134 The National Geographic Magazine 



correct idea of the development of that 

 country as regards constitutional gov- 

 ernment, the growth of education, the 

 creation of its finance system, the de- 

 velopment of its industries, the forma- 

 tion of an army and navy, and its de- 

 velopment or means of creation and 

 establishment of a system of justice — 

 in short, the creation of a modern and 

 western civilization. Art and litera- 

 ture, the press, the merchant marine, 

 and labor organizations all find a place 

 in this storehouse of Japanese facts. 

 All these articles are written by men 

 who have taken part in this great work 

 of transition and reconstruction, and 

 among them are a number of interna- 

 tional repute. Marquis Ito has written 

 on the development of constitutional 

 rights, the duties of political parties, 

 and the growth of Japan ; Field Mar- 

 shal Yamagata on international policy 

 and the growth of the army, the latter 

 subject being supplemented by Field 

 Marshal Oyama's account of the army 

 of today. Rear Admiral Saito tells of 

 the creation of the navy, and the Count 

 Okuma of the foreign policy and the 

 growth of education. Professor Imazo 

 Nitobe contributes a most interesting 

 chapter on the religion and moral ideas 

 of the Japanese. Count Inouye deals 

 with the various phases of Japanese 

 finance, while Baron Shibusawa gives 

 a survey of the industrial situation. 

 Baron Suyematsu treats of the problem 

 of the Far East, and a chapter is given 

 to Formosa. The very brief article by 

 Professor Maruse on women is apolo- 

 getic and inadequate. Mining, labor, 

 railways, the press, art, and literature 

 are treated as to their development and 

 present condition by equally competent 

 authorities. 



It must be understood that these arti- 

 cles are from the Japanese standpoint, 

 and of course, as far as opinions go, are 

 subject to refutation in many respects. 

 The authors occasionally admit the ne- 

 cessity of moral improvement as well as 

 of industrial development. 



The great value of the book lies in 

 the mass of statistical data, which are 

 logically and sequentially arranged. 

 The volume will long remain a work of 

 reference, more or less standard. 



There might well be added to this 

 book a compendium volume, "Japan 

 in the Beginning of the Twentieth Cen- 

 tury, ' ' published by the Imperial Japa- 

 nese Commission to the Louisiana Pur- 

 chase Exposition, by Secretary Yama- 

 naki, of the department of agriculture, 

 which was printed and distributed in 

 limited numbers. A. W. G. 



Dai Nippon ( Japan) ♦ By Henry Dyer. 

 Pp. xvi + 450. Illustrated. New 

 York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1904. 

 $2,. so net. 



This is a valuable study of the evolu- 

 tion of modern Japan, tracing its con- 

 version, in a single generation, from a 

 feudality into a constitutional govern- 

 ment, based on deliberate assemblies, 

 national concord individual legal rights, 

 institution of justice, and the fostering 

 of world-wide knowledge. 



Mr Dyer's long service in Japan, be- 

 ginning as first principal of the Imperial 

 College of Engineering at Tokyo, quali- 

 fies him for this difficult study, which is 

 commended to every investigator of Jap- 

 anese affairs. The growth of educa- 

 tional institutions, the organization of 

 an efficient army and navy, the establish- 

 ment of railways, telegraphs, and steam- 

 ship lines, the advance of industries, the 

 growth of commerce, and the creation of 

 a national system of finance have been 

 accomplished so successfully in the past 

 thirty years as to excite the attention 

 and merit the admiration of the world. 

 How these wonders have been wrought, 

 their influences on art, on social condi- 

 tions, and on the individual and the na- 

 tion are clearly set forth. 



The discussion of the oriental mind, 

 with its preexistent trend and its nature 

 worship, is curious as explaining the 

 dominant features of the Japanese — pa- 

 triotism and loyalty. The chapters on 



