St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-19
KITlsHIMA OF JAPAN
DELIVERS An INTERESTING LEG
TURE ON THE WAR
BETWEEN HIS COUNTRYMEN
And the PigtafIcd and Heath en-
ish Followers of LII Hung
Reasons for War.

Rev. Watari Kitashima, who lee
tured at Unity church last night on
THE Chinese and Japanese War,
threw a great deal of light upon this
somewhat obscure question for the
people who listened to him. Mr.. kita-
shima comes from Vineland, n. j., is a
graduate of Harvard, and native of
the islands which have been engaged
in bitter warfare with the men of the
pig-tail. He is very interesting
talker, and his account of the difficult
ties in his native land was clear
although somewhat one-sided.
His subject, 1.-The War, What Does
1t Stand For, and What Will Be the
Outcome?' was treated as only a man
can treat the subject who has direct
and reliable information from the seat
of war. Mr.. Kitashima's brother is in
the Japanese army, and from him he
receives messages constantly. In a
few Introductory remarks the lecturer
told of the success of the Japanese
army in battle after battle, and how
intere1tedly the war had been watched
from the fact that on the results de-
pended the future tactics of war of
two great nations.
He insisted very earnestly that the
Japanese have the right on their side,
and said that to him the moral ques-
ton counted more than anything else
and he desired very much to see the
right conquer, and that if they did
not have the right on their side ne was
satisfied to see results against them.
Mr.. Kitashima then briefly outlined
the causes of the war. He said:
THE first cause of this great out
break was the general unfriendly feel
ing that has always existed between
the two countries, and has been very
much aggravated during the past thir-
ty years, which period really marks the
beginning of the era of great progress
for the Japanese. Before that time
the Japanese really got from the Chi
nese, who were considered the more
cultured nation of the two their Ian
guage and arts. The Japanese are es-
sertially a progressive people, as was
shown during the ministry of Francis
Xavier many years before, when he
and his co-workers made 100000 con-
verts for the Roman church. Then,
when about forty years ago Commo-
dore Perry came over with a message
from the president of the United States
proposing that friendly commercial re-
lationS be established between the two
countries, and refused to deliver his
message to any but the chief official,
and not being allowed to see that dig
nitary, he returned to America, only
to return the next year with six ships
of war, the Japanese received the over
lures very graciously, and as a result,
the country had known a time of prog
ress that had hardly been dreamed of
before.
Railroads were built, the telegraph
and the telephone are used just as we
have them in America, and many
other improvements were made. This
angered the Chinese very. much, as
the japanese had heretofore taken
them entirely for an example. The
Japanese sent their boys away to be
educated, especially to the military
schools, and as a result when they went
to war with the Chinese they had a
standing army of 10000 men, 200, COO
in Il first reserve, 250,Na0 il: he second
reserve, besides militia.
THE second cause Of the war was
of course the Korean question, and
the third and immediate thing that
thr Nv the country into such a state
VI lutIiO1t vas the IeDSlllOn OF the
Koreans against the Occidental learn
ing and customs that had been intro
duced by the Japanese residents of the
peninsula. Then at the beginning of
the strife the Japanese gained ground
from the first by the complete concen-
trati0n Of effort of all classes o. peo-
pie, and, Notwithstanding the fact that
the Japanese, as a nation, are poor. the
people have gained point after point
from the first"
Mr.. Ketashima then stated briefly
the contents Of the declaration of
war which was sent out by each ma
ton, and he explained how, when
the Chinese found the capital of Corea
in the possession of the japanese, they
proposed that they reform the Corean
government together, and how the
Japanese, who already had 10000 men
and IL war ships in the country, while
the Chinese had only 1900 men on the
| peninsula. The lecturer outlined the
route taken by the four great Japan
csc armies and sketched yividly the
taking of several of the great strong
| holds. He spoke of the atrocities at
| Port Arthur, and denounced the ac-
| counts given by the press as untrue
f1s spoke OF the work OF the nurses
of the Red Cross order, and insisted
i that the Japanese We're Incapable OF
| treating their prisoners as the reports
said. In conclusion, the speaker said:
| What will be the results of this
! great contest? First and foremost. If
! the Japanese continue to be victorious,
the independence of Ccrea will be
! gained; and, second, you will see the
| fruit oe your good work for the ciyili-
t!or oud