JAPAN 
 
 A CHILD OF THE 
 WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 CHARLES CLARKE 
 
Class - 
 
 Book 
 
 Copyright II?. 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSITS 
 
 I 
 
JAPAN 
 
 A CHILD OF THE 
 WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 By CHARLES CLARKE 
 1910 
 
 The Franklin Press 
 Detroit, Mich. 
 
BSgoe 
 
 .C6 
 
 Copyrighted by 
 Charles Clarke 
 All rights reserved 
 Price $1.00 
 
 )CI,A361274 
 
I 
 
CL-^-/Cc^^. (S^,^:^.^/-^^^ 
 
To the One 
 who has been my inspira- 
 tion — my wife, this narra- 
 tive is lovingly dedicated. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 My purpose in offering this 
 little volume, is to record some 
 facts regarding Pacific-Orient 
 interests, impressions gained 
 during a trip to Japan, and 
 through other sources, believing 
 the reader and observer are in- 
 terested in a development that is 
 sometimes startling by the logic 
 of events. 
 
 Charles Clarke. 
 
 Detroit, Mich. 
 1910 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 American history records two im- 
 portant events in the period of the 
 late forties and early fifties, which 
 were then, and are still, co-related. 
 I refer to the discovery of gold in 
 California, the resultant emigration 
 and development of the Pacific slope 
 that has' followed; and the expedi- 
 tion of Commodore Mathew C. 
 Perry to Japan, where, as this coun- 
 try's representative, he successfully 
 negotiated the first treaty of amity 
 with Japan, and initiated the opening 
 of that hermit kingdom to the world. 
 
 The gold seekers wrought better 
 than they knew, as is evidenced by 
 the marvelous development in the 
 Pacific slope since the Civil War ; the 
 old Santa Fe and Oregon trails are 
 now imaginary lines, and that insu- 
 perable barrier, the "great divide," is 
 an attractive landscape to the modern 
 traveler. 
 
My Trip To Japan 
 
 When William H. Seward, Secre- 
 tary of State, concluded the purchase 
 of Alaska from Russia, in the sixties, 
 there was a howl long and deep on 
 the part of the people and press of 
 this coimtry, and a marvel from 
 foreign countries as to wihat we could 
 do with that 590,884 square miles of 
 snow and ice. Our pioneer seekers 
 of the golden dust — Yankee-like — 
 were ready to move on, and the usual 
 result — 'development — followed, for 
 we find that in 1887 the production 
 of gold in that territory (Alaska) 
 was $2,700.00, while in 1909 it was 
 $20,371,000, with an aggregate total 
 of $186,000,000 since 1880, the year 
 mining commenced there. In the 
 wake of those results came an insight 
 into the latent resources of that terri- 
 tory, sudhi as' coal, copper, and other 
 [11] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 minerals, together with its immense 
 timber areas. This set the pace for 
 development in the great Northwest, 
 stimulating the commercial spirit, 
 and brought our own people as well 
 as our neighbors on the north to a 
 realizing sense of the undeveloped 
 resources along this section of the 
 Pacific. 
 
 With one transcontinental line 
 already reaching out to the Orient — 
 the Canadian Pacific Ry. — at Van- 
 couver, and the Grand Trunk Pacific 
 Ry., a great transcontinental hne, 
 marvelous in construction and enter- 
 prise, to be completed to Prince 
 Rupert, one of the finest ports on the 
 Pacific, early in 1914, affording the 
 shortest route to the Orient, is but a 
 sequence of the conditions above de- 
 scribed. Above it all Alaska's de- 
 velopment has primarily been the 
 means of interesting our own, as well 
 
 as the people of Canada in the whole 
 
 [12] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 Pacific slope, for we now realize the 
 value of that great stretch of coast — 
 over six thousand miles — ^from Nome 
 to Panama, which is directly under 
 the supervision of the United States 
 and Canada ; the forces' that stand for 
 the protection of investments in the 
 transportation lines and analogous 
 enterprises. 
 
 San Francisco, occupying a central 
 geographical position, with a harbor 
 of one hundred square miles in area, 
 where it is said the navies of the 
 world could anchor, and readily ac- 
 cessible from every section of the vast 
 contiguous territory — inter-mountain 
 and beyond — ^makes her the logical 
 point of vantage in promoting the 
 factors that must stand for the wel- 
 fare and protection of our people in 
 the future. We have no visions of 
 the millennium, but we anticipate the 
 sense of the people of all lands when, 
 
 "Man to man the world o'er 
 Shall brithers be for a' that." 
 
 [13] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 No other location on the Pacific 
 promises so much — ^local as well as 
 international, for in connection with 
 the advantages previously described, 
 the spirit of construction as exempli- 
 fied by that city during the past four 
 years spells amazement at every turn. 
 Other Pacific ports and cities have 
 their over-sea connections and aspira- 
 tions, all tending to the upbuilding 
 of commerce, but it should be based 
 upon a liberal co-operative plan, and 
 for a common weal, as we should in 
 the future display our courage on the 
 battle-fields of commerce, rather than 
 in the fore-front of a clash at arms. 
 
 The opening of the Panama Canal 
 will materially change the trend of 
 ocean trade, and under such condi- 
 tions, if such premises are correct, 
 what are we doing toward utilizing 
 the advantages ^dth which nature and 
 our national enterprise has endowed 
 us, and that will be given an impetus 
 
 [14] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 by the completion of this great inter- 
 national highway? 
 
 The Japanese, at least, believe im- 
 plicitly in the doctrine that the seas 
 are God's great highways, and are 
 building their commerce on such 
 premises. They now have lines of 
 ships between the Orient and Pacific 
 ports, and will soon, no doubt, estab- 
 lish over-sea connections with other 
 ports on this continent. 
 
 Mr. Satori Kato, a Japanese of 
 some standing, in his article, "The 
 Mastery of the Pacific," says in part: 
 "Whether allowed or disallowed, 
 Japan's insistent aspiration is to be 
 mistress of the Pacific," and this, he 
 argues, they can accomplish through 
 difference in cost of construction and 
 operation as compared with us ; but he 
 does not, however, add the further 
 advantage they possess through their 
 government subsidies. 
 
 The wars of the future must be 
 
 [IS] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 for commercial supremacy, if the 
 people of an enlightened civilization 
 are to control. As the poet says: 
 
 "We are living, we are dwelling 
 In a grand and awful time. 
 In an age on ages telling 
 To be living is sublime." 
 
 The voyage from America to that 
 little Island Empire in the Far East, 
 lying directly off the coast of China, 
 in the modern ships that ply the Pa- 
 cific, is an event and a delight. It 
 was my fortmie to board the good 
 ship "Tenyo Maru" at San Fran- 
 cisco on a beautiful March day, with 
 a favorable sea and a complement of 
 cabin passengers, a cosmopolitan 
 class from all parts of the world. 
 Some were on business bent, others 
 out for rest and pleasure, others pro- 
 fessional globe trotters, but withal an 
 agreeable party. Thrown thus to- 
 gether for a sixteen and a half days' 
 trip made it incumbent upon all to 
 avoid seclusion, after the first 
 
 [16] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 "pangs" of the sea for some had sub- 
 sided, and proceed to get acquainted. 
 
 The name of our ship, "Tenyo 
 Maru," translated into English is as 
 follows: "Tenyo" means "Heaven 
 andi Sea," "Maru" means "round" 
 (as in a circle) . She had a lig'ht 
 cargo of freight, less than eight hun- 
 dred tons, while her capacity was 
 fully twelve thousand tons, which 
 made her unsteady and compelled us 
 to keep well to the south of the 
 Tropic of Cancer, and off the regular 
 route after leaving Honolulu and 
 until within about three days out 
 from Yokohama. 
 
 Leaving San Francisco harbor, we 
 pass' out to sea through the gauntlet 
 of ships, and past the islands that dot 
 this grand land-locked refuge for the 
 crafts of the sea, and the Golden 
 Gate, all presenting a beautiful pic- 
 ture. 
 
 Out in the old Pacific, with her in- 
 
 [17] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 terminable "roll," it took some time 
 for us "land-lubbers" to get our sea 
 legs. We soon, however, adjusted 
 ourselves to the new conditions, and 
 the getting acquainted commenced, 
 for we began to realize we were out 
 on the "Father of Waters"— the 
 great Pacific — and our long voyage 
 to the Orient just begun, which would 
 be very monotonous for some, unless 
 something was started. The supply 
 of reading material which the average 
 sea-going passenger takes the pre- 
 caution to lay in is soon exhausted, 
 and then there is only the novelty of 
 the sea, the ship and its people from 
 w'hich to draw inspiration, informa- 
 tion or relaxation, and with only the 
 variations in the "temper of the sea" 
 there was no appreciable difference 
 in the day's routine, and as is the cus- 
 tom on these sea liners, it is "a feast 
 of the larders" — ^five meals per diem 
 — and an occasional lunch if desired. 
 
 [18] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 Exercise is taken by walking round 
 the deck, and on this ship, eight times 
 round was equivalent to one mile. 
 
 On the morning of the sixth day 
 out from San Francisco we sighted 
 the Hawaiian Islands, and on round- 
 ing Diamond Head, that great moun- 
 tain sentinel standing guard over the 
 mid-channel of the Pacific highway, 
 there was Oahu, the island upon 
 which the city of Honolulu is located. 
 We entered Pearl Harbor about 10 
 A. M., in a heavy sea, and reached the 
 dock at Honolulu about 2 P. M., the 
 delay being caused principally by 
 quarantine regulations. The ship's 
 engines stopped at 10:45 A. M., for 
 the first time since leaving San Fran- 
 cisco at 2:45 P. M. on the fifteenth, 
 time about six days, distance, 2,089 
 miles. While this is not unusual, or 
 an extraordinary feat in navigation, 
 it was somewhat novel in the eyes of 
 the novice. 
 
 [19] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 The ship's passenger list registered 
 people from nearly every country of 
 the world, those from the United 
 States predominating, for we have 
 the reputation of being globe-trotters, 
 of whom it is said their life on the 
 "wing" is not always a happy one. 
 This is especially true of the 
 "Yankee" type, Who think the ship 
 too slow, could be handled better, 
 that the captain and crew should 
 accept his (or her) advice. In fact, 
 this type is a self-imposed regulator, 
 at home or abroad, and generally subh 
 persons are usually "fussed up" most 
 of the time. We found them on the 
 ship and ashore ; their time was always 
 limited, and their ticket scheduled, 
 resulting in a sight-seeing — not ob- 
 serving — rush, and a verdict at the 
 conclusion of the trip, that it was not 
 much of a country or people anyway, 
 no comparison to the people at home ; 
 and then the self-satisfaction of hav- 
 
 [30] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 ing had the opportunity and eminent 
 privilege of telling some of "these 
 foreigners" to that effect on the way. 
 
 Reader, if you should make a for- 
 eign trip, look pleasant and observe, 
 and you will be rewarded. 
 
 Our call at Honolulu was brief, 
 about twenty-four hours, but it gave 
 us ample time to see the principal 
 points of interest and attraction. It 
 was all novel, being our first sight of 
 the tropics. Many of the passengers 
 went asshore and visited various places 
 of interest ; some fellow voyagers and 
 I visiting a sugar and pineapple plan- 
 tation not far from the city, and we 
 were well repaid. Sugar and pine- 
 apples are at present the principal 
 commercial products of the Hawaiian 
 Islands, but the people are now turn- 
 ing their attention to the raising of 
 tobacco, coffee and rubber. The pine- 
 apple industry of the islands is said 
 to be the most extensive in the world, 
 
 [21] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 and the quality is unexcelled. In 
 1909 there were upwards of six thou- 
 sand acres under cultivation on the 
 various islands, producing about one 
 million cases (two dozen per case). 
 This is a comparatively new industry 
 for these islands, starting about 1900, 
 yet is second in value to sugar. 
 
 The Hawaiian group, consisting 
 of eight inhabited islands, are of vol- 
 canic formation, the group being 
 about four hundred miles long, from 
 southeast to northwest, area 6,449 
 square miles; aggregate population, 
 last census, 220,000. Honolulu, lo- 
 cated on the island of Oahu, has a 
 population of about thirty-five thou- 
 sand, the whole island containing 
 about ninety-three thousand, and for 
 a visitor from North America is' a 
 wonder spot. Lying just beyond the 
 Tropic of Cancer, in nearly mid- 
 Pacific, the climate is tropical, mini- 
 mum temperature being 55 and maxi- 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 mum 90 degrees, affording an 
 equableness that insures productive- 
 ness in flowers and vegetation in pro- 
 fusion. 
 
 Space does not permit my giving, 
 even briefly, a history of Honolulu 
 and its surroundings, or attempting 
 to describe the many traditions con- 
 nected therewith; but amongst its 
 several attractions are its beautiful 
 harbor, which, while not large, is 
 fairly well protected, there being a 
 good depth of water, and being well 
 and attractively formed. Beautiful 
 Waikiki Beach, just under historical 
 Diamond Head, a continuous sum- 
 mer resort, where all the accessories 
 of such places are provided, even to 
 a greater extent than we have in the 
 north, including surf-riding by the 
 expert natives and others indigenous 
 to that climate. 
 
 The old volcanoes (now extinct on 
 this island) and historic places, the 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OP 
 
 Avenue of Royal Palms — king of 
 the palm species — ^that is difficult to 
 describe ; the Aquarium with its hun- 
 dreds of curious fish and water spe- 
 cies, said to be one of the finest, 
 though not the largest, aquarium in 
 the world. Without seeing these fish 
 we are inclined to be incredulous as to 
 the old Pacific producing fish of such 
 varied forms and distinctive colors. 
 
