Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-07-14
DRIFT.

How mysteriously the laws OF orBpensa'
tion work In the world Thero are the
Chinese, who have suffered incalculablo
injury and nauleless insult aud In ust,ce at
the hands OF the American psople-all the
while they are getting In their revenge with
inexorsble certainty and annual regularity.
They have, In the mort hrtless and
manner Imaginable, introduced
Into our country their national piaything,
tho fire. cracker, which now avenges their
injuries and indignitiea received from NJ,
by every Fourth o! July killing and wound.
ing several hundred OF our people and de-
stroying from half @ million 70 q MIL
lion dollars worth OF our property. Did
they reckon on this when they brought
over the first OF their harmless looking
iirt.orackeIsT Perhaps they did.
"For ways that are dark, and tricks that are
The heAthen Chinee ia PECULIAR
can even imagine this same Hheathen
Chinee" smiling TO himself a superior
smile In his howery Kingdom when every
July ne iesas now the great "Christian
nation" and "most enlightened people" of
America, which looks down upon him
as "heatbon" end but "hslf civilized
year alter year celebrates Its great national
festival by killing and manning some
hundreds OF its people and burning up
hooiiy uOildTb WOIt0 OI Nh
property, ~ an Offering to the genius of
It's superior civilizstion;" how ut the same
time aud for libatioD to the ssme genius
II pours out miilions OF glasses OF intoxicst-
Ing drinks, and thereby sets hundreds and
thousands OF Its citizsns to making fools
and criminals OF themselves, to brAwIing
and fighting, while q counter libation OF
bitter tears ~ shed from the eyes OF the
anxious wives and children OF those same
citizens, TO whom the Fourth ofJ uly means
nothing but present snsne and shtse and
future want and woe. II this is Christian,
no wonder tho "ChiDeen prefers being
hoatheDl lit Ia mark Of "superior civil
ization," the celestial IL wise ia being con.
tent with his inferior kindl
i wonder what people will say OF our
Fourth OF July celebration two or three
centuries from now WHAT will be said of
1t by students of history and ciyiliz ton in
the year 20Ssr
But then II Isn't only tue celebration OF
our national holidays that is "queet" and
incopgruous, irrational aud foolish, but q
good many.other things too In tho midst OF
our boasted enlightenment there si!ll is a
vast deal OF folly, wrong, and true bar
bsrism. Not only here In America, mean;
but In older Europe as well.
An Illustration OF this occurs 10 me last
now. j road 1t in Mr.. Houses intensely
interesting novel OF japanese life, {" Yone
Ssnto,' now running as q serial Ia The
Atlantic MONTHLY Will quote the whole
passage, for It's statements are uuvarnished
historical truth though as yet but too little
known:
"1n July, 1870" says Mr. House, - oc-
CURED an hot which, In due time, will take
its place in history, Notwithstanding oil
Efforts TO exclude II, 80 ono OF the most re.
voting and inhuman outrsges ever per-
petrated bv superior force OF arms upon
public nation. Cholera, tho most dread, Il
scourge OF the far East, had already made
Its appearance In isolated cases, and the
government OF Japan was slraiDing all It's
authority to anDul the damages Of
former years by establishing al
effective quarantine at the most fire.
quented sesporlp. In thu midst OF
thtse laudable endeavoTs, a German mer.
chant steamer arrived at Y ok obama directly
from an Injected district. She was, natur
ally, ordered to comply with the auaran-
tine regulations duly promulgated. The
captain, however, appealed TO the German
diplomstio authorities, who Immediately
ssnt PIussian ship OF war to the scene,
under convoy ot which the suspected yes.
sci WAS brought into Yokohama harbor,
and her passengers and cargo landed, In
defiance OF protests and warnings from
Japanese officers OF every rank, and from
foreigners In their medical service. n
The German and British ministers boldly
m ain tanned that the interests Of CONN, erce
must not be endangered on 20 insufficient
plea as the possible destruction of auy In.
definite number OF japanese subjects by
one OF the most horrible pests known 10
mankind. For come timo, Inc sed, 1t was a
matter Of doubt whether British or German
vessels had been mainly instrumental In
importing the disease.
'Wth quick and angry stride the plague
took possession OF the country surrounding
the open ports, and the most populous part
OF the ompire was stricken with desolatiOn."
This historical passage occurs in the chap
ter, In the July numDer, that describes
most graphically the scenes and Incidents
during tho prevalence OF u cholera epidemic
IN Japan, in which the heroine of tho
novel, the charming Japanese girl "Yone,"
plays an important role. so, indeed, also
do the female missionaries OF Presbyte.
Iian mission there, for whom the author
evidently has not much love or respecr
Presumably he describes these bgots and
fanatics ss he actually knew them thou. h
II Ia hardly possible TO believe that anyone
like them ever really existed. Atany rate
II Is not fair for Mr.. House to max them
representatives, in any sense, OF Christian
missionaries and missionary meth eds In
japan or anywhere else.
'oho 'Shltp ~ SDllu OF Japan ~ Is
throughout "novel with purpose, -
Just M much ss Uncle Toms Cabin, or
Ramona, were. And unless / am much
mistaken 1t Is going to fulnl its purpose ns
thoroughly rs other CT these great novels
dic. Besides giving us the most full, ac-
curate, symps'hetic, and entertaining de
scripiion OF Japanese life, scenery, man
ners, customs and charscteristics, to be
found In literature, by an author who lived
IN Japan for many years, 1t does also most
mercllessy expose tho many barharous
ana disgraoefui wrongs and deeds OF I'm.
Justice that are perpetraied by foreigners In
japan, and by foreign nations upon J Japan,
under cover and with the sanction of the
NM ust laws and treaties governing the mer.
camille, social, and other relations between
japan ana the foreign countries OF Europe
ana America. The exposure Ia scarcely
less surprising aud appalling than was
that made by Mrs. Jackson In her Century
OF DIshoHor, which awoke tho people of
America 10 some sense at least or the
shameful wrongs the Indian had suffered
ana was suffering at their hands | be-
iieye " one Ssnto" will do for Jsnan
even more than Ramona could do for the
American Indian. Whether right or wrong
In this judgment, l feel sure every reader
Of the novel will say | am right ia calling
the story one OF the best writton, most
fresh, original, and interesting, novels that
has appeared for some time.
1he other strong novel, running parallal