We were told that the belief that the Emperor is a God-like being is
strengthened by the fact that he is never seen and therefore his
people's glorified imagery of him is never shattered. We were told that
the Emperor is seen only by a carefully selected group twice a year,
once at the Cherry Blossom season and once at the Chrysanthemum
Festival, and if it rains on these days the reception is put off for
another year.
Why, the mystery of the Orient was even found in our menus, and it did
not take long for the Pandoras of our party to find out that "Bubble and
Squeak" was good old ham and eggs and "Angels under Cover" were oysters
wrapped in bacon.
After official business was over for the day, the party "did" Theatre
Street, where our own movie queens reigned beside some poster depicting
a Japanese soldier fighting a dragon. Byron Mauzy told us that our jazz
music is often called for and that pianos with a specially made case to
withstand the dampness, were in demand.
Our party found out why someone said, "There is as much red-tape
necessary to go through a Japanese palace as there is to get married,"
for we faced the grim-armed soldiers at the outer gates, but were not
allowed to enter until our credentials had been carefully inspected.
Then we were permitted to go into a small outer room where we wrote our
names, addresses, etc., in a large book. After a scrutiny of this and a
long wait, giving them sufficient time to telephone and see if our
passes were authentic, we were formally escorted through beautifully
carved portals, past endless, handsomely decorated, empty rooms, over
the squeaky door sill (that is supposed to warn the inmates of someone's
approach) and finally to the canopied gold-mounted throne itself.
We began to feel a little easier, when we got out in the sun of the
garden, but even there we felt formal, for in these sacred gardens no
gay flower or dashing stream is permitted. Nature, too, must be subdued,
and even the little trickle of water circling the buildings, was there
for the sole purpose of suggesting purity, we were informed.
After the reception and investigation tour of Kobe, forty of the party
boarded a train for Peking, under the direction of Hoover's
representative, F. R. Eldridge.
We had enjoyed Fujiyama by moonlight, but did not know that we were also
to glide by the Inland Sea at sunset. Korea's roads, built of course, by
the Japanese soldiers, and the guarded stations of Manchuria, were of
much interest to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce investigators.
Every evening impromptu speeches on conditions were held in the dining
car. M. A. Gale, Henry S. Bridge, and Louis Mooser also vied with each
other telling funny stories, Carl Westerfeld contributing to the
entertainment by organizing a group of the party into "The South
Manchurian Quartet." Dave and Resse Lewellyn started to sing "Annie
Rooney" and "Mother McCree" whenever things were too quiet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account