The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-22
WAR OF China AND japan
Some Interesting Facts Explanatory
Of the Oriental ImbrogliO.
CHINA A STUMBLING BLOCK
The Celestial Empire Has Stood Out as a
Barrier Against Modern Civilization
as Represented by Japan, and the
War Has Followed Naturally.

as liit iCpOIlS III IelGIe1Ce u lIlt wal
between China and Japan are often
so meager and unsatisfactory, and as
the general public experiences difficulty
in obtaining the real facts, valued
contributor to The Tribune has thought
that brief statement shorn of all SUI
periiuous reading might prove of value
to our readers. The following is from
the pen of William Elliot GrifIis d. d..
author of Korea, the Hermit Nation
After answering several questions in
reference to the present struggle be-
tween Japan, China and Korea Dr.
Griffis continues as follows: "The pres
ent blossom of war has roots and the
three countries involved have prospec-
tive history. China for centuries called
herself the Middle Kingdom, regarding
all other nations as dependents, pupils
trlbute-bearers or barbarians. China
alone is ruled by heaven, and her en-
peror is the son of heaven. Only very
recently and under pressure of force has
she dropped the insulting term, "bar-
barian" and Savage" as applied to for
eign ENJOYS. Only very recently has
she acknowledged any of her children
or subjects who once passed beyond
her borders. Even yet she refuses to
grant full rights of audience to the
able plenipotentiaries of ChristendOm.
China considers her civilization per-
feet. She still clings to her abominable
and barbarian codes of law; Furnishing
the insane when they break the laws;
extracting confession of witnesses by
means of torture, and officially approx
ing of acts of savagery and primeval
barbarism which Christian nations have
long since discarded. In many respects
China is a wonderful country, with
many excellent traits worthy of imi-
tation and the Chinese are eminently a
peace-loving people. Japan twenty
five years ago, after a long internal
preparation and leavening by means
of the Dutchmen resident on her soil,
deliberately discarded Chinese civiliza,
tion and frankly adopted western ideas
as far as possible. She created q ma
tional army navy, revenue lighthouse,
educational, commercial and legal sys-
TENS based on western models, but
Japan's real advance is not along the
paths of war. Her stamina today rests
in the justice accorded to all classes;
in the abolition of caste; in the reduc-
tion of the locust army of office-holders
TO the smallest possible proportions; in
subduing disease; in elevating her peo-
pie; in hospitals, schools and colleges;
in enlargement and publication of her
ideal of Yamato Damashii 0he spirit of
unconquerable Japan, and in her slow
but sure assimilation of the ideals of
il'.'io,ia lieaiieI iilo,''Heii I
~, atotue tou"9 as ~ my ~
iesins ma eile 10 llshl, a9 W ulu DaVlo W
the white feather.
The Position OF Korea.
Little Korea, about the size of Mime
sofa, stands between the athlete and
the giant; hopelessly misgoverned,
with population consisting of prob
ably 12O0O,O00 of whom about one-third
in one way or another live upon the
other two-thirds. She has an antiquat-
ed political system the hotbed of COR
rupion, whence arise continually re-
bellions, mob violence and murderous
assaults upon foreigners. For centur-
les the Koreans have looked to China as
the one sun of light, knowledge and
power in the whole heavens. The Ko-
rean governing classes are bigoted Con-
fuclanists, the people are the prey of
superstition and corrupt Buddhism.
China has always called Korea vas
sal nation; so has Japan. But in 1876
the Japanese, initiating our own Com
modore Perry, sending a diplomatist,
"NA pNNhNN WIN S'iHiSios bi'ipS ''N
cannon, made a treaty with Korea ac-
knowledging her as an Independent ma
tion. To understand the Chinese feel
Ing about Japan's adoption of Western
progress, one must be an American and
think of Benedict Arnold. Or he must
be Jew who has taken n vow not to
eat until he had killed Paul; for as q
fanatic Jew felt toward a Christian OF
the first century, so does thorough go
Ing Chinese Confucian feel toward a
Japanese who has adopted the civiliza-
tion of the western barbarians."
Let us trace step by step events or
this year, 1894. What particularly
stirred up the Japanese people was the
horrible assassination of Kim OK Kun,
a Korean refugee who had taken smell
ter in Japan, and the honors awarded
his assassin by China, the reWarding or
the latter by the Korean government,
and the public exposure OF the mead,
hands, feet and body OF Kim OK hlun
sliceu up il.9 gl.s, iiihGv M oiiitinn H
Of herbarisn3 NV hotb Koraa and china
roueed tbe nonulor wrath in Janan ia
fever heat When an uprising against
onnreeeion of Office bolders broke ont
IN soutbern T<orao ond at +be reouest
of the nro-Cbinese faction Chinese
troons ,,,e,.e londod on Korean soil he
fore ,rorar notifcotion had baen sent
70 Iopan tba Tanenaea government in
stantiv r resanted This violation of the
traat,; stimulation of 1885, As nnited
os yvss Cornoanv AGAINST France in 1870
oi, Ionor, rosa ~, os ono man China,s
i,s,,it oYd trooc cho,,, ,,,o c toitnr, to moan
tho+ +ba Iononasa must now settle nm
tba;r bill for bo;no traitors to Chinese
ci,,iI;7ot;on Tba Iononeea minister in
San,,i dayanrdod of LSo,.eo wbatber che
,,,os az i,,dana,,den+ etata An afIirn,a a.
t;,,a a., o,,s,,,a, ba;no s,ivar oartoin NO.
For,,,s ,,,o,.a dor,,a,ded by which tbe
+rant,, a't9 70 lore ebo,,id ba i,e,+ ond Ton
80 s,,iiioot. ~, Lgo.ao o,itn,,,,,ho .
r 60 seoil,,l,.., e., ti,,aas o,,n,s
hId .,ti 80 80, iUu ,,,,i,.,7n,. ga ,,;i
1aroo ,N ~ s'',ioo III InnoO,, aera+ior
i1, I "a ho, ,S'u a,,Ia "" 3r,,,e,, o,,t
zen pulmet anu ,isi ~. peVpie tn tu'
vi 'iie NUuii'iS' anu 'i'e 'ie"'' 'io'''eN
iepe"'euly'
Chinese Troops i'll Korea.