Umé San in Japan

UMÉ SAN IN THE FIELD OF IRIS
Copyright, 1909 ,
By Little, Brown, and Company.
All rights reserved.
Published September, 1909.
Printers
S. J. Parkhill & Co., Boston, U. S. A.
PREFACE
Japan is a paradise of flowers and of treasure-flowers, as the Japanese mothers call their babies. In no other country in the world do they both form so large a part of the daily life of the people. From the first white plum blossom to the last gorgeous chrysanthemum the path of the days is strewn with beautiful blossoms; and from the time of the Dolls' Festival to the New Year's Celebration there is a constant round of simple pleasures for the children.
Happy children! who are always laughing and never crying; who are taught filial respect, reverence, and unquestioning obedience, but are surrounded in their homes with an atmosphere of kindness, cheerfulness and loving care.