The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-23
MIR. TAKAHIRA TALKS
SAYS JAPAN IS AN Il6ITAToR OF
 AMERICA. i
Would be Happy, Indeed, He De- .clares, If all Nations Regarded
 His People as the Yankees
 ..,,. | of the East. ,-'

Philadelphia, Dec. 2.-The twenty-third annual dinner of the New England Soci- ety of Pennsylvania was held tonight in Horticultural Hall The number of in- vited guests was large; among them being Kogpro Takahira, Japanese Minister to the United States, and Assistant Secre- tary of the Navy Charles H. Darling. Former Assistant Attorney General of the United States James M. Beck. President of the Society, acted as toastmaster. Be- fore introducing the Japanese Minister, Mir. Beck made brief speech toasting the President of the United States.
 MT. Takahira responding to the toast "Japan and New England'' said the in- fuences of New England and Philadelphia in moulding the relations between the United States and Japan had been potent and second to none in bringing the two countries into close ties of friendship. Among other things he said he believed that the commerce between the two coun- tries received it's first impetus from knowledge gained through the exhibition of Japans varied products at the Centen- nial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. In early years, he said, New England had been the mecca of Japanese students who came to this country and spoke of the prominent roles played by these young men in the empires history. In later years, he added, fair proportion of stu dents had come to Pennsylvania.
 We. Japanese are sometimes called the Yankees of the East. said the Minister The name was given by an American, partly In jest 1t may be. Possibly the na- tionality of the one who gave the name had something to do with it's choice. I would be happy. indeed, If were certain tre. consensus of the worlds sober judg- ment ascF1oed to us the qualities linked with the name Yankee energy, jperse- verance, ingenuity. strength of purpose, love of liberty-which have done so much to raise your honored country to it's pres ent high place. among the, nations"
 In concluding he said
 So with us, one of the most earnest desires we cherish is that neiKhboring peoples peoples in some sense kindred to us, shall enjoy the same advantages we enjoy and all adopt in the same manner those elements of Western Civilization which stand for the preservation of na- ional entity and the promotion of na- tional happiness This Is a spirit in a way like the New England spirit. and I assure you in all sincerity and earnest ness that 1t is the spirit which actuates my countrymen and our government fin those momentous affairs that are now holding the stage in the Far East; not a spirit of self-aggrandizement or self-ex- ploitation, but an assured and sincere conviction that as we have found peace. plenty and security from adapting to our use the civilization of the west, so our neighbors will find the strongest safe guard against aggression and lawlessness.
 The amplest guarantee of happiness, comfort and progress by following our example which Is I venture to say, in &C., cord with the principles of New England and of the whole United States"
 Mir. Takahira was followed by Assistant Secretary Darling who spoke of New England and the Navy