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! TITE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: FEBRUARY 21.
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Prince Ito the Grand Old Man of Japan Tells of His Country's Hopes
It
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(Corrrtht, by rrnli Q. Carpenter.)
OKKPpc1al Cerrwrpondenee cf
I Tt,e tW.)-1 hsve Just rxturnM
I from e morning spent with
mnc no, the Grand Old Man
cf Japan. Me la the Bismarck,
Gladstone. Jtthn Khrniifl tnA
Ulysses 8. Grant of ha empire, and If he
shoald writs a book telling I ha history cf
Hs eajntrv he ahould hare to begin It at
Caeaer did Ma commentaries on the Gallic
r. by earing. "Magna para ful." tA
great part of which I waa
In or 11 n ret inn -th Marquis Inouye. Mnfi
Ito an the f.rst to nee the absolute
necessity of J.ipan'a adopting the western
civilisation If it would hold a place among
the natlona of the world. Aa a boy ho
fought ilnt the ghogtin. In order to
put the emperor In power: and when the
new government waa constituted in be
wa one of the chief organizers, twin,,
vice minister of finance and public worka.
At that tlrr ha waa only T! years of sge.
Two year later he waa Bent to the United.
Plat a to study our financial system, which
he introduced nere; and at the aire of 10
ha m-aa Bent abroad aa a special envoy to
arrange treattea with the European powera.
A little later we find Mm In Europe,
studying the conatitutlona of the principal
natlona, and after that bark in Toklo.
writing the constitution which now governs
Japan. In one of the rooms of the villa
where I visited him today, that great paper
waa prepared snd aa I talked with the
prince f could hardly realize that the new
Japan with ita wonderful ayatem of finance
and banks, ita Parliament elected by the
people and the machinery of Ita govern
ment, whic h la one of the beat in the world,
waa largely formed by him. now mora than
a quarter of a century ago.
Prlaee Ita Before the Maat.
Pi luce Ito began Ma life young. He waa
only 22 wiien. after trying In vain to drive
the foreign gunboats out of Yokohama, ho
slli.ped away one dark right and got a
ehlp for Shanghai, having determined to
wialt the western world and apy out the
secrets of the barbaric na who then threat
ened the very existence of his country. He
and Marquis Inouye took passage on an
other ahlp at Shanghai, and by It marie
their way around the Cspe-of Good Hop
to Europe. They had arranged for money
beforehand, but in mmt way there waa a
misunderstanding The captain of the ship
did not realise that ha had two young no
bles gflng off on a tour of investlge.tion.
He treated them as sailors and made them
work during a great part of their passage.
The two boys knew no English, and when
they were dumped out on the atreeta of
lndon they were at a loss where to go.
They had letters of credit on Jardlrie,
Malhleson Co., a great English trading
firm, which still haa tta branches all over
China; but they had only a dollar In actual
cash, and they kat that before they had
gone many Worka. I referred to this story
during my talk with the prince thla morn
ing, and he told me It waa a true one. He
aaid that Inouye had picked up a loaf of
bread from a baker'a counter, and had la! I
thla, their laat coin, down, expecting that
the man would give them some change.
To their surprise, the baked threw the erin
Into the till and motioned U Uhju .z so on.
They could not apeak Englleh and they
had to submit. They soon mads their way
t Jardine. Mathleaon sr Co.. and there
found the money waiting for them, aa they
had expected. Tbelr prince had forwarded
a credit cf. S8.O00, red from that time on
they 'had plenty. "
Prince Ito said that be and Marquis
Harriman
HIS Is the story ot young Ed
ward II. Haniman, not of tha
Edward Henry Harrtman,
financier and railroad magnate,
but of the lad tn those years
before greatness cams to him.
T
In years
forming.
whsa his character was
And, Incidentally. it Is a
story of young Hsrrtman's on great ambt
tinn an ambition which never waa and
necer will be achieved.
In those younger days hsdectdd tha he
would like to be a soldier, ths greatest
soldier of all Urns, for bo thought of what
tha future might bring only tn tha super
lative sense. We wanted to go to West
Point, to study ths game of war, to tit
himself to fight for his country tn time of
need, and well, to wear one of those natty
uniforms with all those brass buttons.