 Before closing this short descrip- 
 tion of this mid-Pacific station on the 
 great over-sea highway, I wish to 
 mention their "hquid" sunshine, of 
 which Mark Twain remarked: "If 
 one wished to find any particular, 
 place in Honolulu, they should pro- 
 ceed until they met two showers and 
 then turn to the left." 
 
 I am imable to find any statistics 
 showing the annual rainfall at Hono- 
 lulu, but While we were there we had 
 frequent "dashes of the hquid sun- 
 shine," which the natives said was 
 
 [24] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 unusual for that season. However, 
 everything that is exposed indicates 
 they do not suffer from drought in 
 that section, for the gray fungus 
 growth on the volcanic stone fences 
 and other structures, is conclusive 
 proof that the rainfall is ample. 
 
 The landing of the big ocean liners 
 at this' port is apparently an event, 
 as we were met by throngs of people 
 of all classes and conditions, and 
 when we sailed for the Orient, they 
 were on hand with the band, flowers 
 in profusion, and the expert native 
 swimmers who dive for coins. One 
 of their customs is to decorate the 
 departing friends with flowers, and 
 just as the ship is swinging away 
 from the wharf, the recipient throws 
 the flowers back to the dock, or into 
 the sea. 
 
 Passing out to sea, we get a good 
 view of some of the sister islands of 
 the Hawaiian group ; then out on the 
 
 [36] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 old Pacific, with no more view of land 
 until we readh King's Head, the cape 
 at the entrance to Yokohama Bay — 
 leading to Yokohama Harbor, and 
 the land-locked roadstead of Japan. 
 On this journey from Honolulu to 
 Yokohama, we passed within sixty- 
 five miles of the Midway Islands, 
 thirteen hundred miles from Hono- 
 lulu, where the Pacific Cable Com- 
 pany have a station. It is of small 
 area, about one and a half miles long 
 by one mile wide, of coral formation, 
 with a natural coral protection (wall) 
 about eighteen miles around it. We 
 crossed the International boundary 
 line about twenty-one hundred miles 
 beyond Honolulu, where Old Nep- 
 ,tune boards the ship, and announces 
 to the voyagers, who are eastward 
 bound, that a day is dropped from 
 the calendar. This is all given in due 
 form, to the delight of the first trip 
 passengers. 
 
 [26] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 This stretch of sea, thirty-five hun- 
 dred miles, entailing a voyage of over 
 nine days without sigtht of land would 
 be monotonous if something were not 
 started to amuse and interest the pass- 
 engers. So games of various kinds 
 are engaged in, such as s^huffleboard, 
 quoit pitching, rings, deck tennis, etc., 
 during the day; dances, vaudeville, 
 wrestling matches are made up of the 
 ship's crew, who are generally Jap- 
 anese and expert athletes. SuOh ex- 
 hibitions were novel and intensely in- 
 teresting. 
 
 During the day we were on the 
 lookout for passing ships, whales, or 
 anything that would break the monot- 
 ony and great lonely expanse of the 
 sea. Many of us were interested in 
 obtaining a siglht of the Siouthem 
 Cross, a group of five stars, low on 
 the southern horizon, only visible on 
 this route when the ship is sailing 
 south of the Tropic of Cancer, and 
 
 [27] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 about halfway from Honolulu to the 
 coast of Japan. We were on this 
 route — and not the usual and direct 
 route on account of severe storms north, 
 of which we were advised by wireless. 
 The casual observer hardly compre- 
 hends the vastness of the Pacific 
 Ocean, as its area is seventy thousand 
 square miles, and its maximum sur- 
 veyed depth thirty-one thousand six 
 hundred and fourteen feet, over five 
 and one-half miles — ^this sounding 
 being near our Island of Guam, and 
 said to contain one hundred and sev- 
 enty million cubic miles of water, all 
 of which represents an expanse and 
 vastness" that is nearly beyond the 
 comprehension of the novice, and the 
 sweep and power of it is grand beyond 
 compare. The one greatest fear of 
 all who travel the Oriental Pacific, is 
 the typhoon, which sweeps that part 
 of the Pacific Ocean within a radius 
 of about one thousand miles off the 
 
 [38] 
 
 ^^ 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 coasts of China and Japan. They 
 generally occur in the fall, and at 
 times are teriffic. 
 
 Here is the story of one ship's en- 
 counter with a typhoon as it was told 
 me by her first officer: 
 
 The good ship Asia, staunch, sound 
 and well manned, homeward bound, 
 encountered a severe typhoon when 
 about three days out from Yokohama. 
 Sharp orders were given, every man 
 to his post ; the captain on the bridge ; 
 three men at the wheel, and frequent 
 relays ; the ship facing the storm ; all 
 engines working to their utmost. In 
 this condition they fought the storm 
 for fifty hours, and when this fearful 
 hurricane subsided, the ship was strip- 
 ped of all lifeboats, and everything 
 else of an auxihary nature, and when 
 the captain was able to leave his post 
 of duty — ^the bridge — and reckonings 
 were taken, it was found the ship was 
 three hundred miles out of her course. 
 
 [29] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 It is well said, all heroes are not 
 soldiers — for the action of the captain 
 of the Asia, and it is not an isolated 
 instance, exhibited a heroism that is 
 beyond compare. In the ordeal that 
 required iihe full limit of his ability as 
 a navigator; and in line of duty, like 
 the true soldier, he stayed at his post 
 until all danger had passed — although 
 his sufferings were almost beyond hu- 
 man endurance. 
 
 As a further index of the strain on 
 the sship, it is a well-known fact that 
 all ocean-going craft are equipped 
 with tiller chains, made of the best 
 material obtainable, generally the 
 best quality of Swedish iron. On the 
 larger ships the rods from which the 
 links are made are an inch or more in 
 diameter, and after they are forged 
 into the chain, the whole chain is sub- 
 jected to the highest possible test by 
 machinery designed and built for that 
 purpose. An extra chain is always 
 
 [30] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 carried and a new one is installed at 
 the end of each trip. In this instance 
 when the change was made and the 
 chain measured it was found to have 
 stretched five inches, another tangible 
 evidence of the ship's terrific battle 
 with the sea. 
 
 The harbor of Yokohama is one of 
 the largest and best protected in the 
 Orient. From King's Head, the en- 
 trance to the Bay, to the dock at Yo- 
 kohama is forty-five miles; the bay 
 averages about twenty miles wide, the 
 extreme width being about thirty 
 miles, including Mississippi Bay — the 
 latter so named by the men in Com- 
 modore Perry's fleet in 1854. 
 
 Interested In Japan 
 
 My first interest in this little Island 
 Empire was created by an incident 
 that occurred during my boyhood. 
 An old gentleman visiting the village 
 
 [31] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 where I then resided, and speaking 
 on the street, told of a greater peril 
 to us as a people and a nation than 
 that then pending — the Civil War — 
 and he was there to warn us, and 
 while our civil strife would no doubt 
 soon cease and its effects ultimately 
 be neutralized; the other, unless 
 checked or drastically regulated, 
 would be a menace to us for all time. 
 It was thus he referred to the admis- 
 sion of the Oriental coolie, to this 
 country. In graphic terms he stated 
 how these Asiatics were swarming to 
 our shores unrestrained, and unless 
 immediate restrictive measures were 
 adopted by our government he 
 prophesied dire results would follow. 
 He further called our attention to the 
 fact that Commodore Perry had only 
 recently, March, 1854, concluded the 
 first treaty with Japan, whose people 
 had shown in the negotiations much 
 latent ability as diplomats and lead- 
 ers. 
 
 [S9] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 This was my first knowledge of the 
 "Yellow Peril." I subsequently pro- 
 cured a copy of the Narrative of the 
 Expedition of an American Squad- 
 ron to the China Sea and Japan un- 
 der the command of Commodore M. 
 C. Perry, United States Navy — ^he 
 was a brother of Oliver Hazzard Per- 
 ry, the hero of the battle of Lake Erie 
 in 1813. 
 
 It was through the efforts of such 
 orators, assisted by the people of the 
 Pacific slope, that we finally succeed- 
 ed in having the first restrictive laws' 
 enacted by our Government. Dennis 
 Kearney, the "sand lot orator" of San 
 Francisco, one of the early labor lead- 
 ers, and his associates in this move- 
 ment, injected into the question its 
 labor feature, thus making it a potent 
 measure in the field of politics. This 
 agitation created a temporary inter- 
 est with the people of this country in 
 matters "Oriental," but it was soon 
 
 [33] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 forgotten by the masses, especially in 
 the section east of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains. The rapid strides in commer- 
 cial development, following the close 
 of the Civil War, occupied all of our 
 attention, and we did not realize what 
 the "little brown man" (the Japan- 
 ese) across the sea had been doing in 
 the interval, until they "called" China 
 in 1894, and prosecuted a war to a 
 successful conclusion. This, however, 
 did not appear to alarm, or even sur- 
 prise us as we also had our turn in 
 China with the Boxer troubles, and 
 were feeling rather "chesty" over the 
 result— more so then than later when 
 the amount of the indemnity was 
 awarded and remitted by us. 
 
 There has always been an uncer- 
 tain friendship with China, and their 
 guilds (Chinese labor unions) are 
 boycotting us today. This is clearly 
 shown in our exports to that country, 
 which have been gradually shrinking. 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 We note that from a maximum of 
 about $58,600,000 in 1905, they have 
 declined to not exceeding $15,500,000 
 for 1910, and our Department of 
 Commerce and Labor is trying to 
 find a logical reason but does not ap- 
 parently wish to admit the real one. 
 We lost the cotton piece goods trade 
 to Germany on account of our not 
 furnishing the kind of goods wanted 
 by the Chinese, and Germany is now 
 losing it by her undertaking to force 
 a trade condition upon China that she 
 or any other country would not stand 
 for; with the result that the awaken- 
 ing of the Orient is developing a new 
 and perilous commercial condition, 
 that bodes no good to the white manu- 
 facturer of any commodity. The 
 gradual increase in wages in the west- 
 ern world is being reflected in the cost 
 of production, and inspires an indus- 
 trial conquest of the West by the 
 Orient. Conceding, as we must, the 
 
 [35] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 cleverness of the Chinese, their dili- 
 gence, and their overwhelming num- 
 bers and low standard of living will 
 enable them, guided as they will be 
 by the master hand of the Japanese, 
 to meet any country in the world's 
 open markets. 
 
 This may not be another form of 
 "Yellow Peril," but it is a possibihty. 
 
 One of the difficulties with us as a 
 nation as well as individuals is that 
 we are too prone to "butt in" without 
 first determining the real merits of 
 the situation, and wihile this policy 
 may be permissible in the shade of 
 the Monroe Doctrine, it does not fit 
 conditions in the Orient. It is evi- 
 dent we shall have to improve our 
 diplomatic service by giving it much 
 better support, which will enable om* 
 foreign representatives to reach a 
 proper standing in the countries to 
 which they are assigned. Then, and 
 not until then, can we hope to get 
 
 [36] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 facts upon which we can base our pol- 
 icies affecting our over-sea commerce. 
 
 Japan's Success 
 
 This little Empire's success in her 
 late wars with China and Russia 
 shows conclusively what her material 
 development has been since Commo- 
 dore Perry concluded that first treaty 
 in 1854. It is not war that has made 
 Japan prominent commercially; for 
 while that was an important factor in 
 bringing her to the notice of the 
 world, my observation leads me to 
 the conclusion that it can be logically 
 attributed to the fact that the Japan- 
 ese are inherently and fundamentally 
 a wonderful people. Their basis of 
 action is always along well-defined 
 lines. The child is taught and has 
 been for hundreds of years to obey, 
 also to perform some definite task. 
 Thus obedience and labor follow it 
 through life and hence there is (*) 
 
 * Horace Fletcher. 
 
 [37] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 "less crime, more physical dexterity 
 and skill, and fewer notes out of har- 
 mony, and more general happiness 
 and consideration for their fellows — 
 no sectional prejudice, a universal 
 patriotism and respect for authority." 
 
 Independent, but respectful, very 
 little vice, no opium, and a minimum 
 of liquor used all combine to preserve 
 their physical and mental being in 
 every possible way. This influence 
 they are disseminating throughout 
 their new provinces and China, and it 
 is said the raising of the poppy in the 
 latter country is rapidly decreasing 
 and will be followed by a correspond- 
 ing decrease in the use of opium by 
 that people. 
 
 I shall have something further to 
 say of the Japanese as an individual, 
 but now pass on to a partial descrip- 
 tion of the country of this interesting 
 people. 
 
