The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-02
GROWTH Of
new JAPAN
"Bushido" as Factor in
Development of
Empire.

The parlors Of the Methodist par
sonage, at Beretania and Richard:
streets, were crowded last night tc
listen to the lecture on "Bushido." by
the minister, Rev John w wadman
who was many years a missionary il
| Japan, and to drink tea in the Japa-
nese fashion.
This was served in the "Cha-noYu'
which means the ceremonial way and
Saito, wife of the Japanese Consul
General. She was assisted by Mrs
Kishi, Mrs. Mori. and Mrs. Ishikawa
1t was pretty ceremony, with all the
courtesy of old Japan, and there was
an accompaniment of music, "Koto'
and .Samisen' duets by Mrs. Yokoto
and Mrs. soga, and several numbers
on the ..Shakuhachi'' by Mr.. Matsuda.
I The speaker of the evening, Mr..
Wadman, was attired in the Japanese
fashion, in elegant silken robes of
ceremony quiet in color but almost
priceless in texture, and wore in his
sash the two swords of the samurai.
One of these swords, the shorter or
the one with which the bravo takes. his
own life when he is defeated,
was weapon one thousand
years old, the blade gold mounted. This
was formerly the property of the
famous Gen. Kurokawa. the man who
conducted the education of the Crown
Prince Of Japan. General Kurol<awa
died only a few years ago, and the
weapon came into the possession of
Mr.. Kobayashi, of the Emigration Of
fee.
eve hail the brightness of the
first among Asiatic nations to enter
modern life, to win and hold a place
among the foremost peoples of the
earth,'' said MIR. wadman, speaking
upon ..Bushido," which means in one
word the growth of the New sJapan.>
1T is time for us, as students of Dai
Nippon, to cease treating her as an
oriental puzzle, nation of recluses, a
land of fabulous wealth, of universal
Righteousness; or as a garden of the
gods, a paradise of lovely children who
never cry. the Utopia of artists and
poets.
yes it is high time to discard the
prolific writings of globe-trotter and
others whose fanciful and at times
poetic pens often depict Japan in such
an unnatural. untruthful, unhistorical
way. 1t is time, I say, to drop the
license of exaggeration. and in the
light of the coming day, with sympathy
and without exaggeration, seek to
know who our neighbors really are,
and the nature of those forces back of
their national social and individual
life now operating SO powerfully as to
call forth more than passing glance
or a cursory review
The speaker dwelt at length upon
the origin and history of the institu- (
ton of .'Bushido" which was to old
Japan all and more than all that the
of knighthood was to western
civilization in the middle ages. and
told how that same spirit, coming
Down to modern times in a land that
was isolated from the western WORLD. .slas
survived in all that is best in the patri-
otism and national spirit of the Japan
If our time
"A spirit of chivalry, of our old fash
oned knighthood, took possession of
he people" he said, eand .Bushido'
became their code of morals 1t was
lot Il written code but a series of
naxinls handed down from father to
on. from generation to generation. a
orned by generous deeds and sanction
d by brave achievements, growing in
eauty and power with the passing dec
des and centuries. leaving its indel-
BILE impress on the character of the
eople and their institutions. And
, this very day 'Bushido is mighty
actor among the forces which have
,ade Dai Nippon the New Japan"
An intoxicated Individual. while
Iowly making his way home at an
irly hour this morning, took one OF