All of his brothers and sisters knew of
his ambition. It was not a secret at all.
although after all these years tha fact
haa been almost forgotten, and is only
Iowa
III
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PATIENTS AT Trial IOWA TVBEROUI.OSIS SANITARIUM IN THEIK OUTDOOR tLJCETINO QUARTERS.
LEE PIN d end resting In their
s
sting cots on tha wide veranda
of the Iowa State Tuberculosis
Iwapital at Oak Dale, ninety
men and woruea are fighting
the "white plague under the
skillful direction of Dr. H K. Klrschner.
the superintendent No matter bow cold
the weather or how arvere the bliasard.
the patients opsitd from ten to eighteen,
hours .f its terntj-four la their outdoor
aleepii epertiueuis. The enure advanced
Inouye were amated at the wonders of our
civilisation and that they had Dot been ra
England three months before they realised
that Japan must be thoroughly reorganised
and educated along modern lines before It
could hope to compete with the. forces
about them. That conclusion of three two
Japanese boys marks the real beginning tf
the new Japan. The prince told me today
bow they came back around the cap la
another sailing vessH; and how, when
filled with the Importance of their mission
they reached Yokohama, they did not dare
land for fear of thrlr own countrymen
there, who had no faith In their atari,
and how they had to be taken in a fore urn
gunboat back to their horns province,
where the prince of Chosln ruled.
Landmark ( the ew Japan.
Even then they narrowly escaped with
their Uvea because some of their fellows
thought they were traitors and that the
stoiis they told about the greatness of
our civilisation were falsehoods, and It
was sometime before thty could persuade
the prince to aid In the Inauguration of
the new government. At that time Ito
waa Just the axe of our boys who win
gtaduata from college this year. Ha was
barely SZ, and ainoe then hla whole lit has
been wrapped up In the New Japan. He cams
with the emperor to Tokio. and since then
he has been his majesty's right hand. There
Is no man more close to the emperor, and
no one with whom his majesty advises so
much from day to day.
Prince Ito has been four tlmea premier
and during the war with China be waa at
the head of the government. In the Rus
sian war he was the chief power behind
the throne, snd it is he today who la
largely directing the foreign policy of thia
country.
I met Prince Ito when I waa here In
At that time be gave roe an inter
view In which he forahadowed the war
with China. I met him again In 1900, when
the troubles were already beginning which
brought about the war with Russia, and
now, at the age of (7, I find him hale and
hearty, throwing hia whole strength Into
the building up of the empire, and In the
reorganizing, on a modern basis, the land
and the people of Korea.
'
At Hesse with Prlaee Ita.
Before I give you our conversation, which
covered a wide range, both ipersonal and
political. I would like to describe the cir
cumstances of our meeting. It waa at hia
new villa, near Omorl. half way between
Toklo and Yokohama, that his highness by
appointetnnt received me. I took a jin
rikisha at the station and with my human
horae rode for more than two miles on a
road shaded with pine treea. There were
many little shops, a temple or two and
some beautiful villas along the way. leav
ing tho road, we climbed a hill and en
tered a garden of many acres filled with
fine shrubbery, out of which looked sev
eral bronse storks and other works of
Japanese art. In the center of this was a
large building with walls of jane and heavy
overhanging roofs. This was Prince Ito's
ilia. It has wide verandas running about
it and the walls are so arranged that they
elide back and forth, permitting many of
Its rooms to be thrown Into one. Ths '
building Is mostly one story, but It Is so
large that It covers an scrs or mora. A
sort of temple-Ilka projection forms a ports
cochera, and It waa bera that I was mat
by Mr. Hisatsuna Furuya, the private
secretary cf his highness, and led into a
reception room. . ....
After waiting there 'a moment t was told
that the prince was ready to receive me.
Wanted
revived now and then when Mr. Harriman
and Us relatives meet to talk about old
times. But tha ambition played a very im
portant part In hia youth.
That love of fighting was with htm
then, back fifty years ago, when he waa
slender stripling, hardly heavy enough to
stand up before a rooster or a vindictive
turkey gobbler. But this can be said of
him: Ha never ran away from trouble.
