The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-06
TIE AWAKENING OLE JAPAN.

dIIer the cup.
THE AWAKENING OF JAPAN.
The arrival of Marquis Ito, twice
prime minister of Japan, in this coun-
try on a tour for the benefit of his
health. brings to mind the wonderful
strides of progress made by his peo-
pie and country during the past third
of a century. And 1t was Ito himself
who took a leading part in the regen-
GRAFTON of his people, and who wrote
Japans first constitution. Next to the
Emperor, but performing actually
greater work than the Emperor him
self, Ito has been the most prominent
figure in the new" Japan. 1t has been
said of him that he has been more to
Japan than Bismarck was to Ger
many or Gladstone was to England,
for he started the country on its new
paths and has kept it right ever since.
Should his health permit, it is pre-
dicted that he will again, for the third
time, be the prime minister before
great while.
The awakening of Japan reads almost
like a romance. Less than half a CEN
tury ago the country was almost a
sealed book to the white races. 1t was
as oriental and as feudal as China, and
the people disliked and distrusted for
eigners thoroughly. Then came the
expedition of Commodore Perry and
the treaty with the United States.
From that time the regeneration of
Japan dates. The Japanese themselves
now recognize that fact, and recently
they set up a memorial to Commodore
Perry, in honor of the man who paved
the way for the opening of the country
to modern ideas.
At the time of Perry's expedition and
for a time thereafter, the spirit of
opposition to foreigners ran high. The
nobility wished to run the foreigners
out of the country and preserve the
old shogunate. Among the leaders of
the spirit was the same Ito who was
destined in time to become one of the
foremost reformers. With him was
Inouye. who has since been one of his
chief lieutenants in undermining the
country. These young men, however,
were brainy enough to discover quickly
that the only way to get the best of
the foreigner was to adopt his best
ideas respecting government and in
dustry and, IL possible, to beat him at
his own game" With this purpose in
view they ran away to London, where
they studied navigation and everything
else they could appertaining to the
white mans Industries, as well as his
politics. Upon their return home they
found themselves surrounded by enc
mics, of the same clans to which they
had once belonged, intent upon keep
ing the foreigners and their ideas out.
So desperate were these enemies that
the lives of the young men were prac-
tically always in danger. and one night
Ito was only saved from being muir
dered by his sweetheart hiding him I'M
der the floor of her house. The girl who
hid him has since become his wife.
Opposition, however, did not stop Ito
and Inouye from teaching their ideas
of progressiveness upon European lines.
and they finally had the satisfaction of
seeing them made the national policy.
Thirty-three years ago the ancient feu-
dal system was overthrown and a con-
stitutional monarchy was set up in its
stead. Since that day Japan has con-
tinued to advance, until she is now
one of the Powers of the world; one
that must be reckoned with in any dis
cussion of the Far Eastern problem.
Marquis Ito has visited the United
States on two previous occasions. He
was first here in 1878. and again in
the early SOS. On each occasion he de-
voted himself to the study of American
Institutions, the second visits work re-
lating chiefly to banking and finance.
What he learned in America no doubt
contributed materially to the success
of his career and the advancement of
his country. AS an excellent and high
minded representative of his people,
Marquis Ito will be warmly received in
the United States.