Part 5

“From the standpoint of investors England and Germany are unquestionably the safest and surest markets to-day. Financial security always goes with freedom, the United States has such serious abuses of power that freedom becomes disturbed and so as by a paradox tyranny often reigns.

“The continual warfare between labor and capital gives rise to uneasiness and disturbs the market, as does the lax social conditions the sequel of the indiscriminate immigration and it has the seeds of revolt against established rule.

“Something must be done with the banking system in America and there must be reforms also in the monetary system. The peculiar centralization of the gold in Washington and so in an event of crisis the intervention coming wholly from there, is not advantageous. A central banking system as in Germany should be established. The amassing of great fortunes is not however as many suppose an evil, money is never idle except unspent in the pocket of the poor man! The rich man puts it at once to use. Turning to Japan we see some very hopeful signs and some serious drawbacks. Foremost among the things which promise most, are the sugar plantations of Formosa. If in a few years she furnishes us with most all the sugar we need as we expect and Korea with her vast territory as yet waiting for energy and for intellect to develop can give us cotton, we shall find these great items in our imports changed to sources of income and in the near future a trade balance in our favor. This cotton of Korea is of far more value to us than her gold mines. One of the major drawbacks in Japan commercially is the want of co-operation among small manufacturers and work men handicrafts.

“We feel this primarily in the exports to China. Take the case of Manchuria. The Chinese are very observing and they can tell the difference between our work and German work at once and they prefer to use the German although they must pay more for it.

“The cause of this is often that a poor manufacturer is many times compelled to over-produce under great pressure and turns out half-done work, even when he knows it means no more orders.

“Local authorities are trying to urge combinations among manufacturers, but so far have met with little success.

“This isolated working purely for self interest is undoubtedly the root of what is called Japanese commercial dishonesty.

“To France we must turn to-day to see the supreme example of thrift and industry and reciprocity of helpfulness. Japan unfortunately does not yet give us as hopeful a picture of economy.”

Laughingly assuring Baron Takahashi that we had a personal sympathy with the people who could not save, he answered playfully that we must all acknowledge the wisdom of providing for old age and children, and with that very human and humane observation our interview was closed. We felt the man spoke rather than the financier.

TOKYO OBSERVATORY

If you look at an astronomical map of stations of observation, you will see what looks to be a meteoric shower of dots on Europe, where there are one hundred and thirty observatories, sixty-five in North America, six in India, six also in Australia, two in the West Indies, three on the coast of China, and following the line of sea and shore northward in a vast region of watery waste only two lone spots which are the two Japanese observatories. Their importance to science is therefore obvious. Though situated on a height which seems to crown the city of Tokyo with the picturesque foliage of Hibiya Park, where the lungs and the mind expand, we are surprised to be told that for star gazers, there is not enough space. The observatory is soon to be moved; so bad are the atmospheric conditions and it is all but impossible to obtain good results in astronomical photography. In spite of this draw-back some very successful work on the Milky Way has been obtained by Prof. S. Hirayama, still as the enthusiastic young assistant says who has just returned from two years at the Yerkes observatory at Williams bay, Wisconsin, it is very unsatisfactory.

The work just now of the Observatory is the observation of variable stars, and the study of the deviation of verticals for which the observers must go out into the country to other heights. The chief work of the staff is along the line of time service, variation of latitude, solar observations, though the most important work is possibly on the Milky Way. The staff has been up to this time small, but there is now a sufficient force to ensure greater results of a more searching character. The present officers are:--Director, Prof. Terao; Professors S. and K. Hirayama; Assistant Professors, Sotome, Midzuhara, and Ichinoye.

The Astronomical Society which has just been established intends to popularize the study of astronomy, and they will have for this purpose, a series of journals published in Japanese. For scholars there will be also journals in English, German and French, giving an account of the work done at the observatory as well as matters of universal interest to astronomers. In eclipse trials many observations have been made; some of the plates are most beautiful, one taken of the corona of the sun by Prof. Hirayama was exquisite, this work was done at Padang, Sumatra. The instruments are three equatorials, two meridian circles and several smaller telescopes. Proudest of all is the institution of their Reflers clock which, I believe, is the only one in the Orient. The library is excellent, containing very many valuable works of reference. Mr. Ichinoye, while at the Yerkes observatory, took special work in spectroscopy and double stars and he speaks with enthusiasm of Profs. Frost, Burnham and Bernard, who are among the leading astronomers of the world in solar and stellar investigation.

An account of the taking of the coronax of the Sun is given graphically in the “Annal” of the Tokyo Observatory.

