The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-27
JAPAN, A LAND OF SUDDEN
CHANGES

America has much to do with the de-
yeiepment OF Japan An American sea-
man. Perry, opened" the country to the
trade of the world. The American minis
ter Harris made the first treaty with
Japan. The first election under the Jap
anese Constitution was held on July +,
1890. The United States government gave
Japan her first foreign order for ship,
. a small gunboat wanted in Il hurry for
the Philippines The United States FIRST
moved at the beginning OF the present
war to preserve the integrity Of China,
which is all that Japan, as the champion
CT freedom. wants.
The dates of Japan's new birth are
conveniently remembered The Perry eX-
petition landed in 1883 Previously for
eigners could not enter Japan. japanese
could net leave it. The civil war and the
reconstruction period in Japan roughly
corresponded with our own. New Japan
dates from 1861 All the great material
changes have been made since that year
The new constitution went into effect and
the parliament assembled in 1890.
Japan's government is neither a des-
potism like Russia's nor practically re-
publican. like that OF Great Britain.
There are but 100000 voters qualified for
general elections out Of a total population
Of 1900 900. The Emperor is assisted by
a council and by ten ministers compar
able to our cabinet officers, except that
they have more power. For instance. the
japanese minister of the interior has gen
eral charge of police matters, and most
of the railways and the telegraph and
telephone lines are government monopo-
lies.
Japan has 400 miles of railways, her
merchant fleets are eighth in size among
the worlds PEACE navies, her banks are
rapidly increasing in deposits. Japan is
successful in colonizing the island Of
Formosa. taken from China in the recent
war
Missionaries sympathize with Japan.
though she is technically heather.
Really. Japan is rapidly becoming Chris
tanned There are 10000 Christians. peo
pie of more than average influence. Be
sides, japanese rule means freedom; Rus
sian means Ges potism. On this point
Clement says in his newly issued Hand
book of Modern japan; Her (Japan's)
aims in the Far East coincide with ours
and with the dictates of civilization. The
supremacy Of Japan in Eastern Asia
means far more for America and Amer
lean institutions than does the DONNA
ton of Russia. Japan enjoys rights UNI
known in Russia-social freedom. political
privileges representative institutions. To-
cal self-government, intellectual liberty.
freedom of assembly and Of the press and
religious liberty JaTan is already far
in advance of Russia. and in many re-
spects abreast Of Germany"
In local 60 eminent Japan rather re-
sembles France. Each district or large
town has it's local legislature and gov
ernor appointed by the emperor. The
scope of the local legislature is rather
less than that of our state legislatures.
| but tn governor. according to Mr. Gle
ment. usually interferes little with its
actions.
The pay of workingmen in Japan is
very small and there is neither great
wealth nor extreme poverty in the en-
pire The Mitsui Bank, more than POD
years old. is putting up i'll Toxic the first
steel frame building in Japan. covering
two and half acres. The total trade
of Japan has grown from S13.000000 in
| 1S6S-the year after the revoluticn-to
s254. 0O0. eco in 1901.
There are about one thousand news
papers and periodicals in Japan, all of
recent founding. Books are plentiful.
The new growth in China Of the scien-
tifc spirit is fed from Jaran. IN print
ing books Of science. language, law and
literature for Chinese use The reformers
translate not from European tongues but
from the Japanese: the japanese have
already made selections and adaptations
useful in the cast This fact according
to Mr. Clement Illustrates the leadership
of Japan in the Pacific. That leadership
Is also shown by its commanding import
ance in trade with the mainland as far
south as Siam Russia in trade is sim
ply not in it compared with Japan.
The japanese are not pure Mongols,
nor co they closely resemble the Chinese.
DR.. Nitohe. a japanese scientist, agrees
with a French observer who estimated
that the japanese were siX-tenths Ma
! lays. three-tenths Mongol and one-tenth
of mixed races The emperor himself
seems of a Malay type. Others estimate
the Monaghan element more generously
The Japanese have in one generation
greatly improved in health by adopting
more varied diet from the Europeans.
They like European cookery. have intro
ducel European cards. which they call
'.torumpo" or ''trumps" and European
dogs which IT first they called ''kami.
mista6ing the frequent call 10 dogs Of
come here" for the name OF the an nal.
In the army and navy they have adopted
European uniforms. Their schools and
nm iye-.SitirS are modelled upOn those of
Europe and America. Their moral code
even has been changed. by association
with the silver men. particularly by
raising the status Of women.-Ncw York
World