The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-19
A SUPERFICIAL VIEW.

A sermon delivered on Sunday be-
fore a great missionary society ex-
presses well the common thought and
the common error with regard to the
conflict now going on in the Orient.
The clergyman in question said that
"a victory for Japan would mean more
for Christianity and civilization, be-
cause her strides in civilization are
longer and surer than those of Russia"
This idea that Japan's success in the
East means the more rapid progress of
ideas, policies and Institutions with
which Americans are familiar is the
root of the hope so often expressed
that Japan may win.
1t is a hopelessly superficial view.
In the case referred to it seems to
have been based upon reports of Ger
tain missionaries in Japan whose sur
vey must have been confined chiefly to
their own little congregations, and
whose knowledge even then must have
been essentially Of the surface. The
fact is that Christianity has probably
made less impression upon Japan than
upon any other nation where it has
not taken fundamental root. The
Christian religion means about as little
to Japan as it does to China. Tho
people are Oriental in mind, with all
that that word implies. They are es-
sentially initiative they are polite and
deferential in externals, they are
adopts in deception, they are keenIy
alive to every form Of self interest.
These qualities deeply rooted in the
race enable them so to deal with. repre-
sentatives, whether religious or COM
mercial, of other peoples as to create
the impression that they have adopted
notions which they treat with such
great respect
The actual truth is that the Western
man in general, and the American in
particular, knows nothing whatever of
the japanese. THE great barrier of
race divides them. They move in
alien spheres of thought. IntrinsicaIly
speaking, one cannot understand the
other. What we mean by "civiIiza-
ton" has no meaning at all in the
Orient. The Japanese, for instance.
being most alert and practical of
Oriental races, sees in our life elements
that have brought us wealth and made
US world power. These he has seized
upon with wonderful precocity and
adapted as far as possible, If they
comport with civilization, good: if
they are contrary to it, good also: but
for civilization in and of itself. the
Japanese cares exactly nothing at all.
On the ground mentioned by this
speaker the sympathies of Americans
should naturally go to Russia, rather
than Japan. She is fundamentally q
Christian nation. Her people are like
our own Their religion is of the rud-
est and most primitive sort. Their
ideals are lower than ours and their
practices are frequently barbarous and
revolving. In these particulars they
are like our own ancestors. They
are primitive men from whom civiliza-
ton has developed, but they do belong
to the same species. They are Of the
Christian and the white type
The Oriental &c
OF Japan as champion of civilization
IS comparing two terms that have no
common measure at an The relative
advantage to the rest of the world of
the success of the Russian or of the
Japanese in the East is debatahle
affair. To assume that Christianity
has more to hope from the success Of
Japan is an absurdity To speak Of It
as triumph of civilization is merely
misuse of language.