The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-23
A TALK WITH PRINCE ITO
BY FRANK G. CARPENTER.

vessel; how When filled with the
Importance Of their mission they |
reached Yokohama, they did not dare
land for fear of their own countrynen
there, who had no faith in their |
stories, and how they had to be taken
in a foreign gunboat back to their
nome province, where the Prince of
Chosiu ruled.
Even then. they narrowly escaped
With their lives because some of their
fellows thought they were traitors and
that the stories they told about the
greatness Of our civilization were false
hoods, and it was some time before
they could persuade the prince to aid
in h inauguration Of the new move
! ment. At that time Ito was of just
the age of our boys who will graduate
from college this year. He was barely
twenty-five, and since then his whole
life has been Wrapt up in the New
Japan. He came with the mperor to
Toxic, and since then he has been his
maesty's right hand. There is no man
more close to emperor, and no one
with whom his majesty advises so
much from day to day.
Prince Ito has been four times
premier, and during the wal with Chi
ma he was at the head Of the govern
ment. In h Russian war he was
1t is he today who is largely directing
the foreign policy of this country.
l met Prince Ito When I was here
IN 1884. At that time he gave me an
interview in which he f~oreshadowed
the war with China. I.met him again
IN 1900, when the troubles were al
ready which brought about
h war with Russia, and now, at the
age Of sixty-seven, I find him hale and
hearty, throwing his whole strength
into the building up of the empire
and in the r~eorganizing, on on a mod
ern basis, the land and the people of
Korea.
AT Home With Prince Ito.
Before / give you our conversation
winch covered q wide range both per-
sonal and political, l would like to de-
scribe n circumstances of our meet
ing. 1t was at his new villa, near
Omori, half way between Toxic and
Yokohama, that his highness by ap-
4 polntment received me. I took a jim
rikisha at the station and with my hui
man horse rode for more than two
miles on a road shaded with pine trees
There Were many little shops. a tenn
pie ror two n some beautiful villas
along the way. Leaving the road, VIC
{ climbed a hill and entered a garden
| of many acres filled with fine shrub
berry. out of which looked severa
2 bronze storks and other works of Jap
l anese art. In. the center of this was
S a large building with walls Of pine
e and heavy o~verhanging roofs. This
was Prince Ito's villa. 1t has wide We.
randas running about it and the walls
are SO arranged that hey Slid bacl
and forth, permitting many Of it:
: rooms to be thrown into one. Thu
= building is mostly one story, but i
is so large that it covers an acre OF
= more "A sort of tempIe-like projec
= ton forms a porte cochere, and it wa
= here that I was met by Mr.. Hisatsuns
Furuya, the private secretary of hi!
s hishness. and led into a reception
K room.
After waiting there a moment I wa
: told that the prince was ready to re
y ceire me. We walked down a lonl
nall and entered a great parlOr, which
was carpeted and furnished in foreigl
p style. A moment later Prince Ito en-
g tered. We shook lands and he led m
i to a seat and sat down at some dis
s tance away opposite me. There wa
Vt a sofa at the side betWeen us, an
IS a little later, in order to show hi
e highness one Of my former interview
n with him, / moved to this, and thu
sat at his right hand, almost touch
ing him as he talked. During tn
n conversation one of the attendant
rs brought-in two small cups Of deliciou
Japanese tea. 1t was very hot, and
-, noticed that his highness drank
without cream, putting in two lump
of sugar to Sweeten it.. There wer
cigars on the table, and Prince 1t
= smoked as he talked.
N Korea for the Koreans
r, During the conversation the subjet
n, of Korea came UP, and / asked Primo
ID Ito whether it was his intention t
ir japanese that country and whethe
70 Korea was to be wiped out as an IL
~ dependent nation.
h. '.Thar depends on Korea herself,
IN replied the Japanese resident genera
VI II should like to see Korea indepen(
ey ent, provided it's independence cou]
t. be arranged in such a way that "
q can be sure that it will always be tn
ne friend Of Japan. The geographical ST
uation of the country is sue that
is necessary to our peaceful existent
= an-n rattan fhaf. Il aha friandlu To II