The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-17

the day. with his trenchant wit, and
powers of keen sarcasm, he appeals TO
the American sense of humur. and
thereby puts in force the very strong
est lever TO mould public opinion, but
it is with a distinctly moral = power
that he influences popular sentiment.
The extreme conscientiousness EVIL
deuced by him in the wreck of his
financial fortunes, when recently, IN
his old age, with his property, swept
away he insisted upon paying by his
pen huge debts of the firm by which ne
was wrecked, although under no legal
or even constructive obligation to do
so, has endeared him to the American
heart as perhaps no other man or the
day, and has lent weight TO his ut
terances upon moral questions which
certainly no other Individual can WELD.
When therefore, in his whimsical way,
he says of the American Board that
though it means well, it ise destitute
of moral sense, the American people
will, of course, while making all due
discount for the exaggeration of the
utterance, inevitably be led into a Sc
rious and searching discussion upon
the morals of missions.
That Il is a subject upon which regard
has not heretofore been popularity be-
slowed is very naturally To be ac-
counted for by the simple fact that In
the public mind religion has been in
dissolubly connected with morals, and
therefore the fact that an enterprise
is carried on in the name Of religion
creates the presumption that it must
needs be a moral enterprise. The large
reading of the history. of religions to
which modern intelligence has of late
years devoted itself, has done much
to open mems minds to the lack OF
any necessary connection between the
two, but the result of such study on
the part of a privileged few is as moth
ing compared with the sturdy insist
ence of a man whose name is now not
only a household word throughout the
length and breadth of his native land,
but also a synonym for the keenest
sense of honor and probity. Because
of his utterances there will inevitably
come searching popular inquiry, not
/ only into the methods by which mis-
sions have been conducted, but also
into the fundamental principles upon
which they are based. as well as into
the economic and international results
which they involve Not only win such
a discussion, so long held In eneck, be
eagerly welcomed by the mission
boards themselves, but IL will also be
productive of a phase Of feeling which,
when compared with the bitterness
now prevailing upon the subject, will
more than compensate for the horrors
of the occasion which has evoked it.
JAPANESE POLITICS.
YOKOHAMA June 5-viscount
Katsura has shown himself the man
of the hour, proving his exalted pa
triotisn by consenting to be placed,
for the sake of the good name Of his
country, in a position more difficult
perhaps than that in which any of her
great statesmen have yet found them
selves. To talk about nations going
through period of transition, In these
days when the law of development is
universally recognized in all things,
is of course the veriest plati-
tude but there are degrees IN the
rapidity and vital Importance or the
steps in the process, and it cannot be
denied that the change which is now
going on in Japan removing its gov
ernment from dependence upon the
old ways to those of more modern
fashion, is a vital and dangerous one.
! The country is full of rising politicians
and partisans who have as yet no con-
ception of what party discipline and
party government mean, and it is
| these ignorant and discordant elements
with which the statesman at the helm
| has to deal. II therefore also goes
without saying that he is brave man,
as well as a thoroughly patriotic one,
who consents to take the helm. It can
| only be hoped that the country will
fully appreciate his courage and unite
| in his support.
Since the above was written the for
nation of the Cabinet has actually
! taken place, and the following minis
! try is now installed:
Premier, General Viscount Katsura.
Minister of Home Affairs, Baron
! Utsumi Tadakatsu.
! Minister Of Foreign Affairs (pro
tenn, Mr.. Some Arasuke.
| Minister Of Agriculture and Com
/ merce. Mr.. Hirata Tosuke-
| Minister OF Communications, VS.
count Yoshikawa.
Minister of Justice, Mr.. Kioura Kei-
go.
/ Minister of Education, DR.. KikuchI.
/ Minister of War Baron Kodama.
Minister of Navy, Admiral Yama
moto.
! BY this ii viii be seen that the Seiyu
/ Ksi is unrepresented and becomes
/ practically without opposition. while
/ the Cabinet itself is Of the independ-