The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-22
WHOLESALE TEMPERANCE REFORM
How Island in the Sea OF Japan
Turned Over a New Leaf.

Turned Over n New Leaf.
In the northern part of the Sea of
Japan, some forty miles distant from the
large island of Eco. lies tiny island
called Okushiri. Its soil is fertile. Trees
of varying proportions cluster thickly
over its surface. The agriculturist and
the lumberman might find profitable oc-
cupation there. But the chief pursuit of
the people is fishing. Every spring great
shoals Of herring approach the coast, and
the fish are easily captured in such guam
titles that this one bountiful dispense
ton of nature suffices to feed and clothe
the inhabitants from years end to years
end.
Living thus in ease and plenty the peo-
pie might be expected to develop quail
ties usually incidental to such circum-
stances, and they appear to have fallen
pretty freely into the vice Of drunken
ness. In 1885 there were some ESQ souls
in the island. They possessed only four
fixed nets. They lived in houses
matched with coarse grass; they had
scarcely any roads, and they could boast
only single school. Yet they consumed
annually $4,000 worth of sake in addition
to shochu and other strong drinks. In
short, these common fisher folks spent
upon intoxicating beverages more than
81 per month for every unit of their
number, including women and children.
The same ratio of intemperance applied
~ the NHOle OI Japan WOulu SlSillly al
annual expenditure of $500, GOO. 900 on in
toxicating beverages alone. In the face
of this reckless outlay for liquor the peo
pie often suffered severely from hunger
and cold during the winter, the price of
rice ranging very high in the midWinter
months and the dwelling houses being i'll
adapted to exclude the inclement atmos-
phere. The local authorities prevailed
upon them to adopt a system of storing
provisions against times of scarcity. but
their resources, reduced by payments on
account of sake. were insufficient to &C
cOmpliSn anything effective in that line.
These circumstances induced some bold
men among them to openly denounce the
excessive use of alcoholic beverages as
the cause of all the peoples sufferings
and to preach the necessity of applying
to useful purposes the funds thus
squandered. The crusade provoked VIC
lent opposition, but in 1884 the in
habitants were induced to enter into the
following agreement:
"Convenant made by the people of
Okushiri island concerning the sale and
purchase of alcoholic beverages and the
use of the same in the island of Okushiri.
This land which we inhabit is a lonely
island in the Pacific ocean. It's IN
habitants, numbering ninety families.
find almost their only means Of amuse-
ment in drinking alcohol Nine out of
every ten are addicted to sake. the sums
annually spent upon which aggregate a
heavy amount.
Debtors are unable to meet their en-
gagements, and some are even compelled
to depend on official aid for supplies of
food. We are threatened with misery
and some extraordinary measure is neces-
sary to save us. Frugality must be the
rule Of our conduct, and every kind of
excess must be avoided. We. therefore,
hereby resolve to abstain from the luxury
which We relish above all others, namely,
sake, so to terminate the importation
of the liquor into the island. The money
hitherto devoted to the purchase of sake
shall be applied to lay in stocks of rice
and other grain as a provision against
future want, on the one hand. and TO
increase the capital available for fishery
purposes on the other.
Signatures of the promoters"
Dated July. 1884.
Art l. We, the inhabitants of
Okushiri islands, jointly and severally.
in accordance with the covenant hereby
signed, do pledge ourselves to abandon
wholly the sale, purchase and use of alco-
holic beverages
"117 Okushiri Islanders"
The consequences Of this covenant
were marked. 1t was vigorously OBJ
served. Even government officials. what
ever their rank, had to give up sake
drinking when they visited the island,
and. a matter of course, every dram
ster who could not reform was com
PEELED to take his departure. Order
thenceforth reigned completely and pros
perity came with rapid strides. The pep
ulatiOn increased fivefold i'm five years
and the capital invested i'm the fishing in
dustry tenfold. Reed matches were re-
placed by shingles. -Four large grana-
ries were kept full OF rice. and, in ad-
diton each house had d store of it's own.
1t is stated that there is now stored in
the island rice sufficient to support the
people for three or four years. even
though the herring fishery should fail
entirely. Roads have been constructed in
places where nothing of the kind existed
before The principal school has been
greatly improved and several branch
schools have been established.
New lands have been brought into Gull
tivation and hemp to the value of 1000
is grown annually for the manufacture
of fishing nets, which. before the signing
of the covenant, had TO be imported en-
tirely from the mainland Statistics also
show a market decrease of crime. and
so famous did the success OF the expert
ment become that a large community of
settlers in the neighboring island of Eco
pledged themselves to a covenant SINH
lar to that of Okushiri and with SINH
lar happy results. Finally we may add
that when the five years originally con-
templated by the covenant expired it
was renewed for another term of five
years despite the opposition of an infiu-
entail local official.-Japan Mail.