JEWS. 



4.-):. 



are 11, with 29 subdivisions, the temples and 

 shrines belonging to which number 71, -34, 

 with 73,759 priests. Christianity makes steady 

 progress, nearly all restrictions having been re- 

 moved. Connected with the Reformed or Prot- 

 estant churches there are 28,000 communicant 

 members, and with the Roman and Greek 

 Catholic a still larger number of Christians. 

 The usual appurtenances of Christian work, 

 propaganda, and education are established in 

 the various towns and cities, such as churches, 

 preaching-halls, Sunday-schools, orphan asy- 

 lums, convents, theological seminaries, young 

 men's Christian associations, religious news- 

 papers. The first consecration in Japan of a 

 Roman Catholic bishop took place at Yoko- 

 hama, June 19, 1888. 



Foreign Trade. The summary of foreign trade 

 for the year 1887 shows an increase of 12.- 

 540,835 over that of 1886, the imports for the 

 former year amounting to $44,526,600, and 

 the exports to 40,901,610. The trade move- 

 ment at the chief ports was as follows: Yoko- 

 hama, $54,581,880; Kobe, $25,873,165 ; Naga- 

 saki, s4.424.21 5; Hakodate, $593,950. With 

 Great Britain and her colonies, the trade 

 amounted to $23.227,735 ; with the United 

 States. $20.401,920 ; with China and Hong- 

 Kong, $16,571,495 ; with the East Indies, 

 7. 7i i5 ; with France, $9,903,265; with 

 Germany, $4,839,885. Of imports, Great Brit- 

 ain and her colonies sold goods to the amount 

 of $19,491,585 ; and the United States, $3,353,- 

 690; while of exports Great Britain and her 

 colonies took but 3.745.395, while the United 

 States took $17,038,230. Th^ American im- 

 ports were petroleum, clocks, flour, books, 

 leather, and manufactured tobacco, while the 

 exports were silk, tea, camphor, sulphur, rice, 

 rags, porcelain, plaited straw, and fancy wares. 

 The ocean commerce was performed in 1.2 ">''> 

 foreign vessels and 13,883 Japanese vessels of 

 "Western build, the former having a tonnage 

 of 1,669,186, and the latter of 3,498,517. with 

 totals of 15,139 ships and 5,167,703 tonnage. 

 Most of the entries of Japanese steamers were 

 those of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and be- 

 longed to the company's fleet of over sixty 

 vessels which now control the trade with Chi- 

 na, Corea, as well as the coast trade of Japan. 



JEWS. The Jewish record of events, abroad 

 and at home, is gratifying in every department. 

 In education, religious progress, and literature, 

 there has been a marked advance, while in phi- 

 lanthropy and general participation in the march 

 of humanity the year shows its usual favorable 

 exhibit. Happily, there has been no set-back 

 in the form of persecutions no anti-Semitic 

 excesses of any magnitude but a practical de- 

 termination of the Jews in all lands to face the 

 problems of the time. 



In January, 1888, Baron de Hirsch, of Paris, 

 gave od.noo.ooo francs for the education of the 

 Jews of Russia. Such a practical solution of a 

 harassing problem was greeted with satisfaction 

 throughout the globe. The fund is to be de- 



posited with the Government, and devoted to 

 the technical education of Jewish youth and 

 their training in science. But not satisfied 

 with such a donation, Baron de Hirsch com- 

 memorated the jubilee of the Emperor of Aus- 

 tria, in the latter part of the year, by a gift of 

 12,000,000 francs for the benefit of the needy 

 population of the kingdoms of Galicia and Lo- 

 domerea, the Grand Duchy of Cracow, and the 

 Duchy of Bukovina. While the main features 

 of the trust are unsectarian, there are special 

 provisions for the Jews, who, besides, will 

 share largely in its benefits, because they form 

 so large a portion of the population to be aided. 

 The objects are "the spread of secular educa- 

 tion and the promotion of handicrafts and agri- 

 culture." It is to establish schools, promote 

 technical training, supplement the salaries of 

 underpaid teachers, aid school-children with 

 clothing, food, and books, apprentice boys and 

 girls to remunerative trades, and grant subsi- 

 dies and loans free of interest to Jewish artisans 

 and agriculturists. One of the conditions is, 

 that German must be taught in the schools, but 

 in Galicia Polish may be employed. Baron de 

 Hirsch's educational plans run in direct parallel 

 lines with the efibrts of the Alliance Israelite, 

 whose schools in the East afford instruction to 

 10,000 Jewish children of the poor and neg- 

 lected classes, and constitute what may be 

 termed Jewish Foreign Missions. These have 

 made steady progress during the year, and 

 flourish in Asia Minor, Morocco, India, and 

 Turkey. Similar bodies in England. Austria, 

 Germany, and America co-operate with the 

 Alliance Israelite Universelle, of Paris. A gift, 

 in spirit equaling Baron de Hirsch's was the 

 bequest of 800,000 lire, on March 16, by the 

 late Guiseppe Giganto, of Alberto, Italy, to- 

 ward the foundation of an agricultural school, 

 open to all confessions. Baron Edmond de 

 Rothschild continued to give large sums in aid 

 of the struggling Jewish colonies of Palestine. 



The anti-Semitic movement in Germany has 

 been checked. In Roumania, the condition of 

 the Jews has improved, thanks to a more liberal 

 ministry. In Austria. Patter von Schoeuerer, 

 the leader of the anti-Semites, was arrested. 

 In Prague, anti-Jewish pamphlets were con- 

 fiscated. In Hungary, the firm attitude of the 

 Government prevented any riotous demonstra- 

 tions. On March 8, the Jews of Cork, Ire- 

 land, were made the subject of harsh invective 

 by the labor union. In Paris, Drumont's scur- 

 rilous work was followed by discussions in the 

 press, but without any outbreaks. No further 

 steps were taken to facilitate Jewish emigration 

 to Spain. The sweating- system (see GEEAT 

 BKITAIX, page 391) caused much excitement in 

 London and throughout England, and Lord 

 Rothschild was appointed a member of the 

 House of Lords committee. The investigation 

 was favorable, on the whole, to the character 

 of foreign Jewish immigrants in England; but 

 no effective remedy was proposed to relieve 

 the great poverty of the working-classes in the 



