Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-03
OTHER LANDS THAN OURS.

There is no spot on earth perhaps, where
sounder civilization reigns than in Den
mark The people are free, but conserva-
tive of their ancient institutions-and yet
not SO conservative but that they are
slowly ripening to broader liberties. They
are thrifty and as good farmers as the
Dutch, but they are not reeking in super
fluous wealth. as the Hollanders seem to
be. Their menaclng neighbor. Germany,
has made end of her territorial agrees
sion. The late kings numerous and ad-
mirable family has supplied kings for two
other European countries and consorts for
two great potentates, and the little state
is rich in protecting alliances. Universal
education for almost a century has made
the Danes reading and thinking people
Literature and art find an honored place
in their homes. Happily dull in it's later
annals, Denmark does not lack the in
spiration and comfort of creative genius.
The annual rainfall in North China is
most variable, both in quantity and the
months in which it falls. In tho best years
there is good rainfall duriu. April and
May and a heavier one between the middle
of July and the middle OF September. In
neither of these periods is the rainfall eX-
cessive. Then comes a year of floods, or
more often a year of drouth. Usually the
drouth extends over comparatively small
areas, but owing to the lack of cheap
transportation the people in the drouth
area are dying of starvation while few
hundred miles away there is surplus of
crops. The construction of railways will
alleviate these conditions, but I'm view of
the present conditions all the land possible
Is Cd in 10
and primitive manner. There have been no
irrigation works constructed of any i'm
portance or size and the Chinese govern
ment has no share and has taken not the
slightest interest in this most important
and vital economic question. The primitive
work which is done is performed usually
by small village communities or individual
farmers. The methods employed are much
the same in all North China and have APP
parently changed none during the last 1900
years. Stone-cut pictures of 1000 years ago
show the people raising and handling the
water in exactly the same manner as the
work is done today, and also show that the
form of the agricultural implements has
not in any way changed.
The proofs that the japanese are growing
taller are ample. as shown by the reports
of the army surgeons, who in 1892 examined
3ia,S37 men applying for enlistment, and in
1892 49, 093 men. At the former date, the
number of stature below five feet was 2O17
per cent; i'm 1902 the percentage had fallen
to 1920; and that of men below five feet
two inches. from 1913 10 36OI. Between
the same dates the percentages were, of
men FIVE feet four inches and over, 1905
and 1851; and OF men between five feet
tu-n five
spectively, 3l.A and 35O6 The change of
the national fashion from sitting, often
for many hours, on hams and heels to
chairs. and the introduction OF habits Of
/ physical exercise for all classes during the
growing period. dates from 1870, when the
| first of the l,2O0 or more American and
! other foreign teachers began the modern
system of education I'm Japan. Enlarged
| data this point will be among the re-
suits of Japan's putting a million or men
! in arms during the struggle with Russia.
|
King Christian TX had too small a sphere
| of activity as monarch of 100000 people
| to achieve great distinction in statecraft
! But he was notable for his long and bla me-
| less life his protected reign and his eminent
success in marrying off his children. Per-
! haps the credit for the latter belonged to
| the late queen, who was known the
! greatest match maker in Europe, lie was
| twelve years older than the Emperor Fran
| els Joseph of Austria, but the latter began
| to reign fifteen years earlier than Chris
| tian. Kings of Denmark have had long
reigns. Christians sixteen predecessors
| averaged nearly twenty-six years on the
| throne; but he wore the crown for nearly
forty-three years. His family married into
| 70
family in Europe, and he died father of
the queen of England and the king OF
| Greece and grandfather OF the car OF
Russia and the king of Norway.
| In working out the details of the protec-
| torate established over Corea Japan finds
that IT has a most difficult task on hand.
The japanese have been expeditions in OBJ
| tanning possession of the country and ex-
| tending their authority. But at this point