Any of Ua boyhood pals who are now
alivs win tall you that.
O
TRarly steeelleetleB,
Bdward Henry Haniman waa born la
the rectory of 8t George's Bptaeopal church
at Hempstead, L- L That was back In
1Mb. Mr. Harriman does not look It, but
bo admits to be SO years. His father, ths
fte. Orlando Harriman, was then rector
of St. George's. There were six children,
four boys and two glrla Orlando H. Hani
man, Edward's eldest brother. Is still living.
Ha baa made money and a name la ths
Tuberculosis Hospital
tne aiecaae in longnr iisae is spent is
the open air. now no tnese rrau ana oia-
eased bodies stand the rigorous treatment
ts a common query. Hot water bol ties,
wraps, blankets, etc. keep tha bodies warm,
but the lunge rscelve the benefit of th
pure air is meatne.
Accurate statistics sre kept ot the weight
of each person. Those who sre blow nor-
anal weight are given six meala a day. The
three extra meals sre served at t la the
aaornifcg. la the afteruovn and a in the
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T. if
PRINCE
We walked dots a long hall and entered a
great parlor, which waa carpeted and
furnished to foreign style. A moment later
Prince Ito entered. We shook hands and
he led me to a seat and aat down at some
distance away opposite me. There waa a
sofa at the side between us. and a little
later. In order to ahew his highness one
of my former Interviews with him. 1
moved to thia and thus sat at hia right
hand, almost touching him as he talked.
During tha conversation one of the at
tendants brought In two email cupa of de
Ucioua Japanese tea. It waa very hot. and
I noticed that hla highness drank It with
out cream, putting In two lumps of sugar
to sweeten It. There were cigars on the
table, and Prince Ito smoked as he talked.
Korea far (he Kereasi.
During the conversation the subject of
Korea came up, and I asked Prince Ito
whether It waa his Intention to Japjtnize
that country and whether Korea aaa to
be wiped out as an Independent nation.
"That depends on Korea herself," re
piled the Japaneae resident general. "I
should like to see Korea independent,
provided Its independence could be ar
to Be a Soldier When He Was a Boy
real estate business in Brooklyn, where he
sow resldea.
The early days of the Harriman family
wars dark ones that la, so far as posses
sion of worldly goods went. They were very
poor and remained so until after had gone
Into Wall street as a clerk and waa study
ing tha lnalde workings of that wonderful
piece of machinery.
The Rev. Mr. Harriman, although a man
f aftlstio breeding, who had married a
girl from one of the beat families of New
Jersey, was in no sense a business man.
He bad not ths faculty of gathering money
which developed so strongly In Us son In
after years. A year after Edward was
born his father took Mb little brood over
ts Stated Island, where be became assis
tant rector at St. Paul's church, Castleton.
And after a year there he was without a
charge, but managed to eke out a scanty
existence for himself and his family filling
tn for various rectors when a temporary
TO""
f.
nuf i we ( mom s ""la
are serves ai inese luncaea.
The Iowa hospital has beea a great eue-
eess from the Beginning. Applications have
beea received far la aaoeas of the capacity
of ths hospital. Only tha more promising
cases nave seen taaen. ust e uta swaae
features of ths work la the turning sway
of asptloaata Often this ' haa mads ths
case aeraaaaently hopeless. This is the
reaaoa for the present agitation ta build
euoihsr tuUereuloal hospital ia the stata.
ITO.
ranged in auch a way that we can be sure
that it will always be the friend of Japan.
The geographical situation of the country
Is such that It la necessary to our peaceful
existence aa a nation that it be friendly
to us. and that to a certain extent It be
c ntrolled by mi. If the Koreans could
convince ua that would be the case and
they would hold to their promises, they
might be independent. Otherwise they
must be subordinate to Japan, if not, they
will be forming alliances with other na
tlona and they would be sure to bring ua
trouble of one kind or another.
