The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-07-13
THE ORIENTAL WAR.


Japan has prophet in England who
can scarcely contain himself for joy
er ov her victory; who predicts vast
things for her, and who is happy at her
prospect despite the fact that a part OF
his prediction Il that through her gain
England will lose heavily and the
United States will be severely stricken.
Yet, says the New York Advertiser, he
IL an Englishman born, and has been
knighted by the queen; an Englishman
Of ever-bubbling patriotism. Yet he
loves America, took an American wife,
and is loved and respected by Ameri-
cans. He is Sir Edwin Arnold, cele-
brated as the author Of ''The Light Of
Asia" and many other wonderful books,
and, lately, by his-shall we call it
Japomania?-SirE Edwin Arnold, w no
is DO less . politician than poet,
knows more about the Japan-China war
than any other Englishman. Here is
part of what he said:
Japan is one of my most enthusias-
tic loves. I have been there twice and
both visits were long and pleasant. If
/ live / shall go again. Japan's victory
is the greatest progress that the world
has seen since the American colonies
won their independence. For un-
counted centuries an impossible
boundary existed between the west and
the east. England broke it down SO
that India was open; America, through
Perry, broke it down so that Japan was
open. Now Japan has broken it down
so that China greatest conquest of
them au-is open.
II do not mean by that that China
will now or, perhaps, ever enter into
the column of progressive nations.
Japan will not go far enough in her
victory to uproot the present Chinese
governments government that has
been handed down with few changes
since before the time of Christ. Japan
knows too much for that. She under
stands the people with whom she has
to deal. She realizes that they have
been infected with virus of stupidity
and barbaric conservatism from which
it is scarcely reasonable to hope to ever
free them. Confucius was the man
who killed China. His philosophy of
fatalism is the sleeping draught from
whose effects she may never wake.
China is like the grub chosen by the
iguna bird for her young. This bird
injects subtle poison into the worm
she selects for her family's food, which
paralyzes it, and without killing it
makes it like dead thing. Confucius
was China's iguna bird. He introduced
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her comatose for hany, many centuries.
It is, in one sense, a dead thing which
Japan has conquered, aad it is doubtful
if it will ever come to normal life. But
it is valuable corpse.
''But Japan will be from now on the
great civilizing, regulating, dominating
power of Asia. Without disrupting
China, she will let the whole world
reap the result of her resources. She
will throw down the barriers which
have closed her vast possessions to
trade and commerce. She will intro
duce such modern methods as are pos
sible into the interior, which has been
absolutely stationary for centuries.
The day when lucifer matches and mills
and railroads and other results of civil
ization can be shut out Of one Of the
richest and broadest countrie in the
world ended with the decisive battle Of
the Japan-C China war.
..The victory of Japan over China
may wen make certain English and
American industries tremble for their
future. It means that from now on
cheap labor-labor which is incredibly
cheap to us-will be thrown into COM
petition with high-priced labor. Tariff
duties will not protect us or you. No
nation could protect itself by tariff
against the attack which Japan can
and will make in the near future, any
more than it could protect itself by
gums and forts against an Invasion OF
the influenza epidemic.
Let your cotton growers look to
their positions. Even En9land's Indian
cotton will be hard pressed, and if the
growers are in danger then the manu-
facturers are in greater danger. The
capacity Of the japanese and the Chi
nese for incredible detail in their work
makes for them the most perfect work
men In the world, as they are the most
rapid. And when one realizes that this
ability and capacity can be obtained
there for an average OF eight cents
day, against from = dollar and q half
upwards in America and four shillings
upward in England, it is not hard to
- there Is reason in what say. / be-
keve r.lat Japan win ere long play very
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