Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-01-31
lABORERS OF JAPAN.
Great Poverty Among the Lower Classes
Houses and Fnruiture-Implement

Great Poverty Among the Lower Classes
Houses and Neutrality-suspicious.
Consul Jerniyan, OF Osaka, reports 6
follows TO the department or state.
1t may he said, einphaTicaliy, that ther,
Is great poverty among the lower classes
in Japan. the inheritance Of long centuries
of superstition and dcspotiSm With Il
population Of 5000, 600 living on an are;,
Of 10000 square miles. two-thirds OF
which are mountains and hills, unsuite,l
FOR agricultural purposes, labor will con
sinuc. for a long time, 10 he cheap and
abundant. i good laborer can he hired
for - TO p cents per day, and he will
work from q a. III. Io5 p. M. and board
himself. The laborer don't wear many
clothes, AMI often appears in a suit tha:
would excite the envy Of the stauches,
dude
\ lahore-'s house is mostly one story
and contains not more than two or three
r0oris. in addition ~ small room each
for cooking and bathing purposes. Tie
floor Of the rooms Is about one foot from
the ground and covered with soft. thick
straw mats. which are kept very clean. for
toe japanese always take of their san
dals or clogs when entering the house
Furniture is not used ~ all in real
japanese house. except n small table
about foot high and fifteen inches
square. which j. only called into requisi-
ton ut mea, time, he family sitting on
the mats like ta,.o-s on their benches.
The bedding consists Of soft, thick cotton
quilts spread on the mats. a laborer' :
house, including everything connected
with il, Will not cost more tnan 800 in
gold.
In such houses ventilation and warmth
seem never TO be considered. for the
proper partitions and slides are only pro
tected in cold and stormy weather BY
strun.; wooden shutters, fitting badly, and
through which the wind and rain find lit
tie difficulty III entering. And there are
neither stoves nor CRATES in such houses
for tn" materials employed in building are
So intlammable tnat il would he danger
ous To Use them. In the place of stoves
and CRATES there are b-aziers filled with
heated charcoal. and III night the brazier
when the weather is cold, is covered with
q kim, of earthenwire and placed under
the quilt. the latter being protected from
the fire and heat ny a wooden grating
Though labor is cheap in Japan, and its
reward diScouraring. though the laborer
is unfamiliar with the comforts which
surround the horne of IN workingman in
my own country. believe that the
Japanese laborer il tie happest and Eesi
coDtenrad being / ever saw. Ii his pan
and cup are Hiicd with rice and tea he ap-
pear ;Lc very embodiment Of happiness,
and over all the ills oi life victorious
The agriculture implements. rs well as
machinery Of almost every description in
use hy the Japanese, are of the most
primitive origin, but attention is now be
ginning 20 be directed 10 the advantages
of modern inventions, though labor is still
so cheap and abundant in Japan that such
inventions have not er been received with
remuneration in the markets, aud there j.
no, any sufficient demand 10 stimulate
shipments of machinery and agricultural
implements TO this couptry, except To fiji
special contracts. American