 [38] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 The Japanese Empire 
 
 The area of Japan, including For- 
 mosa, and the Pescador Islands 
 (these islands were acquired from 
 China in 1894 as indemnity) , is about 
 148,000 square miles, and their last 
 census, being that of 1910, showed a 
 population of about 53,000,000 peo- 
 ple, which is increasing at the rate of 
 about one million per annum. The 
 country is of volcanic formation, and 
 it is authoritatively stated that less 
 than twelve and one-half per cent is 
 cultivable or arable lands, hence it 
 will be seen that the greatest economy 
 is not only necessary but absolutely 
 imperative. An artizan's family in 
 this country wastes enough in one day 
 to support a family of the same num- 
 ber in Japan for a Hke period. The 
 rank and file are poor, and always 
 have been so, but that does not sig- 
 nify that they are stricken with pov- 
 erty. Their wants are few, and they 
 
 [39] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 are apparently quite satisfied with 
 their simple life, which would not be 
 considered tolerable, far less ideal, by 
 us. Their homes contain none of the 
 things we consider necessities, such as 
 cooking or heating stoves, furnaces, 
 bed, or the various utensils that are a 
 part of our household furnishings. A 
 mat, brazier, and some blankets con- 
 stitute their house outfit and answers 
 their immediate wants. The best ho- 
 tels in Japan are conducted on the 
 "American Plan," and by Japanese. 
 The Imperial Hotel Company of Ja- 
 pan have a line of hotels in the vari 
 ous cities of the country, which are 
 fairly well conducted, but the rates 
 are generally higher than for a simi- 
 lar class in this country. There is 
 a good class of hotels on the Japanese 
 plan in which the rates are moderate, 
 and so are the accommodations for a 
 white man. In the cheap hotels, or 
 lodging houses for the poor class, the 
 
 [40] 
 

 
 £'1 
 
 
 B^ 
 
 
 " -! 
 
 
 '^B .^-.««M«K*' .xS^ 
 
 ■:i';fsws»" 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 rates are from five sen (2l^c Ameri- 
 can value) to twenty-five sen (12j4c) 
 per night. In these places the soft ( ?) 
 floor is the bed and a woolen blanket 
 is furnished for the higher price only. 
 The food is generally rice, fish, sea- 
 weed and tea, some vegetables, fruit, 
 and fowl if it can be obtained and is 
 within their means, but meat, milk 
 and butter are not generally used. 
 
 The resources of Japan are not, as 
 indicated, in ordinary agriculture, but 
 rather in the close and careful culti- 
 vation of the available lands ; rice, tea, 
 and beans being their principal crops. 
 There is', in addition, the cultivation 
 of the mulberry tree for the silk 
 worms. Some cereals are also raised, 
 but they have no herds of animals or 
 flocks of fowls, and it is only recently 
 they have undertaken to supply milk 
 and butter which is as yet of poor 
 quality owing to having not ac- 
 quired the taste or learned how to 
 
 [41] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 produce and handle it. It is said the 
 quality of Japanese tea, rice and silks 
 is unsurpassed, most of which are ex- 
 ported, cheaper grades being import- 
 ed for home consumption thus swell- 
 ing the volume of their customs state- 
 ments. The price of rice wihich, as 
 before stated, is a staple food, is quot- 
 ed by the hyo (bag) at so many yen, 
 sen, etc., and is now (1910) selling at 
 about three cents per pound, or 
 double the price of ten years ago. There 
 are four or five grades, and the above 
 price is for the best quality. Irish 
 potatoes, also apples, are raised in the 
 northern, and sweet potatoes in the 
 southern part of Japan. 
 
 The climate, owing to the ocean 
 currents, varies to extremes in short 
 distances. At Yokohama and Tokio 
 it is about like the Carolinas, having 
 about fifty-eight inches annual rain- 
 fall, with a maximum temperature of 
 98 degrees and a minimum of 15 de- 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 grees Fahrenheit ; while less than five 
 hundred miles north and west they 
 have a Siberian climate, and about 
 double the distance south, in Formo- 
 sa, it is semi-tropical. 
 
 The island! of Formosa abounds 
 in large forests of camphor trees, said 
 to be the most valuable in the world. 
 It also has some of the most desper- 
 ate wild tribes of the world, but in 
 the short time it and the Pescodores 
 have been under the control of Japan 
 these barbarous natives have been 
 brought; into subjection. 
 
 Japan proper has sixty-six cities, 
 1^37 towns, 13,957 villages, about 
 10,000 household tea factories, about 
 400,000 house and other silk work 
 shops, and fully 12,000 factories of 
 various kinds employing over 1,000,- 
 000 operatives, 2,200 commercial 
 banks, 11,000 corporations and part- 
 nerships; 5,000 miles of steam rail- 
 ways, owned and operated by the 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Government, 2,400 merchant steam- 
 ships, 6,000 merchant sailing vessels, 
 23,000 sailing vessels, the latter of 
 the old Japanese type, sampans, etc. 
 
 The commerce of the country is 
 principally on the sea, and its mer- 
 chants spare no expense in extending 
 it — their ships being seen in all ports 
 of the Eastern Hemisphere, and they 
 are constantly seeking an opportun- 
 ity to reach new fields. 
 
 Their money circulation is about 
 $260,000,000, the medium being the 
 yen and sen unit about one half of 
 our dollar and cents. They have 
 6,878 postoffices, 3,571 telegraph and 
 723 telephone offices, and, commenc- 
 ing with Yokohama fifty-seven years 
 ago, they now have thirty-five ports 
 open to the world. Their postal busi- 
 ness has increased three hundred and 
 fifty times since 1872, and the tele- 
 graph 150 times since 1869. As stat- 
 ed, these figures are for Japan proper, 
 
 [44] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 and do not include Formosa, the dis- 
 trict of Tairen, late port of Dalnay, 
 or Korea. The resources of Japan 
 are not wholly confined, as I have 
 shown, to land industries, for they 
 have over 500,000 men engaged in 
 the deep sea fisheries' and seaweed 
 industries, and as stated in a previous 
 chapter, their boats are numbered by 
 the thousands. A glance at these 
 boatmen in the large harbors of 
 Yokohama, Kobe, etc., on the Pacific, 
 and those on the Yellow Sea and Sea 
 of Japan, will impress the observer 
 with the statements made by the advo- 
 cates of ship subsidies and a larger 
 American navy, that the men engaged 
 in such work are already inured to 
 the sea and are immediately available 
 for ships of war. 
 
 The seaweed industry is extensive, 
 the entire coast line of Japan, 17,500 
 miles, abounds in such plant life, there 
 being over six hundred kinds, and 
 
 [45] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 about five hundred factories, where 
 the best varieties (Tengusa) are eon- 
 verted into isiaglass, or jelly form. 
 There are other grades which are con- 
 verted into various forms. These are 
 used for soups, jellies, sauces and as 
 a general food. After being put 
 through the usual method of clean- 
 ing and manufacturing, the seaweed 
 becomes of a white or flaky nature. 
 The maximum price is about twenty- 
 five cents per pound, while the cheap- 
 er grades are as low as one cent per 
 pound; the manufacturers paying 
 from one-fourth of a cent to nine 
 cents per pound for it in the raw state. 
 It can be purchased at any of the 
 supply stores in Japan. The raw ma- 
 terial is secured in various ways such 
 as, at some poiuts on the coast, by 
 placing branches of trees in the sea 
 to which it adheres. It is also gath- 
 ered at low tide, with poles, and that 
 growing on the rocks below tide- 
 
 [46] 
 
 1 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 water. What is said to be the most 
 valuable can only be obtained by div- 
 ing, which is generally done by wo- 
 men, who are more expert than men. 
 This product is one of Japan's most 
 valuable assets, amounting to nearly 
 two million dollars per annum. 
 
 Another of Japan's useful pro- 
 ducts is the bamboo, of which there 
 are over two hundred varieties, about 
 forty being indigenous. It is of a 
 grass nature, and its growth is very 
 rapid, being said to attain several feet 
 in a day during the hot, wet summer 
 weather. 
 
 Bamboo is used for nearly every 
 conceivable purpose ; the young 
 sprouts are used for food, as we use 
 asparagus; the older growths for 
 frames for buildings, carrying poles, 
 water and sewer pipes, flag-staffs, 
 etc., etc. It attains its full height in 
 one season, sometimes measuring six 
 to eight inches in diameter and is gen- 
 erally hollow. 
 
 [47] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Means of Transportation 
 
 As I have already mentioned, Japan 
 has about five thousand miles of steam 
 railways, owned, operated and con- 
 trolled by the Government, which 
 earned, in 1910, about $21,000,000.00 
 (gold) or over four thousand dollars 
 per mile, a high ratio as compared 
 with roads in America. Their pass- 
 enger rate is about two and one-third 
 cents per mile, and freight rate from 
 two and one-half to seven cents per 
 ton mile. The gauge is fifty inches, 
 and they use about fifty-pound T 
 rail. The equipment is English style 
 — ^side door entrance compartments, 
 smaU coaches and turnstiles at the sta- 
 tions, where all tickets are punched. 
 The trains have no conductors, but 
 follow the English form in having 
 guards, and the tickets taken up at 
 the end of the route. The equipment 
 and service is generally poor, as com- 
 pared with our standard lines, but it 
 
 [48] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 is improving. They also have about 
 six hundred miles of electric lines, 
 fare two and one-half cents per mile. 
 It being a mountainous country, the 
 building of railroads is expensive, so 
 many tunnels being necessary. Be- 
 tween Yokohama and Kobe, a dis- 
 tance of three hundred and sixty- 
 seven miles, there are twenty-nine 
 tunnels. This necessitates heavy out- 
 lays in protecting the lines against 
 freshets which are frequent and 
 severe, and make construction and 
 maintenance very expensive. The 
 coastwise traffic is really the most 
 important in Japan, as, for reasons 
 stated, they have naturally resorted 
 to water transportation. The city of 
 Tokio has about twenty miles of 
 canals which accommodate the com- 
 merce of that great city of upwards 
 of two million people and covers over 
 one hundred square miles in area. 
 The Sumida River empties into 
 
 [49] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 these canals, and is the principal 
 stream that drains the watershed trib- 
 utary to Tokio Bay. Like all moun- 
 tain streams, it is dangerous, subject- 
 ing the city of Tokio and surround- 
 ing country to disastrous floods, and 
 there does not appear to be any way 
 of preventing it. Ocean shipping 
 does not readh Tokio proper, the 
 channel in Tokio Bay not being of 
 sufiicient depth, therefore, all over- 
 sea traffic must be trans-shipped in 
 Yokohama Bay or some distance out 
 from Tokio proper, or to Yokohama 
 and thence by rail, but owing to the 
 difference in cost the latter is seldom 
 done. Tokio Bay is of small area 
 and the water shallow, except where 
 the channel is dredged to enable ves- 
 sels to reach the shipyards and the 
 forts, of which there are five, ail with- 
 in sight of the railroad passing be- 
 tween Yokohama and Tokio, a dis- 
 tance of about eighteen miles. 
 
 [50] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 Public Safety 
 
 Probably in no country in the 
 world is personal safety so well as- 
 sured as in Japan; the only require- 
 ment being that the individual shall 
 respect the authorities and treat the 
 people with the simple consideration 
 that is always due one person to- 
 wards another in any country. I had 
 a personal illustration of this in at- 
 tending a reception one evening in 
 Tokio, and returning to my hotel at 
 midnight, a distance of over six miles 
 through some of the poorest sections 
 of the city, with only the jinrikisha 
 coolie who could not speak a word of 
 English. I was not only unmolested, 
 but in fact apparently unnoticed. 
 
 Temples and Shrines of Japan 
 
 The temples and shrines are nu- 
 merous, costly and various, and a brief 
 description of one will suffice for all. 
 Asakusa Temple of the Shinto faith 
 
 [51] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 in Tokio, said to be over four hun- 
 dred years old, is one of the largest 
 in the Empire and tradition says it 
 was erected to the God of Demons. 
 It is visited by thousands daily. We 
 were rehably informed that the daily 
 free offerings, which are thrown into 
 a large hopper located in front of the 
 altar, averaged three hundred yen 
 (one hundred and fifty dollars, gold) . 
 It, no doubt, was' a gorgeous place 
 when new, but like all the others, age, 
 lack of proper care and free run of 
 the populace and fowls has had its 
 effect, and one has no inclination to 
 tarry long in the immediate vicinity. 
 This manner of worship is formal and 
 perfunctory, and with the hordes of 
 people, many of the lower class, pass- 
 ing through the place, it is not alto- 
 gether attractive. 
 
 The original work on these temples 
 shows wonderful handicraft. Some 
 of the lacquered pillars, and other 
 
 [52] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 parts that have been exposed to the 
 elements for centuries, still retain 
 their brightness and perfect form. I 
 may mention for the purpose of fur- 
 ther explaining the temples and mau- 
 soleums in Shiba Park, Tokio, which 
 were erected by the Shoguns, some 
 of them two or three hundred years 
 agjo and which are remarkably well 
 preserved, are striking examples of 
 the wealth that was lavished upon 
 such structures. 
 
 I asked our guide how many tem- 
 ples and shrines there were in Japan, 
 and later he told me that an approxi- 
 mate estimate placed them at twenty 
 thousand. I then enquired what they 
 cost ; he stated, after consulting some 
 authority, that they were worth two 
 billion yen (one billion dollars, gold) . 
 I intimated if they could find a mar- 
 ket it would be a good stroke of busi- 
 ness to sell them, and apply the 
 money on their national debt or in 
 
 [53] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 the purchase of some much needed 
 territory, as such a course would be 
 much less expensive than acquiring it 
 by force of arms, and while he did not 
 relish my levity in taking such lib- 
 erties with Japanese affairs, he coun- 
 tered by asking what particular piece 
 or parcel of country I had in mind, 
 that they could purchase. I answer- 
 ed, "Southern Manchuria." He re- 
 plied they had that now, but could 
 use the Philippines, if we would sell 
 them, and give a hundred years time. 
 I said I could see no objection to that 
 providing England would endorse 
 Japan's note. 
 
