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

and our college boys have occasion to
practice the things taught them.
What We Did Not Adopt.
But we did not adopt American sky
scrapers and French flats. Therein as
in other things we reIcained superior
to our teacher. We retain ad our small
houses, the floors covered nth white
mats, our scant furnishings, the little
tables where pretty girls serve tea in
diminutive cups. And we stuck to our
national dish-rice. Our high officials
have rooms done in Western fashion
to receive foreigners, but when the for
eigners are gone, the yellow man
quickly drops the swallow tail for his
national gown. All our social cere-
monies we retained, our ideas on fami-
ly life and matrimnny. To be always
Joyous is one of our foremost social du-
ties, now as always. We never show
sour face. In Japan no one thinks
of the two-children-system, nor of
women running competition to men.
For nearly fifty years American and
European missionaries have had all
the liberty they asked for in Japan, but
of forty-five millions of yellow men
and yellow women, less than ninety
thousand adopted Christianity. Ask
any honest missionary, Catholic, Pro-
testant Presbyterian, he will tell you,
that the Jap Christians are unworthy
Of the name.
They are indeed. Why? Because
Buddhism harmonizes better with
the teachings of modern science.
Buddhism which, in the main, is the
religion 30 self-satisfied with respect
to religious matters? The Christians
Taught us.
Reflect, nineteen centuries passed be-
fore the Christians abolished slavery,
and today, 1000 years after the death
of the Nazarene, nearly every Christ
iap nation is spending, on the average,
twice as much for war preparations
for acts of destruction, than for the up
lifting of humanity, including school
ing. From this general, rule the Unit
ed States of America are the sole honor.
able exception, but, then, in the United
States, religion is matter Of private
concern.
If you want US Japanese to become
Christians demonstrate that your reli-
gion keeps what it promises. The
founder of Christianity decreed that
men should love one another. What
showing has love and brotherhood in
aristocratically governed countries!
Turn to Russia, whose religious pre-
tensions exceed those of all other lands,
In that Christian state, two hundred
millions of men, women and children
depend upon the good will of single
person, master of his subjects and for
tunes.
There is small incen tive for Japs tc
become Christians. Among severa
hundred millions of Christians, one
Tolstoi breaches true Christianity ano
for that crime he was put without the
pale of the church. He practices wha
be breaches, but how many are there
like him? There are even few books
in English, French, German, or any
other Christian language preaching true
Christianity.
Christian morality, where is it? Al
pointed out, we yellow men had the
heartiest desire to adopt institutions
that tended to make Christian coun
tries great, yet we utterly failed to dis
cover superior morality either in your
commercial usages, your industria
development, your army and navy
or even in your form of government
If we must have torpedoes and subma
rine boats, Krupp cannons and dyna'
mite, factories for consumptives, chilt
labor and alcoholism, what is the ust
of getting excited about such trifes a.
our polygamous habits and Geishas
Let US be frank, brutally frank
white man! Wherever you encount-
cred colOred race, you made war OF
it, plundered it, cheated it, destroyed
it. Where are the original inhabitant
of America? There are not enough LEI
to people German principality. Yol
went to Africa and enslaved the blacks
They were finally emancipated, it j
true, but at the cost of a war leavip,
two 10 illions of white lives on battl
field ana hospital cot.
Let's understand each other, whit
man; these things and more like then
are not calculated to inspire the yellov
race with confidence in your intergrit.
or your religion.
You taught US that the white man /
strong, but we fail to zee that hi
strength is welded to kindness. II
religion we found you wanting. but a
for diabolical cunning we had no faul
to find with ydu.
| Revolution of 1868.
You remember our revolution o
1868. To be frank, it was not inaugu
rated to win the white mans admira
ton and sympathy. We revolted TO
our own good-to keep the White Peri
at distance as long as possible.
Old Japan is dead, to insure the new
Japan's integity, we adopted certail
foreign usages, vices and infamies. l
they fail us in the present struggle
that does not say that we will be con
tent to ret-ograde, that we will tax
upon ourselves yoke we never bore
that yoke of servitude.
Japs Know How To Die.
i Remember, the Jap is not an indivj
dualist; selfishness is not the alph
and omega of life with him. His ain
is the greatness of the fatherland, tn
welfare of the people, of which b
forms but an infinitesimal part. Fo
his peoples welfare he can die as wei
as live. To illustrate let me quote one G
our native chronicles.
! Once upon time the regent, Kotsuk
was his name, was insulted by one o
his barons, Takumi. He ser fenced hin
to death by harikari, confiscating hi
fortunes and chattles and destroye,
his strongholds. Then Takumi's vas
sails went into the mountain vastnesses
and swore to revenge their dead mas
ter.