Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-02-12
THE HERMIT NATION.
DR.. EDwORDS WRITES OF JAPANESE In.
VASION OF KOREA.
Relations Between Japanese and Koreans
are Somewhat Strained. and May Result
in another War Involving Korea.
China and Russia Against
Japan.

Seoul, Korea, Feb 1.-THE Hermit
nation is in turmoil and it reminds
me very much of lot of crabs that /
once saw on an island away down in
the Pacific The crabs had been I'M
disturbed so long that when / sat
down on some rocks they inhabited
they just tumbled over each other in
their desire to get whack at the in
truder, but when they get close to me
they scurried away to the rear to get
| up courage enough for another sOrtie
toward me as if to frighten me. That
is just the way the Koreans are doing
with the Japanese who have taken
possession of the whole government
of the country.
Japan is in evidence everywhere,
and there is also a sullen antagonist
shown to this invasion. The Koreans
are most peaceful race, notwith-
standing the fact that they try to i'm
press one with the idea that they are
extremely warlike. Their soldiers
are sight to behold, and if looks and
noise would win battles the Koreans
could certainly conquer the world.
They dress their soldiers in coat of
armour that is terrifying to young
children, and for arms they carry long
spears, bows and arrows, great two
handed swords, old guns that look as
if they were made about the time gun
powder was invented by the Chinese,
so far back that the date is forgotten.
| often wonder what would be the
effect if one of these old guns were
fired am under the impression that
the man behind the gun would be in
bad fix after the explosion.
There are many rumors of uprisings
among the Koreans against the Japan
ese. and there is no doubt that
Chinese and Russians are doing all in
their power to induce the simple
minded Koreans to rebel and try to
throw off the yoke so recently placed
on their necks by the warlike race of
brown men. have been much i'm
pressed with the fact that the Chinese
are also emerging from their she'll
and putting on new manners and Gus
toms The Japanese have the idea of
uniting the Orient against the world,
and in order that their plans may be
carried through successfully are train
ing Chinese and Koraens to the use of
modern arms and methods of war. In
my opinion they are Matching trouble
for themselves. Chinese are not fools
by any manner of means. They take
all the education the Japanese can
give them and some day will surprise
their island neighbors by showing
what it means TO put knowledge of
arms into the minds of race of 40O,-
600. 900 people. Korea is closer allied
to China than to Japan, and when the
uprising of the Orient comes it will
be China and Korea together with
Japan as the vassal.
/ have been here but three days, yet
/ can see that these almond-eye people
are but biding their time to get even
with Japan for what she has done to
make them pay tribute. This is the
strangest country have ever seen, in
many ways. But while the people
have heen in lethargy for centuries
they have all the fatalism of the
Orient that is necessary TO make them
resent the interference of any other
country 1t will be but few years
until there will be another war here
that will involve Korea. China and
Russia on one side against Japan. and
by that time there will be enough
trained soldiers here and in China to
make it another story than the one re-
Gently told in the Russo Japanese war.
have seen so much that is strange
and interesting since my arrival that
l hardly know where to begin telling
about it. The matter that most i'm
pressed me was the political situation.
Japanese are everywhere, but it is
noticeable that you never see one
alone. They always go out in squads
of from three TO dozen. and i am
told that the reason for this is that
numerous individual Japanese who
have gone alone in the streets have
disappeared and no one could ever
learn what became of them. and no
inquiry could ever trace their disap-
pearance to the Koreans. The Japan
ese say to the world that they have
established protectorate over Korea,
but they hold with exceeding slim
tenure. In order that they may re-
main here at all they are constantly
on the alert for surprises and assas-
sinations. These Orientals are adopts
at assassination, and / would not like
to have many of them for enemies.