"As to 'Korea for the Koreans.' I hope
that we ahall give the nation a continued
existence as auch, although It may be a
aort of a dependent Independence. We
want to aid them In developing their coun
try along the linea of the new civlliratlon;
and that we are trying to do. Our first
purpose is to make the country quiet, or
derly and law-observing. We are trying
to wipe out Injustice and extortion, and
are establishing courts. We have Instituted
a few schools. Ws hsve built some rail
roads, and aa soon as we have money we
shall build more. My chief trouble at pres-
assistant was needed.
And in these years little Edward waa
growing apace, although he never developed
any sign of becoming a physical gisnt.
3"hoe who knew him then say he waa an
attractive little chap, thin, but with large
Intelligent eyes which were seldom atlll
for a moment When be waa yeara old
the family moved to Jersey City. It waa not
until 1853 that the Rev. Mr. Harriman had
a ateady charge again, and even then his
poverty did not materially leaven. He
assumed tha duties of rector of St. John's
in West Hoboken, at a aalary of 1200 a
year, fli yeara later hla salary waa 1374
in arrears. There waa trouble with the
vestry, and Mr. Harrimaa accepted a com
promise In which the vestry promised to
pay Mm t-3 In settlement of ths debt,
with interest in six months,
lng of Edward was very scant, although
during the time he was enabled to go to a
church school he studied assiduously, his
associates say. While the family lived over
on the Jersey side of the Hudson. Edwarl
and bis eldest brother, Orlando, came
across to Manhattan every dsy for mors
than tno years and studied at Trinity
school, which was then at Fourteenth
street and Eighth avenue. Tbey came over
on the ferry every morning, carrying their
luncheon, and went back In the afternoon.
At that time Edward waa very slonder.
and hla eyes seemed to have grown out of
proportion to the rest of him. He outgrew
thia later.
But he had developed remarkably men
tally. He was one ot the most alert of all
the boys who studied at Trinity school st
that time, It is said.
The West Point ambition waa strong in
fcim then. Possibly that accounts for the
eagerness with which hs devoted himself
to his studies. He knew that to enter West
Point he must be well grounded In msny
studies. And that goal was constantly be
fore him. His playmatea tn those days will
tell you that hia favorite game waa playing
soldier. With a little wooden sword fash
ioned out of a piece of lath and a crude
model of a musket whittled from a white
pine board, he and his plarymstes would
drill for houra over in Jersey near their
borne.
Young Harriman waa usually the leader
In this soldier play. Hs was not physically
molded tor a leader ia military affairs, but
this st-emed to have been overcome by the
Indomitable spirit of the lad. And. of
course, there was his avowed Intention of
golug some day to West Point and becom
ing a real soldier. All of his playmatea rec
ognised that thla waa an argument, and a
strong one. for hla claim to leadership.
- Bo the boy Harriman drilled and ma
neuvered his band of trusty soldier lads,
and they had many hilarious hours charg
ing an Imaginary enemy and putting to
rout tha opposing forces whk-h existed only
In their Imaginative little bralna.
Those games of tag and hide and seek
which wers in vogus among the children of
that period never appealed strongly to Ed
ward Hsrriman. If hia trusty followers of
tha "military" were net around, he pre
ferred to atay In the house and read. He
studied at borne, too. aad st one time his
parents came to think that ths lad waa
taxing Ma eyes too much.
When he was 14 the wolf was still tlnger
tng before the Harrtniaa door. Ths lad
nought and found a Job as clerk la a Wsll
street office. His studies st Trinity school
were abandoned, but not hla atudies at
noma. That ambition to go to West Point
and enter the military academy did not
begin to (ads until years afterward, lie
etit Is the lark of money. It takes mors
than good will to create civilisation; and
that la what we have to do In Korea
"How about the new emperor of Korea,
your highness?" I asked. "Does be shew
any anility?"
"Yea; he hat developed much aince he
waa put on the throne. He now roes about
outside the palace and hla eyes seetn to be
apeniag to the possibilities of his country.
The crown prince, his brother, is a bright
boy; and I should not be surprised to find
that be will make a good ruler. He la now
with max hers In Japan; and la learning
smoothing of the great world outside
Korea."
At this point Prince Ito showed ma a
photograph which he had recently had
taken of hltnee f wtklsiUU corwa prince
standing beside him.
