The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-18
JAP POLITICS A FINE ART.
Az AMiTEUR VINO RUINS HIMSELF
As 4 Pure PASTIME.
sa.andering All His Patrimony Putting Up
the Pms for Candidates-Wants Moth
ing His Collection of Newspaper Por-
tr,it, American Influence on Japa.

the Pms for Candiiates-Wa Moth.
,ns- His Collection of Newspaper Por-
tralt, American Influence On Japa.
Yl,nan,l for voting and elections which their
new lttcal liberty aud representative govern
me- Ia, taken possession Of certain Japanese
has produced some new and highly original types
type which would b. hard for American politi-
ca workers" TO understand. Some Of them
m recover arr amusing types and Mr.. Andree
BelleS,ont in his recent studies Of political methods
a. r',raled at the last parliamentary election
IN Japan, ha, sketched some Of them for the ben
eft ot Occidental readers.
one Of these was lgarashi. private secretary
to Mr. Kum", an hmrrcanized even a Chicago
ized, Jan, who waj a candidate for the Chamber
OF Deputies IN the last election whom Mr..
Bcll',sout accompanied into the interior provinces
or an electloneering tour.
"" was a strange young man, lgarashi,"
says Nj Bellessont. Lean, famished looking
~ al, Scanty o~vercoat, he had on his face a grimace
a, thoith dG4zcd by a sudden glare Of light. lie
always appeared a. though he had Just come
out II ,lmr dark place and tina, his features were
contracted out Il shape by tho sun.
Icara,hi had never been out Of Japan and
sp - only has native language. Butfrpm his
eeri'St youth he had been singing himself at
I' p,liucnl candle, Only modsratly well in
formed aud lei on by tn vague shadows OF ideas
thai pa~,n. through his mind, he was over
vu'lnnt with the absolute necessity OF com
blt..s something. II was immat'nal whom
h go nhated or what h combat'd. Only he
must combat something, His highest ambition
VT lura iguc crowds, he a,plrtl t. no greater
h.. ? than t. SEE his name III the newspapers.
indeed his dl>inter st 'dness passed all belief.
Inst al II seeking Office ~ place for himself he
chant kA4 a.r rttut. RAEh n. M ri
Tor hi, CHERISHED cardidate. MI. kume paid him
80 y rs a month for his services as private sec
rotary, but lgarashi spent double, even triple,
that amount, And Il was not from any special
d,youpn t Iir. kumr a. a man, At was from sheer
love II politics a. a fine art. On a former occa
81 ~. some time ago, he attached himself 70 one
Of the MavetpShl deputies, and people still have
q ,hid recollection Of that devil Possessed poll.
tlcian who mounted ~ a white horse galloped
through the. campaign here, there and every
vhrr, flushing coveys Of Y ters, making them
br, al Cuy'r and rounding them up relentlessly
y the polls without letting one slip through his
frc. r..
To Igara,hi America and France seemed like
Tar o' terrestrial r1radiS'S whose Ciu2ens did
n hing but crate and vote from morning until
n'-u. Al pVr orators were familiar 10 him.
He had read bits from their speeches translated
into Japanese, But more even than these ora
tori al gems did he prize his collection Of news
papers containing pictures OF the orators with all
their passionate gestures Their rusirum atu-
tudes, their heads thrown back, their arms ex
tended, their hands quiyering with passion and
Cl'lChrd over their heaying huSOmS al these
lgaraShi had by heart and repeated with much
fire ANA energy before his mirror. Sincere, bus
Ting and meddlin~, like a fly bulZing perpetually
ahult the ballpt-boN, prOdigl " his person and
bis money, this brave neophyte, whose brain had
been heated by the distant reverberatons Of po-
liiCal conflicts in America and Europe, wandered
n Va ;aboud through the polincal field with The
gestures Of a poet and the soul OF a little child.
