The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-02

| tions, distinguished before all others by it's
capacity for progress and power of assimi-
| lating the ideas and the best fruits of West
ern civilization.
In one direction they appear disposed TO
adhere resolutely to the policy so loudly pro-
claimed by Taiko Sauna, and to bark back TO
their oldest traditions. They still object to
the conversion of their people--if they no
longer prohibit "strange doctors continuing
to preach" They have quite recently swept
away whole villages and doomed their inhabi-
tsnts to death or slavery for listening to mis-
sionaries. They seem, indeed, disposed to go
further still, and to uproot Buddhism, which
came from China, according to Japanese
chronologists, some five hundred years
b. c., superseded in great degree, but
never entirely, the native religion, i'll which
the Supreme Being is worshipped without
any kind of idolatry. This ancient aud
purer faith, it is said, the Japanese
ruler is now bent on restoring, to the ex-
clusion of every other. And it may be
remembered that in none of their treaties
with foreign powers could they be induced to
admit the federation clause imposed by force
alGjeltTe upon the Chinese Looking to the
sudden and sweeping character of the changes
above enumerated, it might be imagined that
the Japanese, like the inhabitants of Homo
lulu, had simply fallen under the sway of GER
tain entarprising Americans, who had OBJ
tanned sufficient influence to rey0lutonize
the State and place themselves in Office for
the administration of q constitution on the
European model. But nothing of the kind
has taken place. The Japanese are their own
regeneratOrs, although few foreigners have
been taken into their service. And no better
proof is needed than this tendency to revert
to their ancient faith, and cast out that which
has been SO long naturalized among them as
q foreign Importation
% When will China acknowledge Education
is the basis of all progress" and progress
itself an essential condition of the permanent
well-being and development of nation?
They are as far fr0m il now as they were if
the days of Kublai Khan, the Mongol con-
queror of the thirteenth century. And they
cling as obstinately to their Asiatic love on
repose, the traditions of the past and their
detestation of all innovation and progress, as
in the days of Confucius, who lived 500 years
before the Christian era. All honor to the
Japanese, then, who bid fair to be, at the op-
posite side of the globe, what the British
islanders have been on this, the pioneers of
progress, and with their courage and enterprise
to realize Taiko Sama's dreaA-if not of an
nexing the inert colossus, China, only separated
by narrow belt of sea- of far outstripping
it in the race of life and the requirement of
power to maintain their indepeHdence-no by
Theoretically closing their ports, but by freely
opening them to the commerce of all nations
Not, es the Chinese vainly strive, by refus-
ing access, so far as they dare, and blindly
treading round and round the same vicious
circle of Ignorance and prejudice; but by
going forth with their eyes wide open into all
lands, and profiting by the experience and
accumulated results Of ages of progress and
scientific culture.