ce. What seemed
labor to others who had not had my special training was as the breath in
my nostrils. Even in the debilitating heat of the tropics it was always
a pastime, never a task, to put into words my ideas of the historic
places which I knew so well from years of reading and which I had just
seen. And the richer the background of history, the greater was my
enjoyment in painting with words full of color a picture of my
impressions, for the benefit of those who were not able to share my
pleasure in the actual sight of these famous places of the Far East.

From the mass of newspaper letters written while every impression was
sharp and clear, I have selected what seemed to me most significant and
illustrative. It is only when the traveler looks back over a journey
that he gets the true perspective. Then only is he able to see what is
of general and permanent interest. Most of the vexations of travel I
have eliminated, as these lose their force once they have gone over into
yesterday. What remains is the beauty of scenery, the grandeur of
architecture, the spiritual quality of famous paintings and statues, the
appealing traits of various peoples.

The Best
Results of Travel in
the Orient

The Best Results of Travel in the Orient

This volume includes impressions of the first half of a trip around the
world. The remainder of the journey will fill a companion volume, which
will comprise two chapters devoted to New York and the effect it
produced on me after seeing the great cities of the world. As I have
said in the preface, these are necessarily first impressions, jotted
down when fresh and clear; but it is doubtful whether a month spent in
any of these places would have forced a revision of these first
glimpses, set in the mordant of curiosity and enthusiasm. When the mind
is saturated with the literature of a place, it is quick to seize on
what appeals to the imagination, and this appeal is the one which must
be considered in every case where there is an historical or legendary
background to give salient relief to palace or temple, statue or
painting. Without this background the noblest work seems dull and
lifeless. With it the palace stamps itself upon the imagination, the
temple stirs the emotions, the statue speaks, the painting has a direct
spiritual message.

Certain parts of the Orient are not rich in this imaginative material
which appeals to one fond of history or art; but this defect is