Vrllsa Peril.
I next referred to the gret awakening
that ts going on la Asia, speaking of the
unrest In Persia, India and Turkey, aad
the new movement . in China, and aaked
his highness to tell n what he thought
Asia might be fifty years hence. He re
plied: ,
"That X will not venture to predict, but
the ohangea will be many."
"How about tha yellow peril? Will the
yellow races with their many nvllkns or
ganize and combine to fight the whits
onee?"
"The yellow peril." said Prince Ito. "Is
tha roost spectacular chimera that has ever
beea brought forth by the diseased Imagi
nation of the sensational newspaper. I
believe they call It 'the yellow Journal' 'n
your country. The idea la absurd. Vpon
what baala eould (here bp auch a combina
tion? Take the matter of religion! Bud
dhiat faith, which Is generally held in
Japan and also largely In China, la far
mora liberal than the Christian. When we
adopted our constitution we proclaimed
freedom for all religions; and we still allow
every man to think and believe for him
self. You ran never make a military com
bination of nations or fight a war on any
such baala We could not combine against
you on the ground of religion.
"Then there Is the matter of color. Wa
may not like a man for hla complexion, but
natlona do not make war on such grounds.
Betides, color la not a national distinction.
We people have different skins from you,
but we have the same wants and are mov
Irg along the same lines of Intellectual
life. There Is no ground for war there.
"Lastly, there la the matter of trade.
That belongs to the field of the pocket
ItK.k, and is more connected with the In
dividual then with the nation at large.
War will not make people buy your
golfs, and the moment the Individual of
a ration find It Is to their Injury to sus
pend their relations with other nations
thty will object. The west and the east
are bound together along trade lines, and
lr Is supremely ridiculous to talk of a
wholesale conflict between them."
S
The Chlarae A 11 la are.
"How about thia alliance which la said
to be forming between China and ' the
United States?"
"I don't think til ere la anything In It. for
the very reasons I hare mentioned. The
Chinese will trade with the United Ststes
Just aa much and aa long aa it pays them
financially to do so. When It does not psy
their business will go elsewhere. Besides,
what could China contribute to an alliance,
offenalve and defensive? Nothing in Its
present situation, and nothing for years ts
come. I cannot think that the United
thought he could save up a tidy little sum
after working In Wall street and use It In
defraying the expenses necessary to obtain
ing a military training
Usrslaa the Stock (iasae.
In the rush and excitement of Wall
street which prevailed eren In those
early daya the modest doings of young
Harriman seem to have been lost to his
tory. He waa only one of thouaanda of
clerks who hustled each day about the
streets in ths center of financial and
speculative activity In New York, doing
errands for his employers or answering
the beck ant1 call of those above him la
the WaU street office.
At that time he gave little Indications of
the ability which later was to become so
widely known. Those who remember
him during that period say that be was
full of fun. loved to Jest, and to tnatcb
hla vita with those of his age. 'And at
odd times during the day the lad would
study ths rules of the game, galling
knowledge of the lnalde of Wall street
which haa stood him In such good stead
since thoss yeara.
Even at that time young Harrimaa bad
the quality of makmg up his mind for
himself and of holding to his own opin
ions. It wes not exactly pig-bsadedneaa,
although some of his enemies, if hs had
any then, might have so termed It. His
desires were never mors than modest
ones, but what he wanted be got. He
had the knack of doing thla In most
everything.
He was no longer little Edward Harrt
man. and if any one had apokan so of
him It Is likely there would have beea
trouble. And still that ambition to study
at West Point remained. It had begun
to grow a little dim, but It was still
there. He never referred to It, except
t his brother Orlando, and when he did
it waa In a wistful aort cf way, aa though
be were beginning to realize that a sol
diers life waa probably not for him. Tha
ambition died a few yeara later, when
be began to play the Wall atrett gams In
earnest.
rallfledged Trader.
One day in August, it waa the
13th of the month he bought a seat on
the New York Btock exchange and be
came a trader on the floor of that
body.
