Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-02-10
THE STRUGGLE IN THE FAR EAST.
May Be Turning Point in Worlds His
tory

May Be Turning Point in Worlds His
tory.
In concluding recently course of lee
lures on The Problems of the Far East,
given at the Colonial theatre in Boston,
under the auspices of the Twentieth Cen
fury club. Dr. Toyokichi said:
No event in contemporary history has
been so revolutionary as the Russo Jap
anese war; II not only has a tremendous
influence upon the domestic and for
eign relations of the beligerents but
1t Is the point upon which turns
European politics. 1t has been pro-
phesied that a victory by Japan would
mean the immediate lifting up of Asia.
with this, we cannot altogether agree:
the weight Of Asia is too heavy, its people
are too inert and lazy. But, whatever the
outcome of the war. a weghty influence
will be eNerted upon Asia. and II Japan
wins, the effect will surely be salutary
though not spectacular. Through the
agency of Japan the mighty efforts of the
West in China may come to fruition.
The war must cause an investigation
by the West of the Eastern civilization
The West will give up its attitude of con-
tempt toward the Orient. lis will make
n closer union. which is absolutely nee
essary for progress. Manifold are the
problems that must he confronted in dis
the West. First of these is that of race
and religion. Race prejudice has been at
tackled for centuries, but has not been
overcome. 1t is indisputable that there
is difference in quality between races
The white race is superior to the black
and the red races, hut whether 1t is
superior to the yellow remains to be seen
The Russo japanese war has not shown
that the white is better than the yellow.
The yellow had advanced far in civiliza-
ton when the white began but the yellow
has been often arrested while the white
has progressed steadily This may be ex-
planned by the fact that the white men
have had continually to struggle for ex-
istence, while the yellow man has had
existence made easy The speaker said
that unless equality between the yellow
and the white is admitted there can be
no further progress in the relations Of
the two.
The most obvious differences between
the East and the West is that the West
erners find everything Oriental topsy-
turvy. Then there is a difference between
temperament-the Westerner is nervous
while the Fastener is phlegmatic The
Westerner is always in a hurry while the
Fastener has no regard for time. The
Westerners are eXtravagant and wasteful.
while the Fasteners are thrifty and &C.
onomical In the matter OF manners the
Westerners are blunt and direct, while
the Fasteners are polite and roundabout
in speech
one of the most serious differences in
temperament is the difference in mind
The Westerner is secular and the East
erner spiritual and religious The white
man has invented no religion that has
stood and all the great religions have
arisen in Asia The European mind wants
it can see, while the Asian
mind 10 fFfaut rif,af fxsa
spasms of religious revivals but there
have followed relapses to secular pur-
suits Christianity has had a great in
huence in the West, but the civilization
has not been Christian. while that of the
East has been thoroughly religious. In
Japan there is an exception for religion
has never for any length of time over
powered the Jananese mind.
Another difference between the West and
the East is that the West is militant.
while the East is peaceful War is an
important profession in Europe. but the
East lacks the military spirit China has
invented many arts of peace and few of
war, though China invented gunpowder
It has not used 1t. II necessity is the
mother of invention the course of China
has shown that she had no need of war.
Japan In $500 years had only three out
side wars. while the United States has
had four and one revolution in a little
more than one century.
The West is individualistic and the East
.ommunistic or patriarchal. Individual
ism Is born of liberty. The Western
family is only to nurture the child until
II can take care of itself and family ties
are quickly broken. This makes lack of
content and lack of leisure. In the East
the man is always member of the
FAMILY and he always has to regard his
ancestors The Fastener does not have
TO compete for means of living, and there
Tore he has time to live
Ihere are also great differences in the
principles that guide the society of the
west and East. In the West the prin-
,iples are liberty, equality and fraternity
while In the East the governing principles
are flial piety and reverence for the
past lndividualism carried to extremes
means anarchy, and communism carried
20 extremes means stagnation. The in
-ermlngling of the two may bring about
union which shall be beneficial to both
All nations of the world are now face IN
face for the first time, and the present
may be the turning point in the worlds
history.