The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-06-08
FOR SELF PRESERVATION,

FOR SELF PRESERVATION.
Yellow Peril Men Hit Back Hard Al
The White Peril.
Toxic, end of April, 1904.-American
sympathy is no more than our good
right, for the United States are main
ly responsible for the white periol con-
fronting these islands. Up to the time
when President Fillmore ordered us at
the point of hundred guns to open
our ports to foreign commerce, we
thought we had done once and for all
with the outer world.
But let us trace Japan's connection
with the world Of the white man from
the beginning.
In 1543 the first white men entered
these islands, shipwrecked Portuguese.
They carried powder and rifles and re-
lying upon these weapons, forced their
trade upon us. They also brought US
the Friars. The latter succeeded in con-
verting number ofsmall princes, who
in their turn coerced their subjects to
embrace the new religion. Finally the
Shogun, that is the actual ruler of the
ancient empire, the Shotgun himself be-
came Christian and instituted perse-
cutions against the followers of Buddha.
That unworthy yellow man died in
the year 1887; his successor was of a diff
ferent mind. Calling the monks to-
gether he questions them as follows:
"What ri ght have you to preach re-
ligion, purely spiritual and indivi-
dual matter, under pain OF sufferings
"What right have you to make wal
on other religions and particularly
their interpreters, our native priests" i"
"What religion is that which enpow-
ers its priests to steal men and carry
them across water as slaves?"
The monks failed to answer these
questions satisfactorily and the Shogun
banished them from the Japanese hem.
isphere forthwith. This, our first con-
nection with the white man had lasted
forty years, and left a bad taste in the
mouth. Six hundred thousand Jsps
had been converted to Chr istianity,
and it was charged that many of them
had conspired with the Spaniards, who
at that time were masters in the Phil
lipines, to turn Japan over to their rule,
The conspiracy led to the persecution
of Christian Japs; in 1908 Christian
worship was prohibited. There were
some martyrs and the Ch ristian belie1
was eradicated.
Splendid Isolation.
Then followed for Japan period Of
splendid isolation. For nearly three
hundred years our country remained
Theoretically closed against white in
fuence. Only certain Ducth traders
were allowed to visit our shores al
stated intervals and at certain points
By these means the foreign world &C
quired our chief products: porcelain
bronzes, fans and lackered ware
During the period when no foreign
er's foot trod her shores, Japan was
eminently prosperous. There was nc
more beautiful, no more fertile land un
der the sun and no happier people.
This exceptional state continued un
til 1853, when President Fillmore sem
Commodore Perry with a squadron o.
four vessels to the mikado, demanding
consent to the negotiation of a treaty o
friendship and commerce between the
two governments. The arrival of the
Yankee squadron precipitated revo
luton and after a show of force the
American demands had to be complied
with. Immediately afterwards tht
! white men began to overrun our har
Dor towns, creating bad feeling every
where. After few years, hatred o
the foreigners had 30 increased, that s
number of merchants were slain-jus
as Chinese and Italians are occasional
|ly murdered in American cities today
Our punishment was swift and ter
rible. American, British and French
men-of- war appeared in short order ant
began to lombard our defenceless cities
Palaces, pagodas, temples, pillarhalls
the proudest monuments of Japanes
architecture, were turned to rubbish
within few hours. And to cap tn
climax, we had to pay seventy-fiv'
million of francs indemnity. CUP t.
then, the yellow world owed not cop
per to the white man.
It was the third lesson the White
gave us-unasked by the way. Ant
our wise men began arguing:
Wonderful peoples, these American
and Europeans. A handEul of then
:. gathers within few miles from ou
shores, wrecks our most precious mon
uments and works our architecture
kills yellow men by the hundreds-al
4 without endangering thei;' own skin
and hands US a stunning bill. W.
must acquire the art of bombarding a
a source of selfpreseryation."
Accordingly we learned the languag
of cannons, and mastered other trait
and vices of the white man. AM
!; while devouring foreign dishes, our ap
: petite grew. We concluded that w
!; must learn everything calculated t.
make whites superior to Japs in brute
force-and I dare say we learned it. '
We took over from the white man hi
. political apparatus, his army and navy
his economic and governmentsystems
his educational, industrial and agricu
tural methods, his commercial usage
, even. But mind, we never had tn
slightest desire to assimilate with tn
white man; our idea was to become
his equal in strength, to set up unde
r his instruction, an impregnable detenc
sive, no more, no less.
At the same time we retained of ou
national civilization everything wort