The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-06-29
Japan From within.
From the New York Evening Post. April q.


From the New York Evening Post, April q.
count myself fortunate in receiving my
first impressions of Japan from an interior
province In order to witness the best eff
feet the work of japanese volcanoes, both
active and extinct, at once, on arrival,
left Yokohama for tie province of Joshiu,
where Mt Asama is in eruption, about
100 miles from the eastern shore of the
island. Two days before reaching Maeba
shi, the capital, violent detonations had
startled the people of the city, though
thirty miles distant. Clouds of ashes
darkened the sky and left thin film of
deposit over all the region. The crater
was sending up a majestic pillar of cloud
continually, making very impressive ad-
dition to the landscape, which, in itself, is
exceedingly picturesque. All the peaks of
the mountain chain which here forms the
backbone of the island are of volcanic orr
gin, and many of the extinct craters are
oil vast dimensions, that Of Haruna, which
we visited, being two miles and half in
diameter and enclosing lake 1000 feet
above sea level
The ride up the valley of the Tonegawa,
the longest stream coming down from the
mountains, was through most highly cul-
tiyated region, in which three crops are
often raised annually. At this season of
the year the fields are green with barley
and wheat. In May these will be harvest
ed, and the fields planted with rice, after
which certain vegetables are grown. As
we assembled the valley to greater heights,
the portions incapable Of irrigation were
covered with Elephants, and, higher up,
with mulberry trees to furnish food for silk
worms. Maebashi is, indeed, the chief
centre of the silk industry Of the empire.
Higher still, the mountain sides are de-
voted to the cultivation of forests, though
this industry has been SO lately introduced
that the trees are all small, large areas be-
ing covered with seedlings of only two or
three years growth.
On witnessing the high state of cultiva
ton to which the fields are already sub
jected, and the extent 20 which the arabic
land is already occupied, one soon becomes
oppressed with the problem of what is to
become of the increasing population after
few years. Everywhere one sees swarms
of children, and, on consulting statistics,
it appears that the present rate Of increase
is about 500, 900 annually, or little more
than per cent. Ten years ago the pop
ulation was about 81, 900, 900. At the
present time, including the 1000, 600 an
nexed in Formosa, there are 46, 900, 600.
An important factor in the future increase
is to be found in the decreasing death rate
resulting from improved sanitation and the
dissemination of higher medical skill. The
effect of these is especially perceptible In
the death rate among children. Taking
all these things into consideration, 1t is not
too much to expect that, with continuance
of present social conditions, the population
of the Empire would double within the next
fifty years, reaching 100, 900, 600 shortly
after the beginning of the second half of
the century.
This prospect has not failed to attract
the attention Of japanese statesmen, and
is leading them to speculate upon the means
and measures by which their rapidly mul
tiplying population can be provided with
Subsistence. Some relief is found in the
apparent extent of the land which is yet
uncultivated. The total area is LAG, 600
square miles, of which only about one tenth
is under cultivation But the remaining
nine -tenths is either so mountainous or SO
far north that it is either incapable of cul-
tivation or of producing more than meagre
amount With the pressure of population
which has been felt for these many cen
turtles past, it is altogether probable that
there is some permanent reason why the
neglected land is left untouched. Much is
on SO steep an incline that nothing but
forests could be maintained upon it. Ter
racing has already gone on about as fully
"a is practicable.