The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-16
Art, Education and the Sciences Con-
trolling Factors with the Japanese.
Some Of the Forces Which are
Strengthening the Country

tons on the trend OF Japanese thought on
public and social questions and on >ques-
tons involving the higher arts.
Primarily he has devoted his time N
a study of Japanese culture, but he 4
has found that tho art. the literature
and the sciences in Japan reflect TO
some extent the general state OF the pub
lie mind. and, in meager way. suggest /
the part which the country will play IN
solving the international political dilem-
ma which Is rapidly forcing the more
ambitious powers into a vortex OF al
most interminable diplomatic difficulties.
Culture in Japan, according to AR. Fem
oiiosa, presents ar interesting phase or
Japanese life, and at once develops an
influence which has already left tts i'm
press on the more advanced countries OF
the world. Japan has not been idle. For
the last forty. years the nearly 40,0o0,0OO
inhabitants Of that country have been
fully awake to the opportunities Of their
fortunate situation. and along all lines
have made marvellous strides The art
of Japan, distinctive as 1t is, and running
back to a remote period In history, has re-
volutionixed the European schools. Land
scape painting is old with them. Centur-
anese artists first began to put the tint.
color and proportion Of these prettier
and more restful scenes on canvas. and
the historical perspective In which this
and iengthens until the lines are almost
lost in the remote past. They are still
painting these pictures. They show a
preference for the more tranquil school
of painting. the blending of the mystic
colors. the cloud and sky. the bush and
the brook, the towering mountain fringed
and capped with verdant draperies. a
pretty curve in the road, a sweep Of the
river. the hedge: the orchard with its
blended pink and white and green, and
all the other. pretty placid things which
one may md in field and forest While
painting the picture for the pictures
sake may be strong in the nature of
the Japanese artist the other school Of
art is amply represented. Artists in
Japan have painted many splendid pic
tubes Of the other kind. pictures which
tell the stories of bloody warfare. or tell
the tale of one Of life's tragedies in a
lures of this kind, and many OF them
compare favorablv with tho work Of
painters in other sections Of the world.
The literature OF Japan is not without
interest. AS rule the poetry Ia lyrical.
taking on much of the color Of japanese
art generally. 1t Is often the landscape
set to rhmye. One IL impressed. however,
in many instances with the Influence
which China has had upon the Japanese
way of thinking and writiax The liter
allure of China is infinitely older and far
| superior to that Of japan. The student
who would look into the origin, history
and and Development Of literature In tn. the
more important traces leading back to
the hoary archives of China. So it may
be said that Japan takes on somewhat of
the Chinese coloring' so far as her lit
softened somewhat by local coloring, and
| refined and polished by the more pro-
! gressive methods of the partly Europe
anized Japanese literature. But one may
yet trace the influence Of the Yellow En-
pire.
In one respect the japanese are supe-
rior to the Europeans
His idens OF house ornamentation are
superb He excels in this Europeans
have borrowed many OF his ideas In this
respect. There Ia 4 certain coziness about
his decorative methods. and a certain
comfortableness in design. arrangement
indeed. 1t is gorgeous without being
gaudy. and the very walls seem to soften
into an air OF ease and refinement.
Japan is not being studied now by men
who are mere looking for the curious in
scene and incident. for antiuuaries and
things that have fallen out Of use. The
paintings the literature. the customs and
the law. and the institutions generally of
that country are being studied for a dif-
ferent and more substantial reason. ia
pans position is pivotal. Lying in the
very heart OF the most interesting part of
the world. and with her soil swept by
conflicting social systems she Ia in a
position to gather the good from the diff
fering standards. where II may be con-
ventently adapted, while rejecting that
which is unsuited to her soil and the
temperament OF he, her people: Japan's
the country have been watching with
cslm and calculating deliberation the
eventualities in that region of the world.
NO move on the part of the powers es-
capes unnoticed. Japan under sta nds the
interest OF every nation and every gov
ernment In the Far East. The japanese
people understand the Chinese better
than any other race in the world. China
mas more respect for japan than for any
other country. Past differences do not
weigh with the big empire SO far as ia
pan is concerned, and Mr.. Fenollosa said
he would hazard the statement that ia
pan. under favorable circumstances. could
| reconcile the Chinese to a policy of re-
construction quicker than any other pow
er on the face OF the EARTH because OF
the confidence md respect China has
ing, he instanced the occupancy of Pc
kin some time ago and said the Japanese
soldiers had infinitely less trouble In con-
trolling the Chinese than any other mill
absolutely no trouble while many of the
other forces were almost constantly in a
state OF turmoil and disorder in
one ,Ss WY syv and another 9th 3aps an, holds
the Far East Knowing China, the Chi
nese language, Chinese history, Chinese
methods of thought and action. knowing
the temperament OF the race. its weak
uesses and its strength. and all the diff
Terminating lines which make II a huge
and ungovernable mass of humanity 81
far as any other power on earth Ia con-
cerned. Japan Is in a position to do more
along conciliatory lines with China than
all the other powers combined. Russia
because of the prudence and conciliatory
inherency Of her statesma nship, and the
delicacy with which they deal with riskys
diplomatic problems. is probably next in
line so far as dealing with the Chinese
is concerned. Russia Is wise Russia
never strikes the wedge until the situa-
ton is ripe There Is pro- Russian ele,
ment in China. The fact is due largely
to the influence Of Ii Hung Chang.
Whether from motives pure or irapurs
Mr.. Fenollosa could not say, but he stat
ed it as fact that Ii Hung Chang, du-
ring his lifetime. had been playing into
the hands of the Russian government and
had built up pro-Russian sentiment in
the empire. The representative of the
Russian government hung around his
deathbed in a vain effort to get him to
sign the document ceding Manchurla to
Russia But he died without doing It, and
for the Chinese empire. These reflections.
ragIon Of the world. and they would tend
to make much palmer the prominent part
which Japan must play in solving the in
| t"vnatiOnai riddle. fhe whole future OF
| the Chinese empire, its reconstruction
| along conciliatory lines, which would pre-
serve at least A part of its autonomy.
I leaving I'm n rrned the more cherished eS-