The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-02-20
lAPAN'sTHIRSTF0RWAh
Former Resident of Nippon Says
j.: IS Endless.
PAGAN I-::rcIsM THE CAUSE

@0VS VA sAs
anese. 81 DIR. Albert 3. Ashmead.
Aikndo ~ n F~1surehead Who
Typiie. In the Popular Mind,
While tAs ..Sut-cho,'' or War Party,
Rules.
DR.. Albert =. Ashmead Of New York
and late foreign medical director of
the Tokyo /. Mp!tal In japan, wrote as
follows un:.cr u recent date to the edi-
Dor of the New York Herald:
I'm your article in the Herald, enti-
lied Japan Prepares For War With
the United etates.' In your quotation
Of and remarks from the Echo de Par
b concerning MI. Nakahashi Tokugo'
ro's illusions in the Revue des Dcux
Nondes Of Japan to the Empire Of the
Nikado' you have overlooked a very
important point. which is always con
sidered by the japanese mind in it,
ratiocinati0ns.
1.-THE empire Of the mikado to a jap
anese means spiritual empire and not
q mere material or temporal empire.
For many centuries. while the mikados
Heavenly gates) were isolated In their
holy seclusion behind the Devils gate
ut Kioto, there reigned mere temporal
rulers, the shoguns (great generals) at
Tokyo. In 1867, the beginning Of the
1eiji era, the Sat-cho (Satsuma and
Choshin provincials Of high degree). q
political ring, overthrow the shoguns
and brought the %fgurehead Of the en-
pire from his sacred isolation at Kioto.
HE Is the religious head Of the ma
ton, typifying the Bushido (war spirit
Of the people. that Is all. He is not
smperor-a word the japanese do not
know, although they use 1t to deceive
westerners. A mikado Is Tenno (son Of
heaven or God. He never dies, but
hodzurus (%translates). He is God in
mans form and as such can only reign
n the spirit Of the nation.
"The real temporal ruler of the en-
pire of Japan is that Sat-cho, a political
clique. and the mikado is only puppet
sing. His mentality is of a very low
order. In fact, all the high mobiles of
Japan under the old order of nobility
were rather effeminate II not really i'm
beetle. The mikado is no exception to
this category. Therefore he Is easily
handled politically by the ringsters.
whose only aim is to satisfy Samou-
risu, or Bushido, the var spirit of the
nation, handed down to them from the
time Of Krishna, god of war, of Brah-
nlanism, even at the beginning o.
protestant Buddhism.
This Is the curse of the Japanese
people-that love Of 6ghting-and be"
sides, there is the worship of heroes.
And how are heroes to be made in q
Japanese point Of view save by war?
Samuraism before the disestablishment
Of feudalism in 1867 was satiated by
wars between the Damios. Each prov
tnce or high class family's servants
isamurai) would fight with the next
ahes. But in 1867 samurai were ma
rionalized into a central army. or fight.
Ing force.
This spirit Of war, the true soul Of
Japan. will never be willing to remain
IN barracks for any length Of time. 1t
soon demands a new war. Where will
q wal be found to appease it by that
ring of political tricksters called Sat.
cho except in a foreign war? Thus Il
will be ever.
"After they have fought America
they must find some other country t.
make war upon. That next in all prot,
ability will be Holland, for Japan
muEt have the Dutch West Indies. And
&C it will go on.
But what I write this letter for es.
pecially is to point out that the 'spir-
itual empire of that pagan ruler II
what we have most to dread. 1t Ia
that which threatens us already in Il
Pacific states. Paganis;n Of the mika-
do is already getting a foothold upon
a Christian European and American
shores. This is what we must guard
against most.
1.-THE wal that is on in the world to-
day is that between two Civilizations
paganism and Christianity. Until Jap.
snese have been taught by defeat that
their emperor. us we call him, is not
a god or holy avatar there will be end
less wars OF the part of Japan. We
must put down her unholy paganism.
and then there will be peace Of Chris
tianity. Which will win, paganism o.
Christianity; the god Of war Christina,
or peace and good will to mep
Christi"
Nnvr NTf1fAn~v CkAvn Tn. HA~->