Ever-White Mountain, probably taking its name from the fact that the highest peaks are covered with snow most of the time, though some say that the name comes from the fact that the soil has a whitish appearance regardless of the snow that may be on it.
Farther south, about the middle of the range, the famous Diamond Mountains are located. These take their name from the diamondlike stones which are there found in great abundance and are much used in the manufacture of spectacles. These mountains are famous for their beautiful scenery, so much so that there is a saying, "See the Diamond Mountains and die," the idea being that there is nothing else in this world that is now worth seeing.
It is here in these famous mountains, high up among the peaks and far from the common haunts of man, that the most renowned Buddhist temples are located. Here the shaven-headed priests, before idols old and grim, chant their weird prayers. These temples have held a great place in the life of the nation for many long centuries past; though, judging from those that I have visited, the sun of their glory is surely passing away. I spent a Sunday in one of these temples, and the priests told me it had been there for more than a thousand years. Though the building had lately been repaired, it nevertheless had the appearance of an institution that is in its declining days. We were told that formerly there were many priests in this temple, but that many of them had run away and gone to Hawaii, while others had married and settled down to farming, till at that time there were only a