There are many erodes which tell of
the manner in alilcb Edward H. Harri
maa got the wherewithal to buy that
seat. One ia that' he had been plunging
in the market with all he possessed dur
ing the corner in gold, engineered by
Gould. Piak. Klmber. and other; that
Harriman took Ua profits on the famous
"Black Friday." and Invested them all
in the seat on the Btock exchange. There
is still another story to ths effect that
be was assisted to It by a relative a
member of the Oliver Harrimaa brancn
of ths family. Neither story has ever
been confirmed, because E. H. Harriman
never speaks now of that early stage of
hia financial career, and the remaining
members of ths Harrimaa family respect
his wishes 1 and refrain from talking
bout It.
Mr. Harrimaa cams to be recognised
after ftve years or so of trading aa acts
ef tha few who eould auake money, na
matter which way tha market turned,
and ons who knew bow ts keep bis
morey when he made it.
That ambition Ui become a soldier had
States would be sa foolish aa to thlrk of
a combination where It would have to give
all and receive so little."
Jaaaa aad the I alted states.
"Whst ts the attitude of Japan toward
tha United States, your highness?"
"It la friendly, and I have no doubt but
that It will continue bo. There have been
some little unpleasant thing about the
treatment of our lmmlgtantt and of our
children In the rehoole of your Taclfic
slope, but they will not affect the friend
ship of the two natlona. Aa to Japan want
ing to make aar with your country, that la
ridiculous. There la no auch sentiment
among our people. Besides, we are a small
country, with comparatively little wealth.
Your country la great in sise and Ita re
sources are enormous. You have vast
areaa of the moat fertile soil, the rlcbea of
your mines are Incalculable and your peo
ple are many. Why should Japan seek to
enter Into a struggle with you?
"Besides, ouv country has always looked
upon you as Its best friend. We have been
associated together for years In the olosest
relations In the family of natlona and have
never bad a disagreement. We appreciate
your friendship of the past and we shall
reciprocate It whenever we can.
I oel Haas mm4 Prlneo I to.
"As far aa I myself am concerned."
Prince ito continued. "I wish to earn ess
my kind regard for your people and your
government. They have bean good to ma
la the past, and I owe them much. I
visited your country years ago to study
your financial system. I then spent ail
months there, sad during a great part of
that time waa In Washington, D. C. That
was when General Grant waa president and
Mr. Bout will secretary of the treasury
Oener.tl Grant waa very kind and Secretary
Boutwell put all the information of your
Treasury department at my disposal. It
was through the studies that I made there
that I waa able to formulate the financial
ayatem which Japan now has, and to ac
quire other knowledge which has been of
benefit to me. and I hope also to my
country."
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Japaa Dora .Not Want Phlllpplaea.
"But how about thla talk of Japan wish
lng to acquire the Philippines? It is said
by Borne of our newspapera that you seek
a war with us In the hot of sddlng the
Philippines to your territory?"
"That also is ridiculous." replied Prince
Ito. "The subject of the Japanese owner
ship of the Philippines has never been dis
cussed In this country, and fit certainly
haa not been mentioned In the counclla of
our government. I have no doubt that
those Islands are rich and valuable, and
that they will be of good to your peoJ
la attracting their attention to the great
field of Asiatic trade. I believe that they
have already done so. and that the In
crease In your business In thla part of the
world is owing somewhat to that Interest.
It seems to me that the United States can
not afford to let the Islands go and that
aa a world power la muat accept the situa
tion and work the problem out to a con
clusion. 'As to ths Asiatic market, you will need
it mors and more as time goos on. You
have enormous supplies of raw materials
and your skill la manufacture Is such that
you must have a world market. One of the
beat markets of the future will be found on
thla aide of the globe."
t - '
Fataro Japaa.
"What la to be the - place of Japan tn
that market, your highness?" I asked.
"We hope to do a great deal of the trad
ing, snd wa ought to do a large part of the
become a thing of the past, and the only
fighting which fate had decreed that be
ahould engage In waa the bloodless fight
against the money kings, a fight Into
which he has for many years thrown
Popular Newspaper Editor
CHAThX.ES M. DAT.
President South Dakota Press Association.
