The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-18

bles sacrificed their privileges in the
National Assembly Of Franco eighty
years before. II was an event this
surrender Of its glOries y a proud no.
bllify. which scu.e5C.5y mas said
throws into the SHADE the achieve
n1ents Of Peter the Great the reforms
OF Joseph Il. and even the French
Revolution Itself II was al least
81 E1t which neither gods nor men
had seen more than once OF twice since
the esntleWomen Of Florence hung
their rings and bracelets On sayonaro-
las Bonfire Of Fanities.
But SavOHaroEa hiTnseE could hardly
have changed the whole life OF a NJ
ton We know how his kingdom fsil-
And there were crises and storms IN
Japan, with revolts against the new re-
giue and risings OF the Old ana once
when the streets Of Japan ran Win
Japsn's best blood. the -raglc close o.
thirty thousand Ewes marked for ever
this parting Of the ways between East
and West. Nor was il easy Eor me
Emperor 10 deprive 0. their lost prlFl-
lege all the lords VINO rad maZnsTil-
n5ously laid down the rest. Yet 50
small z thing as the wearing OF sword
came necessarily 10 Be forbidden. ana
slowly the old tradition and plctur-
sequences Of life in japan passed away
before the nations eyes Japan Vas
10Th 70 let IL pass We Ike 10 reIneTn-
Der that story Of the wife Of Ja2a-
nese ambassador. who was attend@d
by q leading physician n Vienna Sl-
had . bed such as any great lazy IN
Vienna might sleep upon but IN Il ne
physician found a board upon Wnlcn
she really lay. and hidden in the soIt
pillows Law the old ashioned head rest
common in the old Japan How nara
il Is 70 let the habits Of a lifetime go
But all Japan. indeed, lived two ives
In those strange times. Its young men
came 10 Europe. saw our civilization
studied our politics. and learned III our
schools. Marquis Ito with Count In
Ouye. came 10 Lentoa IN their teens
10 learn the way ID which nation
should 90, and landed at the docks so
hungry and lonely and helpless that
they threw down one Of the only Two
dollars they had OF q bakers counter,
snatched I'D q loaf, and ran hack with
il TO an empty ship in WHICH they spent
the night. In the heart Of Japan the
desire TO throw of the weight Of the
ages OF the East and put on the mantle
Of the West was not 10 De kept down
But il is not a simple thing TO leave
undone to-day the things we did
through all the days Of last year, and
Japan did not easily conquer itself.
Everywhere there remained a lingering
affection for the old.
Then and Vow.
Among all the Innovations of the
era" a great authority on Japan has
told US. the only one that Japan
csc could not lay aside al VIII was
the new fashion of dressing his hair.
He abandoned the queue irrevOcably;
but for the rest he lived dual life.
During hours Of duty he wore a fine
uniform, shaped and decorated in for
eign style But 50 soon as he stepped
out of Office or of parade he reverted
to his own comfortable and picturesque
costume.
Handsome houses were built and
furnished according to Western mod
els. But each had an annex where
alcoves, yerandas, matted floors and
paper sliding doors continued to do
traditional duty. Beefsteaks, beer,
grapevine knives and forks. came
into use on occasion. But rice bowls
and chOpsticks held their place as of
old"
Japan had grown old in the old
paths. but now. thirty-five years aft
er, there are those who tread them
still
But parliaments and constitutions
are wonderful things. and the new
Japan has taken her place in the front
line of nations The attempt 10 set
up a Parliament without parties fail
ed, and we saw the other day that the
Japanese Parliament, the child Of the
political genius of Asia, had dared to
rebuke the Emperor who brought il
into being. Men who ruled Japan be-
fore Mutsuhito was born live humble
lives to-day. Sons of feudal lords,
whose ancestors lived in great castles,
led great armies, and ruled great ter
ritories. are servants of shopkeepers.
and clerks now. Even the pensions.
which were to have gone on forever.
were bought up by the state in it's
Transforming days, and liberty. equal
ity and fraternity have been cut deep
in vivid letters across the living ia
pan.
Thirty-ive short years, and to-day
men tremble to think what thirty-five
short hours may bring for this magi-
cal land Of the modern world.
The Artist consider it one Of
my best Impressions" The Critic