 My inquiries and suggestions, 
 while made facetiously, were intend- 
 ed to bring out a point in internation- 
 al affairs. The guide in question is 
 a graduate both of the University of 
 Michigan and the University of Berk- 
 eley, California. How deep does the 
 representative Japanese consider 
 
 [54] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 they are in Manchuria, and what are 
 their real views regarding the Phil- 
 ippines? My conclusions are, and 
 these points were fairly developed in 
 this conversation which was later con* 
 firmed hy even better authority, as 
 I will mention later, that the thinking 
 class, the people who control Japan's 
 affairs, are confident of their position 
 in the Orient, and will deal with the 
 Korea and Manchuria questions as 
 they are presented. They are play- 
 ing a great diplomatic game, and will 
 be supported by the powers who are 
 vitally interested in their success. 
 They do not want the Philippines 
 now, but in working out this great 
 Oriental problem they may some time 
 need them. If so, we will, providing 
 we gauge such affairs properly, see 
 the necessity of relinquishing these 
 islands to a nation which knows how to 
 handle such peoples. I have no doubt 
 it will all be worked out along proper 
 
 [5&] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 lines carefully considered, and in the 
 best interests of all concerned. How- 
 ever, there is much to be done by us 
 if an amicable parity is to be pre- 
 served, for there is no quarter of the 
 globe at this time where human prog- 
 ress is so rapid as in the Orient. 
 
 Formed A Ne^v Acquaintance 
 
 During my stay in Japan I met 
 an American from one of our East- 
 ern states, who graduated from Yale 
 and went to Japan in the early eigh- 
 ties, married a Japanese lady of rank, 
 and has become to every intent and 
 purpose Japanese. The only excep- 
 tion to this, if it may be so considered, 
 is that he is educating their children 
 in his native country. The title of 
 this book was suggested by my sev- 
 eral conferences with this gentleman, 
 "Japan, A Child of the World's Old 
 Age," for he said that during his 
 long residence among them and be- 
 
 [56] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 coming part of them, a citizen of their 
 country, studying them and their his- 
 tory and noting their characteristics, 
 he was firmly convinced that they 
 possess the wisdom of the ages, and 
 cleverness of the modern diplomat. 
 These he bases upon heredity, as 
 measured by results. Such conclu- 
 sions are not superficially drawn, or 
 the remarks a mere figure of speech, 
 for there is no other nation which has 
 exhibited such inherent power in de- 
 velopment, both commercially and at 
 arms, in the limited period since they 
 were born into the world of the new 
 civilization. 
 
 In the awakening Japan has adopt- 
 ed the practical and intense, which, 
 after all, is the basis of any country's 
 success. Indeed, these people carry 
 these attributes into their every act 
 from the cradle to the grave; for, as 
 previously stated, their fundamentals 
 are obedience, respectfulness, and re- 
 
 [57] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 sponsibility. The absence of these 
 great dharaeteristics in our people is 
 the bane of our nation's life. Our 
 children and youths, too often, do not 
 recognize authority, for they are not 
 so taught; the majority leave school 
 early, before definite character is 
 formed, and are not controlled at 
 home, which results in the habit of 
 disobedience and extravagance. But 
 with the Japanese training, coupled 
 with our great resources, mental, 
 physical and material, we would in- 
 deed be a great people. In the ab- 
 sence of such training Ave are prac- 
 tically drifting into a great unknown. 
 Let us, therefore, take heed and 
 profit by example while we may. 
 
 In America we are too much en- 
 gaged in our chameleon-like politics 
 to become statesmen, and thereby 
 lend our ability in the direction of in- 
 stituting measures that will properly 
 protect our country and our people. 
 
 [58] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 Our press and people should profit by 
 the (*) "example of Japan, which has 
 set the boors of the world to thinking, 
 caused them to take their forefeet out 
 of the trough, look up to the sun and 
 light of a dawning civilization, and 
 accept the simple teachings of Christ, 
 Buddha and common sense," and not 
 talk of war, or boast of conquest. 
 Rather, we should properly support 
 our foreign representatives, and 
 thereby keep in touch with interna- 
 tional economics. Look to the far 
 East and note the necessity for closer 
 friendly relations, if our over-sea and 
 other interests are to be conserved. 
 
 A well-known and able writer on 
 the Orient, has said, "That the Far 
 Eastern question presents the most 
 important issue with which the world 
 now has to deal. No other question 
 covers so broad a field, includes forces 
 so complex and diverse, has such in- 
 
 *Horace Fletcher. 
 
 [59] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OP 
 
 herent power. Its solution cannot 
 fail to materially affect the future of 
 all nations, and influence the destiny 
 of the whole human race," and, as he 
 further says, "If these premises are 
 granted, it seems diflicult to exagger- 
 ate the importance of events."* We 
 are now viewing these matters with 
 complacent serenity, but this is only 
 because we are too engrossed in our 
 immediate affairs and have not given 
 heed to matters that are being shaped 
 in the great trend of the world's de- 
 velopment. 
 
 These are some of the impressions 
 gained in the conference with my 
 American - Japanese acquaintance, 
 and, confirmed by the conditions as I 
 found them by personal contact and 
 delving into their history. This 
 American-Japanese gentleman was 
 very earnest in his desire that the 
 American people, those of the United 
 
 *Millard. 
 
 [60] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 States as well as Canada, should ar- 
 rive at a better understanding of the 
 Japanese people and nation, so that 
 there might be no misunderstanding 
 as to the motives underlying the ac- 
 tion of the countries concerned in car- 
 rying out their policies. The danger 
 sometimes Created by the thoughtless 
 writer or deliberate demagogue would 
 thereby be reduced, if not practically 
 neutralized. Even appreciating that 
 there are jingoes in Japan and other 
 portions of the Orient as well as here, 
 we must admit that Japan has a broad 
 national policy, well conceived, that 
 will be followed; he said there must 
 be no doubt that their present formid- 
 able national debt, which is prac- 
 tically and proportionately no great- 
 er than that of England, was not 
 an embarrassing factor in their na- 
 tional life, and it was his view that 
 the present tax basis, created by 
 the recent wars, is being gradually 
 
 [61] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 reduced, and a normal condition will 
 be reached in due time and without 
 any national embarrassment. 
 
 The present comparatively high 
 cost of living should not be wholly at- 
 tributed to the existing tax rate, but 
 rather to conditions prevalent 
 throughout the world, all countries 
 and peoples being similarly affected. 
 This is confirmed by the conditions 
 now existing in Russia and Asia, and 
 also applies to our own country. The 
 present Japanese basis of wages is 
 about as follows: 
 
 Bricklayers, 35 cents per day (Amer- 
 ican gold) . 
 Masons, 30 cents per day (American 
 
 gold) . 
 Blacksmiths, 25 cents per day (Amer- 
 ican gold) . 
 Printers, 30 cents a day (American 
 
 gold) . 
 Carpenters, 40 cents per day (Ameri- 
 can gold) . 
 
 [62] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 Weavers, 20 cents per day (Ameri- 
 can gold) . 
 
 Silversmiths, 25 cents per day (Amer- 
 ican gold). 
 
 Shoemakers, 30 cents per day (Amer- 
 ican gold). 
 
 Servants (men) $4 per month 
 (American gold). 
 
 Servants (women), $1.75 per month 
 (American gold). 
 
 Silkworm breeders, $5 per month 
 (American gold). 
 
 Raw Silk Spinners, $2 per month 
 (American gold). 
 
 Farm laborers, $2 per month (Amer- 
 ican gold) and they all board them- 
 selves'. 
 
 Expenses 
 
 House rent, 50 cents per month 
 
 (American gold). 
 Rice, $1.75 per month (Ajnerican 
 
 gold). 
 Fuel and Light, 25 cents per month 
 
 (American gold). 
 
 [63] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Fish, 40 cents per month (American 
 gold) . 
 
 Tobacco, 15 cents per month (Amer- 
 ican gold). 
 
 Bath, 15 cents per month (American 
 gold). 
 
 Vegetables, 40 cents per month 
 (American gold). 
 
 Sundries, which includes taxes, $2.00 
 per month (American gold). 
 
 Total, $5.60. 
 
 It will be noted that some classes 
 of wage earners must trim the cor- 
 ners pretty close to bring their ex- 
 penses within their incomes, as the 
 sundries do not make very much al- 
 lowance for clothes. However, this 
 class is never overdressed. As I have 
 previously indicated the Japanese are 
 3l frugal people, utilizing every avail- 
 able factor within their reach and 
 along the most economical lines, al- 
 ways apparently having in mind the 
 
 [64] 
 
U3 
 
 THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 good old maxim, "no waste, no 
 want"; for while they are poor yet 
 poverty is practically unknown. 
 
 I found the representative Japan- 
 ese to be quite frank in their views as 
 to our status in the Orient, that prac- 
 tically we have none. The "open 
 door" is considered a huge joke, and 
 a poHcy of the Orient for the Orien- 
 tals is openly declared and practically 
 applied. 
 
 The Japanese government is' fun- 
 damentally fraternal and paternal, 
 the former being represented in their 
 industrial policy, where the weak in- 
 dividual or the collective effort is 
 strengthened by the government's 
 hand. Preference is shown in a 
 marked degree, even being applied 
 to the remission of duties, where such 
 an advantage is desirable or neces- 
 sary. The latter is shoWn in their 
 close co-operation, for it is a well- 
 known fact that the individual Jap- 
 
 [66] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 anese is not a strong factor, but in 
 pairs they are formidable in many 
 fields of endeavor. Therefore, under 
 such conditions it is clear the Orient 
 is not a "white man's country." 
 
 Before passing on to a more gen- 
 eral view of the Japanese national 
 policy, I desire to give a further de- 
 scription of their country, and some 
 characteristics of the people. Vol- 
 umes have been written about Japan, 
 for it is a country replete with inter- 
 esting data that is food for the writ- 
 er, for it abounds in ancient and mod- 
 ern fact and fiction, and with all is so 
 quaint in its environment that it pre- 
 sents an unlimited field for the "ro- 
 mancer" especially. But in none of 
 the records of the modern writers 
 have I, so far, discovered a plain, true 
 version of their real everyday vir- 
 tues. I have read of and seen their 
 swarms of children and am told that 
 in some sections of the large cities 
 
 [66] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 only from sixty to seventy-five per 
 cent of them are legitimate. How 
 would that compare with some of our 
 American cities? But whatever the 
 comparison may be from the stand- 
 point of maternity, we must admit the 
 Japanese child is the best situated. 
 History tells us that Yokohama has 
 the only foundling home in all Japan, 
 and at the close of the Japan-Russian 
 war (1905) it contained about four 
 thousand orphan children. Today it 
 is practically deserted. Why? Be- 
 cause the Japanese are builders, and 
 raisers of large families. Why? First, 
 it is' a part of their belief that it gives 
 them a better standing with their 
 Emperor and in the community. Sec- 
 ond, they feel the adopted child 
 should have home training. Third, 
 he or she may inherit rank or means. 
 Fourth, they can use them; for a 
 Japanese child (unlike our own) is 
 always useful, and as I have already 
 
 [67] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 said, I never saw so many poor peo- 
 ple as in Japan, and so little poverty ; 
 for tliey all work and like it. It is 
 the quite general impression in this 
 country that the Japanese people are 
 lax morally; possibly so from our 
 point of view, but, from a general 
 standporat it is not so, their view- 
 point having a different angle from 
 ours. In fact, the Japanese way is 
 fully as good as the American, and 
 much more practical, being almost 
 wholly devoid of false modesty, and, 
 indeed, will compare well with all oth- 
 tT civilized countries. Their honesty 
 and trustworthiness have been some- 
 times questioned, but as some eminent 
 writers have well named them they 
 are the "Yankees of the East," and 
 can both drive a bargain and hew 
 close to the line. 
 
 The statement that Chinamen sup- 
 plant the Japanese in places of trust, 
 such as tellers in banks, cashiers in 
 
 [68] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 hotels, stores, etc., is true only to a 
 limited extent, for it is a well-known 
 fact that the Chinaman is the best 
 judge of money in the Orient. He 
 has to be, as his country has more va- 
 rieties of and poorer money than any 
 country on earth. Further, the 
 Chinaman is naturally a good ac- 
 countant, being patient and painstak- 
 ing, and will follow a problem to a 
 conclusion without questioning the 
 motive that prompts the action of his 
 superior or employer. It is charac- 
 teristic of him to do, without asking 
 the reason why. 
 
 Some say that the Japanese are 
 not sincere, and that their courteous' 
 bearing is artificial. This is not true, 
 for it is natural and inherent, and is 
 always shown in the youngest as well 
 as in the oldest, royalty as well as in 
 the most humble. 
 
 It is also said they are not affec- 
 tionate. It is true that their saluta- 
 
 [69] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 tions are different from ours in that 
 they do not shake hands, or kiss. 
 Above all else they are sanitary, and 
 carry out that principle to the fullest 
 extent, instituting every possible 
 measure to which they have access 
 to be clean and avoid disease. (*) 
 "They are clean for the personal sat- 
 isfaction of being clean, but such 
 cleanliness, in which the Japanese 
 excel the rest of the world, has noth- 
 ing to do with godliness. There are 
 over eleven hundred public baths in 
 the city of Tokio, in which it is cal- 
 culated over five hundred thousand 
 persons bathe daily. Generally, not 
 always, a barrier separates the sexes 
 from each other — but, it is said, 
 the nude is seen in Japan but not 
 looked at." 
 
 FloTvers 
 
 The Japanese are very fond of 
 
 ^Things Japanese. 
 
