. An American engineer in China . is quitefree from the objection that may be broughtagainst the Indian railways as standards of com-parison, because here we have all the usual ori-ental conditions without foreign pressure, exceptperhaps in the case of such foreign engineers orothers as may have been retained from time totime for advice. Hence, in the Japanese systemwe find an example by which we can judge of thepossibilities of development as to the capacity ofthe Eastern Asiatic not only to adapt himself tonew conditions, but to take up the constructionand management of so essentially an occ
. An American engineer in China . is quitefree from the objection that may be broughtagainst the Indian railways as standards of com-parison, because here we have all the usual ori-ental conditions without foreign pressure, exceptperhaps in the case of such foreign engineers orothers as may have been retained from time totime for advice. Hence, in the Japanese systemwe find an example by which we can judge of thepossibilities of development as to the capacity ofthe Eastern Asiatic not only to adapt himself tonew conditions, but to take up the constructionand management of so essentially an occidentalidea as a railway, and also of his own initiative tosuggest, promote, and carry out new hues. The case of Japan is peculiar. Prior to the visitof Commodore Perry, in 1853, it was a countrypractically closed to the outside world, and wastherefore far behind its neighbor, China, whichhad been carrying on trade with foreign nationsfor over three hundred years. In 1870 there wasundertaken the construction of a line from Tokyo,. Chapter IX: Railways 271 the capital, to Yokohama, the chief port, a dis-tance of eighteen miles, whose operation was be-gun in 1872. In 1893 the system had grown to1,871 miles, and at the present time there are inactual operation about 4,000 miles. These railways are of three kinds: first, theGovernment line, which constitutes the main stem,from Tokyo westerly along the coast through thegreat centres of trade and population, Yokohama,Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe; second, private lines,built with the aid of a Government subsidy;third, private lines, without Government aid. Ofthe existing mileage, about nine hundred milesbelong to the Government and 3,100 miles toprivate companies, of which the most importantis the Nippon Railway Company, whose lines runeast and northeast from Tokyo. The early Japa-nese lines were built by foreign, usually English,engineers and operated by foreign nearly all the foreigners have since been re-placed by Japanese o
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectrailroa, bookyear1900
