The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-03-15
I.e,ter from anaptist Minister In Japan
% his yIlrothsr In wheeling.
= NJ mo. I0onAwARA Ono, z .
TsuKiJI, Toxic, JAPAN. I
February !, 1879. }

Vu' " tus! 's! 'aHS''' s"% Wv Wv
that they are Studying EngllSh, many OF
them, as earnestly and eagerly rs ] am
stndvinv their tonpue. va hoth And
,,o,,. ~ a. ~ ,,roo a. mn shor,I "a, hovo
"o'A W w ~ ouUe' 10 We '" LUZ, NV "a'9
done on any other mission HE'LL to whicll
we could have gone. lIelty has class OF
girls and younv women, and | class Of
"""nn m:n H. Iho pn.,,sh ros,omon,
'Vu"s NV" T" "" Ns ',.a' =. -s -o', w.,
every sunday am learning 10 reau anu
translate their character us fast as ! can,
and can converse a little, though under.
,,ann,I M, ND, ~ ,hat ,hoy sa,, from,L.
S'"." NV '""o" " VIA s"oy o"y' "VM s"'
iaet mat they run thelr words togelhef
and talk so fast that cannot translate
quite fast enough 10 follow them The
language is more difficult than supposed
from the numerous characters they use 10
represent one syllable. For INSTANCE, the
syllable "ha" and the syllable "ka'seach
have eleven different characters to repre-.
sent them Ia The written or book Ian
guage, which is entirely different from the
ordinary spoken Language. FaClI Of the
other syllables have from two TO ten dill.
ferent characters. ! learn one and ! think
shall know 1t anywhere, anil pretty soon
another will 10 lsed aud The one
have learned be dropped for timc or
only very occasional used. Nevertheless
ain slowly mastering the difficulties, and
my teachers lllInk with more Than tue
usual rapIdlty. MY morning teachers
told me that translated IRON English ill.,
to Japanese with uncommon QlickneSs
and remarkable accuracy But The Jap
anese are so leatlully polite that one must
take what they say cum grauo sails.
The population Of Toxic has been great
ly overrated, anu the consequence Is that
II Is now very much moderated. II has |
should judge, about one million inhabl'
tant4' Some who have been here a long
time put 1t al from COO 900 70 5000, and
others as high as ,600,OOO. From the ex.
tent Of the city, Its closely packed streets
and numerous houses, judge that 900,
600 Il nearer right than the lower figures
and the others may be right, hut the cn-
cyclOplcdias In giving 1900, 600 US the pop
ulation are certainly ,0OO, 900 too high and
perhaps more. Physicians say that the
mortality il fearful; two.tliirls OF the
children die before l0years OF age. The
language has no word for stove, aud their
word for fire and sun are the same. They
use brazierS or wooden boxes lined with
copper or brass in which they burn char.
coal, and call them HibaChi-which we
translate "fre'box"-but which really
meas "sun'box" or sun bowl" their
word for wooden bowl being "bachi."
Iibachi thus becomes 4SuR.bowl" or Sire
box" Sometimes these are made from
stone, and my observation is thu: the
Japenesc are very neat and def work
men. But they do us they speak, 'tother
end first The carpenter pulls his plane
towards him, lie draws his saw from him
as we drive It to us, and dtIrws it to him as
we drive it from us, but their tools are
very good. Their saws are peculiarly made
and are really very fine instruments.
Human labor Is very cheap. l paid
good carpenters at the rate OF fifty sen, or
half dollar day. Llvingis higher, more
expensive than in California ut the present
time; mean OF course, foreigners liz.
ing. Tho natives live very cheaply. In
the college there are about GOO students,
and as many more III the Medical school.
do not know how many pupils are in the
Normal school nor in the Empress school
for girls, nor In the Engineering school.
The professors in the Medical school arc
all German, and very thorough; the stu.
/ dents are supported by the government,
and are sure Of employment by the gov.
ernment when they graduate, Il they dc.
serve it. We have hadgevCral earthquake
shocks, but none severe; tho country,
believe, has had no very heavy quake for
more than ten years. In the summer, |
am told, they have frequent and devastat.
ing ires, and can easily understand how
it IS SO, from the frugile character and
crowded condition Of the houses and mar.
rowness ofmoSt Of the streets Tho "Tori"
on main street Of Toxic, Is wide, and las
quite solid, substantial looking houses
upon 1t throughout nearly its whole
length. But running out from il arc in.