 [70] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 flowers. It is sometimes said their 
 flowers are without fragrance, but 
 that is far from the truth, for the 
 plum blossom, wild rose, lilies, or- 
 chids, and many more are as fragrant 
 as those of other countries. Their 
 love of flowers prompts' them, and 
 they have been doing this for years, 
 to plant and carefully cultivate hun- 
 dreds of different varieties. The 
 cherry, of which there are the single 
 and double blossoms, is carefully 
 trained for the blossoms alone as it 
 bears no fruit. The cherry blossom 
 season, first half of April, is the oc- 
 casion of a national holiday when 
 charming flower festivals are ar- 
 ranged, and pilgrimages are made by 
 this most holiday-loving people in 
 the world. Their flower seasons are 
 almost continuous : January, the plum 
 blossoms, which last to March; then 
 the cherry, during the first half of 
 April are grand beyond compare ; for 
 
 [71] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 it would seem that in addition to the 
 long rows of cherry trees, some of 
 them forty feet high and hundreds of 
 year old, forming avenues of delight, 
 planted in every nook and cor- 
 ner and as carefully cherished as a 
 child, being thoroughly enjoyed by 
 all. The color of the blossoms is a 
 light pink. During the last half of 
 April and the beginning of May they 
 have the tree peony. During May 
 the azalea and wistaria. The iris in 
 June; convolvulus in July. In 
 August the lotus; the chrysanthe- 
 mum in November, having the most 
 beautiful of all foliage. Although I 
 have only enumerated some of the 
 principal flowers and those indigen- 
 ous to that country, it is rightly 
 named the "Flowery Kingdom." 
 
 Holidays 
 
 The Japanese have many holidays, 
 the principal ones from January first 
 
 [73] 
 
i 
 
Fusiyama — Sacred Mountain of Japan 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 to the third, inclusive, are thanksgiving 
 days', for which elaborate preparation 
 is made, sometimes in advance. Dur- 
 ing the three days, they have, if they 
 can afford it, a large fish called the 
 buri, which has been salted and hung 
 up to cure ready for the occasion. 
 They also have rice cakes, fish soup 
 and a dessert called mochi, made from 
 rice, and is a sort of pudding. They 
 decorate elaborately for these occa- 
 sions, and hke some of us, they watch 
 the old year out with the ringing of 
 bells and other means of jollity. This 
 is the time, also, when they pay their 
 debts, and it is a rule and custom, 
 that if debtors have not sufficient 
 means at hand to properly cancel their 
 indebtedness, they must sell their per- 
 sonal effects for such purpose, as it 
 is a lasting disgrace to go into the 
 new year unless free of debt. Cer- 
 tainly a commendable custom. 
 
 [73] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Pilgrims 
 
 As I have before indicated, a large 
 percentage of the people of Japan 
 are poor, from our point of view, 
 which is a condition that has obtained 
 for hundreds of years. Their earn- 
 ings are so small they cannot pur- 
 chase anything but the actual neces- 
 sities, yet possessing the element of 
 curiosity in some degree that is in- 
 herent in the whole human race, they 
 form bands or associations, composed 
 of men, women and children, electing 
 a leader, and delegate a certain num- 
 ber of the association each year to 
 join their pilgrim or excursion bands', 
 outfitting such members with the 
 barest necessities, before they strike 
 • out for a trek through the country. 
 
 It is necessary to here state that 
 each of the members of these pilgrim 
 associations contribute to a common 
 fund, which is' used in assisting the 
 chosen number on their journey, 
 
 [74] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 therefore, these pilgrims are not alto- 
 gether indigent, or in other words, 
 these excursionists or pilgrims I am 
 trying to describe, are not "hoboes." 
 The privilege of going on the journey 
 is decided by allotment, giving all 
 members an opportunity of ultimate- 
 ly making the trip. They visit the 
 large cities, seashore, the temples and 
 shrines. Many go to Fugi (the 
 sacred mountain of Japan) and toil 
 up its vast slopes until they reach the 
 old crater, and the shrines that have 
 been established there. The pilgrims 
 stop at the various inns' and shelters 
 along the route, many of these being 
 maintained by such patronage. Both 
 sexes usually have a uniform dress, 
 and one can hardly distinguish the 
 men from the women ; this consists of 
 a head covering in the shape of a 
 broad very sloping rim hat, made of 
 rice straw or flag, white cotton 
 clothes', short pants and bare feet. 
 
 [75] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Their earnestness in sight-seeing eas- 
 ily distinguishes them, and as a rule 
 they conduct themselves in such an 
 orderly manner as to leave pleasant 
 records in their trail. They do not, 
 however, enjoy as many of the privi- 
 leges as are accorded the white for- 
 eign visitor, such as having access to 
 some of the temples and places of in- 
 terest. As they cannot give contribu- 
 tions, they must be satisfied in gazing 
 at these from a distance. It is said 
 this practice and manner of making 
 these pilgrimages is of long standing. 
 However, this with many other old 
 customs is likely to change with the 
 progress of the country, but we saw 
 them in nearly every city and town 
 we visited, and could see the bands 
 as we passed in the train. 
 
 Fuji 
 
 The English name for this greatly 
 sacred mountain of Japan is Fusi- 
 
 [76] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 yama. It is about sixty miles from 
 Yokohama or Tokio, and rises to a 
 height of 12,365 feet above the sea 
 level. It is volcanic and the latest 
 eruption of which history records was 
 from December, 1707, to January, 
 1708. The top is perpetually covered 
 with snow, and is visible from long 
 distances, plainly so from Yokohama, 
 Tokio, Kobe, and the sea, which dis- 
 tances are estimated from sixty to 
 one hundred miles. In the bright 
 sunlight the scene is indeed beautiful. 
 Fugi is visited by from twenty to 
 twenty-five thousand people yearly, 
 mostly pilgrims. There are ten rest 
 stations on the way up to the crater, 
 any everyone making the trip must 
 be outfitted with provisions and other 
 necessities to last at least ten days, 
 and be prepared for a hard tramp. 
 There are several ways of reaching 
 the base of the mountain. I went out 
 by rail to Gotemba station, about 
 
 {77] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 sixty miles from Yokohama. As I 
 would then have to drive about ten 
 miles to reach the first mountain sta- 
 tion, I concluded to forego the pleas- 
 ure of ascending in the "pilgrim 
 path," so retraced my steps, and 
 viewed its beauties from afar. It is 
 said the first white woman (English) 
 made the ascent in October, 1867. 
 
 There is a great deal of tradition 
 and romancing in connection with 
 this great attraction of Japan, and 
 while none of the descriptions I have 
 read in any way exaggerates or over- 
 describes its beauties, I am of the be- 
 lief that its attractions are materially 
 enhanced by distance. 
 
 Earthquakes 
 
 It is said that Japan has on an 
 average about two earthquake trem- 
 ors every twenty-four hours, and it is 
 about the first thing the foreign 
 traveler desires to experience on land- 
 
 [78] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 ing in that country. They will go 
 through the first one with all the sang 
 froid with which such people are 
 usually equipped, hut after experi- 
 encing a few, be they ever so slight, 
 they do not care for more. Some of 
 the later and most severe seismic dis- 
 turbances occurred in 1855 and 1879, 
 when himdreds of people were killed, 
 and milHons of dollars in property 
 was destroyed. An American lady 
 missionary who was located near the 
 Inland Sea during the quake of 1879 
 told us of her experience. She stated 
 that they had forty-seven distinct 
 shocks during one night, which de- 
 stroyed all their furniture except that 
 made of bamboo, and it was fortunate 
 their house was constructed of this 
 material, otherwise that, too, would 
 ha,ve been destroyed. We noticed the 
 tremors at various times, but none 
 were severe. Some of the Japanese 
 colleges now have a Professor of 
 
 [79] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 "Seismic Influences" and great at- 
 tention is given to this feature, as 
 well as others, such as land slides, etc., 
 which menace this volcanic country. 
 
 Kamakura 
 
 It has been calculated that ninety 
 per cent of the foreign visitors to 
 Japan make pilgrimages to this spot, 
 whose principal attraction is the great 
 iBuddha (Daibutsu), and that a very 
 large percentage of these people 
 write or attempt to describe it in some 
 way. I shall be no exception to the 
 rule. 
 
 It is without question one of the 
 wonders of the world, and, viewing it 
 from a modern angle, it is unique, but 
 I question the motive that prompted 
 its inception, and the judgment of its 
 builders in making such an invest- 
 ment. But it is from an architectural 
 viewpoint that it most interested me, 
 and for the purpose of illustration 
 
 [80] 
 
Great Buddha — Kamakura, Japan 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 and information I will give the di- 
 mensions and description as published 
 in the various guides, etc. Murray's 
 Hand Book of Japan is' said to be the 
 most reliable, and gives figures as 
 follows : 
 
 Height 49 ft. 7 in. 
 
 Circumference 97 " 2 
 
 Length of face 8 " 5 
 
 Width from ear to ear. . .17 " 9 
 Round white (silver) boss 
 
 on forehead 1 " 3 
 
 Length of eye 3 " 11 
 
 Length of brow 4 " 2 
 
 Length of ear 6 " 6 
 
 Length of nose 3 " 9 
 
 Width of mouth 3 " 2 
 
 Height of bump of wis- 
 dom 9 
 
 Diameter of bump 2 " 4 
 
 Curls (of which there are 
 
 30) , height 9 
 
 Diameter of curls 1 
 
 Length from knee to knee.35 " 8 
 Circumference of thumb. . 8 " 
 
 [81] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 "The eyes are of pure gold and the 
 silver boss (in center of forehead) 
 weighs thirty pounds'. The image is 
 formed of sheets of bronze cast sepa- 
 rately, brazed together, and finished 
 off on the outside with a chisel. The 
 hollow interior of the image contains 
 a small shrine, and a ladder leads up 
 to the head." At the top of the lad- 
 der there is a platform for people to 
 stand upon. There is also a window 
 on the back that affords some light. 
 
 After reading and hearing so much 
 about this wonderful image, the first 
 view of it is usually disappointing to 
 the visitor, yet it is difficult to explain 
 why or in what particular ; but many, 
 like myself, returned to review it, and 
 retired, invariably, with a more satis- 
 factory impression. For as some poet 
 has said, "a statue solid set and 
 moulded into colossal calm," and as 
 Murray says: "No other gives such 
 an impression of majesty, or so truly 
 
 [83] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 symbolizes the central idea of Bud- 
 dhism — the spiritual peace which 
 comes of perfected knowledge and 
 the subjugation of all passion." 
 
 This old town of Kamakura, lying 
 on a bay of the Pacific Ocean about 
 twenty miles south from Yokohama 
 by rail, is now only a small village of 
 hardly 3,000 people, although at one 
 time, during the 12th to the 15th cen- 
 tury, it was the capital of eastern 
 Japan, with a population, it is' said, 
 of over one million. But it has been 
 sacked and burned, and twice inun- 
 dated by the sea, and so it is now but 
 a shadow of its former self, only the 
 Great Buddha, with some other 
 ancient "glories," a few families, and 
 a good hotel, are about all that now 
 remain of this ancient metropolis. 
 
 Christianity 
 
 I shall not undertake to give any 
 historical details of Christianity in 
 
 [83] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Japan, for it covers such a broad field 
 and period of time co-ordinate with 
 other countries of the Orient. I can, 
 therefore, only mention briefly some 
 of the records. The Portuguese Jesu- 
 its entered Japan early in 1549, and 
 were quite successful at first in gain- 
 ing converts, but discord arose be- 
 tween them and the Spanish Friars, 
 resulting in suppressing Christianity 
 throughout the most of Japan in 
 1587-97. This was done by Hide- 
 yoshi, called in history the Napoleon 
 of Japan. This action by Hideyoshi 
 is said to have been brought about by 
 a bigoted Buddhist priest and the in- 
 discretions of a Spanish sailor, who 
 bragged of Spanish conquests in 
 other parts of the world by sending 
 priests in advance and following up 
 with an army. 
 
 There was a respite from such 
 persecutions for a few years or until 
 the establishment of the Shogunate 
 
 £84] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 in 1614, when Christianity was again 
 suppressed, and it was thought all 
 Christians had been killed or deport- 
 ed. Some, however, were left behind 
 and others came, and although they 
 were still persecuted, during the next 
 thirty years they increased until it is 
 said they numbered 300,000. But it 
 resulted in the Japanese government 
 pursuing the work of suppression and 
 final isolation of the Empire, which 
 i^ey thought would effectually ex- 
 clude the Christians. It did not have 
 the effect hoped for, however, for 
 after being driven out of the country 
 and locating on a nearby island, they 
 subsequently returned to Japan after 
 a long period of waiting. In 1865 
 there were found several colonies of 
 Christians whose forefathers had not 
 left Japan in accordance with the 
 edict of the government promulgated 
 two centuries before. 
 
 [85] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Persecution of the Christians still 
 followed during the years between 
 1867 and 1870, their houses and prop- 
 erty were destroyed and the people 
 imprisoned, but were liberated in 1873 
 About 1859 the English and Ameri- 
 can churches sent representatives to 
 Japan and the work has since been 
 prosecuted by the Christian churches 
 of the world. It would seem that their 
 efforts have, however, met with in- 
 different success, for upon inquiry I 
 was given various approximate esti- 
 mates of the number of those profess- 
 ing Christianity at the present time, 
 and it varied from one hundred thou- 
 sand to one hundred and seventy-five 
 thousand in the whole Empire. 
 
 *"Has not the whole attitude of the 
 Tar Eastern mind with regard to the 
 supernatural been aptly described as 
 one of 'politeness towards possibili- 
 ties?' Doubtless this natural disin- 
 
 * Things Japanese. 
 
 [86] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 clination to a spiritual religion on the 
 part of the Japanese and Chinese is 
 aided and abetted by local causes." 
 
