Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-07-18
Ainu chieftaln With ranbark Headdrsss.

prepared by the National Geographic So
ctety, Washington, D. CO
Japans sunny southern islands with
their mild climate furnish the common
conception of the empire of the Ris-
ing Sun. One hears little ordinarily of
the Japanese northland. This neglect
ed portion of the empire, however,
has been dramatically uncovered for
3he world by the American round-the-
world flyers, the first international
travellers of note to approach Japan
through her northern black door,"
Japan's northland includes Hokaido
or Yezo, the northernmost of the main
island group, a unit almost as big as
Cuba; Saghalien, near the Siberian
coast, bone of contention between ia
pan and Russia and the Kuriles, the
chain of little volcanic islands reach
ing far to the north, over which the
American flyers SKINNED after they
left the American Aleutlans.
Before western influence reached ia
pan the Japanese kept pretty closely
to their balny southern lands, and had
only a tenuous hold on Yezo. They
barely knew of the existence of the
more northern islands, The rulers of
Japan hardly seemed to consider even
Yezo a real part of their domains until
Russians began to trespass toward the
close of the Eighteenth century.
When this situation arose officials were
sent by the shotgun to govern the is
lands. For long time Yezo was left
almost entirely to the Anus. the eau
casian-like natives, as far as perma-
nent habitations were concerned.
During this period the Japanese
treated this island as sort of ma
tional, commonly owned fishing pre-
serve, Fleets of fishing boats swarmed
along it's coasts in the summer, the
fishermen making temporary camps,
but the winter found all of them back
south In "Old Japan" This matter
of climate furnishes one chief key to
the Japanese neglect of the northern
islands. The race developed under the
mild climatic conditions of the South.
All their customs and habits were
built in such a climate. They became
accustomed to light clothing, mere
shells of houses built of bamboo and
paper, and to the cultivation of that
warm land staple, rice. They lacked
the pioneering spirit, and the rigors of
a harsh climate were repugnant to
them.
Developed by Americans.
xxyb;In oox,S~oe+to,, haoo,,oo ,,,aro ord
more marked in the southern islands,
huge Yezo remained practically I'M
used until half century ago when
the Japanese government began pa
ternalistic development. Though this
was abandoned in favor of private
Initiative few years later, the marks
left by the American engineers and ag-
ricultural experts engaged at the time,
stand out plainly in the island. Rail-
roads were built, buildings got under
way, and model farms established
The most striking mark of the Amer
acans was on the architecture.
Southern Japanese traditions of
fiimy construction were abandoned,
and houses built of heavy frame con-
struction--a sort of New England style
with Japanese adaptations. The coun- !
try was heavily wooded, and as in all
pioneer communities log houses also
were constructed. Yezo became a New
Japan and the climate is said to have |
reacted on the immigrants to produce |
snew Japanese" more energetic and
yesourceful than their southern broth
crs, true frontiersmen.
Three Large Cities.
After the settlement Of Yezo was |
stimulated, logging and lumber pro-
duction became one of the leading in
dustries. Agriculture Jagged, largely
because 1t was believed that nowhere |
on the island could rice be grown. IL \
was found later that certain varieties
Of rice would yield grain in parts of
Yezo, though less abundantly than in
the South The demonstration of this
fact made settlers somewhat less re-
tuctant, but even now the population
q only about 100000, very low com
pared with old japan.
In Hal odate and 0taru, principal /