The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-04-16
Inland Sea. Japan. March q. 1905.


The journey was made overland to
Kobe. Some 3o0-40O miles. through the
villages and farms of central japan. is a
most delightful experience. Just at
this time the whole country is rejoicing
over the victories at Mukden. so that
at all the stations and villages, the
crossed bamboo poles are seen, with
the flags of the rising sun.
Every little IA III is a model of neat
ness. with not a weed TO be seen. From
the car windows school houses are seen
everywhere, with crowds of jolly look
ing boys and girls. Japan's great
strength is in her fine educational sys-
tenn. Ninety-three per cent of her chill
dren go to school.
The following information, publish
ed by the japanese Home Department,
will give an idea of some of Japan's
model villages. The first account, is of
the Minamoto village in the Sanbu
country.
IT'S is only a small village of some
three hundred houses, but its admins
tration is in perfect order and there are
many things noteworthy. For instance,
one of the most remarkable things
In the village is the way in which the
pass books of villagers are kept. AL
most all the people of the village unite
in saving all the money they can and
deposit their savings as Postal Deposits
in the village post-office and the pass
books are kept. not in the home of the
depositors as is the case everywhere |
else but in the post-office itself.
Moreover. instead of the villagers going
to the post-office, the authorities come
to gather the depo sits. And again |
when recently the War Loan Bonds" |
were issued, this little village sub
scribed for a certain amount and that
at above par in every case. Such is /.
the spirit of union in this little village" |
The common school of the village !
stands by the side of the village offiIe, /
and il is painted with red ochre so that |
the building may last for long time.
The school has the education-fund of
the village. one of the villagers con-
tributed LOCO yen, and that became the
occasion of other villagers doing the
same thing and now the fund amounts
TO II 600 ven the interest of which is
enough to support the school at present.
Consequently no tuition fee is charged
Another thing remarkable in the edu-
cationaI administration of the vii
Iage is the fact that there IS
not one child in the WhoIe
village that does not go to school
Such is the extent to which education
* encouraged. AS additional work,
every house plants trees, the result
which is also remarkable" One can
see these young trees in every spare
corner. They give beauty to the land
scape and wealth to the farmer.
Speaking of another village. the ac-
count goes on to say that; Not oniy
In education. but also in sanitary, en-
and Industrial matters, ar
engagements are all satisfactorily made.
Among these industry is regarded as
enaciaIIv important. and the idea that
industry is the source of prosperity
permeates the mind of the villagers
They mean to cooperate and neglect
no available resources. The extension :
of the arabic land Improvement in the !
cultivation of rice and barley, and the
,tse of horses in the cultivation, are all :
encouraged and practised- The cultl-
walton of mulberries is also encouraged
and efforts are made to develop the
raising of silk-worms and the produc-
ton of silk Extra work is also en-
As d rule every villager is
to make two pairs of straW-sahdals s
every night before he goes to ped.
Since the outbreak of the present war; Z
the number has been increased TO three
pairs instead Of two. After ten years {;
the result of cooperative work VIII
amount to a profit of Yen 10000 4
The beautiful forests seen covering
the hill sides between the villages are
a source of admiral ton to every travel
ar. The report of the Home depart
nent tells in an interesting way now &
some of these forests We're planted. 8
If we go from the harbour OF Shl- Z
noda in the southern extremity OF the .
zu peninsula northward some ten q
niles. passing through more than ten g
Winding mountain paths. we come 10 6
uxuriant forests. These are the 1or- &
SITS of Inator1 Village. These forests 6
re mostly of pine trees. and were &
,lanted for the purpose of producing
village fund of Yen 100000. At first =
he neopIe of the village considered the g
Ian too vague and foolish. and only g
few approved of the scheme but the &
ioneer of the village, Mataklchl &
1ura. succeeded in persuadlns MS lei- 3
,w-viiIagers to plant the young Plhe
ices Unfortunately the first attempt Z
roVed a failure, most u NiiS e
ICES whitening away. So the opPo-
ton of the villagers was lncreaSeu' &
nd there seemed no hope left for &
.cond trial However Tamura wa &
,untIass He went round, spade IN z
md and himself planted trees every Z
here and at the same time encour-
yed the stubborn people to do the
me thing He said, Trees should
IT be planted by the hand only put
so by the heart BY this he meant q
AT they must be planted and reared 3
refully-kindIy as it We're Hls
forts in the end were most successful
id the forests are there to-day &
This same ardent reformer. Tamura- &
AIMED out many other improvements
r his village The report goes on 10 =
II of his work. First of all. he es-
bIislied a meeting of house-mas- &