The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-04-25
japanese Traits and English
% ga Tricks. .53-Al1 20 bto
BY REV. z. E. HALE.

.-- E=se
Tricks. '.3Aio -a b@'
/ BY REV. Z. z. HALE.
from tiis OLD ana New aAr April. 49, stsA e
/ We have never forgotten the intel
|, l,ligent daring of q Young Japanese Of
| ficer who appeared on shipboard 81
every port which Perry's squadron
visited, and in face of all prevention,
whether of our own officers or of his
own government, pursued his eager
inquiries into the methods of naval
warfare He was arrested, if we rer
member rightly, he was threatened
with pqBishment, but still he perse-
,vered.5 The last time he visited any
OF, the ships, being hurried off by
some Of his native ecompanions,s he
slipped a. piece Of paper stealthily
where II might be, Doticed after his
departure. The young nidshipman,
and others as careless, were greatly
amused, when they read in his English
!" Give me the recipe. for percussion
caps" Very possibly none of those
I;y n e gentlemen could have given it.
/ What was not to be laughed at was
this; that this yeung man had, even
at that period, seen the weakness q OF
his ceuptry's military establishment.
The excuse for oretaining the match
lock so late in the Japan army was,
that the mineralogy, of Japan did not
afford flint suitable for tire-locks.-
Here wasia man who, when the per-
cussion lock was still . novelty in the
armies of America, was asking him
self, and striving to learn from others
how it, could be introduced in the
me raf hraS 4 -
A nation which can boast of such
men need not be afraid of the compe-
titiOniof iciviliZation.rio5 sid5 Ia n8ffBi
/ There is another story of that time !;
-ot the bold aud pathetic effort made
.byitWo Japanese gentlemen to leave
their owncountry, i'm defiance of4the
policy okits government at that time.
and to return with y Com; Perry to-
America We are glad torecall their
names, trusting that they still iveto
ieDjoy the triumph of wiser policy
They W ere Issgii iKoodai lantl Kevant
suchi Manjia Theyicam ON board the
flagship by stealth, at two oinl the
morning, having sent word in advance
that they were planning Ian1eseape,
and begged osbe brought to- America.
!" WeshaVe,s all our lives, been going
hence to you, unable TO go more than
thirty degrees east and west, or twen--
ty.five degrees north and south." Is
there not, in the scientific precision of
that statement,A something which
shows the misery of being thus cab,
ined and coBfinedi Com. Perry felt
bound to return them, for diplomatic
reasons, aud they were imprisoned.
He could not afterwards learn 1theiro
fate.a Ifthey lost their lives they are.
the first martyrs; of Japan's new de-
parture.It-f sa - or IHhsaals1 Z CO 70
] The chemists have. to some extent,
relieved all nations from absolute de-
pendence on any nation which held
the keys of the natural mines of nitre7
lone of the sinews of modern war.
But the natural 1snpply is far the
and for immediate use it is !
always relied upon.n The nitre sup-s
piled from the natural beds in India
is SO cheap that in the commerce of
the world En- gland has held the key
of the larger supply of this c0mmod-
ity. War makessa suddeni and Jabso-d
lutte demand for it, however, such as
it is not alway aystonvenientto to submit
to the decision of England 1t hap
pens that Japan holds natural beds of
nisfes which may be used if itl Is not !
cOnvenientto resort 10 those OF 1udla.y
AS nations dig in the bowels of theel
harmless earth for villainous saltpetre
if they want a large supply, and want
it furnished of a sudden, they must
goto ask leave of England or ofJapan.
Now, we are very good. friends with
and we certainly mean to
SO. But there was a time |
when we needed little saltpetre for,
some domestic discipline which it is
our duty to enforca, when, for certain I
reasons best known to England, she !
ceased to believe in free trade, her
general panacea for evil and would
have been glad to hinder our limmedi-
ate supply. When Mr.. Adams writes /
his memoirs, he willstelliu us how she
yield thatpeint in a
And when the history of'l
.he late Confederacv is written, we |
shall know to what straits it was re-
luced. for wantaof 1.-The same supply.d
Now that we are within thirty days
,f Japan, we are within thirty days |
1f nitro etsfaraisheds from English I
nines.f fo5 essai55sT9 10 1oazFfJ5i . - p
: