The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-23

tianity decreed that men should love one
another. What showing has love and
brotherhood in aristocratically governed
countries? Turn TO Russia. whose religious
professions exceed those of all other lands.
In that Christian state 200000,000 men.
women and children depend on the good
Will of a single person. master of his sub
Jects lives and fortunes.
There is small incentive for Japanese to
become Christians. Among several hundred
millions of Christians one, Tolstoi, breaches
true Christianity. and for that crime he
was put without the pale of the church. He
practices what he breaches, but how many
books in English, French. German or any
other Christian language preaching true
Christianity.
Christian morality-where is il? AS point
ed oUt we yellow men had the heartiest
desire to adopt institutions that tended to
make Christian countries great, yet We ut
terly failed to discover superior morality
in your commercial usages, industrial de-
veiopment your army and navy, or even
In your form of government. II We must
have torpedoes and submarine boats, Krupp
sumptives, child labor and alcoholism, what
Is the use of getting excited about such
trifles as our polygamous habits and
Geishas?
A HOME THRUST.
Let us be frank. brutality frank. white
man, Wherever you encountered colored
race you made war on 1t, plundered it,
original inhabitants of America? There
not enough left to people a German
principaiity. You went to Africa and en-
cipated. il is true. but at the cost of war
leaving two millions of white lives on bat
tleheld and hospital cot.
Let's understand each other, white man !;
these things and more like them are not
calculated to inspire the yellow race with
confidence
ligions. You taught us that the white
man Is strong but we fail to see that his
iigion We found You wanting. but as for
diabolical cunning We had no fault TO find
with you. You remember our revolution Of
to win the white mans admiration and
sympathy. We revolted for our own good
and-to keep the white peril at a distance
Old Japan is dead To insure the new
Japane Integrity We adopted certain for
eign usages, vices and fnfamies If they
fail us in the present struggle, that does
grade. that will take upon ourselves a
yoke we never bore-that yoke Of servi-
tude. Remember, the Japanese is not an
individualist; selnshness Is not the alpha
and omega of life with him. His aim is
the greatness of the fatherland. the well
fare of the people, of which he forms but
an infnitesimal part. For his peoples well
fare he can die as well as live. To Illus
trate. let me quote one OF our native chron-
icles.
Once upon a time the regent-Kotsuke
was his name-was insulted by one Of his
barons. Takumi. He sentenced him TO death
by harikari confiscated his fortune and
chattels and destroyed his strongholds.
Then Takumi's vassals went into the noun
tainS and swore to revenge their dead mas
ter. Ten years they prepared for the great
work. until finally they felt strong enough
TO carry out their promise. During dark
night they overran the regents palace and
commanded him to kill himself as a pun
ishment for the wrong inflicted on the
baron. But Kotsuke had grown old and
weary and had neither the physical nor NOR
al strength TO comply with the difficult task
of committing harikarf- Thereupon the con-
spirators, forty-sevsn men, killed him and
cut off his head. This they carried in SOL
emn procession TO Takumis grave and de-
posted IL there, TO make il known 10 all
men that the barons death had been prop
erly revenged
In any other country but Japan this act
would have closed the incident. except for
the interference of the authorities. Not
so with US. When the forty-seven conspi-
rators had made good their VOW. they sat
down their leaders grave and commit
ted harikari themselves, every mothers
son of them disemboweled himself slowly
and faithfully.
OF such stuff are the little yellow men
who borrowed weapons from the white
| man to ward of the white peril.