The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-04

ignorant Of modern warfare that he
was confident of the ability Of the jap
anese to defeat the foreigners with
spears. He thought that the Europeans
and Americans would be at the mercy
OF the natives as soon as they landed.
His surprise may be imagined when
leaden missiles moved down his COM
rades long before the spears could be
brought into use. But this young man
who attempted in 1854 to measure spear
against rife betook himself to the
study of military methods Of the for
eignerS, and in the recent war with
Russia ne has been chief of the general
staff Of the Japanese army-an army
which in equipment, in preparation and
in provision for sick and wounded, as
well as in its exploits upon the battle
field. has astonished the world. Count
Okuma said that the progress made in
the army md in the navy was paral-
leled by the progress made in other di-
rections.
While there are here abundant prep
arations for war, there is a prevalent
desire for peace. notwithstanding ia
pan has q most efficient army and
navy, and Notwithstanding the natural
eXultation ever their success at arms.
the Japanese, as I have met them, are
strongly inclined toward peace. Sew
eral times in introducing me the pre-
generous appreciation to the action of
our president in bringing about the re-
cent treaty of peace. The wars against
China and Russia have been regarded
by the people as defensive wars, and
it viii be remembered that the civil
war of 1874 was simply q suppression
by the government OF an attempt to
invade Korea General Saigo raised
his army for the purpose of conquering
Korea, but the government met the in
surrectioniSts with an army large
enough to completely overWhelm the
forces Of the famous general.
The Anglo-Japanese alliance is every
where defended as a guarantee of
peace. I met yesterday a Japanese of
some local prominence. He proposes
the establishment Of an international
peace society, and in earnest language
sets forth the horrors of war and the
material as we'll as the moral argu-
ments in favor of peace.
Upon no element of Japanese society
has the rising sun of a higher civiliza-
ton shed its rays more benignantly
than upon woman. The position of the
mother was an hOnored one when she
became the head of the family, but
while the children cared for both par
ents with d generous filial devotion,
the wife and daughter were under the
almost absolute power of the husband
and father. Marriages were arranged
by the parents, and the young people
were allowed TO see each other after
the match was agreed upon. Theoret-
ically. each had a right 10 protest, If
dissatisfied, but practically the girls
protest amounted to nothing.
The wife was not only the servant of
the hu 5band but might also be
the servant of the mother-in-Iaw-the
mother in-law joke being here on the
daughter-in-law instead of the son-in-
law. The fact that the husband was
permitted 10 keep as many concubines
as he desired still further lowered the
status of women. The daughters were
often sold into prostitution to relieve
the Indebtedness of the father, and
while this custom is on the decline,
there are still thousands of Japanese
girls whose virtue is made matter of
merchandise in accordance with this
ancient custom. There is recorded
among the decisions Of Coka, some