We left Singapore on the 4th April on the steamer “Van Outhoorn” of the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij, and four days later we anchored in Oleh-leh, at the extreme north of Sumatra island. During the rest of the voyage the steamer remained within sight of land. Our destination, Emmahaven, was reached at one o’clock in the afternoon of April 15th. There we took the train for Padang, only twenty minutes’ journey. In Padang I was able to select an abandoned shooting ground for archery on the seashore near Damar Street, as a site for the observing station. It was found afterwards that this site was too near the sea; when the sea was rough it was impossible to make sextant observations with artificial horizon on account of the periodical trembling of the ground. But fortunately on the day of the eclipse the sea was extremely calm, so that we could get sharp photographs. Dr. Lau, a German engineer, who had been resident for a long time in Padang, was most helpful to us during the whole period of our stay. He provided for us both labor and materials. On account of the excessive rain it was not possible to commence the setting of our instruments until April 27th. The principal instruments employed are as follows:--8-inch prismatic camera, in charge of the writer; 5-inch coronagraph, in charge of Mr. K. Hirayama; Vogel’s direct vision star-spectroscope in connection with a 4-inch telescope, in charge of Mr. Sotome.

Now for a few words about the weather conditions at this station during my stay. Observations at Padang for several days after our arrival showed that as a rule the mornings were quite clear, but about noon the sky began to be overcast, and in the evenings it rained. Since the totality was to occur about one o’clock in the afternoon, we were all anxious about the visibility of the eclipse. But later observations showed that the weather was greatly improving. Still there was not a single day in which the sky was entirely free of clouds, such as I had enjoyed during my stay in India to observe the total eclipse of 1898. The nights were specially bad, with either clouds or rain. Till the time of the eclipse we had only a few clear nights, during which we tried to photograph the spectrum of a bright star for focussing.

The morning of the day before the eclipse was cloudy; it began to rain in torrents in the afternoon and by night it had not improved at all, promising nothing but rain for the next day. The morning of the 18th of May dawned cloudy, but afterwards it began to improve. The clouds broke in several places, and the clear sky gradually increased in extent. Noon was the hour of totality. During totality, although the sun was still covered with thin cirrus clouds, it was yet possible to observe the corona through them. The entire programme was carried through successfully, but with little hope of getting results of value. All the astronomers stationed at or near Padang on the west coast of Sumatra met the same fate. Fort de Kock was the only place where the sky was perfectly clear, although it was pretty near the northern margin of shadow, and the chance of clear weather was the poorest. Our site was excellent for the observation of the moon’s shadow. Two or three minutes before totality we saw the darkness approaching through the air, on the sea to the N. W., and the shadow swept with great rapidity towards us; at this moment totality commenced. We also noticed that the light was approaching, from the same direction, just before totality ended. In making the exposures I was assisted by Mr. Shakushu, a Japanese priest at Singapore, who rendered most efficient service in this way. After the eclipse the development of the plates was taken up. Since the weather in camp was very hot in the daytime all the plates were developed at night, ice being used abundantly. The resulting negatives were nearly all satisfactory, which was contrary of the first expectation. Yet the effect of the clouds is clearly seen in the long exposed plates of the 5-inch telescope.

GOVERNMENT STEEL FOUNDRY

General Nakamura, the head of the Government Steel Foundry, when interviewed in Tokyo, desired to express regret at the impression given to the public that he advocates a high tariff on steel imported from other countries, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the institution which he represents, to the detriment of foreign producers and to the exclusion of necessary importations from other countries. In reply to questions he stated:--

“I do not advocate the increase of the tariff, nor has the question yet been considered by the Government. What I said was that, among the causes of the hard position in which the foundry is placed is its inability to compete with supplies from abroad. So far losses have been sustained by the foundry, but without an endeavor to place the value of the turn-out on a par with foreign imports, how long can this be done? We are endeavoring to regulate this, and possibly a more radical, or somewhat readjusted, protective policy may be beneficial.

“There are, of course, other causes for the still undeveloped manufacture of steel in Japan. The present output is insufficient for the needs of the market. Only one-third of the supply needed is made by the Government Steel Works, and even this one-third does not include what is needed for the other branches of consumption, such as machinery, hardware, etc. On the other hand, the demand for steel has considerably increased from what it was before the war, and has so very much outstripped the supply as to be a cause of anxiety to me as director of the works. The fluctuations in the price of steel, which have been considerable, have also had a serious effect upon the market. In the perfecting of the quality of the material itself, for the first time this year it underwent the inspection of Lloyds, and it was pronounced that the output was qualified as material for shipbuilding, provided it passed examination. The Government Foundry has therefore been registered at Lloyds.

