Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-16
IAPAN,s WAR CAPACITY.

were OF the OPINION lnal JaPdi ii'tu
neither military nor financial resources
to carry on war. but they have been
Received The professor then endeav-
YRS to throw a light on the economic
condition of Japan. In 1893, the popu-
Dation of Japan was nearly forty-one
millions; in 1903, it had risen to forty
six millions. Can the country feed this
continually growing population? The
Japanese live on rice principally, and
the increase in the production OF rice
nas kept pace with the increase in the
population.
The Japanese are essentially an agrl-
cultural people, but of late years they
have, also been actively engaged IN
commerce and various industries. In
the years 1S94-1903, the foreign trade
of japan has almost triped itself and
simultaneously there has been steady
accumulation of public and private
means Nor has the peasant renamed
outside this movement More sober
thar the most sober European peasants
and requiring nothing but little rice
for his substance, the rest of his har-
vest forms the principal source of his
revenue; that is to say. his rice and
his raw silk have become two market
abl0 commodities, increasing in value
every year. Another important ele-
ment in the prosperity of the county
is the improved condition of the work
ing classes. Not only have their wag-
es risen but there has been a good deal
of legislation in their favor, and the
laws affecting them are being constant
ly amended to their advantage A rap
i'd survey like this shows that for
population growing at the rate of 10
per cent in ten years, with foreign
trade tripled, agricuturalists selling
their produce at double their former
wages, all in the same space of time,
ami without speaking of the profits
Of the capitalists, ETC., which have also
Increased, Japan's budget has easily
tripled itself in these ten years. OAR
ing. the present year. exports and ilsl
ports have increased at a t:ea4eHsi -
rate: and since the superiority of q,
japanese navy has leen
there is more securtG 4a1} cf
free communication "ilE t}a -
ports. In eonclus.oa ea re
the patriotism q gse fo2 % tee
souls is iscite5 5n are &iG -
ard, in face of 4 tos}al i s.
goes without say;ns; az H. e5s 80,
ready to sacrihc eNeGIt l& tof ti}e
emperor and their co.It sf iu@
a miserable sum of one AnGfit @{i
siXty-seven thousand francs a. 80
the public treasury of a nation % CTR
ty millions possessed whan> Nali@lsasi
engaged France in a long cAln8ateN
We cannot tell how many yests
p;tss before Japan comes to her l;1s
penny.
DEGENERACY OF AMERICAN WOMEN.
A Swedish literary woman and au-
thor of repute, who has lived for de-
clde in America, has followed the fash
ion of European authors and written a
criticism of American life and man
ners, especially paying attention TO
American women. American women's
clubs, she characterizes as simply So
cieties for discussion, agitating AMI
l,ecturing," and charges that the work
is done ostensibly for womankind, but
really for the sake of making an inn
preston. About the only class of
women that pleased the Swedish writer
was the shop girls, who. as a class,
.'stand apart from the great mass of
the people, unsuccessful artists, half
educated teachers, pretentious girls,
( foolishly known as salesladies and
stenographers."
Her claim is that American women,
especially those in the larger cities and
The eastern part of the United States,
have degenerated. In New York she
says:
The women of the middle class,
which is the largest in New York, are
characterized by their laziness, in
competence anu Ndullys 1Ley 1lldy
know how to make dress elegant, but
poorly suited to their. means; and yet,
only very seldom do they know how to
cook. Most of the dyspepsia and nerv-
ousness Of their husbands is surely
caused by the half-cooked meals of the
women. Besides, not being practical,
they waste half the food they con-
sunie, Yet they trim their nails Jfor
hours, and live half the time! on the
etreet-that is, When they are not for
tunate enough to be damned around
the bargain counter.This is not merely
a European view of the matter-it Is
a, frequent topic of admonition on the
bart of many American economic writ
ers. While these offer many explana-
ton, they all agree that there is an
lncalculable danger to the country in
the increasing laziness of the middle
class woman and her unfitness to be
the head of household.
That much of this arraignment is
true, no American can deny. There is
a class Of American women which is
degenerating, women who spend their
time as a profflgate does his patri-
nlony. AS whole, however, the Swed
ish womans attack upon her sex in