The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-11-20

/ istrative society. Moreover. it IS true
/ that the japanese are in general great
/ ly developed in these virtues.
LIKE THE SPARTANS.
In the second place, Japanism means
| the spirit OF seif-contr0l. 1t means per
sistence on the one hand, and self
contained emotion on the other hand.
Perhaps IL IS true that the japanese
lack the power of perseverance. but
they are not behind any na>ion IN the
world in persistence. From childhood
they are trained TO endure the summer
heat, the burning sun, the winter snow
storm. lust as the ancient Spartans
had been trained. Oftentimes the Jap
anese are trained to stand all mental
and physical pain without any COM
plant like the Spartans. In comparison
with the western people, the japanese
are inexpensive, SO that they suppress
their natural emotion. l was told that
a japanese murderer named Tanba was
executed at Oahu prison some years
ago with calm and tranquil heart. OF
course, it is not laudabIe TO meet execu-
ton with rather ostentatiOus calmness,
Just as it is not worth while to encour-
age the effeminate artificial crying
habit of the Hawaiians. Perhaps Tan
ba was weeping in his heart, when
he recollected of his loving father AMI
mother and his sweetheart in his native
land, but he did not express his emo
tion on account of his racial training
and instinct.
THE WOMEN QUIET.
1t is true that the spirit of self
control is remarkably developed among
the japanese women who are, on the
whole, exceedingly quiet so that they
do not talk too much as the American
women If there were any talkative
women among the japanese, one must
remember that it is due to the infu-
ence of the American women. True
Japanism is calm and cool. At the be-
ginning of the Russo-Japanese war, Mr..
George KEENAN, was right in reporting
for The Outlook that there was no
sign of the war in Japan-everything
looked so quiet and tranquil as if there
were no terrible battle in Manchuria,
yet Japan sent two great armies to
the front. and sacrificed so many brave
men in the Yalu river and on the hill
of Nangshan. No other foreigner could
interpret true Japanism better than
Mr., KEENAN,.
WILL SACRIFICE HIS LIFE.
In the third place, Japanism means
the spirit of self-sacrifce. 1t never
hesitates to die for the country, for
the ruler, and for the ancestors. The
true japanese is always ready to sacri-
fee his life for high and noble pur-
poses. Whey are the Japanese brave
on the battlefield? Why do they not
retreat instead of confronting bayo-
nets and machine gunsf Simply be-
cause the japanese have sacrificed their
lives to their fatherland. However,
it. is a great mistake to understand
that the spirit of. self-sacrifce is ex-
emplifed only in military activity.
There is no reason why the Japanese
are not or can not be as self-sacrifclng
a people as the Americans in public
affairs. There is no distinction between
the spirit of self-sacrifice in military
activity and that in municipal affairs
or in religious affairs; but no matter
whether it is expressed in this or that
way, we must remember that it is al
ways the Fundamental spirit of self
sacrifice. Modern Japan shows ample
examples which prove the above men
toned principle. What is the origin
of this spirit2 We found that, when
we carefully studied the origin of the
public spirit of the western people,
the medieval institution, feudalism anu
the religious infuenee-Christian in |
fiuence, which having been joined by
modern democratic ideal that has been
affected by philosophical speculation
and industrial revolution, gave the |
western people the intense spirit of
sacrifice for the sake of public in gen
eral. But the japanese ideas of sacri-
fee have been nourished primarily by |
Bushido or the spirit of the knight |
and the national cult-Shintoism, and |
in modern Japan the industrial activ-
ity has given a strong impetus to the
growth of the spirit of sacrifice. No
one can doubt that the Japanese in
the long run viii tend to be equal |
to the western people in the public
spirit.
SELF-RELIANCE.
In the fourth place, Japanism means
the spirit of self-direction. AS men
toned above, Japanism means modesty