The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-11-04

anu LQ6 l8QQ is one OF oarLnQuaKeS.
Some persons state that Toxic has an
earthquake every day OF the year. but
if so, they are imperceptible, for l have
been here month and have noticed
but one which was only slight shiver
of the earth which pass d away in a
minute. The Japan ese OF oldeu times
believed that the earthquakes came
from a gigantic fish which living in the
its tail against the CT as in
, its -anger. This shook the earth and
caused 1t to crack and trembie. One
hundred ind eighty-five years ago al
earthquake destroyed the whole city,
and it is said that In it 200 900 people
lost their lives. Toxic had an earth
| quake as far Cack AS 1856 which cost
the capital the lives of 104 900, anC
within five years of scientific observa
ton, between 1872 and 1877. eighty six
| earthquakes were noticed at Toxic.
Still the Japanese country, in this part
| of the island, looks anything but vol
canic. 1t is made OF beautiful patches
of hill and hollow cut into fields like
crazy quilt, and with the various crops
covering areas each of which is not
much larger than the floor of a good
sized room. Alphabetically, the people
seem to work their ground as though ii
was all garden, and doubt whether
there is more thorough cultivation any
where. Still, l am told that only two
| tenths of the area of the Empire is cul-
| tivated, and that much of the remainder
| contains valuable land Colonization is
now going on in Yezo, and the expert
mental farms which the government
have instituted will show that some
lands which are not good for rice or tea
can be planted in other crops.
The Japan of the past was made up of
farmers and warriors, and The in Japan
of the present the farmer has not ma
terially changed. The advances have
all been made by the warrior class and
Japan is governed by the former
soldiers. The merchants who formerly
ranked below the farmer are rising in
rank, and the almighty dollar is begin
ming to have the same power here that
it has in America.
The old Japan divided the population
into five classes. At the top was the
Mikado, who was supposed to be de-
scended from the gods and who ruled
supreme. Under him came the shotgun,
or communicative chief of the Imperial
army, who for generations before the
revolution had usurped the power of
the Mikado, and who held his court
here at Toxic while he kept the Mikado,
as figure head three hundred miles
away at Kioto. Under the shotgun
served the army, which was made up of
Daimios and Samurai. The Daimios
were dukes. and the Samurai their re-
tainers. They lived in fine style here
at Toxic and in the country, and had
low one and two story palaces with
black and white checker board walled
houses, with heavy roofs running
around them in which lived their
soldiers. Under them there were
$4,000 families of Samurai, and the
Samurai. were as a rule, as dictatorial
as the bad man from Bitter Creek.
Each of them carried tive big swords
whenever he went out to walk, and they
were not at all backward in Using them.
The common people were afraid Ct
them, and the farmers, tradesmen and
the mechanics trembles before them.
When the revolution came the shotgun
was put down, the Mikado was made the
real ruler f the country and the dukes
and soldiers were forced to give up
their swords and their habitations.
Many of them were taken into the new
government, and many of them are
now engaged in trade. Most of the
Daimios were paid pensions in lieu of
their lands, and some of them having
sold their rights are among the poorest
of the poor in Japan to-day. The new
Japan aims to establish itself on the
basis OF our and the European civiliza-
ton. IL is rapidly advancing, and it is
now land of postofices, teIegraphs
and schools.
Japan has to-day as good postal
system as any country of Europe, and
the originator of its system WAS an