The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1904-02-05
JAPANESE CHARACTER.
There Is Some Disagreement Among
Foreigners ns to Traits of the
Little Islanders.

light for her existence now, rather than
wait until Russia has absorbed Corea,
all the world is curious to know much
more concerning the real character of
the japanese than is understood at
present. And it appears, states the
New York Times, that, notwithstand-
ing the numbers of Japanese who have
studied and lived in America. notwith-
standing the large American contin-
gent of residents and tourists in ia
pan, together with the appreciation
Americans have shown, at least for the
arts of that country, opinions regard
ing the Japanese character are as wide
apart as the poles. Yet upon that char
acter will depend the outcome of the
life-and-death struggle between Russ
and Jap
We have had plenty of glowing eulo-
gists of the Japanese and some detrac-
tors. Percival Lowell undertook to
say on the strength of a comparatively
superficial acquaintance with this peo-
pie that they lack personality and in
dividual soul, even that they do not
think" while Basil H. Chamberlain.
who makes Japan his home, has reach
ed an opposite conclusion after a resi-
dence of many years. Another writer
on things Japanese, a German of
Dutch descent named Ten Kate, has
just contributed TO Globus the harsh
est verdict which has yet appeared; he
accuses the japanese of lack of the
love of truth, lack of depth in intel
lect and sentiment and inaccesSibility
to abstract ideas. He says they have
no individuality, are unstable and east
ly moved by suggestions from stronger
minds; are wanting in tenacity of pur-
pose and grit; are open to paradoxes
and slaves to vanity and jingoism Ten
Kate has only faults to find in the Jap
anese, but he remains IN Japan, as so
many others before him, who hare not
been able TO escape the charm of the
country while grumbllng at the people
who make the land delightful. He even
goes so far as to charge them with mo-
notonouS features. with looking alike,
and, of course, he recounts as exam
pies Of their heartlessness the cheer
the dead and the bloody deeds which
are found in their history under the
Shoguns down TO the disappearance of
the Shogunate in 1868.
Fortunately for the japanese. there
are foreigners anon them who dissent
utterly from such an indictment of a
nation. DR.. Baelz has lived in Japan
more than quarter of a century as a
practicing physician. teacher. and a
writer on japanese mstters. He has
employed many Japanese as trained
nurses and in other capacities. and he
reports that his experience proves just
the coz -rary. From other physicians
and from Americans and Europeans
who employ native labor he obtains
the same eviderce in favor of the
quickness and tnoughtfulness of the
japanese. The adverse opinions he at
tributes to the difficulty of getting in
formation from people who are very
sensitive to ridicule, who often pre-
tend not to understand when asked
questions they think are dictated by pure
curiosity, and to some degree also to
the unsettled condition of mind in a
country which has made recently such
extraordinary changes in politics and
social conditions.
1t was DR.. BaelZ who pointed out
some years ago the singular physical
resemblance between the Russians and
the old inhabitants of Japan, now only
found in the north. the Anus. This
resemblance extends to the charac. er
Of the Anus and Russians What an
odd whirligig of events, that Russia
should now be casting about to absorb
the japanese by way of Corea, the jap
anese who are composite Of Anus
Mongols and Malays! Another wave of
the race that once held Japan and was
conquered and absorbed by Malay in
truders from the south is coming east
ward again to strive for leadership in
China. To accomplish this the Rus
slams propose TO cure Japan Of her
dream OF organizing the far east by
dealing her a blow which. if it sue
ceeds, will mean her ruin as a nation
having anything to say in Asia. No
wonder Japan feels that she must fight
what neither Lowell nor Ten Kate ap-
pear TO recognize is the tremendous
character the japanese have shown by
their acceptance of the valuable ele-
ments in European life, a1d the ex-
traordinary evidence they exhibit of
self-repression Certainly a more pa
triolc people does not exist and so
far as bravery and military spirit is
concerned they hav, no superors. 1t
may turn out that in the course of the
conflict with nation so well led and
so well prepared. at such a distance
from the present center of Russia. that
empire will receive blow to it's power
and prestige from which ii will never
recover.
flin of Nm