Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-03-18
RUSSIA And JAPAN
ILLUSTRATED LECTURE BY
FRANK r. ROBERTSON AT THE
GRAND OPERA HOUSE.
Says that Destiny Of the Far East is
the Supremacy of Jesus christ--Fifth
Number of the Y. M. c. A. Star
Course.
from fridays Daily

From Fridays Daily
"The two prime causes of the weak
ness of Russia are the immortality OF
her nobility and the ignorance of hel
peasant class" said Frank r. Rober
son in his instructive and entertaining
lecture on Russia and Japan" at the
I Grand Opera house last night. The
lecture was the fifth number of the
| Y. M. G. A. Star Course and for nearly
two hours the noted traveller held the
delighted attention of his large audi.
ence which manifested its appreciation
of the magnificent word painting and
beautiful stereopticon projections by
i frequent bursts of laughter and ap
| plause.
The lecture was especially interest
ling on account of the present struggle
between Russia and Japan and the sit
uation in the far east was discussed
impartially and intelligently by Mr.
1 Robertson, who has spent years OF
travel and study in both countries. Nc
one who heard the lecture could fail
to gain better idea of the character
of the countries and customs of the
people. The illustrations included
scenes of the recent labor troubles in
Russia. the battle grounds of the Rus
sian and Japanese armies and navies
and photographs Of the most noted
men of the two countries. There were
no delays or awkward pauses, the il.
Illustrations succeeding each other at
just the right moment, the lecture pro
ceeding without interruption from be
ginning to end.
Japan Should Win.
| Mr.. Robertson said that he did not
intend to stand for Russia. neither
would he stand for Japan, but believed
that 1t would be infinitely better for
the Japanese to win in the present
fight.
The present czar of Russia. he said
was the best ruler that Russia had
known for seventy eight years, and
personally was opposed to the wal
with Japan.
The court, as far as the royal family
was concerned, was the cleanest in al
Europe, not breath of immoral scan
dial being connected with it since the
marriage Of the car. Russia had al
ways been friend Of the United
States and during the civil war three
armed Russian cruisers with Sealed
orders to espouse the cause Of the
north, if any European power should
help the south were cruising along the
coast of this country.
He said that the two prime causes
of the weakness Of Russia was the i'm
morality of the nobility and the igno
rance Of the great mass of people. The
mobiles, he said, were among the most
ignoble and immoral on earth.
The Peasant Class.
The car receives a salary Of 81,
100000 year and has the use OIL
eleven palaces, and to pay this, the
peasant class is taxed to the limit
There are 9S,000,000 people in Russia
who cannot read. Many of the wo
men work in the fields, seventeen
hours being the average days work
and the pay, four cents day.
Russia, he said. was Christian ma
ton and worshipped the Man of Cali
lee while Japan was a pagan nation
sworshipping idols made of wood an6
stone
| A DreamIand.
| Mr.. Robertson said that Japan was
a land of flowers and sunshine, 8
dreamland and the people were ex
cessively polite. Regarding the en-
durance Of the Japanese, Mr.. Rober
son said that on recent visit to Japan
he made a trip in native conveyance
a two wheeled cart pulled by a man
and that his two runners maintained
an average speed of sixty-fve miles
a day for over two weeks, their pay
being 1914 cents day, per man.
In Japan there are forty-two holi
days in each year. when it is the Gus
tom for the people to decorate Ntheil
homes with flowers. On New Year
day. no Jap may put flowers in his
home unless he is out of debt OF the
$40 members Of the Japanese parlia
ment two years ago, he said that 21s
were graduates of American colleges
On festive occasions the American f1ae
was used five times as much as the
flag of any other country in the deco
rations, because the Japanese ad
mire the United States more than any
other country on earth. Mr.. Rober
son spoke Of the wonderful progress
in education and civilization made By
the Japs in the past thirty years, but
said that he had no use for the people
They were the most untrustworthy
and immoral on earth, he said One Of
their laws permitted the father to sci
the virtue of his daughter for THIRTY
days to pay his financial obligations
and the girl was looked upon as {
heroine In the Japanese banks the
cashiers were all Cinnamon, because
the Japs would not trust men of theil
own nationality
Destiny Of the East.
1t would be sad day for Asia il
Japan should control the continent
/ said Mr.. Robertson, and a sadder day
for civilization. He said that he
4 knew that missionary work was &C
/ complishing wonderful results in tho
far east and that what Asia needed
was more bibles. The destiny of The
far east, he said, is the supremacy O
Jesus Christ.
| OTTUMWA HAS LOST.