[17] The “Shakai Zasshi” has the following on the decrease of farmers: The causes of the phenomenon, briefly stated, are as below: (1) The current methods of farming require no intelligence in the farmer. He works very much like an animal in a purely mechanical fashion. Hence lads with minds are attracted to trade and industry. (2) The universality of education has increased the number of intelligent men among the lower classes, and this has made farmers discontented with their lot. (3) City life offers many attractions to active-minded persons; and hence in Japan, as in the Western world, there has been a steady flow of country people towards the towns. The statistics published on this matter show, that, whereas in 1889 the proportion of townspeople to the total number of inhabitants was 15 in every 100 persons, in 1898 it has risen to 18. This accounts for the scarcity of farm labor, which has constantly been complained of in recent years.—_Japan Mail._ [18] See tables in Appendix. [19] See Appendix. [20] See tables of weights and measures in Appendix. [21] Scidmore’s “Jinrikisha Days in Japan,” chap. xxxv., and Gribble’s paper in Transactions Asiatic Society of Japan, vol. xii. pp. 1-33. [22] Scidmore’s “Jinrikisha Days in Japan,” chaps. xxvi., xxvii. [23] See Davidson’s “Island of Formosa.” [24] See Transactions Japan Society, London, vol. i., for an interesting paper by Charles Holme, and Transactions Asiatic Society of Japan, vol. xxvii., for an elaborate and finely illustrated paper by Sir Ernest Satow, on “Bamboo.” [25] See Appendix. [26] Japan Times. See also Appendix. [27] See also chapter on “Æsthetic Japan.” [28] Lowell’s “Soul of the Far East,” pp. 114-117. [29] The Yankees of the East (Curtis), chap. xii. Also see Appendix. [30] “Unlike ordinary laborers _jinrikisha_ men have always to work in the open air, often in defiance of the elements, and irrespective of day or night. Sometimes they are covered from head to foot with dust and at other times drenched to the skin with water. Then again they experience a constant change in their bodily temperature, at one time perspiring from their arduous exertions, and at another shivering with cold. No one can doubt that such quick change in bodily temperature will sooner or later tell on the health of those unfortunate victims. At every street corner they are to be found on the eager look-out for customers, but exhaustion soon asserts its claim over them, as they invariably doze whenever and wherever they have the chance.” [31] See Appendix, for important railway statistics. [32] Japan is also in cable communication with the rest of the world via Hongkong, or Vladivostock, or Manila, or Honolulu; and press rates are available. [33] It should be pronounced Mah-ro͝o, _not_ Mă-roo´. [34] See Appendix. [35] See Appendix. [36] See table in Appendix. In 1912 the exports footed up $262,000,000, and the imports $309,000,000. [37] See Hamaoka’s pamphlet on “The Bank of Japan.”