The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-19

q Far Eastern land as It's own pdinters DO
their sketches, always bearing IN mind
their design Of giving In an eheotve way
general impressions, rather than insignih-
can't details, 90 a. to get hold Of sornething
more than can be seen-somethtng OF
abstract value In the life they are endeavor-
ing TO reproduce. Such being the object
M method Of his observations, 10 was 70
DO expected that our author would con-
sidor that, among the many interesting
features Of the Far East. the most Interest,"
ing u nan. As he points out In an intro
duotion, aituations NJ change; war ana
| peace, power and decadenoe, may follow
| each other at intervals; but the essential
| characteristics Of q Far Eastern population
viii remain, In their main tendencies, more
or less the same as long an the race endures.
| The expressions OF national sentiment that
| envelop q visitor, whether apparently
| superficial or really striking, are human
documents that ought to be considered
with earnest attention, for, after all, " ID
| they, more than political treatises, diplo-
| matio achievements or victories OF armies
| which viii direct the natural tendencies
In = nations future development. In o
word, II was by studying In all Its phases
| the human life surrounding him that our
| Hungarian traveller hored to gain an APP
proximate idea Of the possibilities OF the
Far East.
Let US mark some Of tbs results OF the
authors method of observation and study
as II was applied successfully TO the CO.
reans, the Japanese and the Chinese. In
| one OF the chapters devoted to Corea he
concurs with almost all who have lived
In the Land Of the Morning Calm In think
ing that this relatively unexplored country
and Its backward people need before all
| things education and cultivation n chat
It depends entirely on those who TAXA into
their hands the work Of development
whether or not Corea shall become once moro
a Hourishing land and its people happy.
For those who desire TO gather knowi-
| edge not only about the outward circum-
stances Of foreign countries hut also about
the inner life Of their inhabitants the author
reports that In spite Of their degradation
| the people OF tho Corean peninsula have
preserved unimpaired the sensitiveDess OF
their miDds. They are. he says, by no means
insensible 10 broad ideas and are even
capable Of showing some enthusiasm for
high religious and moral ideals. He has
arrived at this conclusion from noting the
responsiveness OF Coreans 10 the teaching
OF Roman Catholic priests. There In hardly
another people in the Fast. he t~estiies,
that evinces moro sincere appreciation OF
Christian ethics and doctrines than do
the Coreans. For those who wish 20 form
an estimate Of tho intellectual powers OF Q
given population missionary schools I'M
| doubtedly offer great facilities. We are told
that Of all the VISITORS surprising expert
ences In Corea, a country rich In surprises,
nothing equalled for vividness the i'm
pressions received by him at tho college
and seminary established at Yong-Sang
not long before his arrival. It seems that
there young persona Of twelve to fifteen
gave as accurate answers to the questions
put to them as one could hear In the best
European high school. There Corea's primi-
tive children showed themselves able to
! speak fuently In classical Latin. Their
capacity for mental application was re-
| markable. It seems that they would pore
| over their books for hours II ID teacher
did not call them away for recreation.
With the Inherited inclination Of Oriental
peoples for abstract sciences and specu-
| lation, these youths entered with delight
into any metaphysical question. Such. OBJ
servations caused the visitor TO see Young
Corea in q new light and to conceive that
the prosperity Of the country lies IN the
hands Of the rising generation. provided
the Japanese conquerors shall AFFORD v an
opportunity for progress. -
The chapters which eet forth the authors
observations OF the japanese people deserve
careful perusal. To help the reader to form
a correct conception Of the Japanese army
| and Of It's achievements he lie at pains to
| describe and analyze the peculiar ethical
features embodied in the principles OF
Bushido and the Samurai code, by which
all the officers and many OF the soldiers
serving under the colors are still guided.
1t Is doubtless true, also, hat even the
| character of the Japanese youths studying
in Western lands n wearing European
clothing can only be understood adequately
by those who to a certain extent are &C
ouainted with the ideas and ideals Of their
| fathers, the generation that preceded the
inauguration OF the new regime In 1868.
Such knowledge Ia necessary for q COM
prehension Of the whole OF modern, progress
sive, fighting Japan: OF Its administration,
political organization, politics, military am
| billions, social agitations, industrial develop
ment and the Transformation Of its labor.
| Moreover. Just as we can only appreciate
the existing conditions Of the Mikado's
land and people by studying their evolution
in the pact. 30, with regard to he nations
future development. 1t Is only from psyche
logical features that definite conclusions
may be drawn. During our authors stay
In Japan he was particularly interested In
collecting data bearing m that subject from
| the personal experiences Of those Europeans
| who had resided there for many years.
| All testified that, like most Asiatics, the
Japanese are fond Of study and Of books
In general. and that even The sohoolc children
seem to do their lessons with pleasure.
The latter are universally recognized as
quick and sharp. ambitious and untiring In
their zeal. 1t Is well known that the national
inclination Of Japanese students tends
toward technical science. Everything
practical appeals to them, and sven philo-
| sophical problems are looked at from q
utilitarisn point OF view. It was natural
for q Roman Catholic ecclesiastic to assume
that the inner life. the sou Of the nation,
would be best known to the missionaries
who had labored In japan for generations.
Our author is not optimistic with regard
IN tho reli1ioylR and ethioa1 improvsrsrt