His wodesty had him back from assuming the
leading parts himself, but Oh! what happiness to
nFlr lIG wealth "a nj tn . INnvprS 1f hi. GTFtpTN into
the mould from out Of which might come a live
member Of the Chamber of Deputies! Yet his time
Is short Two or iihrce NOR" elections and the
ey0pora,ed AID when that comes Igarashi will
have no other part In politics than going to Parlia-
nent and there beholdlng his last achievement
faithful dcyo.tes who have ruined themselves in
making pinus gifts, and who amorg a number OF
Images of Bud,ha drawn up In lire see the one
that their own last lerings have helled to gild,
and, thus hnholding 1t, are filled with frank pride
and Imagine for tn moment that the entire temple
Is their own indiyid".l handiwurk."
V bile Jung Japan goes all over the world
noNa4ays and lives and studies in England,
France and Germany, ii Is America, American
was, American thought and energy which he
lies lest, looks up 10 mos and uies most to imi.
tate. Mr. Bell"ssont fully recognizes ibis, and
gives from has own standpoint an explanation
of IL He says
/ hcli,ya that Of all foreign influences that
OF america acts most deeply upon the japanese
with any special imprint the students Japan
sends T., then. The European civilization is
too cunpl'N, the European atmosphere too much
charged wItn clntral tory ideas for tn japanese
u r'c'iv" from II "A d. met and strong impulse
In any particular direction. Old Europe as
tOn',hns them, b~eNli..rs them, upsets them,
spells them, or, what is much morr frequent,
her many antthes's neutrallye one another and
glide OH from the Jan " lhoul affecting him either
In one way Or IN" other
The Unit'l STATS. on the other hanl. do not
hav' . r'C'Icln tn, claims Of a long past with
tn n"cesFiu ; Of IN" present hour and the threats
to spHaA there as they do IN Europ", and IL the
pnuulDs assemble there form an extraordinary
d'ltl of human waves, all those waves flow on to
the SANE OCEAN We Go not sse any Of them
clingiug u the shore and going TO sleep there;
stll. less do Ne 50" any going backward to their
source.
alilmS md prDclainS tho confidence Of the in
dIyi Iull in his own Individuality and in the power
o. fro 'sspc,atiOn founded upon gold. DO not
say that Amen ADDE'S notfeel also her own myster
iuI. t'mDast' anl r%,nlings # the soul; but the
man, racns gathered together there have been
ohlir' to ndput watchNurds that are very simple,
very clear aud Of universal bearing Ii is these
~Wrtrhwbrl8 that We h"Hr and that dominate
~ tu' MIXTURE NJ diSror ant voices. They fall
lrpn on high and sink deep '1to the mind u the
lu'l' Japan"sr, hnl rs that in!ivliualist, level
ling, n lustral soc. ty, without tr9 iitions, without
HIstucrlc", without hierarchy is ~"vactly the
ol" u ol The sncisdt japanese so1ety he under
st.l!S II by the very Violence Of thn contrast
III W. 'lI'I tl W, wv 'tllI'I 'Nl N'Nl"lN HSs
dlI rent from hS own worked ont through doubt
anl agony. ~'rrairl with contrary currents.
hr ,tNI Nv t. sJrroHful beauty Of revolutions,
,I,h'r bnwill"r, him and puts him all Mt sen, or
l. utterly beyond his comprehension. You can
hlwHyB tell Ut nrst sight a Japanesn who has
ly"I in tn" lT.Ud Snus. Although what he
found th"T' m.;'t at FIRST hfv' shocEc' his IDEAS
~ iu ;'nuuUs politeness he non" the less returns
o. 'ouan convinced that a. attain the state and
con !tlun " q mplHrn citizen all TINT ia necessary
+ 10 H. tn" exact oppoSIt" from what his ancestors
d hN'h as rcgariS th'ir faiths, their sentiments
AMI their dreams The Tathod IL simple and
q nin il seems Infallihln"