New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-07
JAPAN AND CHIN A.
THE JAPANESE IDEAL, AND HOW 1T is
REGARDED BY THE CHINESE.

[FRoM OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIRUNE1
Toxic February II.
To become great military power had been,
| il not their exclusive the principal the essen
tial, object of the japanese since the days OF
Perry. This is what to them Western ciVtlza-
ton really meant. All branches of knowledge
and all political institutions were subsidiary to-
although more less insepa arabic from, that
| vital object. To it's full attainment they had
| worked with patient continuity from year to
year. and as soon as they felt they had vrtu-
ally reached the goal they had but one mind
TO test the efficacy OF the work. on whom? Evil
IDENTIFY the 'experimentum in ANNA VIII had to
be made the Chinese 1t would have been
made some years sooner had not the rare tact
OF Germany's Ambassador in Washington. then
minister in Toxic. DR.. Won Holeben arranged
such terms of reconciliation they could not
then evade. The Russian minister's irritation
over that successful mediation an inter
esting indication. But Corea afforded the means
OF resuming the quarrel Alleged by China to
be vassal kingdom, Japan meant that II
should be her sphere of influence" and this
struggle of intrgues and counter ntrigues often
caused blood to he shed in the streets and in
the palace of Seoul. and once reached the eli
max of a Xenophonlike retreat of Japan's min
lister and his guards. Nor the toll Hung
Chang convention OF Tien-Tsin Of any avail:
it was laying down rules for q game with loaded
dice: and, as with all agreements of the con
dominium' variegated species the meaning and
the results of which always tediousy the
same. It was only preparing legal reasons to
justify rupture
Are you aware that Russia looks on. that
you may be doing her business. and that il may
be more convenient TO have beyond the Sea Of
Japan a Chinese Corea than Russian one"
said distinguished foreigner to a Japanese
lie nh ~
divine sentence: Each day has its allotted
labor one must begin with a. . the begin
ming"
War at last broke out. Nothing could have
prevented IT, The very conditions demanded by
Japan-and put forth in acceptable garb by
the representatives Of England and Itay-were
on their way to Picking when the japanese. 70
disentange themselves from any troublesome
diplomatic dilemma. foundered Chinese trans
port and drowned all the soldiers. Disaster fol-
lowed disaster for the Chinese The Japanese
experimenting was splendid and complete. Dis
cipline unexceptionahle. orders exactly obeyed;
movements under heavy fire accomplished on
the parade ground firing done only at the com
mand OF the officers. Goodness. DASH fearless
ness. resistance. admirable. Commissariat per
feet. Tactics and strategy quite Germanc:
victories with convergent marches Of distant
armies meeting punctuay the battlefield;
walled towns taken by storm; landings aston
ishingly performed; maritime strongholds
rapidly subdued: winter campaign in snow
bound Manchuria causing the Russians to
ponder; sea fight giving Il lesson in new naval
tactics to England: daring exploit of torpedoes
sinking men-of-war protected by forts and lead
ing to surrender OF forts and men-of-war.
The japanese Governments expectations were
surpassed: they had not thought that 1t would
all be so easy. and the French appropriately
..r', nc ON ma then
not go to the very end at once? To Picking!
Show Europe how TO deal with China; change
the government. Overthrow the dynasty and
th, Manchu conquerors. From Picking let the
Japanese war cry be: China to the Chinese!
Proclaim that are at war only against the
government of foreigners: bid Chinese patriots
Ioin; "Fuori i Barbara" as Italians used to say;
we are the Piedmontese Of this colossal Italy
and We too, are not insensbe to her cry OF
pain'" And the japanese armies converged on
Picking.
This Eastern dream q must say a great and
svmpathetic dream) broken by media
ton Off you prefer the other diplomatic eX-
pression-the good offices. which came from the
United States or supported and patronlzeu
by the United States representatives 10 reject
this interference the japanese Government were
obliged to state they would negotiate only Win
the Chinese Government. whenever the Chinese
would send a high dignitary with full powers
Sober minded statesmen had then the oppor-
tunitv to intervene: Consider the American
attempt as a friendly warning that the great
powers are feeling their way to lnterVehuoh'
and as a friends help by paving the way TO
China's submission before that intervention oc-
ours We are quite at liberty to storm fekhs'
we are not at liberty to realize our vast ana
radical scheme After having shown to Europe
q 1iSpIaV
our political wisdom. 1t is now time, as the
Romans said. for arms to give way to the tosa
The Simonoseki treaty signed. Iii Hung
Chang got a bullet in his cheek tnever eX-
tracted) for the failure of the dream.
Rut the dream had not been abandoned The
vav to its fulf1lment had been changed. To be
friend the court and the ruling mandarins, to
prove to them that Japan was their only de-
fender their only salvation if they would take
her for their teacher. and to be, from the Lao
Tung Peninsula in a position to exercise press
ure eventually coercion, in favor of reforms,
and especially of philo-Japanese reforms at
Picking was the adopted political programme.
They had fought to establish their supremacy,
nv baesronv over Corea; they thought they had
won supremacy and hegemony over China. All
that was concealed when they were eXpounding
to Europeans that they were to be the cham
pions of European civilization. would have been
hard to guess; still waters run deep
EXPULSION from the Liao-Tung Peninsula left
them without compass adrift. When they re-
covered from the blow, unity or purpose had
gone. A deep revulson swept over the national
mind and the very name of China becomes obi
ous ONLY minority with the Progresssts.
held fast to the old ideal despite the loss of its
territorial basis. A ideal had taken the
nations fancy: Onward march In the SOUTH