 The foregoing confirms my obser- 
 vation, which is that the conduct of 
 the so-called Christian nations, and of 
 some individuals grabbing everything 
 in sight in that Oriental land often 
 by not the courtesy of "by your 
 leave," and by failing to extend to 
 the Japanese, even in their own coun- 
 try, the recognition and amenities due 
 them. This is shown in many in- 
 stances by foreigners acquiring fran- 
 chises in lands for churches, clubs, 
 schools, golf grounds, race tracks, 
 etc., and possibly ignoring or exclud- 
 ing the Japanese gentlemen that in- 
 terceded in their behalf, to enable 
 them to obtain such concessions. 
 However, I am led to believe, after 
 a somewhat extensive study of the 
 situation and the people, that a large 
 part of the difficulty lies in the nature 
 
 [87] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 of the people. The Japanese are so 
 intensely practical along all lines, 
 that in the particular acceptance of 
 Christianity they are obviously be- 
 lievers in "things seen." 
 
 Missionaries in Japan told me that 
 Japanese boys and girls would attend 
 their schools, churches and missions 
 and be very studious, making fine 
 progress in the work, but the moment 
 they thought they had exhausted the 
 benefits to be derived from such at- 
 tendance, they would leave. The 
 apparent conclusion reached is that 
 the missionaries will in future give 
 more attention to the mechanical 
 feature than has been done in the past, 
 as greater and better results are ob- 
 tained through such channels. Some- 
 thing in the way of illustrations, in 
 mechanics, moving pictures, etc., 
 leave a more lasting impression on 
 their minds. 
 
 It is indeed gratifying to know that 
 
 [88] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 the excellent school system of Japan, 
 which in grades and efficiency is near- 
 ly equal to, as it is somewhat pat- 
 terned after ours, is largely the result 
 of the efforts of the whole Christian 
 world, and if such effort is not repre- 
 sented by actual converts in numbers 
 it is reflected in the substantial man- 
 ner I have stated. 
 
 Buddhism 
 
 Some writers have compared Bud- 
 dhism with the Roman Catholic cere- 
 monials. But it is wrong, as it bears 
 no relation to the Christian faith, for 
 as Chamberlain says in "Things 
 Japanese," "Self perfectionment is 
 the means of salvation, not the vica- 
 rious sufferings of a Redeemer." One 
 is a faith in life eternal, the other is a 
 belief in annihilation. 
 
 ^Buddhism, like Confucianism, is of 
 the great Indian beliefs, and the 
 actual date it was introduced into 
 
 [89] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Japan is somewhat obscure. Con- 
 fucianism is almost obsolete in that 
 country at the present time. 
 
 In practice Buddhism in Japan is 
 a mere matter of forai, where "they 
 bow to wood and stone." Its prin- 
 ciples, or what it stands for, are no 
 longer taught in that country. From 
 the prince to the pauper, however, 
 they worship on lines of tradition, 
 having a firm belief in it, and follow- 
 ing it implicitly; and it is' the domi- 
 nant factor in the lives of a large per- 
 centage of the Japanese people both 
 at home and abroad. 
 
 Shintoism 
 
 The "way of the Gods" is th(^ usual 
 name for this form of nature worship. 
 Shintoism preceded Buddhism in Ja- 
 pan. It is, like Buddhism, not a re- 
 ligion but rather a homage paid to 
 the sun, moon, stars and the elements ; 
 where they have the goddesses of 
 
 [90] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 food, pestilence and other deities pre- 
 siding over every conceivable thing. 
 Its devotees, as in Buddhism, and 
 Confucianism, have no faith in a here- 
 after. In their temples they have 
 mirrors in front of the altars, and, like 
 Buddhism, worship at the altars is a 
 matter of form, and the average vis- 
 itor is unable to distinguish any dif- 
 ference between the two. 
 
 The Shoguns 
 
 This means — 'in a literal sense — ^the 
 great man, or major general in con- 
 trol, and from about the twelfth cen- 
 tury to 1868 — after a lapse of about 
 seven hundred years — there were 
 various dynasties of Shoguns repre- 
 senting the old Japan, under the 
 feudal system, and it was' with these 
 people that Commodore Perry nego- 
 tiated the first treaty of amity and 
 opened Yokohama and other ports of 
 Japan to the world. About this time, 
 
 [91] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 1854, or during Commodore Perry's 
 first visit in 1853, it was found that 
 the Shogun regime was tottering, 
 and it was partially for this reason 
 that our expedition was so successful 
 in its negotiations. Our action was 
 followed by England, France and 
 Russia. Subsequently the Shoguns 
 sent embassies to this country and 
 Europe. 
 
 In the negotiations and treating 
 with these people, who for centuries 
 prior to Commodore Perry's visit had 
 excluded all foreigners, especially 
 from the interior of their country, and 
 thereby deprived themselves of all 
 opportunity to learn the ways of the 
 world, it was found they were very 
 astute, natural diplomats, and born 
 leaders. It was subsequently serious- 
 ly considered to abrogate the treaties 
 they had made, deport all foreigners 
 and return to their former exclusive- 
 ness ; for be it understood that Japan 
 
 [92] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 was not, at that time, without its 
 "other party," possibly the first "in- 
 surgents." It is believed that the 
 representatives sent to the foreign 
 countries', who displayed the same 
 eagerness for knowledge then as they 
 do now, and the anti-Shogun party, 
 together with political and other in- 
 fluences, were the causes that ulti- 
 mately resulted in the overthrow of 
 the Shogun dynasty. This was mani- 
 fest in 1863 when, in name of the 
 party in power, the Count of Yedo 
 (Tokio) proposed to again establish 
 the old Japan and close her doors to 
 all, and make it "Japan for the Ja- 
 panese." But the most enlightened 
 of the people, the scholars of the coun- 
 try, triumphed in this revolution, 
 establishing an oligarchy. Their suc- 
 cess in holding to the treaties and 
 obligations previously formed with 
 the outside world was the first Japan- 
 ese surprise experienced by the people 
 
 [93] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 of the countries directly interested. 
 And it was here that Japan took up 
 modernism, and she has continued to 
 extract from it that which she can suc- 
 cessfully use, showing fine distinctions 
 in her selections. The complete down- 
 fall of the Shogun party and its re- 
 trogressive influence took place in 
 1868. 
 
 In 1889 a Constitution was granted 
 and a Diet established which consists 
 of two houses, the Government, there- 
 fore, being vested in the people whose 
 property qualification entitles them 
 to the right of the franchise. This 
 only covers about two per cent of the 
 entire population, so the power rests 
 really in the hands of the nobihty. 
 The lower house consists of about 
 three hundred and seventy-five mem- 
 bers, who receive a yearly allowance 
 of 2000 yen ($1000 gold). The ad- 
 ministration is divided into depart- 
 ments, a certain number constitutes 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 the cabinet, which is in control of the 
 government. The other body is the 
 Privy Council, appointed by the Em- 
 peror. The officers consist of one 
 President, one Vice-President, twen- 
 ty-five Councillors, with one Secretary 
 and five assistants. This council is 
 made up of "personages who have 
 rendered signal service to the state," 
 and have had much experience in 
 affairs, and it has jurisdiction which 
 gives it great power under the con- 
 stitution. 
 
 The Cabinet consists of ten mem- 
 bers, of whom there are the Prime 
 Minister, or Premier; Minister of 
 Foreign Affairs; Minister of Home 
 Affairs ; Minister of Education ; Min- 
 ister of Agriculture and Commerce; 
 and Minister of Communications. 
 Subordinate government officers' are 
 under civil service rules and are not 
 subject to political changes. 
 
 The present Emperor, Mutsuhito, 
 
 [95] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 according to mythological history and 
 the Constitution, which says, by virtue 
 of a "lineal succession unbroken for 
 ages eternal," is the 122nd Emperor 
 in direct line since the Japanese 
 Romulus', a period of about one thou- 
 sand years, thus being the oldest 
 dynasty in the world. There is evi- 
 dently no question as to this title, and 
 notwithstanding that the present Em- 
 peror was born under a feudal sys- 
 tem with all Oriental environment, 
 he, with his advisers, state in their first 
 proclamation, which is dated Oct. 
 12th, 1881: 
 
 "We, therefore, hereby declare 
 (note the plural) that we shall in the 
 23rd year of Meji, establish a parlia- 
 ment, in order to carry into full effect 
 'the determination we have announced, 
 and we charge our faithful subjects 
 bearing our commission to make, in 
 the meantime, all necessary prepara- 
 tions to that end with regard to the 
 
 [96] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 limitation upon the Imperial prerog- 
 ative, and the constitution of the 
 Parliament, we shall decide hereafter, 
 and shall make proclamation in due 
 time." 
 
 The Constitution was duly promul- 
 gated in 1889, placing Japan 
 amongst the constitutional monarchies 
 of the world, which included local 
 self-government for her cities, towns 
 and villages. 
 
 This important document, the new 
 Constitution, by which the Emperor 
 relinquished inherited prerogatives, 
 indicated that he and his advisers had 
 studied the feature of constitutional 
 government well, the Emperor him- 
 self evidently having no fear that his 
 rights of sovereignty according to the 
 Constitution would not be fully pro- 
 tected. The lapse of time has fully 
 proved the excellence of his judg- 
 ment, and his master hand as a ruler. 
 The succession of his lineage and his 
 
 [97] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 policies are assured, for the Crown 
 Prince has some robust sons, who, like 
 their father, are being educated along 
 the line of modern Imperialism. 
 
 Emperor Mutsuhito is now fifty- 
 nine years old and the Crown Prince 
 thirty-two. They occupy the Impe- 
 rial Palace and buildings in Tokio 
 where visitors are not allowed to tres- 
 pass except on stated occasions, i. e., 
 during the lawn fete given by the 
 Emperor late in April, or early in 
 May, or at other times by edict of the 
 Emperor. The Imperial Palace and 
 grounds are surrounded by a wide 
 moat and high stone walls about three 
 miles in length, and were built by the 
 Shoguns about four hundred years 
 ago. The palace grounds have only 
 ' one approach, by a bridge which is 
 guarded. It is said the palace 
 grounds are beautiful, although the 
 buildings are quite ordinary. On the 
 occasion of the lawn fete above re- 
 
 [98] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 ferred to the Imperial Family act as 
 the host and the Emperor and Em- 
 press meet the people present in a 
 very democratic manner. 
 
 Forty-seven Ronans 
 
 Ronan interpreted means a wan- 
 derer, a man without a home. In 
 1701 this hand of forty-seven Ronans 
 was formed as a result of one Asano, 
 a Shogun, getting into trouble with a 
 nobleman named Kira, whom Asano 
 slashed in the face with his sword, this 
 occurring in the palace. Asano was 
 condemned to commit harakiri, which 
 he did by falling on his sword, and as 
 a result forty- six other Shoguns 
 sought revenge. This was forbidden 
 by the law, but nevertheless they 
 called on the nobleman Kira at his 
 palace in the night and ordered him 
 to foUow the act of Asano, but he de- 
 clined to do so. On his refusal they 
 killed him, and although they were 
 
 [99] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 lauded and entertained by notable 
 persons' for having committed the 
 murder, they had violated the law, 
 and were officially sentenced to com- 
 mit harakiri, which they did sepa- 
 rately, thus showing their bravery. 
 
 The bodies of these Ronans were 
 buried in the temple grounds, where 
 their tombs are elaborate and their 
 memories honored by all Japanese. 
 Some of these tombs are in Shiba 
 Park, Tokio, and are magnijficent in 
 design and, together with the sur- 
 roundings, make a very imposing 
 sight. Our attention was called to a 
 metal fence and gate in front of these 
 mausoleums by our guide, who said 
 they were made from the coins re- 
 ceived by Japan as indemnity after 
 her former war with Korea. This is 
 another illustration of the Japanese 
 useless expenditure and waste of 
 funds for the purpose of carrying out 
 their old inherent principle of honor- 
 
 [100] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 ing bravery and self-sacrifice. Cham- 
 berlain in "Things Japanese" says 
 that there were two kinds of harakiri, 
 one obligatory, the other voluntary. 
 The former was permitted to criminals 
 by the authorities as an alternative 
 to execution, the latter was practiced 
 by men in hopeless trouble, also as 
 an exhibition of loyalty, etc. Some of 
 the officers and men of the Japanese 
 army committed suicide in this man- 
 ner as recently as 1895 on account of 
 the action of their government in re- 
 leasing, under pressure of Russia, 
 France and Germany, the conquered 
 Chinese territory of Liao Tung. 
 
 Tea 
 
 It is said this plant was brought to 
 Japan from China about the begin- 
 ning of the Christian era and it has 
 been a favorite beverage up to the pres- 
 ent time, although tea drinking by all 
 classes did not become general until 
 
 [101] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 about the time of its introduction into 
 Europe, about the seventeenth cen- 
 tury. Now we find "tea houses" all 
 over Japan. In fact, it is the bever- 
 age of all classes, both native and 
 foreign. The tea plant is an ever- 
 green similar to the camellia and has 
 a white fragrant flower. It is grown 
 from the seed, ordinarily about three 
 feet high, ready for picking about the 
 third year, and will usually last about 
 ten years. The picking commences 
 in April and continues at intervals, 
 and in some districts until the end of 
 July. 
 
