Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-11
JAPAN, FRIEND OF AMERICA
WAR TALK BosH, SAYS REV. DIR.
DE FOREST, MISSIONARY.
Has Lived With Japanese Thirty
Three Years and Knows Them of
High and Low Degree.
Rear Admiral Evans Calls.

NEW YORK, July 1.-THE Rev. DR. John
II. De Forest, who has been a missionary
under the American board of foreign mis-
slons In japan for thirty-three years and
VINO ls now IN Brooklyn on a vacation saws
the talk about war with Japan Is sheer
nonsense. He bases his opinion not only on
MS long and intimate acquaintance with
the japanese people, but on his friendship
with high government officials and army
and navy men. He was at the front in
Manchuria in the war with Russia, and
has the personal friendship of such men as
Count katsura, the war premier; Gen. Ku-
roki and Count Okuma.
| DR.. De Forest believes it is not wise to
! send battleship fleet to the Pacific, but
says that II one does go he hopes 1t will 20
straight to Yokohama.
From the past friendship of Japan, 1
firmly believe that the fleet would receive
one of the greatest ovations Japan has ever
rendered. DR.. De Forest said yesterday in
an interview. Il am amazed at the promi-
nence which part of the press of the United
States has given to this lingo war talk. To
think that there could be any war over the
California difficulties is to ignore the strong
lions together.
Long-Standing Friendship.
The Japanese have the deepest rever-
OilSC, dlIOu ana lOVe LOT the United
States. Ever since Commodore Perry OPEN
ed up their country more than fifty years
ago their gratitude and love for US have
been increasingly strong The American
ministers from Judge Bingham, one of the
first, with only one exception, have been
wonderfully helpful and sympathetic The
japanese recognize and appreciate It, We
were the only nation that ever gave back
their indemnity. We treated them decentlv
They will never forget these things.
In the recent war they were intensely
eager to get the sympathy of the United
States. They got t. for they were really
lighting battle for liberty against despot-
ism. l could not count the number of army
and navy men, also the people of the middle
classes and the laborers. whom l have met
who thanked this country for it's sympathy.
This war talk Is cruel and shameful 1t is
merely that the tingoes here have aroused
the jingoes there.
I'm January, before left Japan, Premier
Saionji, in his opening address to the house
OF representatives, dismissed the San Fran
cisco trouble briefly, saying that it was not
of International significance and probably
would not be. Gen. Kuroki at Boston, be-
fore he left this country. said to me: The
San Francisco school trouble is merely a.
local affair and has no international sig
nificance whatever The people of japan
feel that San Francisco does not represent
the heart Of the American public, but take
their view of it from the words Of President
Roosevelt, in whom they have the greatest
confidence.
Know Wars Horrors.
Count Katsura, premier during the Rus
sian war and soldier. said to me lust
after the war had started: We fight IL
necessary. but hate war. We have STAYED
off this war for six months but our princi-
Piles are opposed to Russia's. SO we must
fight After the war he told me 1t had
been one for liberty and the open door for
all, and the truest expression of the Jap
anese national spirit is contained In this
quotation:
II any one inquiries what is the national
spirit Of Japan-it is like the wild cherry
blossoms Of the mountain sides, whose
fragrance is freely given to all the atmos-
phere and whose blossoms fall from the
trees to die rejoicing
That does not look like a war spirit
But the lingo papers tell of the swelled