The Delta independent., 1888-12-11
THE JAPAN OF TO-DAY.
An Oriental People who Are Tns'
Acquiring Modern European CIV

An Oriental People who Are Tnst
Acquirin" Modern European CIV
iiizntton.
Japan is of Asia and still not Asia. writes
Frank G. Carpenter. Five Thousand miles
md fourteen DAYS from San Francisco 1t is
twelve thousand miles by ship from Liver
pool through the Suez canal 1t is five DAYS
from Yokohama to Hong Kong and yet some
parts of japan are so near the Asiatic conti-
nent that YOU can cross in a few hours la
canoe. Two days' sail will bring you into
Corea and Kams chatlSa Ia within few hours
Journey of the northern border of Japan. 1t
is land of islands and the chain which con-
stitutes it extends, SAYS one authority, a. dis
tance OF two thousand miles. Most OF these
islands are small. but the country all told
has enough territory for big nation, and
several of its islands are larger than many Of
our American states. The island OF Hondo,
which is the main part of. the country, and
the one in which the big cities are located,
has %, 0C0,000 population, and the area OF
Japan all told is bigger than Italy, and you
could lose Prussia inside of It, All the ter
rtory of Great Britain and Ireland ore not
caual to Japan, aud the state Of New York is
only one-thiri its size. The country has to-
day more people than we had in 1870, and its
popuIstion is about equal to that OF Great
Britain and Ireland.
The Japan OF the past was made ZIP OF
farmers and warriors, and In the Japan OF
the present the farmer has not materially
changed. The advances have all been made
BY the warrior class and Japan is governed
by the former soldiers. Tie merchants, who
formerly ranked below the farmer, are rising
in rank, aud the almighty Collar is beginning
TO have the same power here that 1t has in
America.
The Japanese call themselves the AmcrI.
cans of Asia and they are to certain extent
right They arc like the Americans In their
ready adoption OF new things aud In their be-
ing ready to risk the present for the future.
They are quick-witted and they want 10 be up
TO the times. They lack, however, am prone
TO believe the American desire OF accumula-
lion. his industry and perseverance, and
above all his wonderful creative faculty. You
viii md Il patent oiiic2 at Toxic. but you can
number the noted Japanese inventions upon
your fingers. Up TO this stage ln their career
the japanese have been an initiative rather
than creative nation. What they have had
In the past has been adopted from other ma.
tions The civilizations which preceded the
Que now coming in was largely Chinese. The
chief religion Of the Japanese to-day is Budd-
hlsm and It came from India. Corea boasts
of being the author OF many of the schools
II Japanese art and japanese literature is
largely based on Chinese characters. As
to the present civilization, Japan is trying 10
choose the best from all nations, and 1t hopcs
10 make up a whole better than any. Its
Imitation is not blind imitation. The Japan
ese have alwaTs prided themselves on being Il
reasonable people, and they are using their
reason now. Their code OF laws come from
France. They are choosing their models for
army discipline from Germany but their gen
srai culture Will be like their Language. En-
ylisl.
Steak ug OF the japanese as copyists thcy
learn so easily that manufacturers coming to
Japan are very careful that the sscrets of
their arts are not given 20 the people. | ask
ed yesterday man who has established
large fsctory for the making of Photographic
materials why he emplovci only women In his
works, and was told that 1t was because he
feared men. These Japanese" said he,
''are as shHrp us lightning and they viii start
branch establishments soon ns ther have
mastered the process and will undcrsril me. /
keen ail my formulas IN cipher and allow
no Jap 'uesc man to work at important parts
OF the business. AS for the women they are
more steady than the men, and they never
look beyond their work. We have ns good
photogra pliers here you will find any.
where, and thcre is Japanese who is manu-.
tacturiug dry plates"
have visited during the past few days
some OF the government departments OF the
empire and lind they arc using many Amcri-
can inventions. In visiting the army ] saw
troops, dressed exactly like the soldiers OF
Germany, going through military maneuyers
lust as they are laid down in the
AMI In the arsenal where Japan makes her
tincs her cartridges, and her runpowdcr the
machinery was altogether like ours. Tho fac.
tories. barring the brown faces,
emplopes might as well have been In Pitts.
burg ns In Toxic, and this much Is the same
with all the government institutions. The
work, however, and .hc management Is all
a. aI. -
number OF foreigners employed by the gov
ernmcnt decreases every year The Japanese
hire foreigners merely as teachers. Thcv study
hard under them and when they have learned
their spcciaitlcs they are very ready to dis
miss them.
At present nearly all OF the employees OF the
government wear European clothes and this
Is required In mnnv cases The clothes worn
are well fitting and as rule OF good cut, but
they make the little Japanese forms ook
smaller than ever and the people arc more
handsome In their loose flowing gowns bcltcd
In with a gIrdlc at the hips The departments
Of the government arc built on the European
style and tho stnte department is no, much
different In it's interior appointments from
our department at Washington. II has n mes
scnger In livery at the door. who bows low as
you enter and motions you Into papcrcd re-
ceptioD room which has brussels carpet up.
on the floor and an electric button in the wall.
II is the fashionable thing here now for the
Japanese noblcmcn to live In European
mouse. anu tHcrc arc many houses mere whfch
would not look out OF place in Washington
city. Some OF the young men who like Euro
pcnn ways keep up establishments OF both
kinds and their fathers aud mothers, who do
not tnte kindly to the new ways, nrc housed
In Japanese. The number OF Japanese
travelling abroad steadily increases, and there
were in 1885. II, $50 Japanese living outside
OF Japan. OF these more than a thousand
were in the United States, md the purpose
for which most OF them went was for study.
These men come back filed with now civilza-
tIon They learn English aud they advocate
the changes. There are also number of for
eigners In Japan. This number all told Is
about two thousand. The most OF these nrc
merchants and not few are missionaries.
The missionaries claim to have forty thousand
Japanese Christians In their churches and
this aids greatly in the work OF civilization.
As to Japanese education the mission aries
largely teach through the aid Of the govern
ment and English is taught IN many OF the
schools. Education is now compulsory In
japan, hut the statistics show that only about
half OF the children 70 to school. Tho school!
age Is from to "a years, and the Japanese
10, ,vir Icau In atr