New-York tribune., 1905-06-04
MENDING OUR DINNERS.
Necessity of Modifying Our Patron
ising BehauiOr To70ard the Japs.

ing defeat administered by Admiral Togo 10
Admiral Rojestvensky will bring the reflection
that from on it will become necessary 10
mend our manners toward the Japanese, aho' III
fact to the Asiatics in general Particularly
will this appeal to those who. like myself nave
spent a portion of their life in the Orient Untll
he beginning of the present war between
Russia and Japan had been accustomed TO
look upon the little brown men" who give
heir allegiance to the Mkado an interior
ace as a people whose assimilation in fifty
oars of the fruits of our long centuries of
utilization suggested siman imitation rather
han sober study. enlightenment and reason
even those Americans and Europeans who en-
ertained the most kindly and amicable feehnss
-oward the Japanese, have at any rate uiiti
recently, impaired to their manifestations Oh
friendship such amount of condescenslon as
o excite indignation and resentment ratner
than good will the part of those to whom 1t
was addressed Asiatics possess powers of sell
control that from an Occidental point of view
are absolutely phenomenal and which have con-
trfbuted in no small degree to the sweeping
victories of the Japanese over the Russians
both on land and sea- Developed as is this char
acteristc 1 have sometimes wondered whether
it was not being strained beyond endurance
when l watched some high bred, highly cult
ured japanese gentleman erudite in most OF the
Western branches of science, being patronized
and metaphorically patted on the back much
as one would clever child, by foolish, well
meaning persons who did not possess even a
tithe of his knowledge about their own country,
their own politics and their own civilization.
The contempt which, no matter whether kindly
or unfriendIy, has for the last fifty years infu-
enoed all the political, commercial or merely
social dealings of the white races with Japan,
has
The latter has been growing since the be-
ginning of the with Russia, and admitting
the lack of discipline, of leadership, of organ
ization and of preparation that has con-
tributed toward the Muscovite disasters, there
many military experts, both here and In
Europe, who have been asking themselves as
to whether the United States, Great Britain,
Germany or France would have been able to
wrest victory from the japanese in conflict
in which the scene of operations had been con-
fined to the Far Orient. 1t took England sew |
eral years. a colossal amount of treasure and
an army of some 100000 men to subdue small
force of about 10000 Boer farmers, who, while |
they knew how to shoot straight, had notion |
Of military discipline science Moreover. her |
line Of communications by sea was uninterrupted. |
Had the English found themselves confronted |
by a force of highly trained. splendidly equipped |
and organized Japanese troops equal in num- |
ber to their own, and led by veteran and ex-
perienced generals, it is probable that the ulti |
mate result of the would have spelled de-
feat for the English. just 1t would to the Ger
mans, the French or even the Americans fight |
ing under similar conditions. For it is agreed |
by the foreign officers who have witnessed In
person the operations Of the Japanese in the
field throughout the present that in it's per-
fection of organization, OF armament, of dis
cipline, in the resourcefulness endurance and
extraordinary Indifference Of the soldier to in
jury death, the japanese army fighting
machine is superior at the present moment to
every other IN the world-even to that of Ger
many The gradual realization OF this condition
of affairs has now been brought home to us with
overwhelming force by Togo's destruction of
Russia's navy, and Japan's victory means not
only her establishment the predominant
power of the Eastern Pacific but also the tri-
umph of her IDEALS religious and political as
well as her emancipation from that special for
egn tutelage and patronage to which she has
submitted until from motives of policy with
admirably dissimulated impatience
Just what the effect of Japan's acquisition of |
a leading role In the concert of nations will have
on the dissemination Of Christianity within her
borders, IT is difficult to say. It is entirely nos
sible that it may arrest it's spread. not only in
Dai Nippon, but also in China For the JAP
anese will henceforth be able to argue with ius-
tce that their civilization as displayed In the