sibilities will become actualities. Of course I admit that I may be
mistaken in my estimate of the future, but I think an estimate of the
future can only be based on a knowledge of the present, and it is upon
that knowledge that I mean to attempt some forecast of what I believe
to be the destiny of Japan.

"The Future of Japan" is a theme that has exercised the pens of many
writers, who have given to the world many and most divergent views in
regard thereto--the result, I think, of regarding the subject from a
narrow or single point of view, instead of looking at it broadly,
boldly, and dispassionately. In respect of a population of between
forty and fifty millions in rapid process of transformation and
taking on perhaps rather hurriedly, and, it may be, some superfluous
or unnecessary attributes of Western civilisation, it is not only
possible but easy to light on many ludicrous incidents and draw
absolutely false conclusions from them. One visitor to Japan, for
example, who wrote a series of essays on that country, since produced
in book form, the laudable object of which was to present to the
British public the real Japan with a view of counteracting the effects
of those "superficial narratives to be found by the dozen in
circulating libraries of the personal views and experiences of almost
every literary wayfarer who has crossed the Pacific," has followed
this bad plan in his remarks on "The Future of Japan." Imitation for
imitation's sake is, or was, in his opinion, a growing evil in Japan.
A certain gentleman, he relates, a wealthy merchant of Osaka, desired
to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of a copper mine coming
into the possession of his family. The plan he finally decided to
adopt was to present each of his three hundred employees with a
swallow-tail coat. Another Japanese gentleman, who had fallen in with
the habit of the New Year's Day call imitated from the Americans,
improved upon it by leaving on his doorstep a large box with a lid and
this notice above it: "To Visitors. I am out, but I wish you a Happy
New Year all the same. N.B.--Please drop your New Year's Presents into
the box." Over a well-known tobacconist's shop the writer of the book
in question observed the following notice: "When we first opened our
tobacco store at Tokio our establishment was patronised by Miss
Nakakoshi, a celebrated beauty of Inamato-ro, Shin-yoshiwara, and she
would only smoke tobacco purchased at our store. Throug