The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-16

us, that the ambition Of q spartep woman
was to be the wife Of great man and the
mother OF illustrious sons. Bushido set no
lower ideal before our maidens their whole
bringing up was In accordar oe with this
view The Samurai virgins were in
struc.ed In many martial practices In the
art OF self-defence, for instance, that they
might safeguard their persons and their
children; the art Of committing suicide,
80 that. in case no other alternative to dis
grace was offered they might end their
lives In due order and In sesmly fashion.
Peaceful accomplishments music, dancing,
belles-lettres, flower arrangements, TO-,
were not, indeed, to be neglected; but
readiness for emergencies, skill In house.
keeping and In the education OF children.
were considered by far the most weighty
lessons to be learned. The inuring OF
nerves to hardship was necessary part
OF their training. Sobs and shrieks were
regarded as unworthy Of Samurai wornan.
We read of mother, in whose presence
her daughter was slaughtered, proceeding
calmly with the composition Of an ode:
The MOSES growing hidden in the bottom
depths of an ancient well may bring to
strangers ken the fiuttering Of their leaves,
but never shall my heart betray It's emotions
to human eye"
1t Is conceded by Prof. Nitobe that
Bushido, being the morality Of certain
class, had a circumscribed sphere. 1t was
not accepted as rule Of conduct in the
lower strata Of Japanese society. The
mercantile class, for instance, was not
governed by it, To Sa1mrai. trade and
commerce were small matters to which
IL was derogatory to his dignity to pay
any attention. 1t is not denied that there
was-and we presume is-a relatively low
moral tone in the industrial classes. A
vulnerable point OF Busf 10 was that. 1t
meted out honor in unequal degrees: in
esteem the Sar,urai ranked first; next,
the tilers Of the soil; then mechanics; and.
last of all, tradesmen. The last named.
being accounted least worthy Of respect.
naturally adjusted their n oral tone to their
reputation. Prof. Nitobe says, however.
that during the last two decades con-
siderable improvement in this respect
has been remarked in industrial circles.
1t is a notable admission that honor
Is the only tie which binds the Japanese
to the ethical world: any other moral power
Is still feeble being either in infancy or In
senility. Buddhism has lost the earnest,
striving for which 1t was once conspicu-
Gus; it now busies itself with trivial dis
tinctions among it's small and numerous
sects. The light Of Confucius and Men
cius has paled before that Of later phil
osophy. Christianity, as too often preached
in Japan, is pronounced a caricature OF
the original. Materialism has enlisted
a large following. Reactioniam has, on
its part. tried to erect a structure Of it's
own, based on cant, bigotry and hypocr isy.
into which it would collect the whole Japa-
nese race Of course excluding foreigners.
All these systems and schools of ethics,
however, are mainly confined to lecture
rooms. The heart Of the nation is still
swayed by Bushido. 1t commands and
guides; and, consciously or unconsciously,
the descendants Of the Samurai, who con-
stitute the soul Of Japan, follow it. Ac-
cording to Prof. Nitobe the modern trans
formation of his country is itself the fruit
of the teaching Of Bushido. The world
admits that the Mikado's domain, from
being a nonentity in the politics Of the
world, has in the brief space Of thirty years
raised itself into the position Of first
class Power. An explanation of tho seem
ing miracle has been attempted from var
ious viewpoints; but those who are unao-
quainted with the psychology Of the Japa-
nese race, and with tho precepts of its
kaighthood. have despaired of finding an
adequate hypothesis, and have summarily
attributed what is really no miracle at all
to apish mimicry. 1t is not disputed that
the Japanese do in a sense possess imita-
tivenese. What progressive nation does
notf We are reminded, however that
imitation is an elastic term. which may
mean blind aping, or, on the other hand,
an educative principle, a conscious follow
ing of pattern selected with discretion
and foresight. In the latter case imita-
ton takes for granted power of selecting
and of acting accordingly. Such power
was Bushido a teaching which, like it's
symbol, the cherry blossom, was born and
nurtured in the soil Of the island realm.
The cha pter on Ancestor Worship" is