The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-04

would only be o~ne-quarter acre ner
mead ana the holdings all told aver
age less than two acres in size. sup
pose you were to cut our farmers
ilololnSs down to two acres each and
put the whole American people into
Kentucky, you would have about the
conditions that prevail in Japan. Al
the same time, imagine that Indiana,
Just over the Ohio river, had q more
fertile soil and that it was half titled,
with much land lying vacant! Could
any one keep the Kentucky man out
of it2
The Japanese Immigration.
Well, hat is just about the condition
or Japan and Korea. The strait
which flows betWeen the countries can
be crossed in a night, and TO-DAY the
japanese are emigrating in great num-
bers and gradually taking possession
OF this territory which they have got
ten through their struggle with Rus
STA. There are already, outside the
officials and army, one hundred and
fifty thousand Of them on the ground,
and they are rapidly changing the face
OF the country. They have their set
Elements in all the large centers. I
found Eusan a new city when / landed
there a few weeks ago. Instead Of
mud huts, matched with straw, run
ming along dirty alleys, covered with
filth, a new Japanese city had arisen.
Wide streets, as clean as a Dutch
kitchen floor, crossed one another at
right angles, running far up the hills.
There were many tWO-StOry buildings,
and shops with all kinds of goods. /
rod several miles through business
streets Of one kind and another, pass
ed several schools and a big city build
ing, and finally stopped at a three
story structure which proved to be a
| commercial museum. containing every
variety Of goods. both japanese and
Korean. There were samples Of
Korean cotton and Korean silk, and
many suggestions to the natives q to
how they might develop their H. ry.
At TaIku, a city of $4,000. a hun
dred miles further north. there is
another large Japanese settlement, and
Japanese cities have sprung up at
Pyengyang and Gensan. PyenSyane
is the biggest town between Seoul and
the Yalu. Previous to the Japan
China war it contained 10000 people,
: and it is now the third largest city in
the empire. It lies on the right bank
of h Taidong river, some distance
inland from the sea and its situation
is such that some think it Will event
ually be the biggest town in Korea. II
has already in the neighbOrhood OF
10, 900 Japanese settlers, and a section
devoted to them has been laid out near
llit "AtC ain Ao AoSN w
Public buildings have been erected.
The Dal-Ichii Ginko has erected a new
bank building close TO the gate and
the settlement has a city nall, a club
house, q theatre and a government
hospital. Schools for both japanese
and Koreans are going up and the dry
bones of the natives are beginning tC
shake at the changes.
There are now etWee 5000 and
10000 Japanese at Gensan on the
west coast, and there are 20. or
more here at Seoul with another large
settlement at Chemulpo, on the yellow
sea, twenty-six miles away. More
than 10000 immigrants came in last
year and the prospects are for q
steady increase from now on. This
is especially so from the fact that q
big colonization p backed by
the government. has been formed IN
Japan. This has a capital Of $1,000,
! 600, and it will Exploit the crown lands
which were taken charge of under Ger
tain conditions by the Japanese after
the abdication OF the old emperor, o
almost two years ago.
A Look at Korea.
But first let me give you a birds eye
! view of Korea. The peninsula IS OF
about the same shape as Florida, anC
its area, all told. is abou that Of Kan
sas. 1t is as long from north to SOUTH
as from New York to Cleveland ana II
some places as wide as from Washing
ron TO philadelphia. The country lies
lust opposite our eastern State on thu
other side of the globe. l could bore
a hole right through h earth from
where now am and had the RICH
sort OF glass I might see the American
sun within a short distance Of New
York city. The latitude is just abou
the same as that of Boston. New York
Philadell hia and Washington, and tn
climate is better than ours. For ths
greater part of the year the skies ar
as blue as those of Colorado, and thel
if rains for two OF three months o
and on, giving a plentiful supply Q
water for crops. II the