The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-22

For a Western mind. materfalistic 10
degree. as many Western minds nowadays
are to take the japanese either as individ-
uals or as a race seriously is somewhat diff
ficult. The tea caddy and paper-screen idea
of this strange, clever, artistic people, TO
a large extent. obtains still
But, nevertheless, Japan and the Jap
anese-teahouses. geishas and all-have In
the future to be reckoned with, both polit-
ically and commercially.
The nation which possesses in the superb
Mikasa the largest and in every way most
powerful battleship afioat, is a progressive
and advancing one. Her standard. old
though ii be in design, is singularly appro-
pirate at the present time, as 1t will be In
the future OF her national life. A sun ris-
ing amid a blaze of glory may indeed well
be the ensign and emblem OF the most en-
terprising and ingenious Eastern people of
the twentieth century.
There are many who will regret the more
romantic Japan OF the past. which at pres
ent-though for how long one wonders-ex-
lists, as II were, alongside the go-ahead Ja-
pan OF to-day. And these will also regret
the colossal. as typifed by the battleships
and Krupp guns of modern japan, replac-
ing the minute. which used to be so curl
Gus. All will regard the possible destruc-
ton of picturesque gardens OF quantity
dwarfed trees, the abolition of the butter
fly geishas, and the introduction in place OF
the latter of the prosaic barmaid or bar
tender or, perhaps, even the institution OF
the devices OF the automatic luncheon bar,
with apprehension and dissatisfaction.
But although Western ideas. tools. even,
Cd hxy Dor eli IL
iinery and corsets. we are told are slowly
but surely being adopted, and are doing
much to modernize Japan Of to-day, and TO
bring the Japanese themselves ''up TO date"
as the phrase has 1t, the destinations of the
land OF the chrysanthemum and sun are
still almost as potent as ever for both now
elist and tourist.
Twenty years or even much less ago such
a thing as an alliance between Great Brit
ain and Japan would have been secuted.
The ISLAND nation which has many aims.
needs and sympathies in common with our
own was then only a nation in embryo.
Now she is fast advancing to the front
rank Of naval powers. From far-away
country with which we did trade, she has
become-in alliance with ourselves-what a
Russian statesman has called "a menace
this phrase means check TO Russian ag-
gression and schemes in the far East, and
possibly in the near East, too.
COMMERCE AND EDUCATION.
The commercial progress of the nation
has been quite commensurate with the po-
litical In two decades the trade has in
creased almost twenty fold, and the for
eign trade alone of this present year is ex-
pecteo to reach or even exceed e25.OO0 900.
1t is 20 be questioned whether we realize
to a full or even adequate extent the i'm
mense resources OF what, from its position
as a ''sea-girt kingdom" may well be
called the Britain of the East" but there
can be little doubt that Germany. our
chief competitor. and Russia. our would-be
rival. do so far more accurately. The mar
kets of our ally may well be, indeed should
be ours. 1t remains TO be seen whether
= decadent British enterprise will allow Brit
tsh ships and British merchants to be GUST
ed from the co!gn Of vantage available to
them.
In education, too. the Japanese are fully
aware of the necessity there is for the
adoption OF the most modern systems and
complete methods. In this respect Ii is
true there is yet much to be done; but
each year sees material advance in supply
ing educational facilities upon modern
lines. and founded upon the best European
systems. In several OF the large public
schools of Japan-more especially perhaps
In two or three devoted to the education
of Japanese girls-are the effects of the
adoption of European methods and ideas
noticeable. The class rooms are invariably
light and airy (as indeed are most Japan
csc houses). and the physical education of
the pupils has due attention paid TO 1t.
Archery, games, and exercises, with and
without apparatus, turning The innately
graceful japanese maidens into well-devel-
oped ones also.
The sending of young men of position to
Europe for educational purposes has for
two or three decades at least been popular.
1t may perhaps be likened to the grand
tour which young Englshmen of position
q century or more ago were almost COM
PEELED by custom TO make. These japanese
students who enter at the universities, are
sent TO well-known public schools, or who,
as many of them do. study privately, at
tending the special classes at London Uni
versity. almost invariably prove clever. apt.
and extremely painstaking pupils. Some of
the results of this system of sending the
young japanese of the upper classes to
Europe is to be plainly traced in the start
lingly rapid progress in civilization and
commerce made by their nation during the
last fifteen or twenty years.
Internal commerce has of late also made
rapid strides. largely owing to the improved
and extended system of railways and tram
ways which. connecting various towns and
ports with the interior. have made the
transit of goods and merchandise more GER
tain. quick and inexpensive. With the
growth Of commerce and national ambition
Japan has become UNNECESSARILY more
wealthy than she was two decades ago.
Thirty years or so back she possessed no
banks. and naturally no banking system.
To-day, owing 10 the fostering care and
wise treatment by the. government of the
crisis which arose from the permission
given to the national banks in 1872 to issue
notes which were incontrovertible, there
are several hundred banks scattered
throughout the length and breadth of the
country. The Bank of Japan. created early
In the SOS TO meet the crisis. being a solid
and respected undertaking.
There are those who regard Japan's phe.
nomenal progress likely to eventually
lead TO a debacle either commercial or fiscal