New-York tribune., 1899-07-16
JAPAN AMONG THE NATIONS.

"America" said Cardinal Vaughan in his
Fourth of July speech in London, 'is no longer
n self contained Power She has entered the
community of nations" In those words the
eloouent prelate gave expression to one OF the
most significant facts in the last years history
of the world BY an interesting coincidence
there comes into the same community OF ma
tons Mt almost precisely the same time another
Power whose way TO such entrance was opened
by the United States nearly half n century ago
For while Japan was brought by Commodore
Perry's militant diplomacy into intercourse
with other nations. and while she has since
made marvellous progress in the social politi-
cal and industrial arts Of modern civilization
and has won place among the great military
and naval Powers of the world, she has never
yet been recognized as an equal in interna-
tional law. From time to time the old treaties
or provisions Of them, which stamped Japan
with diplomatic inferiorty, have been abo
ished But some still remain and are in force
to-day, especially those giving foreign residents
certain extra territorial rights and privileges,
and giving foreign consuls jurisdiction apart
from and superior to that of the Japanese
courts. These, we have said are in force to-
day. They will not be in force tomorrow
For tomorrow the new treaty era begins, In
which Japan will be- automatically and legal
w. al par with all other nations.
1t is n change of no little moment. As our
contributor "Ex-Attache' reminds us on an
other page of this mornings Tribune. 1t is
practically the first time in history that the
experiment has been made Of confding Jurls-
diction over white Christians to yellow Asiatics
of none Christian faith. 1t is true that the Otto
man Turks an Asiatic tribe, have borne sway
over European Christians But the Turks are
more Aryan than Mongo And that experiment
has not resulted so happily as to. give much
encouragement for its repetition in far more
extreme degree At the present time the
Christian Powers decline to recognize the equal
ity of Turkey or Egypt or Morocco with thenl-
selves, or TO intrust their subjects or citizens
TO the Jurisdiction of their courts. The same
is true In regard to Persia. Yet the people or
those countries are, ethnologicaly, nearer the
European and American standard than those
of Japan and their religions are not as antago-
nstc to Christianity as that Of the Land OF
the Rising Sun
The reason why Japan is treated with n re-
spect and a consideration denied to them and
| IS to be tomorrow admitted to the community
| of civilized nations on footing no non-Aryan
| and non-Christian nation has ever before en-
loved. is not difficult TO discover. Lord Sails
bury expressed it some time ago in his FAMOUS
! speech about living nations and dying nations
| Japan is what these others are not, essentially
n living nation. She is not only living, but
| growing She has displayed in these last TWEEN
ty or thirty years a vitality unsurpassed in his
| tory. She has shown readiness-nay, con
suming eagerness-to put herself in line with
the most enlightened European and American
nations. and she has shown, too, perfectly
marvellous ability to do So There are thoSc
we know. who take a pessmistc view OF the
case They think japanese culture Is thn
veneer and that the intrinsic Asiatic and Mon
pol nature remains unchanged and Incompatible
with the Western nature. Perhaps So Ihere
may be n latent barbarian strain in us ALL Bu'
we cannot see any disquetng symptoms III
Japan at the present time. And we DeheVe
II will ba safe and just and wise to take Japan
at her word and in good faith recognize her
international emancipation. We have no rear
that Americans in Japan will he less fairly
treated than Japanese and Chinese and other
aliens have been treated here.