The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-03-23
Kuropatkin Disgraced.


sian private soldier, has been dismiss
ed and disgraced. The word disgrace
is written in large letters in the la
comic imperial order gazetted yester-
day, which contains not single word
of praise, and also disposes of the
rumor that Kuropatkin had asked to
be relieved The Russian military an
nails contain no more bitter imperial
rebuke. While it was known that the
war council had already decided to
supplant Kuropatkin after the Nook
den disaster, the decision to confer
the task of saving the remainder of
the army on Linevitch in the very
midst of its flight came as a surprise.
Kuropatkin, now superseded, is
making his way back to St Peters,
burg, full of bitterness for what he
| cannot help but consider the wreck
of his military career. History may
| find much to criticise in his deeds,
but he may console himself somewhat
with the reflection that it is already
sufficiently clear that the really griev-
Gus mistakes which have brought
| Russia to her present pass have not
been his.
The Ultimate Japanese Aim.
Since the beginning of the war with
Russia there has been much discus
sion of the Japanese character and no
| end of speculation as to ultimate re-
suits should they be the final victors
in the contest. AS they seem likely
now to be the conquerors, a word of
authority concerning their future poll
-cy, their aims and ambitions becomes
of special interest. Baron Kaneko
of the House of Peers of Japan, dis
cusses these matters in the National
Geographic magazine and throws new
! light on them.
Taking up national characteristics,
he denies the charge that the Japan
ese are mere imitators. He admits
that they have great disposition to
adopt new features of civilization, but
contends that they also adapt and as
simulate, making the new things their
own and so improving on them in
many cases that their origin is hardly
| to be discovered He cites the case
of Chinese civilization which was in
troduced into his country and copied
|
had no alphabet and so adopted Chi
nese hieroglyphics, but a scholar
arose who improved on these and
out of the Chinese characters devel-
oped a phonetic alphabet which is
now the basis of the Japanese Ian
guage, the language itself being quite
distinct from the Chinese.
| 1t is the same with the modern
movement in his country, says Baron
i Kaneko. The leaders are not work.
ing for the present, but for the cen
tury to come. They study foreign
civilizations and select those features
which they think will improve their
4 own. At first they initiate, then they
adopt and modify The constitution
of Japan, he says, is quite different
from those Of American or European
countries, yet its frame and founda
ton are quite in accordance with the
principles of Western civilization. lr
the organization of their army they
copied the German system, and IN the
navy the English and American. The
Baron does not say, but it may be saic
for him, that as the Russians had USED
the same models, at least for theil
army, the outcome shows that the
Japanese profted by their studies ane
improved on the originals. In theil
common schools the child begins at
and for four years is taught the Jap
anese and Chinese languages. Dur
ing the last four years English is add
ed, and at IA he can read and speaI
1 all three languages. This is its owr
comment on the superiority of Jap
anese over American schools. Wha
American child of IA has any practi
cal knowledge of, say German, gainet
from the schools, though he may have
begun the study at 6?
i The national ambition, its aim anC
aspiration, is, says Baron Kaneko
so to engraft Western culture anc
science upon their own institutions
and by blending and assimilating th'
two types of civilization-oriental ant
occidental-to bring for,h new type
in which the culture and science o
the two hemispheres shall meet, no
in conflict, but in harmony, so as t.
enable the people to share the inner
itance of Christian religion, orienta
philosophy, Greek art, Roman law ant
modern science.