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JAPAN'S DOUBLE GOVERNMENT. 101
most of the gentry, and gave himself to the study
of Japanese literature, then so much neglected.
The day following his story of Yoshi-iye", the two
children, Kozo and Ume*, who attended the school of
the writing-master who lived inside the castle, came
home almost crying because their lessons had been
so hard. They knew the forty-eight letters, called
the Kana, so well that they already called these
"baby-writing," but even the beginning of Chinese
characters seemed dreadfully hard to master. They
were not far into the " Thousand Character Classic,"
but had already become a little
weary over it.
"Persevere, my little jewels," said the father.
"We reach the mountain-top only by single steps;
and remember the song which the grinder of the
crystal ball
'
sang Until polished the has no
splendor.'
'
gem
This cheered up time", for she remembered how
her cousin Honda Jiro had found a big lump of
rough quartz crystal. He had offered to give
her, but it looked so dull and whitish that she did n't
want it, until her father whispered to her to receive
it to
it and thank him for it.
Taking it to the lapidary,
who spent some weeks in chipping, grinding, and
polishing Mr. Rai it, gave
it back to her on her birthday.
Then it was a glorious sphere of flawless crystal
as pure as a dewdrop on a lotus. Ever since the
ball had stood in the parlor in front of the kakmono,
or wall-picture, held in a bronze dragon claw,
and no king was more proud of his crown than was
Um of her jewel.