The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-09-01

II
aeallne With industrial matters. IN
spite " tho belief " many Sfiters tina,
they are a frivolous people, and can.
no, use the tnsvicdee they have a..
qulrcd from the Occidental nations
The same chafFe ~ frivoliiy has been
made against the French by tho I'm.
giish people for a hundred years. but
the French people appear 20 make
themselves seriously conspicuous be-
fore Europe. and they have solved
some Of the social problems much more
intelligenty than the English have
done.
MIR Ransome thinks that the jap
anese have no love for the foreigners.
and while they are polite to them.
have no desire TO become socially
friendly. This Ia true, just as Il has
been true for centuries that the people
OF one civilized nation never become
socially friendly with the people Of
other civilized nations. In the rural
districts OF the United States an En-
glishman Is still regarded with suspi-
cion, and would not be trusted with
even a minor political Office, while a
Frenchman would be. as a rule. black
balled socially and politically.
The japanese have treated foreigners
with unusual courtesy. but the tourists
want the Japanese to be friendly in
sense which European nations decline
to show towards each other. 1t can
not be expected that a people, who
have a civilization of their own OF
which they are proud, and are governed
by active traditions and habits OF
thought will uproot them more quickly
than the Irish and Germans will aflil-
late socially and politically.
Mr.. Ransome presents a natural but
curious view OF the japanese attitude
towards Christianity. He says that the
thinkers, including many OF the states
men, have been extremely anxious to
ascertain IL Christianity Is the cause Of
the material prosperity OF the Christ
ian nations. II 1t Is one of the dom
inant factors in making rich and war
like nations, then 1t should be, they
said, adopted by the Empire, for good
business reasons" just as the Colonel
of a Connecticut regiment, during the
Civil war, detailed fifty of his men for
instant baptism, when he heard that
the good women were sending delica-
cies to the pious regiments In prefer
ence to the worldly regiments. In
other words the leading men in Japan
were willing to encourage the introduce
zion of Christianity, II there was any
isney in it, or it enabled them to be-
come a great naval and military power.
For the first time in the history Of
the world, the leaders OF a great nation
deliberate over the adoption Of re-
ligion, without the least reference to
its spiritual force, but because 1t may
make the nation prosperous in material
things.
Mr.. Ransome. also, states that the
spectacle of conflicting religious sects,
established In Japan by the Christian
churches, is bewidering to the Japa-
nese. As the Japanese have no pre-
JUDGES in the matter, and no inherited
tendencies on the subject. they are ut
terly confused by the situation. AS
one of them said; The fact that the
Roman Catholic church has the larg-
est number of members among the
Christian churches is almost conclu-
siye argument that 1t is nearer the
truth than any other sect"
Altogether. Japan presents one of the
most remarkable object lessons in the
evolution of "A nation that the world
has known.