New-York tribune., 1905-06-12

William Elliot Gffis Says the E
Is Truly

yes. and ell Christians Of Japan-can still shout
"Banzaii" and "Amenr'' to the Mikado and his
ancestors Were I a Japanese follower Of Je-
sus. should gladly. with full heart and joyful
lips, shout In chorus with them.
Why? Because 'in Japan the Emperor is the
personal leader of the nation In arms, ana the
soldiers are his soldiers, not in theory only
but by the fact of historical tradition, older
than documents and absolutely certain since
the eighth century. IN writing and self-evioent
reality. In the last analysis all the blessings OF
civilization have come to the japanese people
through the imperial house Indeed. what
European royal family. or, indeed, what govern
ing household in the whole world, has tie
binding throne and people. government and ma
ton, in ancient and noble union? China
has changed her dynasty over thirty times
Only the Popes vie with the Yarnato house IN
length dignity Of power. 1 venture not 10
predict but to utter the truth see clearly,
that greater blessings are yet to come. Nay
they coming daily and hourly.
For happy the nation when theory and prac-
tice are one, dogma and exemplar the same
When state both my belief and my acquaint-
anoe with the actual fact that the "oriillant
virtue" of his majesty is reality, am speaking
and writing from knowledge that is Immediate
direct and personal do not say that his or the
ordinary Japanese. even Bushido's. ensoiute
ideal is exactly ours. but this know: III 'he
days when the present Emperor Of japan was
young and the now dead or living Elder States
men were young men also, learned in Toxic,
1s7o-'74, from very close knowledge. OF the
greatness of the character of Mutsuhito. OF his
personal bravery. of his fearlessness amid plots'
of his education in the knowledge of men, great
and petty lordly and humble of his tender re-
gard for both his true servants in civil life ana
his brave soldiers in the field. Of his apprecfa-
ton of the value OF his foreign co-workers. The
brilliant virtue of the Mikado fs not q STOCK
phrase fgment of imagination; 1t is soul
nerving reality; 1t is Japan's grandest asset IN
this era Of Meiji which began in 1858. Even IL
there other proof. study OF Mutsuhl'os
poems penned during the last thirty years-a-
most the exact equivalent of an Occidental mans
private letters-would be evidence enough, even
though I had never seen the Emperor or japan.
Furthermore and perhaps as needed reouke
TO our Observation-Disclosures often morbid III
itself and damaging IL not disastrous 10 our
national life, well as TO pure reIgion ana lhe
social weal-let it be known that neither the
Mikado nor his people would be what they are
except for "the spirits of the ancestors. III
whatever way understand this. whether IN
the way of Deborah, who saw the stars fighting
in their courses against Sisera, IN the CLASSIC
conception of the heavenly gods" whether ac-
cording to the theories of the code lawyer
Hozuni or the scientific critic Asakawa, in the
cold light Of modern concepts of heredity and
environment of matter and force. or in line with
that superb cosmopolitan samuraf OF the Chrlst
| who talked of being crucifed with" his Master
and said "I live yet not L., or even in the spirit
of Him who said, mot my will but thine" we
| Justify Togo. His words. in a japanese mouth,
are perfectly reasonable and in harmony with
all national history and the present facts of
Ike aS Christian
| doctrine as that in Pau1s mouth, who defended
himself against a charge of heresy by appeal
| ing to the hope of the fathers as his own.
In the light of these reflections, I utter my
! three convictions:
| IN That the supreme and reguative
| Jananese ambition is not war, but peace; not
| foreign conquest but the moral and material
elevation of their fifty millions Of people
(2) That the japanese becoming and will
| surelv be a great Christian nation-yet not In
our way nor too mitch like us. The only Chris
| tfanitv most of us have or know anything about
| is the European tradition of it. The very same
! spirit in Togo which prompted him to ascribe
| victory mot to the action Of any human being,
| hut to "the brilliant virtue of his majesty "a
| thing inherited, well as exemplifed and en-
larged) and to "the spirits of his imperial an
| cestors" will impel the japanese as they become
more acquainted with the Father OF all and the
| founder or W puoh Pa0I tN- 4AAANN0
,,e, end rnediators of every sort. and touch the
| hem irst of the Makers, and then of the
| Masters garment. Adopt, adapt, adept is their
| motto Their Unborn genius Is to be content
Nth no second place TO push past derivatives
and get to the originals To expect them ToI.o to
reaen+ is absurd. The spirit that is driving them
! on in their unQuailing pursuit Of the best is
| believe the same that drove into the wilderness
| tto victor that counted his life not his own.
| RAJ cod has with the Japanese, with all
ancient peoples, Testament, which may be
| caIIad "0ld" which He will yet make New,
| tbrough Him who came mot to destroy, but to
fulfil" oo- A., .o,.x ,.,s j., .,,,-
e+ance in 1870, my first year IN Japan, remain.
! Fei' VIM. ELLIOT GRIFFTS
| Author of "The Mikado's Empire" and 'The Re-
| lgions of Japan"
ithaca n. Y, June 9. 1905.