The Portland daily press., 1900-09-25
MAKER OF MODERN JAPAN.
Views of Marquis Ito In Regard to the
Future of His Country.


c~~~ ~'~~-@ A@@~~@NNA -
modern Japan. 1t was at the mikado' IS
garden party, one of the most beautiful
and romantic scenes 1 have ever wit
messed. You VIII picture for yourselves
the bridges. the running streams the
still lakes, the unspeakable glorious pink
and white blossoms with which the apple
trees were laden. And then, through
all this dreamlike scene, and to the
quaint music of the Japanese national
anthem, through bowling and bending
throngs of people of every nationality
and every costume under the sun, past
the naval and military uniforms of all
Europe, came the royal procession, head
ed by Baron Sannomlya, the lord cham
berlain of Japan, bowling and walking
backward in front of the emperor and
empress, followed by all their court-the
most exclusive court In the world-and
all in European costume.
In the procession walked, OF course, the
great officers OF state, headed by the
prime minister, the Marquis Ito, who,
with the empress, is responsible for
Japan as 1t Is today-Japan, but yester-
day a reudal relic OF the middle ages, to-
day land of torpedoes, railways and
electric light; 30 years ago an almost un-
known land OF mystery and romance;
now, in some respects, the most practical
and up to date nation on earth. And all
this mainly owing to the work of the
subject of this sketch.
On the morrow the marquis and
sat talking in his official residence in To-
kio. 1t was difficult conversation, in
two languages, for the marquis occasion
ally wandered into French, and my
French, conversationally speaking, is
far from perfect. However, we got on
very swimmingly on the whole. The
prime minister is little, short, kindly
faced man, clad in plain and badly tit
ting rrock coat, and with a perpetual ci-
gar in his mouth. He owes his high po-
sition not only to his great administra-
tive capacity and untiring energy, but
also to a curious facility for compromise
nd now-and-again quite mastery mac
tivity. he is a remarkable mixture OF
resolution and hesitancy ana yet man
who rarely falls to take the tide at it's
full.
opened the conversation by askin 2
him how far the national character had
been affected by the Europeanization OF
the cOnst tuition.
"Ah, but,'' he promptly replied, 81
don't think we are becoming so entirely
westernized as you appear to imagine.
We are developing possibly, b1J only on
the lines OF our own ancient civilization.
we are most anxious to preserve oul
historical continuity, and we are fal
/ too patriotic ever to dream of such {
| thing Observation-Disclosures
/ blindly admire your western civilization
| though had 1t been imported here in its
abstract essence, without The conn scting
i influence OF concrete Europeans it Nigh
| have weakened the national spirit. Blu
we see for ourselves what the European
can be, and we. hesitate to adopt thei
| civilization wholesale. You send us mis-
sionaries who tell US we are very immor
1 al. Possibly; but what about the lives O
many of the English merchants and tour
lists who come here2 / can assure yol
pure-living japanese deeply resent thei
mode OF life.
Europe is civillze1, you say; why
then, does she arm to the teeth? Peoph
talk OF our becoming more EurOpeantze
every day. / think the reverse is the case
There Is strong reactionary party VIII
are striving to bring back old Japan Il
its highest and b9st aspects, and tn
effect of western civilization on tn,
younger generation is slig hter than ]
was on the ung men OF my day. tfv
and twenty years ago the English teach
ers taught English subjects IN the Eng
lish language, and SO almost unconsci
ously we were affected by the spirit O
Europeanization, Now English teacher
are very rare, and so the boys of toda
iAnOIbe the Japanese thought ana way
OF their ancestors, and this change bac
10 the old ideals is very beneficial to ia
pan. 1t is, In fact, the renationaIizin
OF Japan. AT one time we were in dan
ger OF losing our national individuality.
well, your excellency," 1 remarked
There is no doubt that western civiliza
tion has weakened your national life II
doing away with all religious belief an
observance"
The marquis slowly smiled as he re
piled. Il think most OF the educate
Japanese prefer to live by reason, scieno
and the evidence OF their senses. / my
self regard religion as quite unnecessar
Tor a nations life Science is far abov
superstition, and whats is Buddhism G
Christianity but superstition, an
therefore a source of weakness rathe
than OF strength to a nation2 At on
time l held the opinion that II Japa
WAS see king admission into ChristendoI
she ought to adopt Christianity as
state religton-a convention like the dres
or coat-but now l am Inclined to sym
pathize with many OF our more thought
fui people, who urge that no country cal
be benefited by playing fast and loos
with religion and the deeper matters o
what they call the soul"
"No, he went on, replying to a II
mark l made, II do not regard Japan
almost universal atheism as a source {
danger to the community. Right livin
is the best creed, There is one point
however, IN our new civilization o.
which have long felt great uneasiness
and that is that the lessons of reverend
and duty toward parents and seniors
taught so carefully by Confucianism
Will be lost TO the rising generation. an,
SO they may eventually be a seriou
source Of danger to TIE community, TO
no religion is taught at all In on
schools" "
And in this the Marquis Ito Is right
for nothing can be imagined more hope
less than the condition of young NAL
Japan. Insolent, insubordinats and al