Evening star., 1901-09-12
THE MORALITY OF JAPAN
A CRITICISM Of INCONSISTENCIES OF
WESTERN NATIONS.
Subjects of the MikadO Do Not Lynch
Even the yfIest of
Offenders.
From the Literary Digest.

European journals which were so full of
praise for Japan after her war with emma,
have recently given expression to a good
deal of rather bitter criticism OF japanese
public and private morality, most OF the ad-
verse criticism being directed against the
alleged bad faith of Japanese merchants
and the assumed low state of social rela-
tons in the mikado's empire. This has evil
IDENTIFY nettled the japanese, for long and
yitrolic reply is made to these charges In
recent number of a new Japanese review,
the Toyo, which was founded a year or SO
ago in Tokyo by Prince konoye, president
of the house Of peers. The article is en-
titled Pride and Prejudice and Is un-
signed. The writer declares that there are
three classes of critics of Japan-the statis-
tical, the ''worshipful' and the damnatory.
His reply Is to the third class. because
their fiippant and cynical observations.
though in themselves unworthy of notice,
have, nevertheless, deluded many western
readers. and caused them to look down
upon Japan an immoral, lotos-eattng
empire, progressive in a good many ways,
yet with the cancer Of oriental laxity o.
virtue at it's core: quite out of the question
as compeer with the enlightened, civil
lied, moral occident." At this point the
writer begins his denunciation Of the west
as follows:
Morals In the Occident.
Think of the moral occdent, that Won
derfully strait-laced occident that connives
at Armenian and Macedonian masacres;
spends millions In crushing and stamping
out two sturdy little republics, fighting for
bare independence; stabs shoots and assas-
sinates it's monarchs; gives over the streets
of its greatest cities after nightfall, to the
unquestioned rule of the 'demimonde:' is
forever trying to bully weaker nations into
ceding portions of their territory, and, In
broad terms, goes about with Bible In
0y, how fnf tn nt nf
which the ranting. all-knowing, hard-drink-
Ing, preaching, racing, Louis XIV 'redi-
vivus.' Kaiser Wilhelm II, is the truest
I'VE do not stab our monarchs in the fe-
male line, nor do we act so as to compel
our great emperor to live In steel-lined
study or travel in bomb-proof train. We
acknowledge the truth of the imputatfOn
that we are not Caucasians. Yet there is
no quarter of our largest cities that Is not
as safe at night as it is in the daytime,
Our restaurants are not flooded with bawds
after dark, nor are even our cheapest thea
ters houses of assignation. We do not go
into boasting ecstacies after victory over
a weaker foe, nor do we make idols of our
admirals and generals one day to revile
them the next. We do not encourage and
foster the bearing of illegitimate children,
nor is the state ever willing to pay a pre-
MUM on the rearing of fatherless boys
We do not lynch even the vilest offenders,
nor have we've confess 1t to our shame
ever once burned a murderer at the stake
We admit that we are, on the whole,
Buddhistc nation. Yet we have never un-
dertaken a propaganda of this creed with
cannon in the background to enforce re-
ligious arguments: we cannot boast of
Jesutical society yearning to confound
church with state; nor have We, to our hui
initiation be 1t said, ever had an inQuist-
tion wherein to teach the gospel of peace
and love by means Of thumbscrews, the
rack and the wheel. We hasten to plead
guilty to the accusation of being Japanese
Act nf fha Sia at a W
seek to enrich ourselves at the expense of
weaker people. We do not talk justice and
act unjustly. Nor do We permit our SOL
diers to rape defenseless women, kill help
less infants, or loot the habtations of pow
erless non-combatants.'
The Power of Japan.
The writer declares that Japan, single
handed, was more than able to rescue the
besieged Pekin legations; but that the jeal-
Gus distrust of the western powers would
not permit her to do So He characterizes
the indemnity demands Of Germany
France and Russia as barbarous and alb
surd. These powers, he says, know very we'll
that China never can, never will pay.
But they must have their pound OF flesh
Russia wants Manchuria and as much Of
Chi Ii as the other nations will let her
have. Germany wants the whole of Shan
tung. France wants as much Of southern
and southwestern China las the nerves Of
japan! She wants simple Justice. She wants
to see poor China helped, not crushed;
raised once more to her feet. not humbled
In the dust; the lives Of Chinese citizens
made safe. not given to the mercy or every
vodka-swilling, absinthe drinking kummel-
slipping soldier" Japan warns the tr1-
partite harpies'' not to exhaust her patience.
LET them have their pound of flesh; but
II they shed one other drop of Asiatic blood
in the taking of it. they will have another
indignant, righteously indignant, empire
to deal with: nation that viii fight to It's
last gasp in the defense OF oriental peace
and integrity" He closes with an appeal
to England and the United States for aid
In these words
England. Is your insular prejudice.
your pride of race, so great that you will
refuse to stand by us, shoulder to shoulder?
Will you let Russia work out her nefarious
schemes on oriental soil and seek to en-
force her orthodoxy on the Chinese at
the bayonets point? Brutus, awake! Ihou
sIeepest Orientals though we be, we have
not shown ourselves unworthy of your
trust and friendship.
The Land of Liberty.
"America! Nation of liberty and the
rights Of men, will you let three great Eu-
rcpean nations work ruin on oriental soil?
Are you ready to proffer us the right hand
of fellowship? Join our standard, on which
we have inscribed. in hues never to fade.
Justice AS you are great, be you strong
to redress the wrongs of millions of Asiat-
les. Newest and greatest Of great nations,
stand by US, the Anglo-Saxons of the
orient In our struggle for the right
A number Of the thrusts come SO nearly
home to Europe and the United States and
show such an intimate knowledge Of west
ern history and conditions that the Kobe
Herald published under British auspices)
doubts It's real Japanese authorship. 1t is
not Japanese thought or sentiment, declares
this journal. 1t is probably to be described
as "a dumping ground of some temporarily
taundiced foreigners imagination of things
from the Japanese point d'appui.' 1t Is
merely "a gush Of bile" observes the Japan
Weekly Gazette British, Yokohama), which
declares that while quite in sympathy with
the aspirations of the Togo writer with re-
gard to China, 1t wishes that his style were
calmer less bitter and less disfigured by
that rather vulgar jingoism which is not
ordinarily a Japanese fault
The Roy and the Tin Can.
! To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
/ have read a number of complaints at
a; In RI q