The Washington times., 1904-11-03
Civilization and Japan.

There is nothing, perhaps, so aston
fishing in connection with the present
RussO-JapaEese war as the revela-
tions that have come TO so many re-
garding the characteristics and re-
sources Of the japanese as a nation.
This seems all the more remarkable
since Japan has been TO all inteDts
and purposes as much an open nation
as has Russia for something more
than forty years. Numbers OF Euro
peans and Americans Of culture, open
mindeduess, and keen observation
have visited and even lived for longer
OF shorter periods in the kingdom of
the Rising sun, and many Of the Jap
anese have come among us and been
received with a cordial welcome and
admired as an astonishing people
Tor Asiatics.
But with it all there has been, ex-
cept with the occasional few, a men
tai attitude Of conscious superiority.
because they were OrientaIs and we
Were Occidentals and the elect. 1t
seemingly could not enter into the
bind Of the Westerner to conceive
hat any Oriental-to whom the ep-
Fithet 'enete' was usually applied
could measure up TO our standard Of
civilization. They might have a Ger
tain kind of art, which was dainty
and childlke in its simplicity, and
quite decorative in design and color,
but by no means TO be placed on the
same footing with our Art Idea" as
made manifest in the huge paintings
tnat cover space on the walls Of our
houses and public galleries. And as
10 the really great things, IL seemed
absurd that so small a people, who
didn't even wear trousers, and hadn't
invented a telephone, nor built a
Brooklyn bridge. could be expected to
have serious consideration on ques-
tons about which truly great nations
are concerned.
Moreover. when anything in the
way Of modern progress was done by
them it was looked upon as an evil
dence OF their extraordinary initiative
faculty. and regarded as a further
proof of the great influence Of our SUI
perior civilization. 1t has required
the marvellous achievement of the past
nix months TO open the eyes OF the
Eerage Westerner to the fact that
not only has Japan become a world
power. but a power with which we
must reckon when any issue is up for
arbitrament in which the best inter
ests of humanity are at stake.
1t is only just to ourselves TO own
that the civilization which makes
such things as we read of every day
possible is not the result OF a few
years OF occidentalism. The Japan
We see with such admiring eyes to-
day is not a new Japan, nor does it
owe so much as we should like TO
think 10 Western ideas. II is the
same old Japan, seIf-contained, self
reliant Japan. only adapting herself.
as she has always done, 10 new con
ditiOns that have arisen and which
she has found IL necessary TO meet.
What we see today in her national
and social polity is not a Western We
neer, for long ago when We were
cropping in the shadows OF semfbar-
bar-sm she was possessed OF a civiIi-
eaton refined and cultured 10 a de-
gree OF which we have hardly any
adequate conception.
II Is encouraging that at least we in
America are awakening 10 this aII-im-
portant fact, and that we now recog-
nize what should have come to us be-
fore. that there is something beyond
sea with which In our common
humanity we are akin, and that
though our civilizations may have
had widely different origins, they at
last have met on the common ground
OF a universal brotherhood.