designs on
the market, also produced some beautiful souvenirs of the war, in
the shape of _fukusa_. (A _fukusa_ is an ornamental silk covering,
or wrapper, put over presents sent to friends on certain occasions,
and returned after the present has been received.) These are made of
the heaviest and costliest silk, and inclosed within appropriately
decorated covers. Upon one _fukusa_ is a colored picture of the
cruisers Nisshin and Kasuga, under full steam; and upon another has
been printed, in beautiful Chinese characters, the full text of the
Imperial Declaration of war.

But the strangest things that I have seen in this line of production
were silk dresses for baby girls,--figured stuffs which, when looked
at from a little distance, appeared incomparably pretty, owing to the
masterly juxtaposition of tints and colors. On closer inspection the
charming design proved to be composed entirely of war pictures,--or,
rather, fragments of pictures, blended into one astonishing
combination: naval battles; burning warships; submarine mines
exploding; torpedo boats attacking; charges of Cossacks repulsed by
Japanese infantry; artillery rushing into position; storming of forts;
long lines of soldiery advancing through mist. Here were colors of
blood and fire, tints of morning haze and evening glow, noon-blue
and starred night-purple, sea-gray and field-green,--most wonderful
thing!... I suppose that the child of a military or naval officer
might, without impropriety, be clad in such a robe. But then--the
unspeakable pity of things!

* * * * *

The war toys are innumerable: I can attempt to mention only a few of
the more remarkable kinds.

Japanese children play many sorts of card games, some of which are
old, others quite new. There are poetical card games, for example,
played with a pack of which each card bears the text of a poem, or
part of a poem; and the player should be able to remember the name of
the author of any quotation in the set. Then there are geographical
card games, in which each of the cards used bears the name, and
perhaps a little picture, of some famous site, town, or temple; and
the player should be able to remember the district and province in
which the mentioned place is situated. The latest novelty in this line
is a pack of cards with pictures upon them of the Russian war vessels;
and the player should be able to state what has become of every vessel
named,--whether sun