Del
HARLHS M. Day of Sioux
Falla, 8. I)., who a few days
sgo waa elected preeldent of
21
the South. Dakota Prtea asso
ciation for ths coining year, la
one ef the best knewa and saost position sa repo- ter oti the paper to bis
popular of the newspaper men of South preatjii place aa editor and one of the
Dakota. He Is a native of lows, having principal owners of the Argua-Ieader,
beea bora at Sidney, in that state. In UO. a hick now la on of the best paying news
He is a son of the lata Chief Justice James paper propertkea in the aortbweet. "Ctiarlss '
O. Day. of the Iowa supreme court, and Day, as he is familiarly called by las
Is a brother of Judge George A. Dsy of numerous frieada. ta one of the ablest
Omaha. Us was educated at Taoer CGUefc editorial writers la tne alals or awrtk e t.
manufacturing.' waa the reply. "We are
here tight on the edge of C'Mns, with sa
abundant supply of labor, which la com
paratively cheap and which la both artistic
and adaptable to the handling of ma
chinery. There ought to be opportunities
for combination of American capital and
American raw materials In the manufacture
of goods for ua here on thee Islands for
the great market of China. We are e the
ground. Ws understand the field and tha
natives of the countries about as. and wa
have auch trade connections In tho way of
steamship linea and other linea that I be-'
lieve that the capitalists of the two na
tions working together could do better than
either could alone. We very much desira
American capiat."
"That brings up tha financial condition
cf your empire. Japan la now In ths throes
of hard tlmea. What la to be your future
along such lines?"
"I think we Bhall rapidly recover from
the distress we have been lately experien
cing. Wa have had a big war aad tn con
sequence wo have an enormous debt which
muat be paid. We are rich, aowevar. la
resources of many klnda and by holding
back a little snd economising murk tha
business of the country will soon take cars
of Itself. As It Is today, Japan ts not alone
In having financial troublea Similar con
ditions have existed during ths laat year
throughout your own country and also tn
Europe."
Not a Nation of Imitators.
"Speaking of manufacturing." aald I.
"your highness haa frequently heard :ha
statement made that the Japanese carnat
do original work a'.CJtg euch linea and that
you are only a nation of copyists and
Imltatora"
"That la not true," aaid Prince Ito. "The
Japanese are naturally Inventive and
creative and the world la rapidly finding
them so. When we began to adopt tha
new civilization we had to Imitate that
which had already been Invented. Tne
field waa new to ua and we had to learn
It before we attempted to make any Im
provements. The fact that we have copied
and successfully reproduced so much of
ths work of the western natlona la In It
self remarkable. But that la not all. Of
late years there have been many Japaneae
Inventions. Take the new thlnga along
tha linea of modern warfare which wa
have created. We have nf lea of our own
make, field guna Invented by Japanese,
and also our powder and other ex
plosives. At the close of the China-Japanese
war I thought we ought to be mak
ing our own guns, and I spoke to a steel
superintendent in our employ. He replied
that If I would give him the money for
the purpose he would organise a factory
and build -the guna.
" 'But,' aald I. 'ths making of guna and
armor plate ts by secret processes, which
no nation will reveal to outsiders. How
will you get the information and machin
ery necessary 7
"He replied: 'If I have the money, I am
sura that I can make the guns.'
'The result was that ws concluded to try
the experiment. We furnished him what
he wanted, and we are now building as
good guns ss those of any other country.
Ws are making some of twelve-Inch and
also the shells which are used in them.
We are making our own armor plate and
are building gunboats. In all of these
things we have Invented many Improve
mer ts. It is not fair to say that ths
Japaneae la an Imitator only. Ha la a
creator of remarkable ability."
FRANK Q. CARPENTER.
at Home
those energies which, had bla early am-
bltlon been gratified, might have led him
to the top rank of the military forces of
the United Btatea. Who knows? New York
Times.
at Tabor. Iuna. araluailna in IHafL Afior
graduation he went to Sious; Falls and
cvl,'a position on tne Pally Argus-
Lsovr. as the result of a natural aptitude
for newspaper eutk and close attention te
buainets he has advanced lilraaelf from a
