, and a work of very great art. It
took me several days to purchase it, as the man was very loath to
part with it, and at the end I got it for very much less than I was
willing to give the first day.

They do not seem to have any day of rest--all shops are open seven days
of the week. All work goes on in the same unbroken round. Indeed, from
the time I left San Francisco until my return, it was hard for me to
"keep track" of Sunday, even with the almanac I carried; and when I
did chase it down, I involuntarily exclaimed, "But today is Saturday
at home; the Saturday crowds will parade the streets this evening;
the churches will not be open until tomorrow morning."

I learned here that the average wages of a laboring man, working
from dawn to dark, is about seven cents a day of our money. The men
do much of the menial service, much of the delicate work, too. The
finest embroidery, with most intricate patterns and delicate tracings
in white and colors, is done by men. Two will work at the frame, one
putting the needle through on his side, and the other thrusting it
back. In that way the embroideries are alike on both sides, except
the work which is to be framed. They are so very industrious that
they very rarely look up when anyone is examining their work.

As I was watching some glass blowers, the little son of one raised
his eyes from the various intricate bulbs that he was handing to
his father and gave him the wrong color. Without a word of warning
the father gave him a severe stroke with the hot tube across the
forehead, which left a welt the size of my finger. Without one cry
of pain he immediately handed his father the correct tube and went
on with his work as if nothing had happened. I had intended to buy
that very article, but it would have meant to me the suffering it
cost the child, and I would not have taken it if it had been given me.

Sanitary conditions, as far as I could judge, were bad. The houses,
in the first place, are very small. I understand they are made small
on account of earthquakes. It is said that the whole of Japan is in
one quake all the time. They have shocks daily, hence, the houses
are only one story high.

I attended an auction of one of the finest collections of works of
art that had ever been placed before the public. The only way we
could tell that many of these works were especially choice was by the
number of elegantly dressed Japanese who were bending before them in
admiration.