Morning journal and courier., 1894-04-09

peror to undo his own act of lsss year, In which, to save the house from dissolution, he pledged himself to contribute annually for six years three hundred thousand dol lars towards the new navy, which exam pie all officials followed. The house glad ly welcomed that gracious act of their su,- peror c year ago, but now they requested Its disconttnusnes In order to lesislsfe radically on the reduction of all oficisl salaries.
 In addition to this refusal to pass the oaoget, and this endssvor to demolish the cabinet, they proceeded to take up tHe del icate question of foreign relations, A It, causes of the so-callsd snti-foreigu feeling in Japan, but 1t is sufficient hsre to say that the movement gsirei sush hsF9lHSz iass year that an outbreak of some fiEd vas Inevitable. The climax Has rsache<fL In the Diet, where repfeserz4tion to t4k governmeR&on the strict enforcement 6< the treaties was brought up. This waes about to be followed by another address to the throne, accusing the cabinet of osing grossly careless of the nstional honor In going before e foreign tribunal at Shanghai to secure decision concern. ing the sinking of a Jspaness gunbost by British steamer.
 These repeated appeals to the emperor, together with the open purpose to op- pose the cabinet 10 the bitter end, were as much ss the government could be sx- pected to endure patiently. They could permit violent opposition to themselyes, but when it came to imperillIng the pescetul relations with the treaty powers something had to be done The govern ment prorogued the Diet for ten dsys, hnr1tncy hat ,.ta, sign matter would be given up. But the ant- foreign spirit rather gained force during the recess, and when the house rsassembled, one days sitting showed such c strong determination to succeed that s second propagation was ordered, which was followed by dissolution, with the significant statements from the min isters that the government would never consent to put the whole budget into the hands of the house, and would never permit any agitation that threatened to interfere with the full opening of Japan on all progressive lines.
 Now nothing could be more natural, considering the unique history of this people, than that a large section of this people should look back with longipgs for the good old days when class priVi- leges were enjoyed and outsiders were considered barbsrians. There are still some Jspsnese who would. if possible, keep all foreigners out of Jspsn, or else rigidiy restrict them 10 the marrow con cessiIns of the open ports Tbere are others who think the national dignity would be maintained by s strict enforce ment of the present outgrown treaties until equal treaties can be secured. There ts yet another class who would even strain foreign relations for the sake of enbar- rsssing and overthrouipg the cabinet But besides thsse reasons for the rise of the snti-foreign feeling, theTe is one more that Is ss vsighty Rs all others combined. The powerful machinery of the department of education has without a doubt been used in such & way as necessarily to tend to arouse 6 spirit of dislike towards foreigners. One of the sblest papers of the capital recently said that the educational department had made the nation drunk with its exec ssively nationslissie teachings, snd now the harmful effects were being seen to fuch an extent that 1t would be impossible to cool the fever for many 8 day.
 It Is remarkable that su enlightened government resOlutely bent oa having Japan go forward should have an irfia- eDtisl department insisting sll these yesrs on such a teaching of Japsnese history as to rsiss up su entire generation im- buGu VT Attr Wltu tue NlbEklA Lnht | the treaty powers sre unSelcome cut siders and are interior to Jspansse. In all the primary and normal schools Jap snese history is taught as though this uation descended directly from the gods, tue inference being that the outside ma tons have no such exalted origin. This inference is strengthened by ,he one sidsd manner in which the "Empsror's Rescript on Loyalty aud FIlial Piety" Is every SwheIe taught. No mention is made of the great fact that Japan Is in treaty re- lstions with ail the powers of the world, and the inference is often positively left in the minds of youth that loyalty and natred of foreigners are virtually syuouy- nous. It thus happens that the places where foreigners are the sarest of hearing the insulting epithets, "Hsiry bsrbarisns," ''Rsd besrds," &c., are where they meet the pupils of primary and middle schools T had rather meet the devil than a pack of school boys," said 6 foreigner once to ne. And there are few cities In which ladies are SO persistinRly called vile names
 that 't is torture for thsm 10 go into the Il streets.
 It is not strange that the racial feeling here comes easily to the surface In our | treatment of some foreigners in the States | we are not so immaculate that we csn just- II | can fully sympAthizs with the educational Il department In its desire to insist strongly | on the old virtues of Japan during thess Il transition times. But we cannot but ex press an sstonishment when this depart ment offers the same narrow and eouceited view of the origin of the Japanese to the peoples of the west in its "History of the Empire of Japan. This book vas ''intend- Il ed for the use of visitors to the Jspanese II -E al. n-n- ton In Chicsgo," and on its opsning pages
 Is this fossil: ''Deseended in 6 direct line from the heavenly deItIes, the emperor has
 stood unshAken in his high place through | all generations"
 Now there are scores of Japanese schol-
 srs who could have compiled this history
 on q scientific basis, yet In this official
 book all pathological and ethnoloeicsl
 questions are absolutely suppressed, and
 the English-resding world is asked with a
 soft apology to take the origin of the Jap.
 snsse ss direct from the mytholosicsl
 gods, IzanAsi and IZsnsmi, and to rsg.rd
 the first emperor, Jlmmu Tenuo. As tix
 generations from these two gods. A book
 that has so much of the modern spIrit in
 its last pages, treating of the relations
 with foreign powers. and shozing so praise worthy a spirit of moderation and
 justice, Is sadly dls6gured with such sn | exhibition of narrow pstonsiism In its
 arst chapters Yiscouat Mori's little
 sketch of the origin of bis race in his "Ed-
 ucation h JapAn," publishei tEenty years
 ago In the States, is infinitely better in iis
 scientific spirit than this high priced and
 beautifully illustrated "History Of the
 Empire of Japan"
 These are come of the reasons that led
 up to the sppearAnce of a strong anti for
 eign sentiment in the Fifth Diet. But |,
 is every way to the credit of the cabinet
 that the Diet was promptly and plainly
 told that no Legislation would be permitted | to touch the question of the treaties. The
 cabinet officials have, however, strong en-
 emies, and no one can tell how long they
 can withstand the attacks which are grow
 ing more and more determined. Only las,
 week thirty-eight members of the House
 of Peers sent sn open letter to the csbine,
 strongly condsmnipg the dissolution of the
 house without allowing a discussion of the
 strict enforcement of treaties. And
 though the premier has vigorously replied,
 sayingi "The government is opposed tc
 that pettiness which erults In the subjec-
 ton of people from distant lands to yexs
 tiously conceived inconveniences and dis
 advantages yet there is a very wide feel
 ing in the country that the cabinet cannot exist much longer. One thing, however
 is quite sure, and that Is that no anti for eign feeling is likely to result in acts oi
 open hostility to foreigners. We canno, | kxus kov fk.f h.f sk. Al