The Days of a Man 



along this railway is the soya bean, the monopoly 

 of which article had been sublet to the two rich 

 Barons Mitsui. Permanent control of the road, with 

 that of the belt of land through which it runs, was re- 

 garded as of first importance to Japan. Its govern- 

 ment therefore took the matter seriously, although 

 in America Knox's suggestion was regarded as an 

 offhand opinion and not an indication of national 

 policy. 



Press The Baron was especially perplexed by the freedom 



with which American papers published gross false- 

 hoods about Japan. It was suggested that something 

 might be done to avert that sort of perversion, 

 from which the press of no country is exempt. It 

 seemed to me, however, that great as were the evils 

 of international misrepresentation, those of govern- 

 ment censorship were still greater, and a press could 

 be made clean only if left free. 



General Terauchi, then governor of Korea, later 

 prime minister, was present on that and several other 

 social occasions. Interested in our proposed visit to 

 his district, he promised to instruct all the Fishery 

 assistants there to make collections for me. This they 

 did faithfully, furnishing material for a considerable 

 memoir on the local ichthyology. 



Terauchi spoke French fairly well, but was a 

 reticent man of much the same type as I imag- 

 ine Lord Kitchener to have been. Nevertheless, he 

 seemed genial and kindly under his military crust, 

 and our impressions of him were entirely pleasant. 

 Some five years later we were indebted to him for a 

 couple of superb illustrated volumes dealing with the 

 antiquities of Korea, and published by the Japanese 

 government. 



C 368 3 



