Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1910-04-08


in manufactures, her admirable
schools and universities and her gov
ernment which in less than twenty
five years has achieved what it took
Europe centuries to accomplish-to
rid herself of fcudaism and become
a constitutional monarchy and that
without a struggle. Consider her
army which accomplished wonders
in her recent wars; her navy which
elected the admiration of the world.
Japan is a transformed nation which
in its rapidity at least has had no
parallel in history. She has had
long and brilliant past, but is to
have still more glorious future.
She has been we'll called the rud-
der of Asia, the child of the worlds
old age and her people the diamond
edition of humanity.
No country is blessed with such
variety Of names. It's the Flowery
Kingdom, the Island Kingdom, the
Sun Rise Kingdom and the Sea Girt
Kingdom. Nippon or Dai Nippon
Great Sunrise) is perhaps the most
common name and is a corruption
of the name first applied by the
people coming from the Continent
I-Jip-pen whence our word Japan.
Here the old and new may be seen
side by side-thc neglected shrines
and the crowded trains. The dis
tance is short in space and time
from the ancient tori to the
screeching steam engine, jinrikisha,
sago tram, elevated and subway
cars. Some interesting things in
history make Japan unique nation.
This insular kingdom has been un-
conquered and governed from inn
memorial antiquity by an unbroken
dynasty of rulers. Its territory for
the most part has been received
without aggression or conquest and
she is a nation without immigrants.
Once proud of her seclusion she now
has France, Great Britain and the
United States for her ncighbors.
So marked is the change that four
hundred school children singing i'm
public square as enthusiastically
as American children would sing
our national air were recently heard
to sing:
Once there was darkness
Now there is light
Since Perry opened up the
land"
In spirit and in progress Japanis a
young and not an old nation. The
echoes of long ago arc very faint.
New voices disturb the the voice of
the fathers of old. The old pride
of clan is now changed to pride of
race. Loyalty to feudal chief has
become loyalty to the Emperor as
Sovereign. twenty-five years ago
there was not a railroad in Japan.
Today throughout this sea girt
empire there is spread a network
of 1000 miles of well built paths of
steel which have stone ballast, mas
sivc bridges, fine rolling stock
and well appointed stations.
Here are few things in which
the customs and habits of Japan diff
fer from ours They have no word
for bread. Their carpenters use
few nails but make mortses that
are so exact as to be absolutely
waterproof They pull their planes
instead of pushing them. Our
screws turn to the right, theirs TO
the left We take off our hats. they
remove their shoes. Our books
begin at the left, theirs at the right.
We write horizontally, they
vertically. Our mourning color is
black, theirs is white. Our best
room is in the front. theirs is in the
rear. We mount our horses from
the right, they from the left.
When Commodore Perry went
there "brutes, dogs and women"
was the reading in many a prohi-
bition at the holy places. The laws
were excessively cruel and the
punishment revolving. A common