 The process of curing the tea does 
 not vary particularly, only in grades, 
 and conditions at the points where the 
 work is done, which may be remote 
 from the place where it is raised. The 
 tea produced in Japan is said to equal 
 in quality that grown in any country 
 in the world. Of the teas imported 
 by the United States for the current 
 
 [102] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 year (1910), Japan furnishes 44%, 
 China 34%, East Indies 9% and the 
 United Kingdom 3%. Japan made 
 her first shipments of tea about 1860, 
 and they now approximate about 
 forty milHon pounds per annum to 
 this country alone. The price of a 
 high quality of tea is fully as much 
 in Japan as it is here, but the lower 
 grades are cheaper. 
 
 Subsidies 
 
 Probably no nation in the world 
 has adopted subsidies as a national 
 policy to a greater extent than Ja- 
 pan. This is shown in nearly every 
 avenue of government commercial en- 
 deavor, for as I have pointed out in 
 another chapter, this is a paternal 
 government. It is directly manifest 
 in several ways, such as transporta- 
 tion; they have subsidized lines of 
 ships between Japan and nearly all 
 accessible ports of the world. As soon 
 
 [103] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 as our Panama Canal is completed 
 they will no doubt establish a line to 
 Atlantic ports, and the continent of 
 Europe. This is their means of com- 
 mercial development, and they now 
 have eight hundred and seventy mer- 
 chant ships, while we have nine! 
 Little Norway has 2,148 and Ger- 
 many about the same, while England 
 has 11,563. Evidently our statesmen 
 are more interested in appropriations 
 for improvements in waterways and 
 harbors for the floating of foreign 
 ships, than they are for providing fa- 
 cilities for taking care of our over-sea 
 trade. 
 
 Manifestly our conditions are vast- 
 ly different from those of Japan. 
 That, however, is not the comparison 
 we should make, but rather, we 
 should deal with the question of a 
 sphere of commercial competition cre- 
 ated by European powers, to whom 
 we are now paying upwards of two 
 
 [104] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 hundred million dollars annually for 
 handling our traffic ; we handling less 
 than 9% of our own foreign com- 
 merce. We will see our error some 
 time, and then our statesmen may 
 fairly represent their constituents. 
 Japan extends' her subsidizing policy 
 into other channels, such as fisheries, 
 and various commercial enterprises, 
 together with those of an educational- 
 missionary nature, amounting to fully 
 $5,000,000 per annum, paid to twenty 
 transportation lines alone. Other in- 
 dustries are subsidized by the govern- 
 ment, either directly or by a discrimi- 
 nating tariff, and this same principle 
 applies in other branches of trade and 
 industry, being in fact a definite pol- 
 icy of the government, and is carried 
 to an extreme in undertaking to fos- 
 ter and develop that country's re- 
 sources. 
 
 Some of our representatives who 
 are progressive and, therefore, friend- 
 
 [105] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 ly to our foreign commerce, have said 
 that "whoever controls the trade 
 routes of the world, will control the 
 trade rates of the world," and those 
 two factors will dominate in the in- 
 ternational trade of the world, and we 
 occupy the center of the commercial 
 stage. Therefore, shall we, with all 
 our natural advantages, relinquish 
 this to our competitors ? Do we real- 
 ize that our chameleon politics have 
 swept our flag from the world's com- 
 mercial highways ? Think it over. 
 
 Commercial Exchanges 
 
 The purchasing power of any na- 
 tion measures its commercial status, 
 therefore, when taking into consid- 
 eration the question of commercial 
 transactions, we should compare the 
 relative ability of nations to produce 
 and consume, and as the Oriental, 
 Asiatic and the Slav are the factors 
 directly involved, we must make such 
 
 [106] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 a comparison of the peoples and the 
 lands they occupy. We have already 
 briefly described the commercial 
 status of Japan, showing that that 
 country, within itself, cannot be con- 
 sidered, for political as well as phys- 
 ical reasons, a great purchaser in the 
 world's commerce. But we shall have 
 to reckon with her in the broad field 
 of Oriental development; for in her 
 recent acquisition of Korea, with an 
 area of 82,000 square miles, and her 
 occupancy of southern Manchuria, 
 making her a co-partner with Russia, 
 spells extension and development. 
 Manchuria, with an area of 215,000 
 square miles of as productive terri- 
 tory as there is in the world, and filled 
 with ambitious Japanese, will' with 
 their aggressive, irresistible policy 
 soon brush aside any temporary bar- 
 rier that may be raised by the people 
 who are indigenous to the land. In 
 this manner, the general policy of 
 
 [107] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Japan will be followed until they 
 dominate, if they do not actually con- 
 trol, the Orient. 
 
 I am aware that this is a radical 
 view, but every condition is now shap- 
 ing that way. Russian- Siberia, with 
 an area of over eight and one-half 
 million square miles, and fully forty 
 per cent of that vast territory tribu- 
 tary to the Pacific gateway, together 
 with its strategic features, makes it 
 but natural that Russia would be in- 
 terested in regaining a Pacific Coast 
 outlet which she lost, though but tem- 
 porarily, to Japan under the Ports- 
 mouth treaty of 1905. We have but 
 a slight conception of the resources 
 of that great country lying north of 
 Russia in Asia, especially that adja- 
 cent to the great Trans-Siberian Rail- 
 way; for while the winters are long 
 and cold, the soil is rich and as fertile 
 as that of Canada, or our states of 
 Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, and it is 
 
 [108] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 better watered and timbered. The 
 farmers successfully raise all kinds of 
 cereals, grasses, potatoes, sugar beets, 
 and other crops indigenous to such 
 climates, as well as vast herds of live 
 stock. And we shall have to change 
 our picture of the people, as it is no 
 longer a land of convicts and clank- 
 ing chains; for the great Trans- 
 Siberian Railway has, not unlike our 
 own pioneer belts of steel, projected 
 itself into the vast unsettled domains, 
 developed a slumbering wilderness 
 into commercial activity, until today 
 the traffic is far beyond the capacity 
 of the line, and the Russian govern- 
 ment is preparing to reconstruct the 
 road, with a second track and other- 
 wise improve its facilities. This is not 
 only necessitated by the local develop- 
 ment, but the route has proved to be 
 the great eastern highway to Europe. 
 Therefore, again reverting to the 
 feature of commerciaHsm, we find 
 
 [109] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Russia and Japan in an entente, and 
 one of the purposes is to insure Russia 
 a free all-the-year port on the Pacific, 
 which is not now furnished by the 
 port of Vladivostock, and giving Ja- 
 pan a free hand in China. 
 
 In carrying out this plan Russia 
 will probably build a line from 
 K h a i 1 a r through Mongolia to 
 Newchwang. With such a channel 
 assured and the establishment of re- 
 ciprocal relations, the western world 
 will have access to a new field in over- 
 sea trade. It is to Russia that we 
 must look for such relations, as the 
 Orient never has been and never will 
 be a trade factor with us', for they do 
 not produce or consume in any degree 
 corresponding with our people. 
 
 Propagandas 
 
 Probably no people among the 
 world's civilized nations are as "long" 
 on propagandas as the Japanese. Al- 
 
 [110] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 though of comparatively recent adop- 
 tion, yet they have generally been 
 successful. During the Jap-Russian 
 war they formulated the most effec- 
 tive campaign of education, interna- 
 tionally, of recent years, through a 
 well organized propaganda, for the 
 purpose of enlisting sympathy in 
 their cause. The press and various 
 other means of publicity were subsi- 
 dized, paid agents were sent to all 
 parts of the world, and, working with 
 their characteristic cleverness, the re- 
 sults were eminently satisfactory. 
 Even we fell victims to their wiles, 
 for we must acknowledge that public 
 sentiment underwent a most radical 
 change in a very brief time, and their 
 propaganda was without question re- 
 sponsible for it. We did not pause to 
 consider the merits of the case, or 
 realize their ultimate purpose, we 
 only knew the "little brown men," 
 that dainty people of the "flowery 
 [111] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 kingdom" were in a death struggle 
 with the great Russian bear, and were 
 putting up a fight that was the ad- 
 miration of the century, and the re- 
 sults are now history. The now 
 thinking world on questions Oriental 
 do not consider the third party in- 
 volved, that patient and long suffer- 
 ing Chinaman. Although it is his 
 country that is the bone of contention 
 and his people that have been driven 
 to the "four winds" by the ruthless 
 march of destiny. Two nations with 
 fixed purposes, both being essentially 
 commercial, and Manchuria as the 
 field of operation, Japan's desire for 
 more territory for her people, and to 
 permanently entrench herself as a 
 basis for future action and control, 
 with Korea now safely tucked away 
 in her pocket, and with absolutely no 
 change in Russia's imperative re- 
 quirement, which is a port on the 
 Yellow Sea, the Jap-Russian treaty 
 
 [112] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 of July 4th, 1910, was inevitable. A 
 text of this treaty is as follows : 
 
 "Article 1. With the object of fa- 
 cilitating communication and develop- 
 ing the commerce of nations (the 
 italics are mine), the two high con- 
 tracting parties mutually engage to 
 lend each other their friendly co- 
 operation with a view to the ameliora- 
 tion of their respective railway hnes 
 in Manchuria and the improvement 
 of the connecting service of the said 
 railways, and to abstain from all com- 
 petition prejudicial to the realization 
 of this object. 
 
 "Article 2. Each of the high con- 
 tracting parties engages to maintain 
 and respect the status quo in Man- 
 churia resulting from the treaties, 
 conventions and other arrangements 
 concluded up to this day between Ja- 
 pan and Russia or between either of 
 these two powers and China. 
 
 "Article 3. In case that any event 
 
 [113] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 arises of a nature to menace the status 
 quo, heretofore mentioned, the two 
 high contracting parties shall in each 
 case enter into communication with 
 each other in order to arrive at an 
 understanding as to the measures 
 they may judge it necessary to take 
 for the maintenance of the status 
 quo." 
 
 And the Japanese have the call, as 
 it is evident Russia saw in her defeat 
 in Manchuria, and the agreement 
 reached under the Portsmouth (N. 
 H.) treaty, signed September 5th, 
 1905, wherein Japan again exhibited 
 remarkable statesmanship in relin- 
 quishing her right to a cash indem- 
 nity, about six hundred million dol- 
 lars, thereby taking the risk of open 
 revolt at home that she must make 
 her peace with Japan. This unavoid- 
 able condition may change the map 
 of the Far East geographically dif- 
 ferent from that contemplated when 
 
 [114] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 the Anglo- Japanese alliance was con- 
 cluded in January, 1902, and review- 
 ed in August, 1905. 
 
 Such alliance between England 
 and Japan was as follows: 
 
 "Article 1. It is agreed that when- 
 ever in the opinion of either Great 
 Britain or Japan any of the rights 
 and interests referred to in the pre- 
 amble to this agreement are in 
 jeopardy the two governments will 
 communicate with one another fully 
 and frankly, and will consider in 
 common the measures which should 
 be taken to safeguard those menaced 
 rights or interests. 
 
 "Article 2. Should either of the 
 high contracting parties be involved 
 in war in defence of its territorial 
 rights or special interests, the other 
 party will at once come to the assist- 
 ance of its ally, and both parties will 
 conduct a war in common and make 
 peace in mutual agreement with any 
 
 [115] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 power or powers involved in such 
 war. ( This clause is now modified — 
 1912.) 
 
 "Article 3. Japan, possessing 
 paramount political, military and 
 economic interests in Korea, Great 
 (Britain recognizes Japan's rights to 
 take such measures for guidance, con- 
 trol, and protection of Korea as she 
 may deem proper and necessary to 
 safeguard and advance those inter- 
 ests, providing the measures so taken 
 are not contrary to the principles of 
 equal opportunities for the commerce 
 and industry of all nations. 
 
 "Article 4. Great Britain, having 
 a special interest in all that concerns 
 the security of the Indian frontier, 
 Japan recognizes her right to take 
 such measures in the proximity of 
 that frontier as she may find neces- 
 sary for safeguarding her Indian 
 possessions. 
 
 "Article 5. The high contracting 
 
 [116] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 parties agree that neither will, with- 
 out consulting the other, enter into a 
 separate arrangement with another 
 power to the prejudice of the objects 
 described in the preamble. 
 
 "Article 6. As regards the war be- 
 tween Japan and Russia (Note: You 
 will observe this treaty was renewed 
 while this war was on) , Great Britain 
 will continue to maintain strict neu- 
 trality unless some other power or 
 powers join in hostilities against 
 Japan, in which case Great Britain 
 will come to the assistance of Japan, 
 will conduct war in common, and will 
 make peace in mutual agreement with 
 Japan. 
 
 "Article 7. The conditions under 
 which armed assistance shall be af- 
 forded by either power to the other in 
 the circumstances mentioned in the 
 present agreement and the means by 
 which such assistance shall be made 
 available will be arranged by the 
 
 [117] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 naval and military authorities of the 
 contracting parties, who will from 
 time to time consult one another fully 
 and freely on all questions of mutual 
 interest. 
 
 "Article 8. The present agreement 
 shall be subject to the provisions of 
 Article 6, and come into effect im- 
 mediately after the date of signature 
 and remain in force ten years from 
 date. In case neither of the parties 
 shall have been notified twelve months 
 before the expiration of the said ten 
 years of an intention of terminating 
 it, it shall remain binding until the 
 expiration of one year from the day 
 on which either of the parties shall 
 have renounced it, but if, when the 
 date for the expiration arrives either 
 ally is actually engaged in war, the 
 alliance shall ipso facto continue imtil 
 peace shall be concluded." 
 
 This treaty was executed as pre- 
 viously stated. 
 
 [118] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 The declarations as set forth in the 
 preamble are as follows: 
 
 (1) "The consolidation and main- 
 
 tenance of general peace in 
 the regions of Eastern Asia 
 and Asia. 
 
