Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-02-10
LITERATURE IN /APAN

| The return of works licensed to be printed
during the past two years by the Japanese De.
| partment OF the Interior is of much interest
as showing the tendency of the minds of
educated people of the country. The figures
show that considerable mental activity exists
in the country. Last year 545 works on
political subjects were issued, against 2SI the
previous year. Law was represented by 2ss
works against 2o7 in 1880; while in political
economy the numbers were rs and Is respect.
lively. Geographical works declined from 40
in 1880 to I64 in 1881; while in medicine the
increase was from 229 to 267. In scientific
subjects we ind rs works on chemisty and ~
on natural history in 1880, reduced to II and
20 respectively in 1881. Natural philosophy
also shows decline from 10 to IA; so do
mathematics from II6 to Io7. Similar works
on astronomy have declined from in 1880 to
| 7 in 1881. In other classes of books, however
we find great increase. Ethical and moral
works have increased from 81 to %; historical
works from 1919 to 27o; books on poetry
and poetical works from 4oI to $50; books on
drawing and writing from I27 TO 339. En-
gineering works have increased from to rs;
and books on commerce from 10 to III.
lSchool-books again this year are nearly half as
numerous as all other books putCtogether,
numbering 7o4 against 7o7 last year. Lighter
literature is by no means neglected, for I93
volumes of tales, novels, ETC., were published
during 1881. During the year I4o newspapers
started, but the large proportion of ia never
saw the commencement OF the present year.
In 1880 the publication of zoo new journals
commenced, AZ Of which soon succumbed.
The operation of the Press laws cannot be very
stringent, when we find that during two years,
Of AIS newspapers, I6I of which ceased, only
one was prohibited by the Government. In
addition to those above mentioned, we find in
the list works on etiquette, accounts, naval
and military works, dictionaries, encyclopedias,
etc. The total number OF works published dur
Ing the year was 4,9io, against 3,792 last year.
Very many OF these books are translations or
adaptations Of European or American works.
Among such books recently conveyed we
find Sunless "Character," Roscoe's 'Chemis.
| try" Leone Lewis International CONNER
cial Law" Bouvier's Law Dictionary" Pal.
graves "Chairman's Handbook, Lord Ches.
terfields Letters" every Man his own
Lawyer" Taylor's "Medical jurisprudence"
| Thompson's "Social Science and National
Economy" Bankers London Statistics"
The Science Of Familiar Things" Mills
Three Essays ON Religion" Diapers Soon.
fiict of Religion and Science" portions of
Buckles History Of Civilization, "Thompson's
" Outline of the Necessary Laws of Thought"
etc As TO the price Of these works, we may
instance Sunless " Character, the translation
of which by Nakamura, n well-known English
scholar, in two volumes, costs only fifty sen,
or about shilling at the present rate of the
paper currency. The figures and facts here re-
corded show at least that the path Of Western
progress which the Government is pursuing is
one Of which the people approve.
The last United States census shows that in
that country there were made OF, ala 627 gal.