New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-07
THE OUTLOOK ~ JAPAN.

At the outbreak of the war between CnIa anu
japan a common remark was that the latter
nation lacked staying powers" The Japanese
We were told, were Il quick wittcd. mcrcural
people In war they would rush 10 the front
with fierce attack. but If rcpulsed they would
be d>helrtcncd AMI demorazcd; they had not
the endurance and patience for a deliberate cam
palgn So too. in peace They would make
great show Of awakening 10 high civilization.
and then as quickly would relapse into barbar-
ism How utterly mistaken WAS this estimate
If their military genius WAS evident before the
war was half over Ii was the mercurlal Japan
csc who displayed patience. endurance ana bull
do.llkc tcnacty Of purpose. and the phlegmaflc
Chinese whose courage flashed in the pan ana
then went oui forever. Sufficient time has now
elapsed 10 show that in tho affairs of peaceful
civilization the Japanese are equally earnest ana
constant. and 10 Justify the title given To them
hv a great British authority, "A Nation With a
Future
TIN. las, wear has been marked with vast prog
ross In industry and commerce, fully comparable
with the military irumphs OF the year before
We have spoken ~ her increase of her army.
Rui far more has she increased her cotton mills
and silk mills her sugar rchnerles and machine
shnps her railroads. electric iramways trlc
grlphs. docks and all such material applrte-
nanccs Of social progress. We have mentioned
the new navy Of a hundred and twenty ships
which sh.. Is building But still more note
worthy Is the extension Of her mercantile ma
rim. The Japan Mail steamship Company Is
extending It's regular service to the ports or
America. Australia and Europe. ana its forty
or more ocean-gong steamers form one Of the
In Tho
several other shipping firms with fine fleets. and
the sixty-hve shpyards OF the Empire are IN
crcaslng the tonnage under the Japanese nag
nj an astounding rate. Whereas IN lSSS Japan
had only 52i steamers. most Of them very small,
and NJ the end Of 1893 only ESQ., at the end OF
1soi she had 1911 and that number has now
been increased. probably by at least hundred
more the majority Of them large steel and iron
shIps OF several thousand tons burden each
Correspondngly her foreign trade has expanded
marvcllosly. In 1874 her total imports ana eA-
norris were only So, 100000 and In 1854 only
S1s. 900. while in 1894 they were over S23o'-
900. and in 1895 were probably close 10
S3OOOOOO0O
Equally impressive Is the progress made IN
other directions. In 1SSS'So the postoflicc
handled 1914 59i. $50 letters. papers, etc. and In
ls.c,,9i. 81. G,O. 5OS. Much greater still was the
increase in number OF Geographic dispatches.
The figures of increase in manufactures and cX-
norris are literally bewildering. No other nation
has ever Appropriated to them. And 1t Is OF
interest 10 observe that there Is marked up
ward tendency In wages the average having
risen more than 20 per cent In six years. Iherc
are NOR. than 10000 schools In the Empire, with
ahout 100000 pupils. At the head OF the edti-
c,tion,l system Is the Imperial University or
Tokio with over 300 students. and with
range Of studies and standard OF scholarship
comporablc with the great universities OF Europe
and America 1t Is to be noted, too, that Its
f,culty contains n scarcely larger proportion OF
foreign professors than those OF Harvard Cam
bridge and Berlin The periodical press num-
hers 500 with an annual circulation OF 2oO,OO0,-
ono The number OF books published In 1872 was
nearly $1,000 OF which only 3G2 were works OF
fiction. the leading topics being law. political
science. agriculture. manufactures. religion, ge-
ogr,ply astronomy. medicine, music, painting.
education and poetry. These and innumcr-
mile other facts and figures which might be cited
demonstrate that Japan Is making rapid but
cor,ain progress on Il firm foundation. Her
ccnIus may differ from ours, and her civilization
with II. But her achievements bid fair to be no
less permanent and perhaps 10 less benefccnt
IN her people and to the world