The herald., 1894-12-09
THE JAPANESE IDEA.


from the orient. that ths Japanese pro-
posed to follow new and original policy
in the treatment of prisoners. Instead
OF abusing them brutally or putting
them to death, "a is the usual Chinese
custom, they have planned to make life
as agreeable for them as possible, Civ
ing them good food and clothes. protec.
ton from cold, and all the comforts the
Japanese have; to the end, that when
they should make their escspe-which
latter event was planned % the de.
nouement OF the affair they should re-
turn to the Chinese army with such
stories OF the kindness of their captors
and of the joys of life as O prisoner in
Japan. that their fellow.soldisrs would
make haste to throw down their arms
and surrender on the first opportunity
that presented itself. The dispatch set.
ting forth this little plan was generally
laughed at in Europe and America "a q
highly improbable yarn, and .hs scheme
ridouled as an opera bouffe method of
warfare. Recent dispatches, however.
corroborate the story and call attention
to the successful working of the plan.
The captured Chinese soldiers now in
Japan unite in declaring that they re-
ceive much better treatment as prison.
ers than they ever enjoyed when in the
field at home. Instead of being hungry
and cold or half-naked. beaten and over
worked, they are given good rations.
warm clothes, and allowed to take life
easily. The Japanese have been gen
orally admitted to be a bright people.
but it is possible that they are
good deal brighter than we have
ever suspected. The greatest inventions
in the worlds history, and those which
have left the most profound impress on
ita civilization, have not been OF
mechanical devices, but of ideas; for OK.
ample, the inductive method of reason
ing. religious tolerance. the rights OF
man to freedom, the human origin OF
kingly power. 1t may be hard for the
Caucasian to believe that the next great
invention in the domain OF human
thought ia to come from o so-called in
ferior race, but it is we'll worth corsid-
ering whether the Japanese have not
here touched upon the idea from which
shall come the abolition of all warfare.
The Napoleonic doctrine of dividing the
enemy to destroy him in detail was a
brilliant stroks that very nearly made
him ruler of ell the world, but the Japan
ese idea of making the enemy your
friend, so that he has no disposition to
resist you, while it may not exalt them
to be rulers of the world, will at least
make them invincible against all attack,
which 10 the utmost that modern civil
lied natious are disposed to ask. The
idea is so simple that it really seems
strange that Eo great nation has ever
world began. upon the captured soldier
has been exercised, in greater or lees de.
grse, the hatred which is fslt toward his
country; he has been tortured or put to
death, or made slave, or-in modern
timee only-imprisoned. with more or
less indignity and privation. 1t
does not require very acute
power of logic 10 discover the
weak point in the plan of torturing the
prisoner or putting him to death. SOL
defa with such possibility before
them will naturally fight like fiends,
Pureuing the argument along its
natural conrse, we are inevitably brought
to the conclusion TO which the Japanese
aeeni to have come-although they hap.
pen TO be the fret nation to put the
theory to practical experiment. 1t will
be interesting to note the results of this
plan ii it is continued thrt ugh q pro-
longed war. The escaping-or rather
disms5ed will soon bring the
Chinese army to such state Of utter
Generalization that its generals will
fear to place it in the field against the
Japanese. The victories of the wojen will
soon become 90 continuous as to make O
genuine triumphal parade through the
enemy's country. For how shall China
fight if she has no soldiers? But one
recourse will be left her. She might un.
dertake to outdo Japan in magnanims
ity, and fairly overwhelm such Of the