The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-06-18
INCOMING JAPANESE.
Their Number Rapidly Increasing
in the United States.
They Come to Our Shores for Educa-
tion, and, Unlike the Chinese, Adopt
Our Manners and Customs
Cheap Workers.

ssIt is singular that the influx of
japanese has been passed by with SO
little notice." said Collector of the Port
Timothy Guy Phelps the other day.
''For many years they have been COM
ing in twos and singles, but latterly
there has not been a steamer that has
not had it's quota of japanese. The
people should be warned in time, before
the evil becomes so great that its eradi-
cation may require the harsh measures
that have been found necessary with
the Chinese"
The immediate occasion for Mr.
Phelps's remarks, says the San Fran
cisco Examiner, was memorandum
that he had just received from the COM
missioner Of immigration, showing
that for that part of April which had
then elapsed there had been brought
into this port the number of 341 Japan
ese, of whom 1856 were males and six fe-
males The number did not include
those expected on the Belgic, which
might raise the figures to over 400. On
no previous occasion had the Oriental
steamers brought over such a horde Of
fore has the question as to their desira-
bility in the community been raised
According to the figures compiled at
the office of the Japanese consulate in
this city there are at present on this
coast 1896 Japanese men and 200 wom-
en-, making over 1000 in all. But these
figures, by the admission of the con-
sul's clerk, are only approximately cor
rect, and the evidences would tend to
show that the actual number is much
larger. The great majority of the
males are young men or boys who have
come to this country to acquire an edu-
cation.
They adopt the manners Of the
whites, and have shown no inclination
to herd by themselves. But, like all
orien tai peoples, they will work for a
ridiculously small wage, and hundreds,
and even thousands, have supplanted
the servant girl and the serving man in
the homes and clubs of San Francisco.
The ambitious LABOR for little more
than their board, passing the middle
part of the day at school and giving
their services morning and night for
WndG I1ley eau anu place 10 sleep,
with perhaps a dollar for spending
money now and then. There has in
this way been introduced into the
homes of San Francisco new order of
mental service and many families that
had been unable to hire a girl, or even
a Chinese, could give food and shelter
to some diminutive Jap anxious to be-
come proficient in the learning of the
whites and willing for that end to give
his time and labor.
The certificates on file in the imni-
grafton office describe fully ninety per
cent. of these immigrants to be farm
ers, yet it is known that very few leave
the city for the interior. They give
their occupation as farmers probably
for the reason that they come from the
peasantry, and having been engaged in
no employment Of definite character
give that of their fathers. While they
have remained in the cities, they are
well fitted to take the places of the
whites in vineyards and orchards, be-
ing able to withstand the summer heats
without suffering.