The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13

crates II to some extent. Inc DOCK Pre- per
is divided into three parts-one dealing
: with Siberia, one with Japan, and the
third with China. Each contains in ex-
trcmely. condensed form information
gathered by the author during an eX-
tended Journey through the CounLTi-s WI h
which he deals
I OF Siberia he takes view rather hope
full than otherwise at least il is not as
! black and dismal as that entertained by
/ some other writer's who have deal with
this subject He regards immigration
from Russia as enc Of the Inevitable
features Of the next half century, in this
. great barren region Of Russian Asa, and
points out the fact that though the arabic
( portion of Siberia is not large as com
pared with its total area, it is still i'm
meuse in Itself, and that The conditions
OF agriculture in that country are SO
nearly like those CT Russia that il VIII BE-
the most natural thing in the world for
the Russian peasant, when his small in
herited plot of ground becomes too lin
tied for him, to migrate eastward. In
short Siberia is to the Russian what the
! Western Reserve was to the American
fifty years ago.
The Russian exile system is not, this
French traveller thinks, SO bad as it has
been painted. He claims TO have seen
no particular ill-tTcatment of prisoners,
and states tina the chains worn by those
whom he Saw We're not oppressively
heavy, either literally or fguratively. 1t
must be remembered, however. that the
articles of Mr.. George KEENAN,, which ere
! ated such a sensation fifteen years ago
or more, expressly stated that Russian
! officials were skiliful in deceiving travel
ers not particularly Jealous in investi-
eating the exile system and cautious in
Disgusting their zeal. and this does not
appear 10 be a subject in which NJ. Leroy
Beaulieu was intensely interested, so that
ii is quite possible that he may not have
seen all there was to see. One point
which he mentions in connection with the
gradual settlement of Siberia is signif-
cant. He regards>It as probable that the
Chinese population will increase greatly.
In view of the possibility that Russia ray
be the Power which will finally absorb
China into its empire, this fact is i'm
portant.
Considerably more space is devoted to
Japan, and there. is an exhaustive history
of the development Of the little island
kingdom, politically financially, socia ly
and industrialiy. The author considers
1t likely that the adoption of Western
civilization by the japanese may, like
their assimilation Of certain features of
Chinese civilization several centuries ago,
be permanent, though doubtless its in
fuence over the people has been over
rated. He says that there is no strong
antiforeign feeling in Japan, as there is
in China, and that nobody apparently
wishes 10 disturb the pleasant relations
existing in most cases between natives
and Europeans. OF the future of Japan
he is rather cautious in speaking, since
it depends largely upon the future of
Europe, and especially OF Russia He says
| on this point:
The Ministers Of the sfikado are very naturally
somewhat alarmed at the thought that their
country may soon be the only in the whole
world inhabited by non-European race that
maintains its independence, and they cannot for
| bear asking themselves how long this indepen-
| dence may be allowed 10 last, all the more 30
| since Japan is in immediate contact with numcr-
| ically speaking, the most powerful State in the
| world the colossal Russian Empire, which bord-
I ers upon China. Might not Japan. under these
/ circumstances, be constantly menaced by so
| formidable a ncighbor? Doubtless she would be
able to resist invasion, but at a terrific sacri-
hce--tor 10 conquer japan ii would be necessary
! TO eXterminate many millions Of japanese. In
any case Jspan's foreign influence would be at
end. especially in Korea which she has sew
eral times conquered and upon which she still
eherishez pretensions that date over 1000 years.
The chapter dealing with China is less
occupied by. statistics and more by the
discussion Of general questions than that
on Japan. and there Is an exhaustive ac-
count of the influences which have gone to
2
these, not the least, perhaps, is the COM
plicated and peculiar language which they
| speak, and Of this the author says:
One OF the most curious features Of the Chinese
IS that although everybody knows how to read
and write q little, one can do so perfectly,
for the simple reason that no Chinaman has ever
been known 20 completely master the vOluminous
alphabet Of his country. The most ignorant has
I acquired some ten or dozen characters relating
to his trade, AZ sufficient for his purpose. When
a man has mastered six eight thousand he Is
considered learned and, when We come to think
Of IL, there must be very few ideas that cannot
be expressed in so many thousands of words. Many
Of the higher literau manage to acquire even
twenty thousand words, and the state Of the
mind Of that man may safely be left to the
readers Imagination, especially IL reflect
that he must have passed his entire youth study
ing by rote Thousands Of signs only distinguish
able from one another by the mnutest strokes
and in acquiring a prodigious amount OF obso-
lete knowledge from classical books and annals
whose authors lived in remote antiquity OF
late years q slight modification has been intro
duced In the shape of certain concessions to what
l. officially called he new western culture"
To the usual questions selected from the works Of
Confucius and other philosophers have been
added the Identification Of names mentioned in
modern geography, and since the Chino japanese
war the examiners Of Marking ask their caudi-
in astronomy az 'fwlat is the apparent diameter
Of the sun as seen from the earth?'
Again the author gays:
The result of this method Of education was
eIemplihed late as 1897, two years after a
which had brought the Chinese Empire within
an inch Of ruin when censor. one Of the high
est officials in the Empire, addressed document
TO the Emperor, wherein he protested against the
concessions made 10 the inventions Of the West
I eTn barbarisns, which he did not hesitate to
qualify calculated to disturb the peace OF the
dead Instead Of constructing railways he grave
I y insisted, it were wiser to offer a handsome
/ reward to the who should recover the sec
/ ret Of making flying chsrtots 10 be drawn by
phoenixes which certainly eXisted Ia the good Old
| timer. little time previously member Of
the Tsung-li- Ysmen had lifted his voice TO pro-
test against the various railway enbankments and
| the nails that studded the lineE which, he be-
| lieyed were likely to inconven ience and wound
! the sacred dragons which protect the cities Of
! the Empire, and who dwell beneath the soil
| The strange superstitions Of the iengshui geom-
sncy dealing with the circulation through tho
air Of good and evil spirits and with the pre-
scribed height 20 which buildings may be erected
and the exact positions OF doors and other like
grave matters, which, it seems, unless they be
the flying spirits in their progress through
! space, exercise greater empire the minds
| Of Chinese officials in the very b ghcst places
( than matters which We should consider Of the
| greatest importance.
Several other Chinese characteristics
| with which the present writer deals at
| some length have been thoroughly dis
! cussed by other observers of Oriental life.
| and the public is already familiar with
| them though in this book there are some
| details which VIII be new to most readers
| Some space is devoted to the conservatism
| of the Chinese, to their reverence for an
| cestors. their insenslbility to pain, and
their inveterate habit Of lying to save ap-