“There is, as stated, great opportunity for the development of skilled labor among the operatives, and considering that iron work is so difficult, the progress made is most gratifying. Most of our instruction in steel manufacture has come from Germans, and most of our officials are graduates of the Tokyo University who have studied abroad. In the housing and care of the operatives some care is taken. Rent is free, but the accommodation is not adequate to shelter the 9,000 employes. Secondly, there is a convenient supply of food at low rates, a commissary, and in case of injury a relief fund, which provides medicine and temporary wants, and, in the case of death, looks after the widows and orphans. A society for this purpose has been formed, and its interests are one of my chief concerns. The operatives are recruited from Fukuoka prefecture and from other parts of Japan, and while not feeling that the Japanese are particularly adapted to this work, given the time and experience I am pleased with the results. The average age of the operatives is thirty, and so we have the advantage of youth and strength in our favor. The Chinese mine at Taiyeh supplies one-half of the ore used by us, and the rest of the ore is brought from different parts of Japan. Owing to the condition of transportation the price of iron is appreciably dearer than in America. Beside the material supplied to our army and navy, the remainder is sold on the open market and consumed in the usual manner in the manufacture of utensils and implements of commerce. The machinery used in our workshops is from Europe and America, wherever we find the best and most up-to-date plant.

“In conclusion I want to say that this question of duty is a serious one--an exceedingly serious one--one which entirely rests with our Government, and it is not my part to enter into the decision except to present existing conditions. It is the purpose of the Government Steel Works in time to supply the whole demand of the country. This is our ambition, and that is why we are focusing our attention at this moment upon the causes of our inadequate production and failure to make good our initial programme.”

JAPAN IN NOVEMBER

There is no time when Nature is so approachable as in autumn. That season is like the green room of the actress, when she lays aside her stage attire and in deshabille she is communicative and you gain many a secret into her methods and her ideals and aims!

Her laughter is no longer art, but natural, and she shows her foibles and her whims with a childish abandonment. Kamakura has in resume, the exquisite traits of Japanese scenery. The dominating features of the artistic and the diminutive and then the glimpse, just a glimpse of the grand. The sublime is a note I have never heard touched in Japan, except at Port Arthur.

Kamakura has also the needed accessory of a landscape, i. e., historic background. The center of ecclesiastical domination of Buddhism in the middle ages, the spot where the miracle of Nichiren was performed, that beautiful episode which is so often treated in art and which reminds us of those famous martyr dramas dear to the heart of the Christian.

Heaven has not always interceded to save the sainted, and how the heart leaps, when we read of those rare moments, when it has. Nichiren, we are told, was busy during the whole of his time in exile in “teaching, preaching, and itinerating.”

But like many a Christian saint he did not temper his zeal with discretion and was rearrested.

The story is familiar to all, but it is beautiful, and like that of Joan of Arc or Constantine or St. Martin and a host of others, will bear repeating.

“Kneeling down on the strand, the saintly bonze calmly uttered his prayers and repeated ‘Namu mio ho ren ye kio’ upon his rosary. The swordsman lifted his blade, but a light blinded his eyes, the sword was broken and the saint was saved and afterward pardoned.”

The surf was dashing in fine shape on the day we visited Kamakura and the soft grey, like the color of a faded tapestry brought to our “inner eye” the old saint and the huge blade broken, and the terror of the evil men. Japan has this touch with the supernatural which raises her in our esteem!

The first glimpse of the Buddha set in the bower of maples was not disappointing. Its vast proportions and its solemn repose fitted into the coloring of red and yellow and the curtain of Nature softly hung in folds of crimson and green, and a veil of mist harmonized the whole into an etherial essence dear to the mystic. The Buddha of Kamakura is the Prince of India, and those Hindoo lines of proud lineage, the arch of the nose and lips and eyebrows, all tell the story of his kingly degree. The hawk-like glance of the sovereigns of the kingdom of princes, is of course subdued in the religionist, but I doubt if it is extinct.

The Buddha is after all a man and the gentleman and the boor still show! We went once in Paris to the cloister where the women of the old noblesse are immured and there in spite of almost inhuman rigidity of demeanor caused by every crucifixion to mind and body “the goddess was known in her walk” still. So difficult is it to warp and contort Nature! So difficult and so futile!

“Consider the lily how it grows” is an injunction that no churchman has ever fathomed. Nor ever will! Only God did that!

It is well that Buddha sits among the maples and the cherry blossoms, for their wisdom may penetrate his bronze heart! The view from “Kwannon temple” is a rare bit of Japan.

There in the tea house we sat and drank it in, with the stimulating beverage.

The cliffs, the village, the ocean, the dainty colors, the aged aspect of it all and the stir of new life, everything toned into an autumn symphony, it only needed Chopin.

But Chopin was far away and there is no music in Japan! How curious that the fickle goddess left that out and set all the harmonies of Nature in the heart of the Philippines! The “Hachiman shrine” is a bit of Saint Marks, with its pigeons, and the avenue of ancient trees and torii which leads up are good and far less distracting than the temple approaches of the cities.

