St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-27
JAPAN MAY Be TO THE FORE
TAKING KINDLY TO AMERICAN I'M
PROPONENTS.
INTERESTING INFORMATION.

Member of New York House
Located in Japan Gives Valu-
able Information of the Adj
yancement in the ORR entail
Country - Excellent Railways
in Japan.
Japan is country in which there is
an eyer-lncreaSing interest, and one
which the flight OF the last quarter Of a
century has seen MAKE gigantic strides
forward. A GLOBE reporter found
George Flood, one of the great house OF
Flood q Co., which does an extensive
business in the dominion of the Mikado,
registered yesterday at the Ryan. He is
pleasing talker, and gave out much in
teresting information. He stated that
his firms p rincipal place of business Is
In New York city, but that it has two
extensive branches, one each at Yoke
hama and Kobe. The firm of Flood d
Co. are very heavy exporters of Japanese
products of all kinds, including teas,
silks and manufactured goods, particu-
larly Japanese mattings. MIR. Flood
thoroughly understands and speaks the
peculiar vernacular OF the Japs. lie stated
that the firms business required him to
pay the United States visit annually.
He rather seemed to avoid talking
shop" and branched out into generai-
ties.
Japan" remarked Mr.. Flood, sis fast
developing and adopting European Gus
toms, and is certainly one of the most
progressive countries I'D the Orient. The
people who desire an advanced educa-
ton go mostly to the institutions of
learning in France and Great Britain.
The japanese have excellent railroad
facilities now, all of which are under
the direction and control Of the imperial
government These roads and their
equipment were made by the English,
and, of course, for long time the
officials were all Englishmen. Now,
however, this is different. The rail
roads are practically conducted entirely
now by the Japs themselves. In fact
at present there are only two English
men connected with them. You never
saw more perfectly constructed road
beds. The work is all hand work. and
the roads are eXceilently ballasted. The
bridges are models of construction,
and are not eXcelled by any in
the world. The coaches are
all of the English patterns.
The fuel used by the locomotives is a
soft cOal-a sort of lignite-which is
mined in the island Of Moji. Here there
is more coal in sight than any other
o1oa o.EI but ~ hN
ably shipped in competition with En-
glish or American coal, although some
of it has found its way to San Francisco.
''The four principal cities are Toxic.
the largest: then Osaka, noted for its
great cotton factories and rice markets.
Then comes Yokohama and lastly Kobe.
Yokohama is city of between 100000
and 100000 people 1t is difficult to
give any even approximately correct
estimate of the country's population in
the absence of any census system.
II have noticed that the people prefer
to learn the English language to that of
any other nation. They acquire it read
lily. They are bright people, intellect
ually. They make shrewd business
men, and know we'll how to drive bar
gains. They show a great aptitude for
triOus, persevering, and as energetic as
the warmth of their climate will nat
urally permit. All the Japanese banks,
though, have Chinese cOmpradoreS
(cashiers). than whom there are no more
accurate mathematician and expert
money counters in existence. In their
computations they never use pencils or
paper, but calculate entirely with cara
bans-a wire framework with beads for
numerals.
1.-The first English mission schools
were established about fifteen or eight
cen years ago. by DR.. Hepburn, New
York physician. He is the best known
white man in Japan, is greatly beloved
and respected. He is now seYenty-fiVe
years Of age, and speaks the language
as f1uently as though to the manner
born He gave the Japanese the first
translation of the English Bible. ]
know the doctor well, having travelled
with him, and can assure you he is a
wonderful man.
About twenty-three years agoJapan
had very ancient system of feudal
tenures. The country was divided into
provinces. each one governed by a
damyo. At that time - about 1870
this feudal system was all swept away,
and the present form of monarchy
established. The change was made
without the least friction. The damyos,
or mobiles. removed to the capital city OF
Toxic, and each were given important
official positions by the present en-
peror.
The Japs are an affectionate, warm
hearted people. They are uniformly
courteous and hOspitable. What strikes
foreigner, particularly in the interior
provinces, is the great respect they show
him. They exhibit this by the custom
OF placing their foreheads to the floor.
They look upon the white race as one
evidently their superior"
Mr.. Flood left last evening for New
York over the North-N estern line.