The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-26


story in japanese history more intense
ly interesting than that of the Forty
seven Ronins." nor one which is more
laptly illustrative of the impossibliltN
of a westerner's understanding the
oriental mind. More than 200 years
ago. forty-seven faithful retainers OF
a japanese lord committed "harikarl'
or suicide. in honor of their dead mas
! ter, and the people of many nations
are still talking and writing about It
Volumes in the native tongue and vol
umes in the tongues of Europe have
been written about this remarkable
affair and the fame of the FOrty-seven
Ronins seems destined never to be
dimmed by time.
| Fancy, if you can, one who commits
/ suicide in the western world being gar
Vnded with eternal fame; imagln|
anyone in the United States becoming,
by reason of his suicidal act being
20 be worshiped through the ages. Al
though more than two centuries have
elapsed since these Japanese, faithful
to their traditions, laid down their lives
in revenging their lord, the incense still
burns in the urns at their graves thou
sands still pray daily, kneeling in front
of their tomb, and they are held in
grateful and reverential memory by
millions.
Suicide Is an Institution.
Suicide in Japan is a peculiar insti-
tuition and until recently was sane
toned by the government. Obligatory
harilzari, or the privilege OF ripping
ones self up with a knife instead OF
being beheaded by the government, has
been abolished, but voluntary harikari
is still common. That the official hari-
kari has gone out of fashion seems to
many difficult of realization. Only as
lately as the Portsmouth peace confer
ence the newspapers declared that the
Japanese government, greatly dissatis-
fed with the result had condemned
the ENJOYS to commit harikari. l have
no doubt that had the government of
Japan been greatly upset over the ac-
ton of the peace ENJOYS the latter
would have speedily killed themselves
in the national fashion. Had they done
so, however, it would not have been
obligatory, but voluntary suicide.
To a western man it seems passing
strange that suicide should have ever
been among any people speedy means
of obtaining honor, revenge and even
dedication. With the Japanese, how
ever. this seems a natural way of OBJ
tanning all of these ends. What more
natural. japanese gentleman would
ask than for a follower to show his
loyalty 10 his master by following him
into the other world? What more natu-
raj than 10 end hopeless trouble or I'M
successful endeavOr by sending your
self into another world or another eX-
isteltce? What more natural than to
make the last protest against the in
justice or indienity which one suffers
by committing harikari when ali other
protests have failed? What greater re-
Venge could there be than that of TAX
ing your own life after having been
deeply wronged? If that would not
make your adversary feel miserable
and repentant what would? Especially
would that be true if you did the job
on his side of the fence, SO that the
law would compel him to take care of
your family? What more powerful
protest could the forty-two military
men who committed voluntary harikari
in 1926 when the japanese government
gave up the conquered territory OF
Liao-tu nave made? What sWeeter
revenge could discarded lover take
than that of the happy dispatch" as
it is sometimes called. or of the belly
cutting" as the term really means?