146 
Japan and the Japanese. 
established, in order to train young Japanese females for 
teachers in elementary and middle schools. There are also 
female industrial schools, where the girl pupils learn all 
kinds of needlework, and womanly pursuits, in addition to 
other branches of knowledge. Still, in spite of the provision 
made for the education of the children, nearly two-thirds, of 
school age, are at present living in ignorance, and wholly 
untrained. There is no compulsory law to insist upon their 
attendance at school, and the people generally, in the coun- 
try districts, are too ignorant themselves, to value education 
for their children. Yet, with all this provision for mere 
proficiency in secular knowledge, there is a total absence of 
religious and moral education. Shintoism and Buddhism 
do not now satisfy the cravings of the enlightened Japanese, 
and they have not yet, as a nation^ accepted Christianity ; 
consequently, the system of education inaugurated for the 
youth of the land, is cold, lifeless, and barren, as far as 
regards the life to come. Still, as one of the newspapers 
of Tokio has recently declared that "no religion save the 
Jesus religion has ever given liberty to any nation," it is 
more than probable that the mission agencies now at work 
in the country will be crowned with startling success. It 
is in such lands as these, prepared of God, that nations are 
" born in a day." 
The commerce of Japan has largely grown since the 
treaty of 1858. She now sends to other countries, raw silk, 
silkworms' eggs^ tea, rice, tobacco, vegetable wax^ copper, 
camphor, dried fish, and various art manufactures, in silk, 
.porcelain, and bronze. During the past two or three years 
her total export trade has risen to about six millions. 
Europe and America send back, in return^ cotton and 
woollen manufactures, iron, machinery, cutlery, and leather 
goods, beside cotton yarn. This latter item is an important 
