The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-04

mt has been generally thought that
the Japanese are Chinese. cousins.
But since Japan has demonstrated
her powers, observers began thinking
that this admirable little people must
have had their origin, somewhere else
than among the yellow AFongols. The
general idea with regard to this mat
ter, however,sSIla Is not been changed
Japanese are Mongo1fans Y
What is the base for. such an as
sumption? Their. physical resemblance
to their Monaghan nefghbors IN gen
eral. But is physical. resemblance a
trustworthy guide in determining the
origin of human race? Most assured
~ not. Animal life is subject to@change
under certain conditions of existence.
The climate, the food. etc, are factors
in modifying physical life The most
superficial observer may see that
during three generations a German
family, for instance, in the United
States, almost lose their German ply
siogonomy. President Harper thinks
that Americans are fast becoming in
physiognomy like the natives Of Amer
lea. Thus, organic life Is subject to
the influence Of physical environment
under which it exists. All through the
Orientals there exists some resem-
blance to one another. : 1t is no won
der then that the Japanese resemble
the Mongolians. But il there be no
more trustworthy evidence than a
mere physical resemblance between
the Japanese and the Mongolian fam
lilies, the classification Of the Japanese
with the Mongolian family is indeed
worthless, and even ridiculous. The
more reliable evidence in determining
the origin of human race is, first,
language; second. mental peculiarities.
Between the Japanese language, on one
hand, and the Chinese and the Korean,
on the other, there is not the slightest
| likeness. Some claim that the Japa-
nese syntax Is somewhat like that of
the Koreans. But if such be the case,
1t is mere accident. The nearest Ian
guage to the Japanese is Latin. A
Latin scholar, who understands the
Japanese vocabularies without under
standing the syntax. may be, able to
translate Latin into good japanese.
The mode of conjugation and infection
OF the japanese is SO strikingly SINH
49, eAANt oiAC may NC. IilpIGSSSu Will
the idea that these two languages must
have a common origin. Some ignorant
people think that. the Japanese and
Chinese are the same OR nearly so,
and that they can understand each
other without studying each others
language. 1t is true, the written Japa-
nese language is badly mutilated by
the Interpolation of ugly Chinese char
acters. This is necessitated by the
fact that the Japanese is deficient in
vocabularies, and in order to express
our ideas fully and accurately, we are
compelled to use the Chinese charac-
tiers. But borrowed Chinese, either
written or spoken, differs widely from
the original in pronunciation, In syn
tax and In meaning. . The difference
| between the Japanese and Chinese is
even greater than that between the
Chinese and English;se for English ap-
proaches the Chinese in syntax nearer
than the japanese. If the japanese
and the Chinese were of common par
entage, there should be some resem-
blance in their language
In mental life, 1.-The difference between
the japanese and the Monaghan fami-
lies is more marked than the difference
In their languages. The characteristics
Of the. Chinese temperament are dull
ness, apathy, nonprogressiveness, while
stupidity. On the other hand, the Jap
anese are quick, sensitive, interested
and progressive. The emotional side of
the japanese nature is Surcharged. as
| it were, with electricity, while their
Monaghan neighbors are more like a
| faded camel ready to drop and die. In
intensity and in. interestedness, the
| japanese is likened to a hungry tiger
watching it's prey. The assumption
that these three peoples are of common
parentage provokes a smile from one
who observes thermental laws of her
edity. How these. laws are demon
strated needs no argument. With the
! Caucasians, although they have been
| divided into many nationalities and
! speak various tongues, there still exists
these peoples. So, too, is it the case
with the Aryan families. If then, the
Japanese owe their origin to the COM
mon parentage who begot such peoples
as Koreans and the Cinnamon. nature
has committed the most deplorable
error. But a psychologists view is diff
ferent on this matter, and he fails to
see how people like the Japanese
could have descended from the fore
fathers who begot the yellow Mongols.
That the Japanese have no destiny
common to their Monaghan neighbors
is another evidence that they are not
Of the same family. Even when they
were mere children the Japanese DEM
onstrated that. potentiality which was
destined to astonish the whole civilized
world. The Chinese and the Koreans
were their teachers: The japanese We're
eager students. But often they were
disappointed at the discovery that the
things they received from their teach
erS were not suitable for the reason