r centuries; in Japan, bright and winsome, true
children of Nature, still held by the customs of years, however much the
barriers are being broken down by the progressive policy of the country.

[Illustration: _Javanese vegetable sellers_]

As tourists remaining but a short time in a place, we did not have the
pleasure of meeting the higher class of women in any of the countries
visited, but I saw a Javanese lady in Kyoto who dined several times with
an English lady; her self-possession and dignity of manner were pleasant
to note, while her responsive smile showed quick intelligence. She had
been the wife of an English gentleman for twenty years, but still wore
the graceful kimono, which showed her good sense. Strange as it may
seem, the founder of Buddhism, with all his teaching of love to mankind,
filial duty, kindness to animals, and moral precepts in general, failed
to extend to women, for whom he is said to have had little respect, any
encouragement other than the abolishing of the law of caste. But,
notwithstanding, he had many women followers, some even becoming nuns.

The vehicles of the countries we visited were always individual, and I
have failed to allude to the peculiar sadoe of Java, a two-wheeled cart
drawn by a small horse, a seat for four persons being placed over the
axle. The driver is comfortable, but the passengers with no backs for
support are tossed about unmercifully. This sadoe has a canopy top; it
is like the jinrikisha, convenient for a shopping excursion, but I pity
any one who attempts to take a long drive in it! One morning I went out
alone, and in turning a street corner I was nearly thrown and my
packages flew in every direction. I felt that I needed a little
sympathy, but the imperturbable Dutch coachman(?) never even smiled, so
I concluded it was an every-day occurrence. A dignitary with attendants
on each side carrying umbrellas is amusing.

The variety of fruit is greater in Java than anywhere else we had been;
the bananas, however, while fine to look upon were coarse and had little
flavor; the pineapples were not as excellent as in Ceylon, nor were the
mangosteens. A photograph I have shows at least twenty-five varieties of
fruit; the pisang being universally used, as well as the rambutan,
durian, pomalo, and papaya. The bread-fruit and jack-fruit grow to
enormous size.

At luncheon (_riz taffel_) I again noticed a peculiar dish being served.
This consisted of rice, vegetables of