The informant observed that the newspapers printed in English Japan did not give much news con cerning the hostilities" in China, and what was published was wholly favourable 10 Nippon, Newspapers and magazines from Europe and America were, however, now enter ing more freely, and educated circles today know a great deal about the war situation in China, including the Japanese excesses. The lack of a Fevolt of feeling against these on the part of the people was extremely Aisappointing to the observer.
Ju moving around the cities men tioned one was struck by the fact that interpreters, chauffeurs and tradesmen spoke tittle of the but they remarked upon the increase in living expenses and the gradual diminution of such gaiety as is to be found in ordinary times in restaurants, night-clubs, and similar places.
"The cost of living has gone up considerably, and in some cases restric~ tions were causing more shortage than one is aware of in Shanghai. There is no actual deficiency, but the military regime is taking no chances and {s conserving supplies such a way that, however long hostilities continue, there will be no portage in any vitally necessary commodity. tiousness against being unjustly accused of espionage was probably the explanation, "Bypionophobe" lies like a black cloud upon the people of the land, and the observer came away wondering whether in becom-Ing westernized Japan was losing her historic bushido, and putting in Mts place a craven fear of spying He gradually developed a feeling that if one spoke openly and freely about the position in China one might be suddenly arrested, whisked away and subjected to third degree treatment.
Among the foreigners who did venture to speak he found opinion Aivided—some hoping for the victory of one side and some the other—and while there were some who spoke somewhat strongly of the excesses of the Japanese, others seemed anaequainted with the real facts and Indifferent thereto, People's'Stolelsm in Kobe Disaster Judging by what he saw of the aftermath, the Kobe floods of early July must have been very terrible—much more formidable than the off sial reports inferred. Instead of <here being 400 deaths as announced, kero were over 2,000, while the materia! damage was incalculable. And this was not all. The whole elghbourhood, reaching beyond Osaka, was thrown into extreme tonic. "Was this a punishment of the gods for Japan's invasion of China?" was a question asked by not a few. Some competent observ-ars felt that had Russia been aware of the numbness caused to a great part of Japan by this dire calamity she would have found it @ psychological moment to redress the shame of the Japanese defeat in 1904. An air invasion of Japan st that time, it' was felt, would have led to speedy end of the hostilities in Chins and of the Russo-Japanese tension. Ponie lasted a week, by which time the Government got' the position in bond again.
The observer came away with a feeling of sadness at the policy adopted by the Japanese military party, that with the sincere admiration for the brave way the Japanese people faced this recent disaster, as indeed they meet the many natural eetastrophes which overtake the country from time to time.
Chinese Warned Against Delusions The impression gained by the observer is that the military are de-Gnitely in the saddle and are going to follow their own devices, regard-ess of the temporary inconvenience caused the general public. It would, he thinks, be a mistake for the Chinese Government and people to ceive themselves into the belief that there may be w breakdown in the internal government of Japan anything in the shape of a vevolution. At the present time, he thinks, there is not the slightest' possibility of this, Unquestionably there is chafing against militarism. which has the country in its grip, but the people accept the position, and look tupan the militarists as the cleverest, the most patriotic, and the wisest guides of the nation at this critical time. They are considered og more te be relied upon than the scheming politicians.
'The military—indeed all schools of thought—seein to be hardening in their insistence upon "apotheosizing' the Emperor, and this is leading to a Caesar cit reminiscent of the Roman Empire but unfamilicy to the modern world Two Workers Burned
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.