?.a.,x,ut,the.v!due.of . batli. No doubt it does inuuuoe nm retain s healthy condition of the body. It to Kunngvrattl'e mT f exP08",8 the nXb,Kly e'6 We hy.vT.'lB"C l - to exclude nryinj small hv,m ;,r V " .T. Pm persons who built a as to SSt ClU1.tP f the,r dwellin8 ch a way lived to Iaf Bbove- These men hA;t.u J.Vi ."""""lu yer nd more. They d d not .unlShUsworth J&- ch, & air. Droix-r f. J i r B"'".,anu pure water, fresh dr5,Pwill llTri wWl8B"i? ny hmise, 'always 7. W secure health and strength. Any one who hoe