Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-16

the United States, Mr.. Komura, was one
of the gentlemen who thus utilized the
marvellous invention, then in its most prim-
tive stages, for colloquial purposes.
DR.. Bell spent two months in Japan and
he returns more than deeply impressed with
the wonderful people who have reached, as
in stride, prominent position among the
worlds commanding nations.
Il cannot begin to express my wonder
and admiration said DR.. Bell, lat what
l saw in Japan The idea prevalent
in the east that the japanese are a semi
barbarous nation is entirely erroneous. l
visited interior towns, far away from the
treaty ports, where the influences of west
ern civilization are more prominently no
ticeable and found unmistakable evidences
of a civilization hundreds of years old, a
civilization of their own. No semi bar
barous people could have shown such a
wise purpose they have shown to en-
graft upon their fabric of life the better
things of the western civilization. 1t need
ed deep root and a strong growth of in
telligencc and keen powers of observation
to introduce and cultivate such reforms.
An Interesting Meeting.
They are the most courteous and hos
pitable of people,, continued DR. Bell
Mrs. Bell and myself We're simply over
whelmed with social attentions and cour-
tesies, at once delicate and hearty and
most gratifying, L assure you. One of the
first persons l met upon my arrival in To-
kio was Mr.. Suji Isawa, member of the
house of pears and a rising man in Japan.
He spoke fluent English. When / was u
professor in the Boston UniverSlty-about
1910 or 1SI6-he came to me as private
pupil to be instructed in the sounds of
the English language. At that time L was
ono a nv o.
phone, and before the American public
knew anything about it 1sawa was in pos
session of the knowledge of its existence
One day he asked me if it would talk Jap
anese. l assured him that it would trans
NIT his language as readily as my own.
He went to the other end of my experiment
al telephone and talked into the receiver.
At the receiving end / stood and listened.
Il told him that | heard something, but
not being acquainted with Japanese could
not tell him if that was what l heard. At
that time there were two or three Japanese
students at Harvard who were astonishing
les. One of them was before all others in
his classes. This was Mr.. Komura, the
new minister from Japan to this country.
IsaWa brought them to my laboratory and
over the telephone thay talked to each
other 1t was quite an interesting meeting,
l assure you, when | met both lsawa and
KOmura in Toxic, the latter being then
in that city.
Entertained by Newspaper Men.
While in Toxic" continued DR.. Bell, Il
was given dinner by the newspaper men
"a very superior set of gentlemen. This
was on the evening of November g. Pre-
ytously, in October, 1 had been presented
to the emperor in special audience and later
to the empress. The dinner | alIude to was
given by the International Journalists AS
ISOLATION at the Imperial Hotel. | made
some remarks in response to toast in my
honor, and the Japanese papers contained q
report of 1t. | could not read it, it was
printed in Japanese. but translation of it
developed very excellent and correct re-
portoral ability on the part of the gentle
man who took me down"
DIR. Bell showed The Star reporter copy
OF tie translation, which was published in
the December number of the National Geo
graphic Magazine. a portion of it is well
worth reproduction in this connection. After
acknowledging the honor of which he was
the recipient and expressing the pleasure
he had derived from his long-looked-for
Ward-to visit to that marvelousIy progress
sive country, Dr.. Bell proceeded as fol-
lows:
Japanese Brains.
Hundreds of years have passed since
Columbus, sailing westward, discovered the
land of the setting sun. and now we, look
ing seaward from that land see a new
light upon the horizon and ask ourselves
this novel lumnary which begins to glow
in the armament? That question has been
present in our thoughts for several years.
and 1t is with no small satisfaction that
find myself able TO see your country more
closely, and to observe the conditions that
give such earnest of a great future An
eminent man of science in America, Pro-
lessor Marsh, recently delivered a lecture
on the teachings of geology, and pointed
out a very interesting fact He said that
logical strata, a series of progressons was
distinctly visible. Thus the crocodile of
one stratum was found to have a smaller
brain than the crocodile of the mmedia tely
superior stratum, and the latter a smaller
brain than the crocodile of the next
stratum, and so on. The same rule
seems to Apply to human beings. If
we look back to the pit jewellers of prmeval
times we find brain cavity perceptibly
smaller than that of man in later eras, and
1t may be confidently said that the progress
of the growth continues even to our own
time Well, gentlemen, Professor Marsh
concluded his lecture with remarkable
statement 1t was contained in a single,
short sentence, but it was very pregnant
sentence. He said. 1T is worthy of note
that the brain Of the average Jananese is
larger than the brain of the aver.a;e Eu-
ropean.' ! do not pause to draw any infer
ences, but l quote the fact as something of
which you may be proud-something which
your recent history seems to illustrate
Natural Advantages of Japan.
Small Of stature, if you like it, but large
in brain; and during my travels through
your country l have been struck by the
fact that nature seems to have prepared
for you great and prosperous career
Everywhere l see long ranges of lofty
mountains with comparatively narrow
planes lying between their feet and the
coast line. That indicates a grand gift.
1t indicates that your country should be