Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-12
will ssso. another and even


O more radical change.
japan, in her present attitude, Is good
deal like America. She imports whatever
IL best from each European country, and
thus hopes like America, to lay the founda-
tion for Q civilization higher than that Of
Europe. And II zeal and enthusiasm Of
Japanese students may be accepted as 3
prognostic, there Is reason to believe that
these hopes may be, in part at least, real
ized. have been told by several foreign
professors engaged at Japanese universities
and schools, that they have never, either In
America or Europe, known a set of students
so uniformly industrious. intelligent, in
quisitive and ambitious as the Japanese.
As for the common people, they share at
least the curiosity OF the students. and this
makes them willing to give foreign things
trial.
AMERICA IN THE LEAD.
The changes now being introduced in the
Island Empire are usually described as
''the Europeanization OF Japan" but I
think "tbe Americanization" would be a
more accurate term. In previous letter I
gave some details showing the predom-
nance of American influence, and to these
may be added the significant fact that the
education of young Japan is largely in
official statistics (1SS8) the corps OF foreign
instructors in the public schools includes
126 Americans, u British and 19 Germans,
these being the three principal nations
represented. And there is special reason
why America should appeal the japanese
fancy. not only because in America the
latest scientific discoveries and Industrial
improvements are most rapidly adopted and
utilized, but still more because America is
the direct antipodes of Japan in regard to
domestic comfort.
During the last two months have visited
numerous cities, villages, summer resorts
and rural districts in various parts
of the Island Empire, from sappOrO
asked what, in my opinion, Japan
needed most urgently, 1 should reply
more comfortable houses and domestic ar
rangements, and public instruction in hy-
giene and sanitary matters in general.
There are certain things in and about jap
anese houses which cannot be sufficiently
commended; but in other respects they are
delusion and a snare, because they promise
shelter from the weather and comforts which
they do not yield. There are no stoves or
freplaees to dry your clothes in the 14O
rainy days each year, or to get warm on the
numerous cold days and chilly evenings.
On such occasions the inhabitants crowd
around the miserable little fire-box in the
center of the room, filled with glowing char
coal that roasts their hands and feet (while
the rest OF the body is freezing), and fills
the air with poisonous gas. Sometimes a
quilt is fastened to pole and spread around
the group like tent to keep the warmth in,
and II is sober TACT that one reason why
the Japanese take so many hot baths-some-
times tour or five a day-is because that is
the only way they can get comfortably
warm all over.
BAD AIR AND WATER.
In word, Japanese houses afford no COM
fort in winter. For summer use they are
better adapted, with their sliding lattice
frame screens or translucent paper, which
can be bodily removed, so that two sides of
the house are completely exposed to the air.
But the benefits thus derived from this ar
rangement in the day time are completely
neutralized by the absurd custom of her
metically sealing up the houses at night by
means OF the thick wooden amados, or outer
sliding doors. These are put into place at
IL O'Clock P. M, with most Internal noise,
which wakes every sleeper in the house, and
the same mise is made in the morning at 4,
when they are put away again.
But this noise is not the worst part of it.
There are no windows in these sliding doors
SO tnat not breath of air gets Into the room
on hot, sultry nights. Nor is this the worst
yet. A malodorous oil lamp is kept burn
ing all night in each small room, and in
cold weather charcoal fire box, both of
which poison the unrenovated air And in
in such poisoned room from two to six and
even ten japanese will spend the night No
wonder they are SO small and many of them
so delicate. Not only at night but in the
day time in summer as well as winter
the air in Japanese houses - espe-
cislly tnns-is moreover yitiated
by the horrible stenohes, owing
to the primitive closet arrangements and
the absence of sewers. In this respect the
Japanese cannot even claim to rank among
semI-civilized nations, and it seems incom-
prehensible how people who are so refined
in their artistic sensibilities, and so cleanly
in regard to ther persons, can be so utterly
Indifferent to vile unhealthy odors which
fill the houses at night, while the fresh air
is carefully shut out by the amade. A few
cities have water works, but in others open
wells are still used into which sewage can
drain and dust fly from the streets. In some
villages have even seen them use water run
ming along the streets which had partly
come from the rice fields that had been
manured with the sewage of the same vii
lage. No wonder the cholera makes such
fear ul havoc in Japan. But this Is all the
result of ignorance and reform will come.
The fact that there are five crematories in
Toxic alone shows that the people are ready
for any advance as soon as they learn that it
is an advance. HENRY T. FINCK.