St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-10-11
9i1isceuanu.
OLD AND NEW JAPAN CONTRA STED.

iniquity or the horrors of war, the
spectacle suggests another question:
Is Japan's progress, of which we hear
SO much, wholly in the line OF war
preparation? Is this nation to be
the France of Asia, 'nelghbor-dls-
turbing" OOwer? InSOlent with con-
Ceit, will Japan become the constant
factor of danger among the nations
of the East? Is Japan to be the bully
OF the Pacific!
Or rather, is it not more reason
able to inquire into the secret OF the
present exhibition of energy? How
has it been possible for people who
only 25 years ago were ignorant OF
the great world, were hermits in the
market-place, to appear suddenly, as
it were, master OF the modern arts of
war and enterprise? Since this phe-
nomenal outburst must have beneath
it roots and causes, had we not bet
ter inquire into recent history? Since,
also land of this we feel sure), Japan
has not sought this quarrel, but has
had it forced upon her by China, and
since Japan would gladly. have waited
for another decade or genera ton be-
fore trying odds with the giant, what
has given her even such power as she
possesses!
To show where the real progress
of Japan lies, and to reveal, If posi-
BILE, the secret OF her modern growth,
let US inquire into the past. Ignotum
pro magnihcO. What we are ignO-
rant of we ina CINE to be marvellous.
Writers on Japan have told us again
and again OF the profound and I'M
broken peace of Japan of over two
centuries until Commodore Perrv's
rude intrusiOns in 1858. During the
period betw' Ell ''the Pilgrims and the
MavAover" and Grant and Apo
mattox it has generally been believed
that Japan was a kind OF Arcadia,
happy valley, lana of peace, whose
front knew no wrinkle of war. The
thOrn-rose of the Pacific lay sound
asleep until Prince Perry reused her
up with q thunderOuS smack, and
TownshenG Harris with a treaty kiss.
In one sense, but a very broad one,
this was true; but in reality and in
particular it was the exactly oppo-
site of truth. Those who from lap
anese documents, literature and in
testable proofs, seen by the traveller
and student, have acquainted them
selves with the inside history of the
country, know that it was a time of
only measurably suppressed anarchy
and lawlessness. 1t was $50 years
of armed truce. 1t was one large
dance to death. Famines were fire.
quent and dreadful. Having no rail-
roads or stea mships, and having, in
their eagerness to shut out foreign
ers and keep IN their own people, de
strOyed all seagOing ships, they had
no means OF water transportation ex-
Cept by means of wretched junks.
Millions upon millions died of hunger.
To this day, around the Crema ton
houses of certain inland cities there
are acres of heaps of human bones
mixed with ashes, the a wful witnesses
to the might of famine, when hun
dreds of bodies were burned daily to
prevent pestilence. Beggary in many
parts of the country was shamefully
common. Child murder and expos
ure was in some provinces so COM
mon that the question which neigh
bors would ask of father, whether
he intended to raise the newborn
baby or not, was as proper as it was
men that SO per cent OF the people
died of smallpox. Syphilis was al
most national disease. Brawls,
turbulence and riots were very far
from being surprising events. Lii
censed prostitution was direct fac
tor tending against the inc1eas of
population, while abortion was
fine art. No wonder then that in
100 years the whole empire of Japan
made less than 100000 increase in
population. Disease, immortality,
only partially suppressed, anarchy,
famine. social and economical hete-
rodoxy, cramped Japan as in bands
of iron. Religion was feartully cor
rupt,-even such religion as Budd-
hism could furnish to the common
people and materialistic philosophy
could only suggest to the learned.
Now, on the contrary, behold the
amazing transformation! In FIVE
years the popula ton of Japan in
CreaSeS as much as in a former CEN
tury. The statistics of the census
taken each year since 1862 show this
most incredible fact beyond a perad-
venture In wealth the increase has
been many fold. Instead Of being,
as until 1858. great mass offeudal-
ism. an agglomeration, but not a
conglomeration, of petty principali-
ties, Japan is now rich, strong,
united and overho wing with popu-
lation. The nation has new ideas,
ideals, outlook, and spirit that de-
mands advance all along the line Of
material enterprise,-ves, and we are
glad to say, even along the avenues
of moral and spiritual progress.
Let us detail some OF this work
done in progressive Japan in the ma t
ter of public health and the salvation
of physical life. The advance has