The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-08-19

ministers responsible to the emperor, or
son of Heaven" whose power was ahsp-
lutte These milSados however, spent thcH
time oscillaunE between Incidence ana dc
bauchcry. During the eleventh century the
manly and warlike japanese gentry re-
belled at this form of government, and for
centuries after the real master Of the en-
pire was he who was strongest with his
sword and headed the most numerous host.
From the eleventh century 10 1857 the sho-
guns really ruled. retaining the mikado
as the theoretical head. Under the shoguns
were the daimyos, who ruled the smaller
provinces.
In 1893 when Commodore Perry, with his
American guuboat demanded Of Japan that
she open up several ports to foreign resi-
dcuce and foreign trade Japan was in a
weak condition. and the Shotgun was forced
TO yield
one OF the dniruyos. indignant at the
law of tho gods being polluted by for
eiguers. in 1853 fired upon United States and
French vessels. This led TO the lombard
mcnt Of Shimonosed 10y the combined for
eign fleet, including Great Britain, and the
e&acting Of 100000 indemnity from ia
pan by the powers. That was followed by
an internal revolution in Japan resulting
i'm the overthrow of the shoguuate rule and
return to the sole rule OF an emperor.
Mutsuhito, the present emperor, assumed
the throne i'm 1867, ana with his ascendcncy
ana the overthrow Of the shosuDate Japan
commenced 10 Westcrnlze
In l>I the eliminates We're abolished and
Procedures established in their stead, or
q centralized Bureaucracy was substituted
Tor icudaliSm. \ postal and telegraph
system was established and n mint opened
M Osaka in the same year. Then II MAS
that The government began sending bright
young boys to all westcrn countries 70 be
iucated and bringing into Japan teachers
and skilled workmen from all countries 10
Introduce things western.
From that date up TO the present japan
has advanced as no nation ou earth ever
expanded in the same years. Hor govern
mont has adopted something from almost
every government ON earth. fer higher
classes Of people have adopted AN things
American except manner That they as
sumo with Americans, but among them
selves they still fan upon their Knees and
bow their heads 10 the floor Wuea meet
hlS at their homes, ana when i'm public
bow low numhc.less time before uuttcriu.
"a word. Though at their clab dinners
they wear frock coats, they pun OH their
shoes asld SIT ON the lioor. inuoci, IN many
things they combine grotesqueN the Japa-
he and Anie.1l 5.t cust,m
~ is. howe, r. only aaout on,-EaIf ~
per cent of the male population WHO affect
western dress. Practically none of the fc-
male sex. other than the empress and a
t." women VINO have married foreigners.
wear the American dress. The figures of
the women DO not gracefully submit TO the
style. Indeed, a Japanese woman has no
figure, viewed from au artistic American
standpoint. In foreign dress they are alb
surd booking spcctacles, though ia their
own some OF them are cute, IL not really
pretty.
Many Of the men in part American dress
are especially gtotcSque. You often see
them ia Japanese SkIu-tght trousers. She
native sandal shoe and am American coat
and hat. some OF these hats are queer
devices. All over Toxic you see men trot-
ting about in little gray pressed-iu hats,
quite hish and with a brim half an inch
Wlde. 1t is the hat once worn py ladies ia
America. with bird wing ON one side.
but which Mas never popular. an Ameri-
can manufacturer, who mad up
stock which he could not dispose OF. has
pdimeu Them oil on the Japs and they have
sold like hot cakes. 10 is true they are
too small Tor tie Jap head. bat. IN the wind,
they hold them with one hand and strut
about IA high feather.
Many greater ana more material things
western they have adopted and combined
with their own idcts. They have built
railroads after the English pattern. but
are now adopting American engines. and,
in time, VIII, perhaps. come to American
ears. They have modelled their police and
detective systems after the French, hut
have improved upon that Indeed, Their"
is no police system on the globe SO efficient
as the Japauesc.
Her military system was adopted from
the French, bur is now a combination OF
French and German. Her public school
system is based upon that OF the United
States. and is equally good if not better.
Her constitution. promulgated in 1883 MAX
ing Japan a constitutional monarchy, was
adopted from Prussia. Her only adoption
from Russia has been a strict censorship
of the press and laws which give the police
censorship over public meetings. In only
that tree press and free speech are not
permitted is she Russian.
With the latter exception the japanese
have adopted the best of all thiuss west
ern; this is, those things which'-re adapt
able to use in their country. 1t is true
they have bad things palmed off on them
sometimes, but, as a rule, they have got
the best.
AS mltators they are adept Quickly
they learn to make for themselves articles
similar to new imported ones, and they are
now manufacturing on a small scale al
most every conceivable article. Especially
are they reproducing American and English
patented articles. The government encour-
ages this by refusing TO grant patents on
forcign-mad goods.
Any article that YOU inteligibly describe
to a Japanese artisan he can make for you.
Ia metal work ana carvings of all kinds
they are perhaps the most sNillfui people
in the world. They are patient ANA very
slow. but if you give them time you VIII
have what you want
Yet Japan is primitive i'm many things
Outside OF her cotton factories she has
adapted few labor-Saviug devices. I'm ia
pan human labor is cheaper than either
machinery animal labor. Heavily load
ed carts are hauled 10y men instead OF
horses. Indeed, the cody is the beast OF
burden, the Hitting machine, the everything.
lie can live comfortably upon 10 sen day
and is satisfied with wages of from - to ~
sen. from to 10 cents i'm our money.
Yet the same Japanese cody workingman
is as slow rs the proverbial cold Eolasses.
Il. Il. Nichols, an iron manufacturer of
Eessemcr Ala, who has been here several
weeks, says he has carefully studied the
lanor of Japan and that il IS not SO cheap
as figures would make il appear. lie cA-
presses the opinion that one Alabama ne
gro would TO more hard work and accom-
plish more in one day OF ten hours than
four japanese Idborcrs Will accomplish III