JAPAN. 



509 



graduated in full course from colleges or higher 

 schools of special science. The number of 

 Japanese of all ages, who have for longer or 

 shorter periods sought knowledge in Christen- 

 dom, is reckoned at 3,000. At present, only- 

 graduates of the University of Tokio are sent 

 abroad, and these mostly to Germany. Some 

 of the returned students founded in Tokio, 

 Nov. 29, 1884, a school of English and Ameri- 

 can law, with a full faculty, a three years' 

 course, and a class of students who use the 

 English and vernacular tongues. Medical sci- 

 ence and art have made great progress in late 

 years. There are now 31 medical schools and 

 350 hospitals, supported by the prefectures, 

 and 294 hospitals self-supporting. The Medi- 

 cal College in Tokio has five German professors 

 and 1,061 students in all departments. The 

 preparatory course, in the vernacular, covers 

 three years ; the main course, chiefly in Ger- 

 man, four years. There is also a branch school 

 of pharmacy. Of the total of 665 hospitals in 

 operation, 487 are general, 130 venereal, 5 

 Tcakke, 5 lepra, 9 ophthalmic, 1 lying-in, 1 

 fracture aad dislocation, 2 surgical-general; 

 and one is an institute of vaccination, etc. 

 There are also sick-quarters connected with 

 most garrisons and prisons. Medical societies 

 and journals are numerous and steadily in- 

 creasing. There are nine foreign medical mis- 

 sionary physicians. English is studied in the 

 common schools, and the national use of the 

 Roman letter seems to be near at hand. The 

 Romaji Kai, or Roman Alphabet Association, 

 is composed of native and foreign scholars. 

 They have accomplished by a simple system, 

 and the use of twenty-two Roman letters, the 

 reduction of all possible Japanese sounds and 

 vocal combinations to expression in common 

 English type. They print a newspaper, and 

 will issue grammars, dictionaries, text-books, 

 and the native classic and popular literature in 

 the Roman letter. It has been demonstrated 

 that a native child can learn to read and write 

 as much of his own language in one year as 

 formerly he was able to accomplish in ten 

 years. There are now 30,552 public educa- 

 tional establishments, of which 29,081 are com- 

 mon schools, 173 colleges, 6 higher female 

 schools, 78 normal schools, 2 universities, and 

 1,212 schools for special purposes. The num- 

 ber of pupils is 3,090,918. The decree of the 

 educational department adding the English lan- 

 guage to the common-school curriculum was 

 issued Nov. 29, 1884. 



Art and Art Industries. -The love of art, which 

 has penetrated to the lowest classes, has made 

 the Japanese an art-producing people. They 

 invented the folding fan, fine and gold lacquer- 

 work, and cloisonn6 on faience and porcelain 

 though translucent porcelain was not known 

 in Japan until the seventeenth century. Kao- 

 lin clay is now found in 283 places. With the 

 changed conditions of labor, the artist and arti- 

 san seek outlets in foreign trade for their 

 wares. The Government supervises the attend- 



ance of men and products at all the national 

 exhibitions of any importance throughout the 

 world. In London, in 1884, the Japanese ob- 

 tained one gold, four silver, and fifteen bronze 

 medals for excellence in artistic work. Of 

 fans 2,769,684 were made for export by one 

 firm in Tokio in 1884. The export of art prod- 

 ucts in 1884 amounted to $1,445,458.04. Here- 

 tofore most of the finest work, even embroid- 

 ery and needlework, was done by men ; but of 

 late years women are engaging in the lucrative 

 trades. In heavier manufactures, there was 

 forged at Osaka last year a 28-centimetre gun, 

 which will carry 4 miles. The Japanese at- 

 tend congresses of modern art and science 

 abroad. 



Telegraphs. Japan has now 5,056 miles of 

 telegraph lines constructed. In 1884, 350 miles 

 of new line were made, and 117 miles removed 

 or abolished. The total length of wire oper- 

 ated is 13,972 miles, with 48 miles of subma- 

 rine cable, containing 108 miles of wire. In 

 1884, 1,247 miles of new wire was strung, and 

 301 miles removed. At the Yokohama office, 

 243,842 messages were sent, of which 115,329 

 were in native speech. Telegraph-offices now 

 open number 199. 



Transportation. No general system of roads 

 existed in old times, and land transportation 

 was almost wholly on the backs of men and 

 horses. As yet there are not 1,500 miles of 

 carriage road. As probably no part of the 

 country, except in Yezo, is over 100 miles 

 from the sea, cheap oceanic transport is avail- 

 able. The Union Shipping Company (Kiyodo 

 Unyu Kuaisha) is the chief, the Government 

 being a stockholder. It employed, in 1884-'85, 

 26 sailing-vessels of European build, 31 steam- 

 ers, and 14 cargo-boats. Its capital was $6,- 

 000,000, and the amount of business transacted 

 last year was $4,211,288, with, however, little 

 or no profit, owing to the ruinous competition 

 between this and a rival company, the Mitsu 

 Bishi (Three Diamonds). The two have since 

 been consolidated, and the transportation war 

 is over. From Oct. 1, 1885, the new company, 

 Nippon Yusen Kuaisha (Japan Mail Shipping 

 Company), assumes control, with offices, staff, 

 and business facilities, in the chief ports of Ja- 

 pan, in the outlying islands, in Corea, and 

 in Shanghai, China. 



Most of the railroads, of British construction, 

 are owned and operated by the Government. 

 All rolling-stock was at first imported, but 

 now the cars are built near Tokio, and only 

 the engines, axles, wheels, and buffers made 

 abroad. Owing to the many mountain ranges 

 and spurs, numerous tunnels and bridges are 

 necessary. Except the line in Yezo, from 

 Sapporo to Pororai, 56 miles long, which is 

 of American construction, and the rails 3 feet 

 apart, the gauge is 3 feet 6 inches. 



In 1884, 265 miles were open, 271 miles 

 were in course of construction, and 543 miles 

 were planned. Only one line, between Tokio 

 and Yokohama, is double. The engine-drivers 



