Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-12-21
Able STATESMAN
PROFOUND Thinker
Count 0kuma OF Japan
Speaks OF Yellow
Peril


edge. remarks Count Okuma, one rl
lapun's ablcst statesmen and proroua
fest thinkers. What Be- called moral
ty has existed only for the western
nations aud they in an the world were
tcckoncd as those who understood tho
meaning of Righteousness.
at least such has been the story
since Rome held sway over the ma.
lions
This long cherished duluaion dates
from the period Of the thousand years
Of the Middle Ages. when the print
tive principle Of universal bcncvulcnCc
MS the foundation Of Christian Ciyili2a.
ton gave way to the principles Of Ru.
man Imperialism and the Pope was
crowned not only as supreme In spIr.
itunl matters but as sovereign Of all
nomually Christian countries. There.
fore IN that middle age only Christ.
fans were clasacd as rational human
beings
Nov 10y" Is the very foundation Of
Christian doctrine: the principle Of
universal brotherhood Is the basis Of
liberty. Rut race prejudice comes In
here. Europeans who think them.
selves Christians are classcd as suDc.
rior and others, deemed inferior. are
oiraccd from the list Of the races Of
the genus homo. Therefore In the
past the heather were slain like
beasts In Christian wars and the
sword was the weapon Of civilization.
TN the progress of civilization the
great nations NJ the East Egypt. Ba.
lylun, India and Grcccc-havc faded
away, und their territories have been
occupied 10y the forces of two great
munothcistic religions. Christian aud
Mahomctan. Spain and Portugal. once
great In both the East and West. have
fellen into decay, so that il We look AT
the map Of the world we find only two
great Christian nations remaining.
China and Japan.
while China was gradually sinking
tto deCrepitudc, European nations
Nro rising in civilization and by and
by came To grip the world with their
spheres of influence proclaiming that
henceforth the other inferior races
must obey the mighty will of Europe.
This idea Is imbedded In inieina.
tional law, which is. in fact. the con.
sonsus of the opinions and practices
Of the family Of Christian nations of
Europe and America toward the other
countries of the world.
Japan suddenly came to the front
qualified with the accumulated power
~ European civilization and this little
island empire was obliged by the ia.
plnChina war to enter the stage of
cosmopolitan politics on the AsiatiC
ointment.
Then the world was taken aback
aud the yellow peril doctrine was
popular. People were afraid that ia.
tQn tould join Corea and China in an
aivancc on Europe like the Tartar In.
Yaslon Of Ghengis Khan and Attlla.
the scourge of God The leaders In
his hue and cry of yellow peril may
have had some secret political inspir.
ation, yet the fact is that Europeans
did not fully recognize the reality of
Japanese civilization even after the
lapan-Ching war.
but the clever statesmen of Britain
who foresaw their future interest In
the East, formed an alliance with ia
pan for the sake of peace in the Far
East--which In truth Is the interest
sal ih. NNHh.
tons cast suspicious eyes upon the al.
lance, suspecting British ambition.
'Then came the Japan,Russo war
1--WE shall never forget our gratitude
TO Britain and America.
America, with her noble ideas Of
liberty, justice and peace, having been
connected with the opening of our
country TO the Western nations and
also in full sympathy with the Anglo.
Japanese alliance. yet doubted our fin
al victory over Russia. Although |
presume other countries might have
wished for our victory from interna.
tional interest, yet the circumstances
of the case call forth gratitude upon
our part.
'ln comparing Japan with Russia
we found that Russia had three times |
as many people, eight times ms much |
reserve. Japan had only half mil |
lion troops in her army, while Russia
had four millions, and Russias sea
power was double that of Japan These |
figures gave English and American |
sympathizers profound fear for the
final result.
III Japan had been beaten RUSSIA |
would have annexed Corea, and would
have pressed Japan into corner nf
the Pacific ocean. Tsusbima and the
Iiokkaido might have been conceded
TO the victor, coupled with an euor
nous indemnity.
'At this time Of suspense, when no
army had crossed the Yalu river. and
when we needed money for war pur
poses, an American and British syndi.