Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-02-15
PADEN ON JAPAN.
First Presbyterian Pastor Delivers an
Interesting Address on Conditions.

Rev. Dr. w, II. Paden spoke on social
and moral conditions In Japan before
the usual large congregation In the
First Presbyterian church yesterday
morning. lie called attention to the
remarkable progress in enlightenment
and civilization among the Japs In the
last 80 years and 10 how eager they
are for the material and Intellectual
benefits of the more enlightened nations
OF the earth. However, the trouble
with the Japs Is that while they accept
the fruits, they reject the tree which
bears the fruit and that tree Is Chris
tianity Christianity was first intro
duced by Roman Catholic missionaries
800 years ago, but because Of the desire
OF the church to gain political as well
as spiritual influence II was driven out
The result was the closed door until
1854. when Commodore Perry opened the
ports Of Japan by treaty, The doctor
further said: mo other nation in the
history OF the world has made such
rapid strides toward civilization within
the memory Of men still young. She
has left medieyalism for modernism and
instead of hanging on the wheels Of
progress, she Is now pulling In the
shafts. So swift and evident has been
the change that a japanese student
said that when he returned TO his coun-
try after an absence Of seven years,
nothing was left as II had been but the
natural scenery
"The upheayal Of Japan's social Full
San has been chiefly by instruction OF
Intellect a whole generation OF Japa-
nese leaders has been at school In
the beginning hundreds were sent to
the best schools abroad, not only TO
educational institutions, but to the
schools Of practical life. Some Of you
will remember the japanese who were
In Philadelphia in &c. Ii Is said that
more than 10000 Japanese were abroad
In so. Soon they began establishing
schools Of their own, manning them
chiefly with foreign teachers. When
General Grant visited the military
school at Toxic on his famous tour, he
wrote; 1T is one Of the foremost of
similar institutions | have seen In the
world Joseph Cooke declares that the
examination papers required at the I'M
perial university, save In classics, are
quite up to the average demanded IN
Cambridge or oxford, Princeton or
Yale
Now western learning Is moving the
whole nation through hundreds Of sub
ordlnante schools and a system Of com
pulsory education Is at work through
out Japan, The schoolmaster is abroad
and II Is estimated that over half OF
Japans 6,OO0eO0 or 1000, 900 of children
are now at school,
I'VE must graciously help these little
people, II viii be years before the Jap
anese church can get on without west
ern counsel and assistance. To desert
the Islands now would be more unfoT-
tunate than the too early desertlon Of
Hawaii, for in spite Of their wonder
full doings, the Japanese are, after all,
like precocious children. Japan is the
child Of the worlds old age, and as such
a child is IN danger Of being spoiled,
Considering the obstacles TO be over
come, Christianity has done very much
in the empire Of Japan; considering the
work to be done, the results already
achieved seem very small. Yet with
In the last 10 years there has been
noticeable Increase In morality and In
business honesty, correcting the two
greatest faults Of the Japanese charac-
ter"