The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-03-10
YELLOW
BUGABOO

PERIL" Is II fantasy or factT Many
men in various places and ways have
uttered, iterated and reiterated the
words, and multitudes now profess TO
believe that there is indeed Yellow
Peril Why these words? What their
raison .d'etre? Chatham charged an
opponent with being without that sa-
gacity which is the true source OF In
formation. ''Sagacity to compare causes
and effects, to judge of present anairs
and to discern the future by careful
review of the past" This so-caiied
yellow Peril" or the dream OF one, |
apparently dominates many MINDS ana |
it is constantly urged that victorious |
Japan will work upon the susceptible
ties. weakness and latent strength OF
China in such wise that mighty men |
ace to peace and civilization Will be the
outcome of her triumph over the North
ern Giant, Japan's powerful and most
INSCRIPTIONS opponent.
An extremely clever, versatile and
somewhat emotional man lent his brush
and artistic tendencies to usually por-
tray his imaginings Of what a dread
the Yellow Peril Of his mind might be-
come. This royal excursus into the
realms of symbolic art set the world
talking and gave an added impetus TO
the theory of yellow Peril. Does
the strenuous ruler and thoie holding
his views really feel the matter to be a
great Government of the day, a mon
strous black cloud of indistinguishable
shape marring the fair sky, of peace
full and peace-loving world? They so
say, and not a few are they processing
thus to believe. OF such beliefs 1t may
we'll be asked, do they exhibit that
president sagacity which enables men
to reasonably compare causes and eff
fects and to judge of the future by
careful revision of past and present
occurrences? Has this cry OF Yellow
Peril any reasonabeness in 1t? Is II
not merely the echo of words that a
paralyzing conceit in their own good
ness and superiority, coupled with de-
sire of gain, caused the enemies OF
Japan to utter, in an effort to JUSTIFY
the robbing of the Island Empire OF
the East of the material advantages or
it's victory over China? In the whole
gamut of international obliquities no
note sounds clearer, no chords more
resonant of truth than the facts above
stated.
Interesting and informing are the fol-
lowing quotations which, perhaps, Sir,
YOU will permit me to put before your
readers for we on these islands, who
owe much to the industry and relia-
bility of the japanese, may read the
words with both pleasure and profit:
For at least half century Euro
pean nations, with England as the pio-
neer, have been telling Oriental nations
that their only hope of salvation lies
in adopting Western habits of thought
and Western civilization. In order to
enforce the lesson, Europe has invaded
their territories, slain their people, an
nexed their revenues and taken pc ses-
sion of their soil. One of these Oriental
nations has taken the advice of Eu-
rope. 1t has mastered the ways of
Western civilization with extraordinary
completeness thus showing that it Is
anxious to profit by our secular efforts
for its regeneration. Yet, as soon as it
accepts our advice, and complies with
our cherished notions of progressive
ness and intelligence, Europe turns
round and denounces it as a menace to
peace and civilization. For thousand
years that nation, Japan, has enjoyed
d
duced a physical and moral education
now triumphantly enduring the severest
tests that can be applied. 1t meddled
with nobody. and it asked of the world
nothing but to be let alone. Europe
would not leave it alone, and it was
wise enough to learn from what went
on in its vicinity that European inter-
ference would go on increasing in pro-
90
etable Now that 1t can protect itself
by European methods against the ag-
gression of a European nation, 1t Is
declared to be the natural enemy of all
the other European nations which have
been living in fear of its opponent. How
wise, how reasonable, how disinterest-
ed, and how entirely noble must Eu-
rope appear in that nations eyes! -
IF there be any Yellow Peril today
it is not a new thing, but an old thing
in new guise. A year ago there was
a real Yellow Peril which few people
marked. There was imminent 1onger
that China would fall Under che dom:-
nation of Russia, which would have
meant the organization of Chinese re-
sources for the purposes of Russian ag-
gression and tyranny. There was nc
secret about Russian aims. RUSSIA Was
boldly declared to have peculiar mis-
sion In the Far East, a natural aptitude
for dealing with Orientals, which rem.
dered the activity of other powers ir
China little short of an impious inter
ference with the designs OF providence
:" A whole province was an
nexed. and a fortress deemed impreg
nable was built to dominate the Chi
nese seas. 4 Chinese Empire run By
the Russian bureaucracy was the Vel
low Peril which Europe contemplated
in helpless apathy. There can be M
worse Yellow Peril than that. II, a,
some people seem to apprehend, OF
very insufficient grounds. China is goinl
to be run by Japan, It would at any
rate be better for the world that tn,
latent forces OF the Chinese Empir,
should be directed by free, enlighten
ed chivalrous and highly educated