The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-11-25

own house. Two men grabbed him
and one held his arms while the other
stabbed him in the stomach, and per-
formed upon him what, had he done it
himself, might be called hari-kiri.
One Of the aSSassins is said to have |
committed suicide, seating himself
first on a map Of Japan. At the
same time he sent two yen, a sum
equal to one dollar, to the dead Of
fciafs family, and left the following
letter:
II stabbed Mr.. Abe. Why did I COM
nit the murder? He is responsible for
the weakness Of Japanese diplomacy.
The act is the outcome of my sim
cere wishes for the welfare Of the
state. I stabbed him deep. He
screamed and cried: oh hurt What
an unmanly attitude. l understand
Bushido, and therefore hate to COM
NIT suicide in the open air, like a
vagrant. / AVE been seeking a place
to die until now. Please forgive. 1
have killed him, but l entertained 10
grudge against him. When I remem-
Der his family. / cannot stop my tears.
l deeply sympathiZe with the mem
bers Of his family"
This man vas probably one of the
SOShi Of Japan. The SOshi became
prominent just after the war with
China, and in a short time spread
throughout the empire. They prob
ably still exist under a different name.
| have never seen them described in
letters Of travel. They are a kind Of a
cross between an anarchist and a po-
litical striker, and l am told that
every political meeting is filled with
them. They have committed many
assassinations, and for a time those
allied to one politician fought with
| hQ nHC Of tho "a m q hind o1linI 70 ofhn~
politicians.
While l was last in Japan, a band
of ten SOshi a member of
parliament while he was on the way
to the house of parliament, and one Of
them threw a bottle of sulphuric acid
at him, but failed to strike him. A
few days later a band Of twenty Soshi
attacked the office of one Of the news
papers and stoned the editor, and
other Outrages ACQUIRED.
l am told that many Of these Soshi
came from the old Samurai or retain-
ers OF the DaimiOs, the mobiles Of the
country who ruled Japan under the
shotgun before the new government
came in. Each Daimio then had a
number of these fighting men about
him, but when the emperor came out
of his seclusiOn and took hold Of the
I government the fighting men were out
Of a job. Some of them got places in
the new administration, some went
into private life and too up industries
Of n kind or other, and not a few
sat and Sulked. It is the descendants
; of these men who are fomenting much
of the trouble today. / was told that
some Of them had attached them
selves to politicians and that a few OF
!. the SOshi had organized into bands
!, where they worked together for thei
! own mutual benefit. I was told tina
thew QrQ mot fond of fnroiOnorC an
t that they were the basis of the anti.
o foreign element Of the country. Not {
r few came from the ov~ereducated O
o the young Japan. Thousands Of youn,
Japanese v prepared themselves t,
e enter the professions. The country i
honeycOmbed with schools and univer
stiles and many of the graduates o
the colleges have hoped to either ge
n places d the government or b
6 lawyers, doctors, engineers and what
not. The supply for such profession
. has been greater h the demand an
a large part Of the surplus has devote,
It itself to political agitations and social
h istic fermentation. The Japanese ar
g. naturally high spirited and excitable
l. and between this element and the sen
SatlOnal newspaper the anti-gOVern
n ment and war following has bee
<. growing by leaps and bounds.
n 1iUceu, the great WOnQor is tina
the emperor and the elder statesme
10 have been able to handle the Japa
A. nese people as they nave. 1t is onl
the reverence for the emperor whic
e. has been built up, through genel
a. ations. which has enabled them to d
Ill so. This reverence still exists, but
a. is a question as to whether it is N
tn on the wane. 1t was owing to th
s reneration for the mikado thai tt
really great men who have acted
his advisors for the past generatio
have been able to introduce the ives
ern civilization. 1t was they who "a
,e out the plans for the great COUNT
of today and carried them out to
10. successful conclusion.
Ter Among the more famous of the me-
were such as Prince Ito. Innouy
Do, Count Okuma and others. Primes "a
ed sura. VINO oled a month or so ago. ";
he of the same class. and SO was Pr;n,