Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-08-11

only greatness because the worship
of blood and fire is in their very
blood. The use of fire in warfare when
it began to replace the sharp swords
welded into blades by fire, the. flame
from the muzzle of a gun, had in it
and has in it an intOxicatiOn and an
eXXaltation which were and are relig-
ious and superstitious as we'll as COM
bative. The blOod-red sun is the SYM
boil borne upon their flag; the god
KOupira, sitting among the flames, is
worshiped today.
Idolators as a Nation.
None the less are they idolators in
the broadcast sense. The pagan tenn
pies crown every height and adorn
every highway. To craven images on
holy shrines are brought all the cares,
troubles and hopes of daily life. Bin
zura Soups (health-gods) regulate
the health: the Shichimen, seven-head-
ed snakes. Dai-Butzus, Great Buddhas,
Fudo-Sans. fire-gods in blazing flames,
the Seven Precious Jewels of the
Dragon Shrines, the idol Jizo, scrub.
bed with straw to make it clean
these are the gods who control the
national heart and direct the national
impulses.
There is no belief in immortality
excXept period of publication for
the wicked who have sinned against
the emperor. Shinto priests are the
intercessors between the people and
Yemma (satan), and money can buy
salvation. Everyone of the magni-
ficent Japanese sailors on the mag.
nifcent ships in the magnificent bat
tie of the Sea of Japan wOrships at
the shrine of the Snake-God whose
temples line all the coasts. 1t thus
may be understood that their virtues
are not our virtues. their ways are
not our ways.
Conceted and Arrogant.
| 1t therefore becomes not only inter.
esting but highly important to inquire
what ethical or moral teachings come
from these affairs. what principles of
conduct, what ideas of duty necessar-
lily must guide them in their view of
ourselves and their future dealings
with ourselves. And by way of pre-
face a word or two must be said as
to their most salient characteristic,
the quality which every person has
had impressed upon him who ever has
had any dealings with the Japanese.
This is the quality which invariably
accompanies quick intelligence and
low cunning. viz: that generalization
of oneself which we call conceit and
arrogance.
To them we are and always will be
western barbarians. Keenly appre-
ciative of all we have learned. they
yet as a nation laugh at us for what
we are | intimately knew in japan
a graduate of Harvard. who rturned
toh is own country in silk hat.
creased trousers. all the external EN-
bellishments of our civilization. which
he wore for a day or two with the
pride of the traveller and the cynical
amusement of the true japanese. One
day afterward. at his home found
him squatting bare-legged on a mat
in regulation suspensory and kimono.
His cynical contemptuous smile when
I referred to the change was the
rarely revealed but true opinion of us
which pervades all Japan.
Hypocrites and Liars.
A nation of hypocrites and liars in
all their dealings with us, this fact
best and most undeniably appears
from their own literature, and along
with it the frank. unconscious and ex.
IRENE self.conceit of which I have
spoken.
Japan is dominated Intellectually
today by China. Without the Chi
nese compradore, Japanese finance
could never have been developed nor
could it be conducted today. The bulk
of the Japanese people, even the bet
ter and foreign educated element, the
4, TITO -Io
science of medicine, are beholden still,
in soul and body. to China and to
Chinas moral code. From the view
point of our civilization the ancestor
worship of both countries, even though
it may make the Japanese eminent in
war. is equally the curse of both ma
tions. carrying with it, as it does.
a code of morals which could not be
more cruel, more ruthless or more
pagan. as far as we are concerned
than it is today.
Japanese Exclusion Inevitable.
The victory of Japan over Russia
must inevitably cry HALT" to our
progress in Asia. We shall court the
friendship of the japanese because
as their neighbor, We are tied to Asia
by the Philippines. But our excxlu-
sion of the Chinese must sooner or
later be followed by our exclusion
of the Japanese, and Japan will pro-
test as China is protesting. A riot in
Hawaii, above all a riot in Manila,
will be all that is needed to provoke
the clash. The Philippines are our
weak point, and there is no doubt
that highly as we have paid for them
we have not yet begun to pay the full
and final price.
The defeat of Russia by Japan
means, as I have said, the Renais-
sance of paganism. full-armed and
militant, throughout all Asia. This is
not an alarmist's exaggeration, but a
true scientific fact. That we in any
way should assist in it is folly beyond
words to describe it. Let those en-
terprising students who have wonder
ed what will be the ultimate destiny
of our civilization watch the plains
of Manchuria, for there lies the an
swer And when it comes it will not
be new story, but an old one. His.
tory will repeat itself. as is its way:
but it will be Chinaman and not
a New Zealander who is the more
likely to sit on London bridge to
study the ruins of ST. Paul's.
PLEASANTLY Effective.
Never in the way. no trouble to
Garry aoSy RI fal-a r1aaSapt and nov.