The Days of a Man 1911 



Some time before my arrival a petition had been 

 presented to Ihara by fishermen from the east side 

 Curious of the peninsula. This was a curious freak of reason- 

 ing. The petitioners asked to have the clams re- 

 moved from their shores in order that the herring 

 which once abounded might return. To their minds 

 the clams had driven the fish away. As a matter of 

 fact, the destruction of the hill forests had caused an 

 immense wash of red soil to cover the rocks on which 

 the herring had formerly cast their spawn. Under 

 such conditions clams thrive and multiply while 

 herring disappear. 



Now without entering on any recital of the monot- 

 onous and bloody history of Korea, or any discussion 

 of the methods by which Japan obtained control of 

 the country, I venture to record briefly some of the 

 impressions acquired during my stay. 



Good and By a curious anomaly, in her relations to Korea 

 bad in Japan appears both at her best and her worst. Civil 

 occupation Japan wisely undertook to give the new ward the 

 benefit of modern advance in science, invention, and 

 education. Military Japan sought to keep order in 

 Korea by sheer force of terrorism. The Japanese 

 administration abolished many gross evils of the 

 former Korean regime, especially all legal distinctions 

 of class and caste. They had also suppressed brigan- 

 dage, substituted orderly taxation for the "squeeze," 

 begun to clean up the cities, introduced railways with 

 good stations and handsome gardens, and deprived 

 the Yang Ban of all power and authority. An equita- 

 ble code of law was promulgated, and a notably wise 

 judge, Watanabe, put in charge. Excellent schools 

 were established, experiment stations, forestry, and 



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