The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-23
WONDERFUL JAPAN.
A Great Manufacturing sad Commercial
sstton-Ber Industrial Revelation.
New YORK sun.

A Great Manufacturing ssd Commercial
Sstton-Her Industrial Revelation.
New York. sun
TIE analogy between the geographical
position Of Japan and that Of Great Brit
ain. ss = group Of islands separated by
narrow channel from the continent. IS nos
/ the only circumstances that has suggestei
for the former the title Of the England Oh
the Orient japan has OF late years
developed = market commercial and
cOlonixing ambiiion, and il IS in great part
the growth Of her commerce with Korea
that has lately made the protection OF ner
interests there essential. Her exports 10
al countries III fsg2 excseded So. 00o 90;
her imports exceeded SIS O00. 900. her
merchant vessels Of European constrEc-
ton alone At tie beginning OF that year
numbered 81 steamers. aggregating
81. SIS tons, aud SIS sailing ships. with
-. l3T tons. The vessels Of Japanese con-
struction. of all sorts and sizes, aggFe-
gated Is. 70L Recently, j; is said, she
found dozen steamships Of her mali
carrying line suitable for transformation
into troopships az the dock yards OF Maya
saki and Iokoshu-
The growth of Japan TO maritime i'm
portance is almost wholly the develop
ment Of q quarter Of century, since the
great revolution OF 1865. which abolished
her feudal system. And her manufactur-
ing system. with modern machinery, also
practically dates from period later Than
the end of our civil war. Her first cotton
spinning mill was established in 1868;
government wooden mill followed about
ten years later. These remained the
pioneers until 1850, but during the ten
years then beginning the textile mills
had reached nearly forty in number, in
the faee of difficulties which rendered
them hardly profitable. But the lesson
in the art of construction and man.
agement was az length learned. aud since
1880 the growth of these indus tries
has been remarkable. 4 few weaving
mills have been added to the spinning
mills, and the imports of raw cotton for
manufacture in 1892 reached nearly 105-
000, 900 pounds, whereas half dozen years
before they had been less than s. 0O0, 000
Ana this Is only ore example OF many
that would show Jspan's resolute adop-
tlon of modern machine methods of manu-
facture. Meanwhile, her famous hand
made industries have also added to her
growing exports, some Of them, such as
silks, having at least tripled in half a
dozen yesrs. Japan not onpy adopts mod
ern machinery, but now makes q good
part OF that machinery.
As TO her coionizing tendencies. atten-
ton was drawn TO them in the recent ex-
perience OF Hawaii. Japan is said TO have
about e, 600 people in those islands. She
made an effort to have them put upon the
same political footing as other foreign-born
residents. She has sent colonlsts and
laborers to the Carolina Islands, to New
Caledonia, and the other groups in the
Pacific The Nippon Yusen Kaisha, or
Japan Mail Steamship Company, Is
subsidized and practically controlled by
the Japanese government, ana its vessels
are used in carrying japanese coolies and
farmers to various islands. Not very long
ago a Department of Emigration and
Foreign Colonies" was established by the
Japanese government for the express pur-
pose of aiding this policy. An one time
IL was reported that Japan had Of
fered to buy the Ascension Islands OF
Spain, and at another that she had pro-
posed to purchase the Caroline islands.
Whatever be the fact as TO these alleged
offers, there is no doubt as to her policy of
planting settlements of her subjects among
the islands of the Pacific. She has her
colonies in the Bonin. Loo-Choo and La
drone islands, and. should the present war
with China result fayorably, whether in
her obtaining foothold on the continent
or otherwise, her activity for commercial
extension is likely to show still further
developments.
Yet we are inclined TO retract the name
England of the Orient, as applied TO
Japan. from insular ideas and prejudices.
Can any parallel IN history be found to her
marvellous rejection of the customs of
ages and her welcoming of foreign innova-
tions7 No such cosmopolitan spirit, per-
haps, can be found anywhere as among
the more progressive of the Japanese.
And II Is now very clear that their quick
adoption of foreign methods was not the
result of within, curiosity or the mere
desire OF novelty, but thar 1t had very
practical object in view. The japanese
felt that they had ali the elements
needful to make them the coming ma
ton" of Asia. and their patriotism and |
desire to compete with other nations on /
the footing which the latter had estab- ]
Iished, without any allowances or favor, |
are most noteworthy. They learned with |
wonderful rapidity the industrial. social |
commercial. political and military methods |
of foreign nations, with the view TO max |
ing whatever was best in these their own. |
The result IS seen IN the confidence and |
spirit with which little Japan has chal-
lenged and tackled her bulky neighbor. as
well as in the industrial and commercial /
activity which she has manifested in time /