Better than all was Nature’s sanctuary where all is harmony; where no narrow sect nor vulgar stare, nor discourtesy disturbs your thought, and where one can read the word of God uninterpreted by any narrow priest, or any narrow passion, but in “Spirit and in Truth.”

The colors defy all art to reproduce them, the declining year, the memory of the rich hued summer, the pathos of something gone, the hush of stream, the absence of bird notes, the quiet, the intimate quiet of Nature, which is never oppressive, never aught but refreshing, and which leaves no scar nor wound!

The delicacy of the laying away the past and the hopefulness of it all! We would almost like too, to fade away into the ether, laying off the coarse garment of the flesh and finding what Buddha and every sage has sought!

“Some soft warm place in field, or wood, The mother will be sure to keep, Where we shall lay us down to sleep.”

SUNRISE OVER ASIA

I

Over the old worn world he came, Flaunting his flames of red! The stern walls of Asia guarding the sky, Waited in calm, as in years gone by, Upward he came, breathless, we said-- “Can he scale this fortress, centuries strong?” His answer ’twas written in cohorts high! He triumphed, night fled, The day was begun, and Asia, she of the long, long night Said, “Welcome, my son!”

II

So up rises the day on the days that are fled! And Asia’s sun glows a brilliant red, And the future resplendent of Asia will come-- Come as this sun, a splendor of life on the days that are dead!

South China Post

MANILA AND THE PHILIPPINES

Just outside of Asia proper as in a proscenium box are these islands, half mystic, half savage, like the kings who sent men out to conquer the world, with sword in one hand and hostia in the other!

No place on earth has had possibly a more romantic experience, full as it has been, of the acts of primitive unchained manhood and the infinitely worse aspects of human nature, the avarice, intrigue political and ecclesiastical eccentricities of civilization. The whole story is written in the annals of these verdant radiant slopes, not all written yet! Then on pages brilliant as some illumined missal is inscribed the devotion of the chivalrous sainthood of Spain. The dramatic element is furnished by the Chinese invasions followed by the British and our own and as you pass along these streets, the walls and towers “cry out.”

Just outside then of Hongkong, the “superb” the Genoa of the East, her prows turned to every point of the compass, her flags the colors of human statehood, of petty kingdoms and massive empires, the gateway of Asia, the Asia of the North, destined like everything Northern to outrank the South, in virility if not in subtility and charm, we of the Philippines have a glance which takes in more than a piece of the oriental horizon it embraces. The chiaro-oscuro after leaving the islands at the end of a long sejour, when as at the close of life, the colors seem to blend into one dominant tone, is a sort of soft grey, enveloping the receding city, built so far away, at so much sacrifice; over all the blemishes the cruelties and crudities of a society hardly half formed, of a state hardly above the first foundations, one’s feeling is wonder and pity, wonder that men and women have had the courage to face it at all, pity for their heroic struggle against ignorance and all the human brood of evils under a tropic sun, which dries the blood in the veins and leaves the nerves tingling to every breath and thought.

But were this all, who would have the power to live out their story here! In the phantasmagoria of this tropical nature there is something ever new, ever fresh, ever upbuilding and upraising, the forces of this universe of which we are a part. There is a measure in this Oriental dawn, like the lines of Omar Khayyam, which swings in the rhythm of the hours. Every day we feel we can, every day we do! Then in the embrace of the transcendant peace of the Oriental night, we learn to watch and wait, knowing we shall be soon with “Yesterday’s seven thousand years.”

There is something in the atmosphere, a certain occult fluid, which takes the place of ozone and strange as it may seem these sunburnt, sunscorched lands have rushing over them the gales of ardor, of desire to run the race of manhood worthily, every nerve taut, every tendon stretched.

“Time cannot change, nor fortune stale her infinite variety,” would well describe Manila.

Gathered from the four corners of the earth a motley crowd is her citizen’s roll! Embryo politicians, incipient scholars and philanthropists, altruists of curious conflicting lives and creeds, every social curiosity in the gamut, from those who never saw a ship until they reached San Francisco, who were once a cordon bleu and are now posing as grande dames, (?) to those who have given up all the beauty of some castle height in Spain, or some equally refined home in America to spend their best of life and service as a tropical gift, lavish and unstinted, without thought of return.

We also find all the comical inconsistent forms of religionists of every shade of narrowness and Pharisaism, at once gallant defenders of their faith and guilty of inhuman barbarity to their fellows, intriguing clothed with piety, just as in the old, old days, but where is “the milk of human kindness” on the other hand sweeter to the palate, sated as it must become with all else, where do you see lips quiver more tenderly over a sorrow, or eyes light more divinely at noble word, or deed!