The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-26
CT CANNOT say the Japanese are
as a ready made elothes-t'

 the interviewer. "So! Some true ex- character? see!' he exclaimed. "In some twenty-five. thirty minutes per haps? That Is like the Americans! They do not go about things as a Japanese gar dener, Aaresay-smoking long pipe. and taking some eight days to consider one pine treel It Is very well, however, But this true-exposition-as you ask that is becoming quite fad, is 1t not? There be as many as there be feathers 1 in cock, I fancy-all of a different color But I presume America discrimi- mates! The innocent, childish Japsl Yes, they are born with a heavenly simplic- 1 ity-that Is very true. Perhaps! They cannot help 1t surely if thsy are stupidi- ties. What can they do 10 them, won der! Their qualities will be bound to come to view. as in their present day ac- | tions-is 1t not so?
 | "Is it. then. so difficult-under such l lght-to comprehend Japans victories? Her past has not been so unlike. Tt is that she is of two breeds, may say. Is that where tangle presents itself to western world mind? <Complex-sub- tile! That small word-subtile! Is it then such bugbear? What .an it mean, often wonder. Is it crime to be-subtile? 1 I fancy it is a wisdom, but I may be mis- taken Innocent and childisl.-secretive and subtile-we are accused of in one breath! What a logic in western world judgmentl I deny nothing But l will explain, nothing so complex! Japanese have simply a glorious and a splendid
 energy-only that-and it is guided in dark as we'll as day to exactly where it shall hit to right effect Is there no Eng fish or American-speaKing of individuals not so much of raee-who is so? wonder | what would become of this country if | there were not? Surely there be some can I move as Japan, in dark without stum- | bling Japan has not need of a lantern herself, though she be in a few minds confused as nothing but paper lantern land Japanese. if I ma beg leave to say, are not like fish on the sand.
 Russia endeavors nightly to be not so. She is a big Claus following after l little Claus-I have read that story of MT. Hans Anderson's recently--it hit to l the point But to return-to this dual nature of Japan. What an adroitness! 1 Owl and eagle it might be called. For | by night she sees rightly and foresees, sitting in her ancient tree. Then by day the eagle-she looks to the sun, she as- pires above the clouds-shs conceives on l the mountain. peak.
 eyes. they may be stupidities-but are l they hopeless stupidities? Stlll they find it a terrible task-ths learning of wisdom! Would they eat again, Treat of Shimo-
 noseki? What is to be done? Wisdom must be had--at cost! Every Japanese is 1 sad from this burden For me? I? AL ready I can swear in sev,n different lan- guages!
 Not so Oriental. elnaps not! To be
 Oriental? Yes, I underrt lnd-we should l eternally sit with an eternal smile, with 1 half-closed eyes like Buddha watching
 some Satsuma vase, some lacquer tray, l some paper fan and blue china tea cupi
 That Is your Oriental! Then there should | further be some smoke of cigarette, poem 1 like lotos flower, maxim of Confucfus I painted on the brow and a slow, contin- uous holding to give ir complete. the | Oriental look upon the scere! .s that all? 1 That is a good deal to have to live up | to- We have in Japan wee worm which name is lowing worm. We feel just like
 it sometimes, being criticised by foreign
 CTS. We are quite at home with those I honorable bows-such Oriental, polite bows-such a sort as we gave d. Shimo-
 noseki-oncel Art for arts sake!
 And were you think we Japanese were
 a savage people? What a pity! Polite
 ness is a religion with us fairly. And
 how can we help a respect for Russia
 and her honorable allies? The heavenly purpose of them! The crystal transpar- ency of them!
 'Ts it not-perfect?
 "Our front door once showed welcome | to them, maybe. It was but on one face.
 Was 1t written Exit on the other?
 -"Yes, that is little modern novelty 1 we learned recently from America in the construction of some of our new build | ings-sky is it not called? Oh,
 no, Japan does not look forth to be the
 back yard-preferring, sky-scraperi
 But 1t remains to be seen what she
 will make of herself to be. of course. l For many hundred yeafs she obeyed-
 served novitiate as it might be said being l student under others. It may be she is fitted at last to lead. Who knows?
 "Is there in history of the world, I ask l "a heroism of race superior to hers? I l speak not alone of physical courage-that
 were an easy thing to have!-and strange | to my mind is western applause or that! | I speak of moral courage as well. Yet | Is Japan accused of having no religioni | There is not nor ever has been, among 1 any peoples so profound a sense of right and wrong as in Japanese, nor such a spirit of martyrdom if that good might follow. Where there is in the western | world every day nobly commemorated- one sublime crucifixion He died for me- l there are in Japan's ancient history ten | thousand Cfrist-lilSe spirits-humbe men, who throwing themselves across the threshold of wrong-doers beloved of them, died-even so, Yet they say Japan Is a l country without religion!
 q pronounce that the moral sense, the | integrity and moral courage of the true | Japan is so far above that of certain | western nations that there is no compari- son.
 And I say there is nature of the | right humility married to a dignif1ed am- bition-and the child Is progress. We de- | sire high place among the nations. We | wish for mutual respect. It is not for an eternal war we aim. It Is in a life | of simplicity among the beauties of nature | that we find our happiness We have | hope that we may reach to divine desire "Furthermore, I say there is wisdom | and a tenderness, and the understanding | of truth in the heart of the real Japan l that only comes to one of blessed old | age and an ancient and long tried expe- | rience
 Mistakes? An. yesi blind following
 of teachers not themselves infallible! A