The Delta independent., 1888-12-25
THE JAPAN OF TO-DAY.
An Oriental People who Ars Fasl
Acquiring Modern European CIV
flixatiou f't

Acquiring Modern European CIV.
ilization.
Japan 10 Of Asia and still not Asia, writss,
Frank 9. Carpenter. Five thousand miles
and fourteen days from San Francisco 1t is
twelve thousand miles by ship from Livc--
pool through the suez canal. 1t 10 i've days
from Yokohama to Hong Kong and yet some
parts Of Japan are so near the AaiAtic conti-
nent that you can cross In few hours In .
canoe Two days saIl will bring you Into
Corea and kamschatka is within few hours
Journey Of the northern border OF Japan. 1t
rs land Of islands and the chain which con.
stitutes 1t extends, says one authority, . dis
tance Of two thousand mileA Most Of these
Islands are small. but tho country all told
has enough territory for . big nation, end
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 25, 0o0, 900 population, and the area OF
Japan all told is bigger than Italy, and you
could lose Prussia inside Of It. All the ter
ritory Of Great Britain and Ireland are not
equal to Japan. and the atate Of New York is
only one-third its size. The country has to-
day more people than We had In 1870, and Its
Britain and Ireland.
The Japan Of tho past was made mp 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. Tue merchants, who
formerly ranked below the farmer, are rising
In rank, and the almighty dollar 10 beginning
10 have the same power here that It has in
America.
The Japanese call themselves the AmerI-
cans Of Asia and they arc to . certain extent
right They arc like the Americans in their
ready adoption of new things and In their be-
ing ready to risk the present for the future.
They are auick-witted and they want to be up
to the times They lack, however, am prone
to believe, tho American desire Of accumula-
tion. bis industry and perseverance,. and
above all his wonderful creative faculty. You
will find a.patent office At Toxic. but you can
number the noted Japanese inventions upon
vour fingers. Up to this stage in their career
the japanese have been an Initiative rather
than creative nation. What they have had
IN the past has been adopted from other na
tionL The civilizations which preceded the
one now coming in was largely Chinese. The
chief religion Of the Japanese to-day 10 Budd-
hism and Il came from India. Cores boasts
u being the author Of many OF tho schools
largely based on Chinese charactera As
70 the present civilization, Japan 10 trying to
choose the best from all nations, and It hopes
TO make mp . whole better than any. Its
csc have always prided themselves on being
reasonable people. and they arc using their
reason now. Their code Of laws come from
France: They arc choosing their models for
army discipline from Germany. bur their gen.
sra culture will bs like their language, En-
Elish. e.
Speaking Of the Japanese a. copyists they
learn 30 easily that manufacturers coming to
Japan arc very careful that the sscrets OF
their arts are not given to the psopls; ask
large factory for the making Of Photographic
materials why he employed only women 10 bis
works, and was told that It was because lie
feared men. These Japanese" said he,
ARE % shorp ~ lightning and they will start
branch establishments as soon - they have
mastered the process and will undersell me-
keep al my formulas in cipher and allow
40 japanese man to work At important parts
Of the business A. for the women they are
look beyond their work We have a. good
photographers hero ~ you will hnd any.
where. and there 10 japanese who 10 manu-
taeturing dry plates"
have Visited during the past few days
empire and IND they arc using many Ameri-
:an inventions. In Waiting the army saw
troops, dressed exactly like the soldiers OF
Germany, going through military maneuvers
md IL the arsenal where japan makes s her
rifles, her cartridges, and her gunpowdcr the
machinery was altogether like ours. The fac
ss crack fs,as s5s and 'ss s. bar. s.0Is s.. q 'ss &C.
emplopes might a. well have been in Pitts-
burg a. in Toxic, and this much 10 the same
with all tho government Institutions. The
work, however, and tho management 10 all
under the control Of the japanese, and the
number Of foreigners employed By the gov.
ernment decreases every year. The japanese
hike Foreigners merely - teachers. They study
hard under them and when they have learned
their specialties they arc very ready 70 dis.
miss them.
At present nearly al Of tha employees Of the
government wear European clothes and this
10 required In many casea The clothes worn
are well hitting and a. rule OF good cut, but
they make the little japanese forms l ook
handsome In their loose, flowing gowns belted
In with girdle at the hipa The departments
81 the government arc built on the Europsau
.tyle and tho state department 10 not much
our department. at Washington. II has : mes
senger in livery at the door, who bows low as
you enter and motions you into papered re-
ccption room which has brussels CARPET up.
On the floor and an electric button IN the wall.
II 10 the fashionable thing here now for the
Japanese noblemen to live in . Europesn
house, and there are many houses here which
would not look out Of place in Washington
city. Some Of tho young men who like Euro
pean ways keep up establishments Of both
kinds and their fathers and mothera who do
not take kindly to the new ways, arc housed
. 10 japanese. The number of Japanese
travelling sbrosd steadily increases, and there
we're IN 1885 II, $50 Japanese living outside
OF Japan. OF these more than . thousand
were 10 the United States, and the purpose
Tor which most Of them went WAS for study
These men come back hlIed with now civiIza.
ton. They learn English and they advocate
the changea There arc also number Of for
signers In japan. This number all told is
about two thousand The most Of these are
merchants and not . few are missionaries.
The missionaries claim to have forty thousand
japanese Christians In their churches and
this aids greatlv In the work OF civilization.
As to Japanese education the mission aries
largely teach through tho aid Of the govern
ment, and English 10 taught In many Of the
schools. Education 10 now compulsory In
Japan, hut the statistics show that only about
half Of the children 20 TO school. The school
age Is from 9 to II years, and the Japanese
boys and girls go over their lessons In sing
song tones, In bare feet and gowna There
are 8. 900 0j0 Of them 10 the regular schools,
and the techsnical schoola have g 800 pupils.
Japan has 20 900 common schools presided
over by 1900 men teachers and 4,6l0 women
teachers, aud tho professors In the Imperial
Of Toxic number 104. This uni-
versity 10 kept up by the government It has
!. $50 students, and II is turning out scores Of
almond eyed doctors, lawyers, and govern.
The average Amsriesn College. IL % prepsrs. s.
tory cOuFno includea En1lfah mafhems tfca