 (2) "The preservation of the com- 
 
 mon interests of all the 
 powers in China by insuring 
 the independence and integ- 
 rity of the Chinese Empire 
 and the principle of equal 
 opportunities for the com- 
 merce and industry of all na- 
 tions in China. 
 
 (3) "The maintenance of the ter- 
 
 ritorial rights of the high 
 contracting parties in the 
 regions of Eastern Asia and 
 India, and the defence of 
 their special interests in the 
 said regions." 
 A well known and able writer on 
 the Orient* says, with reference to 
 
 *Thomas F. Millard. 
 
 [119] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 this alliance: "This is a distinct ad- 
 vance over the former treaty, and is 
 the price England pays for Japan's 
 promised assistance in protecting 
 British possessions in India." 
 
 Thus England surrendered her 
 commercial interests in Korea and 
 Manchuria. It is quite apparent that 
 the Jap-Russian treaty of this year 
 was as much of a surprise to all those 
 interested as that of the Anglo-Ja- 
 panese alliance of 1905, and no doubt, 
 its effect will not only be fully as far 
 reaching, but is likely to change the 
 Oriental map to a marked degree, 
 and put a "crimp" in the plans of the 
 nations who have leaned upon such 
 documents to preserve their entente 
 for the "open door." 
 
 That the further purpose of Japan 
 may be better understood it is neces- 
 sary to call attention to another Ja- 
 panese propaganda, and so far as I 
 
 [120] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 know it is the one par excellence. 
 That is the one formed about 1880 by 
 the Japanese government for the 
 purpose of disseminating Japanese 
 policies in China. That work is nec- 
 essarily semi-educational or mission- 
 ary. Schools and colleges were opened 
 in Japan where the young men 
 of China and Japan were invited, or 
 induced to attend, and when the stu- 
 dent was properly fitted he was sent 
 to China to prosecute his work, being 
 supported by the Japanese govern- 
 ment. And as an evidence of the 
 work being attractive to the young 
 Chinese, statistics show that of the 
 twenty-one thousand young men sent 
 out by China to all parts of the world 
 in 1909, sixteen thousand of them 
 went to Japan! Some of the results 
 of this propaganda are now shown in 
 China's so-called awakening, prepar- 
 ing for an ultimate constitutional 
 government, but which is, as yet, only 
 skin deep. 
 
 [121] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 Thus the Japanese are gradually 
 but surely insinuating themselves into 
 the most intricate of China's affairs. 
 This is a leaven, conditions in China 
 making it receptive, and if these 
 premises are correct, it is plain that 
 Japan's status in the Orient is now 
 fairly defined, and must be reckoned 
 with in the final and real awakening 
 of China. This will be as a finality, 
 not as an international right, but we 
 are deahng with a condition which is 
 largely created by a new power, 
 based upon a theory of natural se- 
 quence, that is, that this is an Oriental 
 problem. 
 
 As we stated in the prelude, the 
 United States Government is respon- 
 sible for the opening of Japan, and 
 bringing her into the family of na- 
 tions. What prompted our action is 
 recorded in history, for we read that 
 as early as 1837 an American mer- 
 cantile house fitted out the ship "Mor- 
 
 [122] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 rison" for the purpose of trying to 
 enter the Japanese trade, but were 
 not successful owing to the continued 
 restrictions placed upon foreigners by 
 the Japanese government, and about 
 1843 they promulgated the following: 
 "Shipwrecked persons of the Japan- 
 ese nation must not be brought back 
 to their country, except on board 
 Dutch or Chinese ships, for in case 
 these shipwrecked per*sons shall be 
 brought back in other ships of other 
 nations they will not be received, 
 etc." 
 
 In 1845 the American whaleship 
 "Mercator," while cruising among 
 the Northern Japanese islands, res- 
 cued some Japanese sailors from a 
 sinking junk, whom they took to 
 Yedo (Tokio) bay, but were sur- 
 rounded by a large number of armed 
 boats, which took the ship in tow, 
 took all arms out of her, and kept her 
 under guard for several days, then 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 ordered her to depart, but permitted 
 the taking on of necessary supphes; 
 and her arms were also returned. 
 
 Subsequently in 1848, our naval 
 force, then in the China seas, was in- 
 structed to ascertain if there had been 
 any change in the Japanese policy 
 relative to the opening of ports to 
 commerce. The fleet visited Yedo 
 Bay and negotiations were started, 
 but did not meet with success, in fact 
 all overtures from us were declined. 
 But as we had some time previously 
 concluded a treaty with China, and 
 our Pacific Coast was fast develop- 
 ing, and protection and supplies for 
 our ships and men were necessary in 
 carrying on such over-sea operations, 
 our Government concluded that de- 
 cisive measures should be adopted to 
 this end, as well as a further under- 
 taking with a view of opening the 
 ports of Japan. It was decided to 
 send an envoy with sufficient naval 
 
 [124] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 force behind him to impress the Ja- 
 panese with the importance of this 
 country, and command respect dur- 
 ing any negotiations that might en- 
 sue. Therefore, the Secretary of 
 State, Mr. Webster, prepared a letter 
 from the President, Mr. Millard Fill- 
 more, to the Emperor of Japan, and 
 a letter to the American Naval com- 
 mander in the China seas. Commo- 
 dore Mathew C. Perry, who was 
 selected to head the expedition. On 
 account of Mr. Webster's death the 
 proceedings were delayed until 1852, 
 when on Nov. 5th, the State Depart- 
 ment addressed a letter containing 
 the following to the Secretary of the 
 Navy: 
 
 1. To the effect that some perma- 
 nent arrangement for the pro- 
 tection of American seamen and 
 property wrecked on these 
 islands, or drawn into their ports 
 by stress of weather. 
 
 [125] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 2. The permission to American 
 vessels to enter one or more of 
 their ports in order to obtain 
 supplies of provisions, water, 
 fuel, etc., or in case of disaster 
 to refit so as to enable them to 
 prosecute their voyage. It is 
 very desirable to have permis- 
 sion to establish a depot for coal, 
 if not on one of the principal 
 islands at least on some small 
 uninhabited one, of which it is 
 said there are several in that 
 vicinity. 
 
 3. Permission for our vessels to 
 enter one or more of their ports 
 for the purpose of disposing of 
 their cargoes by sale or barter. 
 
 The mission was to be a pacific one, 
 but owing to the attitude of the Ja- 
 panese as shown in previous visits of 
 our emissaries, it was thought expedi- 
 ent that this expedition should be 
 formidable enough to impress the Ja- 
 
 [126] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 panese with our earnestness, and to 
 push our request to the full limit, 
 without becoming embroiled in actual 
 war, which the President had no 
 power or desire to declare. 
 
 The Dutch Government, it is said 
 by some writers, gave us valuable 
 assistance, which evidently consisted 
 in keeping their hands off, for had 
 they been at all active in their oppo- 
 sition, in view of their prestige with 
 the Japanese, it would have had a de- 
 pressing effect upon Commodore 
 Perry's expedition. 
 
 The letter from President Millard 
 Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan 
 was as follows: 
 
 "Great and Good Friend: 
 
 "I send you this pubhc letter by 
 Commodore Mathew C. Perry, an 
 officer of the highest rank in the Navy 
 of the United States, and Command- 
 er of the Squadron now visiting your 
 Imperial Majesty's dominions. 
 
 [127] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 "I have directed Commodore Perry 
 to assure your Imperial Majesty that 
 I entertain the kindest feehngs 
 towards your Majesty's person and 
 government, and that I have no 
 other object in sending him to Japan 
 but to propose to your Imperial 
 Majesty that the United States and 
 Japan should live in friendship and 
 have commercial intercourse with 
 each other. 
 
 "The Constitution and laws of the 
 United States forbid all interference 
 with religious or political concerns of 
 other nations. I have particularly 
 charged Commodore Perry to abstain 
 from every act which could possibly 
 disturb the tranquillity of your Im- 
 perial Majesty's dominions. 
 
 "The United States of America 
 reach from ocean to ocean and om* 
 territory of Oregon and State of 
 Cahfornia lie directly opposite to the 
 dominions of your Imperial Majesty. 
 
 [128] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 Our steamships can go from Cali- 
 fornia to Japan in eighteen days* 
 
 "Our great State of California 
 produces about sixty millions of dol- 
 lars in gold every year, besides silver, 
 quicksilver, precious stones, and 
 many other valuable articles. Japan 
 is also a rich and fertile country and 
 produces many very valuable articles. 
 Your Imperial Majesty's subjects 
 are skilled in many arts. I am de- 
 sirous that our two countries should 
 trade with each other, for the benefit 
 both of Japan and of the United 
 States. We know that the ancient 
 laws of your Imperial Majesty's gov- 
 ernment do not allow foreign trade 
 except with the Chinese and the 
 Dutch, but as the state of the world 
 changes and new governments are 
 formed it seems to be wise from time 
 to time to make new laws. There was 
 
 *This was in 1853. They take sixteen and one- 
 half days now. 
 
 [129] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 a time when the ancient laws of your 
 Imperial Majesty's government were 
 first made ( ?) . About the same time 
 America, which is sometimes called 
 the New World, was first discovered 
 and settled by the Europeans. For 
 a long time there were but few people, 
 and they were poor. They have now 
 became quite numerous, their com- 
 merce is very extensive; and they 
 think that if your Imperial Majesty 
 were so far to change the ancient laws 
 as to allow a free trade between the 
 two countries, it would be extremely 
 beneficial to both. If your Imperial 
 Majesty is not satisfied that it would 
 be safe altogether to abrogate the 
 ancient laws, which forbid foreign 
 trade, they might be suspended for 
 five or ten years so as to try the ex- 
 periment." 
 
 We shall have to concede that the 
 development in the intervening 
 period, upwards of half a century, is a 
 
 [130] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 world surprise, and also that we have 
 not kept in touch with it to the extent 
 we should, or that the efforts of our 
 first representatives deserve. The 
 work accomplished by Commodore 
 Perry in 1854 followed by that of the 
 Hon. Townsend Harris, our first Am- 
 bassador to Japan, who in 1858 
 formed our first treaty of trade and 
 commerce with that country, has 
 never been generally appreciated, 
 either as to the value of the work in 
 itself or the resultant effects, by our 
 countrymen. 
 
 Even in that early time, and under 
 the crude conditions that then existed, 
 the Japanese showed exceptional de- 
 ference to our representatives, and 
 there are no names — ^in that ancestor- 
 worshipping country — ^more revered 
 today than those of Commodore 
 Perry and Townsend Harris. While 
 they have their jingoes, the same as 
 we, the government as well as the 
 
 [131] 
 
Jy\PAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 people realize the advantages' to be 
 derived by preserving a friendly spirit 
 and amicable intercourse, and sin- 
 cerely deprecate any act that would 
 tend to weaken such relations. It is 
 a conceded fact, I believe, that ad- 
 verse action or antagonism, if that 
 answers the purpose better, comes 
 primarily from our labor, war, and 
 political elements, and from labor 
 principally on or adjacent to the Pa- 
 cific slope. Assuming this to be a 
 correct premise, we can readily un- 
 derstand the reasons to be the cheap 
 labor of the Orient; and while this 
 involves a great economic question, 
 the novice may dare to tread. We 
 may restrict or prohibit immigration 
 through the Pacific gateways, and 
 make the Atlantic open ports, and 
 get a more assimilating color, but in 
 what way shall we benefit the country 
 at large? California is unable today 
 to plant and harvest her crops for 
 
 [132] 
 
 y 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 want of labor; the east is in a similar 
 condition, as labor there is in the 
 cities and unionized, and were it not 
 for the modern improvements in agri- 
 cultural implements and machinery 
 the American farmer, with all the 
 vast hordes of undesirables that come 
 to our country through the Atlantic 
 ports, could not plant, sow or reap 
 commensurate with the demands. 
 Even under these conditions the price 
 of foodstuffs are beyond precedent, 
 yet still the rabble, the non-producing 
 undesirables, must be fed, even if 
 their unskilled labor is over and un- 
 equally paid. 
 
 Rumors of war, generally, come 
 through two sources, the Army and 
 Navy man, and the jingo politician. 
 The former is sometimes and under 
 favorable conditions formidable; the 
 latter is a near statesman, who would 
 vote, if asleep, for an appropriation 
 that would give his constituents a 
 
 [133] 
 
JAPAN, A CHILD OF 
 
 chance at the "bin," but forgets his 
 statesmanlike duty when a question 
 of international policy is involved. 
 The Army and Navy man is about 
 the same in all countries, in times of 
 peace he gets restless — time is fleet- 
 ing — 'promotions are slow, and espe- 
 cially in this country, where our army 
 is an incident and the navy a persua- 
 sive force, it is but natural that 
 activity would be desirable. It is all 
 a business, if sometimes serious, but 
 does not promote that feeling of 
 amity that should exist between 
 countries having common interests. 
 Conceding that we are, as a nation, 
 large, and with resources unequalled, 
 this is the greater reason why we 
 should be beyond the fear of the 
 "YeEow Peril." Take down the bars, 
 and affiliate and assimilate with and 
 through the Orient and that great 
 Northland (Russia) as an experi- 
 ment at least, be one of the quintuplet 
 
 [134] 
 
THE WORLD'S OLD AGE 
 
 of nations, Japan, China, Russia and 
 England, which undoubtedly will 
 participate in the benefits of future 
 development and mutual protection 
 in and beyond the Pacific highway. 
 
 [136] 
 
DEC 20 1913 
 
L 
 
^ii 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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