The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-16
MR.. WOODWARD
WR|TESFROM JAPAN
Tells Many Interesting Things
of the People of That
Country.

w. H. Woodward, a former resident of
this city who is visiting in Japan, writes
the following letter to a friend in this city:
Hong Kong, China, February %, 1899.
1 arrived hero on the 22d. Your letter
came to hand OF course there is some
pleasure in travelling, but in the east tits
because you see new people under new con-
ditions Passage out rather uncomfortable
had storms. Ship good. Clear. Plenty of
room. Too few passengers for variety. I
passed rather more than a month in Japan
The weather cold. Ice nearly every night,
but 1 enjoyed the entire time The Japs
are small, bullet-headed, short cropped,
hatless, black-eyed, rather thick-lipped
people, who are active and alert. They
wear petticoats or Mother Hubbards, no
socks and clogs, about the most unadjust-
ed shoe l ever saw. Chief among their
many attributes is their capacity to with
stand cold. The .''rickshaw' man. who
plays horse for the most part has his legs
bare up to his thigh, and wears a thin cot
ton cape over his cotton blouse. Few peo-
pie seem to wear drawers, and their socks
only extend to their ankles. No houses in
the country. Few in the towns have a
chimney, their steam heater being a hand
full of charcoal. Stores, or rather shops,
usually have no 'front.' or all is front, and
the weather has a good chance at them
But never are the clerks squatted with
hands over the little brazier Have seen q
man standing in the water breaking rice
Stubs and the ice not all melted The
clean streets everywhere are very much in
evidence All streets are daily swept. The
Japs are very Clean Their houses, clothes
persons are as free from dirt as soap wa
ter, care will make Them He has great
power of assimilation. What he has done
in this during the past thirty years sug-
gests what he may do in the next genera
ton. His conceit Is what is hurting him
now. He thinks he knows new method
when he only knows some of it. He Is not
/ think, as much of mechanic as he is a
craftsman. His inventions do not compare
well with Europeans. Where he has shown
ability is in the manufacture of goods for
ornament, woman's goods, porcelain carv-
ing, Jacques embroidery. BY the way the
fine goods of this latter line are made by
men. He does not take kindly to great
factories from Osaka, the seat of the cot
ton manufactures, he goes constantly back
to his loom in the country, where he can
laugh and gossip in the open. as he works.
The wages are very low, 80 to so yen per
year are wages of some of these home
workers, and yen Is a so cent gold value
AT a factory where l found a couple of
Americans two Japs were needed to do the
work of one man in America In one de-
SIX were neeuSu. ne pest HdnQS
made 10 yen a month. One trouble here
was the Jap foreman would take down a
machine to remedy any defect and could
not get it together again. Conceit The
Europeans who came out to teach the ma
tives certain work are replaced by the Jap
on short notice, against the best interests
of all concerned, if one can believe all he
hears from the aggrieved parties. All these
evils will have tendency to disappear, and
we have a competition in some lines that
will make US finch. The German and Nor
weigian steamer has about lost their coal
and other carrying trade between China,
Korea, Japan, to the Japs. The general
opinion of the Europeans is that the Jap
is dishonest and slippery, a bad man to do
with. He is very polite, accommodating,
has abundance of dinners and makes it
pleasant for one, but his work contract
bond is of little value. Should this weak
ness be so great as I am told I would not
expect the Jap to become one of the really
great nations. He has improved the land
by much skill and labor till the 40 to As M.
can be fed, but population increased rapid
ly, and new food sources must be found.
Only "A of the acreage can be cultivated.
The Philippines were desired by the Japs,
and their nose put out of joint by Dewey.
/ have been told that the United States
would have had trouble at Hawaii had the
ironclads of the Jap been larger than ours.
The land and people have been badly over
written. The scenery is quite good, but
do not think of the first class. The people
are like any other people Good, bad and
Indifferent. Some things they do well. Many
things not so well. Transportation they
have not developed. Have z,vvv miles of
railroad. Cars on the Staten system and
quite SO poor Fifteen miles per hour for
ordinary trains. Express twenty to thirty.
Roads are few, narrow, two carriages can
not pass, but west side they are building
some good ones. No street in Japan Is
paved. Some are graveled. Sidewalks the
exception There is a muss when 1t rains,
and not many people are on the streets. I
have failed to see handsome or fine look
ing woman. They look pleasant when
young Are said to be cheerful, amiable, in
INDUSTRIOUS, devoted to their Children and
docile, an excellent thing in women. The
children are not good looking. Are dashed
on the back of child of and turned into
the streets. Old men and women also do
nurse duty. One sees many sores on the
heads of the young, and blind people are
common, beggars are scarce, as are ragged
persons. Plenty of temples, from sizes of
dog house to an acre or more. People not
religious. The temples do not come up to
the guide books, in fact are rather ginger
broadly Plenty of color carving and bar
barrie splendor. No music, painting. sculpt-
ure Three prices in shops. One for Japs,
one for resident Europeans, one for the
stranger within the gates who pays
w. H. WOODWARD.
ard