The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-03-31

cialGrowth-He Political Advancement
Her Present and Future Relation to
America-The Progress and Promise OF
the Country.
Special correspondence of the vIRGINIAN.
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN,
Feb goth, 1892.
VALLEY VIRGINIAN:-A residence
among people SO quiet and orderly as
the JAPANESE people vino nave no
nolitical nor religious differences, and no
clashing in their daily intercourse, must
of necessity prove interesting and in
some respects unique to one accustomed
to the hustle Of business and the blcker-
jnrs and strife too common in the social
intercourse Of the people OF other lands.
That unholy spirit which breeds the
ambition to outstrip ones nelghbor ana
supplant hlln in his business-to quarrel
with him for his political opinions. and
hate him for his religion are things
which are unknown III Japan. Good
fellowship, peace and harmony seem to
reign everywhere, as well becomes that
beautiful faith whose grand precept IS,
love We one another"
The opportunity has been granted
me to see much of Japan-a country
possessing so many charms that it gives
# the claim to be considered one of the
fairest portions of the earth, yet the PEG
ple have interested me more than their
country and of whom have nothing to
record but respect, consideration, sym
Datl,y and kindness. | have been
enabled to see much of their daily life,
not only in their towns and cities but in
| their quiet and unpretendlng country
homes as we'll. | have been permitted
to see the peasantry of the country in
its happiest condition-favored with
abundant crops and surrounded by peace
and plenty, and | have seen the same
happy homes overthrown, and the same
fruitful districts laid waste by calami-
ty SO direful in it's results that the dead
outnumbered the living within its track.
Yet even amid desolation of which no
adequate account can be given have
observed that same resignation and that
same order and quiet prevail. But it is
not the intention to make this letter a
narrative of travel which would entail a
description of the country and its PEG
pie, and | have only alluded to some OF
the characteristics of the latter because
they seem in striking contrast with those
of the people of some other lands. /.
These are characteristics which mark
the japanese, and it is doubtful ii any
other nation possess these virtues to 6
higher degree 1t is to note briefly, an(
in a general way, the progress which
Japan has made in the short perioe
which she has been in contact with thu
outside world which will form the sub
ject of this letter.
The facts pertaining to this subjec
are SO imperfectly understood at home
and so many erroneous impressions re
garding it exist-gained mainly from tn
highly imaginative letters and account
of travellers which have from time tt
time found their way into the newspa
pers that trust l may be able not onl.
to throw some light upon the subjec
but correct some of these impressions
well. The desire to learn something Q
Japan seems to be a general one, boil
in Europe and America, and it seems t
be a fact as we'll that in both countrie
the knowledge possessed of the histor
of the country Goth ancient and mod
ern) even among the educated, is {
rather misty character.
= Of old Japan this letter will not treat
f but if the reader is interested in its his
, tory he may be able to obtain authenti
record that will take him back into tn
mists of antiquity two thousand six hur
l dred years. The birth of New Japa
A dates back less than quarter of Ger
fury, the new era being inaugurated j
= 1868 by the complete overthrow of tn
Shogunate government and the restora
: ton to power of the present Mikado
: The Emperor has proved himself
able and enlightened ruler, fully capa
BILE of taking his place among the Soy
a ereigns and Rulers of other Kingdom
!, of greater pretensions than his owl
) With this depression | will come to tn
subject of my letter.
AS the basis of all progress is educt
y ton | will first allude to the great effol
2 the government of Japan is making
/ educate her people. Her school system
planned and established in 1873, may b
: considered we'll nigh perfect. The En-
pire is divided into school districts, giN
ing one school to every six hundred IL
habitants The system is based upo
elementary schools, and ascends throug
all the higher grades, including primar.
y middle grade and normal schools, b
= sides colleges for special sciences. III
# course of instruction in the primary an
:, middle grade schools includes the FOLLOW
Il ing studies: Reading, writing, arithm
>. tic, geography, composition, gramlna
e chemistry, geology, natural history, M
:, chanics, book keeping and the forelg
languages-En being taught in tt
+ majority of the schoois-and instructlo
d also conveyed on western principles, tn
r school rooms being fitted with comforts
= BILE benches, with desk in front Of then
' nodded after the plan of those in use
" the schools of America
It Tokyo, the Capital City of the En-
n pire, may justly be considered it's seat {
learning, for it is here where the mo-
note worthy institutions of this charat
e ter are located Prominent among thes
r are the Imperial University, Medica
n Naval and Military schools and the In
6 perial College of Engineering. The la
> ter is the pride and glory of Japanes
e educational institutions. This college
n under the direction of the Board of Pull
@ lie Works and not only reflects cred
upon it's management but the Japanes
may well feel proud Of it, for it is til
8 opinion of many competent judges ths
Y it is the most complete and best equiI
+ ped engineering college in the worlt
Its museum of civil and mechanical Ell
gineering is said to be a superb one an
S that no similar collection of models S
z accurate in their construction or SO va
v liable for the purpose can be found else
: where. The course at this college last
. six years, the last two years however al
!. taken up with practical instruction q
/ the well-equipped engine and mechan
+ cal WORKS at Aka pane In the nea
vicinity of Tokyo. These works are th
largest establishment of the kind i
a Japan, and turn out all kinds of engine
e and mechanical appliances. In all {
| these colleges the greater part of the il
struction is impaired in English b
American and British professors. Their
are also japanese professors who lectur
in their native tongue. But the limit
v of this letter will not admit further d.
scription of other institutions of learn
:, ing of which have spoken and to COZ
Y clude with this subject, there is nothin
: which furnishes more tangible man
$ festation of the spirit OF progress of Ne
Japan than the interest she is taking i
education, and she certainly deserve
: the highest credit, not only for havin
t constructed her educational system upo
the best models but for having place
education within the reach of all classe.
, Tokyo has several extensive publ
: libraries. The principal one, founde
f in 1875, contains $4,000 volumes in Oh
, nese and japanese, $500 in English, SOC
in Dutch, and $500 in other languages
: The press is represented by large nun
: Der of newspapers and periodicals Q
) different kinds published daily and les
frequently, and suited to the tastes {