The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1904-11-12
THE GROWTH or JAPAN

1t isn't so very many years ago that
Japan was looked upon as a joke, says
the San Francisco Bulletin. People CT
middle age can remember the time when
knew of the island empire was conanec
to the information gained by witness NJ
a performance of THE M.ka 20" T /
wonderfully clever comic opera gave
knowledge OF the existence of a ru,ei
wi h an odd title, of a land rich in chrys-
anthemums. of women with the charm
gethet different I d y. Now bo.h Oriei,
and Occident have learned that Japan -
no joke. 1t s Ill blooms with ch. ysanthc.
NUNS. but it also bristles with guns
The Mikado Is no onger an object oi
amusement. W h lie tie weird .algncd ne
became a great monarch, and now tie
army that faces his soldiers and he M
that risks battle wi h his ships hasn't
time to laugh, for the Mikado's men ar>,
the Mikado's guns rank with the best OF
the earth.
In all The history OF nations there = I"
story of pi ogress to para.el thai Of I ie
Japan Half a oentu y ago 1t was u
medieval country in a modern wor,i,
The %blackness of the Middle Ages hIu;,
like a cloud over it's shores. Commodore
Perry, f1yirg the flag of the wor,u =
greatest republic, found a Ian asiee,,
forced open its doors and Japan awokn
That was in 1858. only IF, ore years ag,.
The empire of the M;kado existed ,her.
only IN name. The Mikado was the nori
inal ruler. but the shog ms he'd The anw-
er. 1t was the land of the shotgun TN
til Perry came the 70. e.gner was exciui j.
ed. Because of the tIickery of traders
the bars against all the world Perry
broke down the bars, dictated a com.
mercial treaty at the canon's mouth, AMI
Japan timidly STEP Ell forward. hole.'i
of a place among civ liked uations.
In the early days of .:e new life u
Nippon. tie rightful name of the land q
the rising sun. a long-ess abl.shed sys e.n
of feuaal baronage held sway. For .
while the light fi.ckered. 1t took f.us-
teen years for the fire of civiizat.on TO
burn away one of the chief supper ) ~
an ant.quated fern of government. In
1867 the ~shoguna.e was abolished. Civii
war followed, and a year later the MikaGo !
came into his own and became a ruler IN
fact as wei as In name. -Four years
passed, and then came the master stIoac
The feu6al system was abolished. Ii
cuSnbIance af .er incumbrance was thrown
aside. ard in 1859. while the world sa,
back IN opera seats and laughed at T. e
Mikado.' japan p omulgased a con3t tn
ton. In 1850 the first Japanese pailia. !
ment met. BY this time the Occident hsN
found the little empire worth watch .ny ;
There was a deep 8. ounded BELIEF among
civil zed nations hat Ii ever the hol dies
of China became aroused they would oy
sheer force OF numbers sweep adversaI.'s
f4om their pathway and threaten civiii1a-
ton itself. Japan. una d d. gave battle
TO the orge and overthrew him, white the
world looked on in GREATNESS admir-.
ton.
Even after the Mikado's men and he
llgh ened nations of the Occident with
held the prai. e that the feat deserved.
China was rotten to the CO e, they sa d.
Japan had only pricked a bubble. The
years flew by. but the Mikado $ men lost
not a moment. They were study ng The
art Of war In the best schools OF the
at last II came. A few months ago the
navy and the army of Japan Went forth
to war. The world knows what has hap
pened. Battered and sunken ships of
Russia and thousands of silent foe be-
meath the waves and In narrow trenches
bear evidence to the Mikado's prowess.
In half a century Japan has accom-
feats that took other nations p
years. In that brief time shs
civilized heTself and become a power
with which all the world must reck n
Sluggish Russia. moving ahead only un.
der pressure. found to her cost hat of all
lands under the sun, Japan was best pre-
pared for war. WI h tie bill sdness of 70
big man who despises an enemy small 0,