Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-22
MORAL GREATNESS OF JAPAN
PEOPLE OF THE WEST DO NOT
UNDERSTAND THOSE OF EAST.
Japanese Believe in Civil and Re-
ligious Liberty and Equality
Before the Law.

are heather, pagans, idOlaters. immoral,
brutal. superstitious, licentious. and that
the term "semi-civilized" was really too
good for them. This traditional style of
thinking still persists. An editor of a
large Christian paper recently returned
from Japan and tried TO be just in his
report by saying several good things about
the Japanese, but was conscientiously
compelled to add. They are still pagan
nation" A member of the English nobil-
ity and clergyman, few months ago,
after seeing Japan and Korea, wrote to
that world journal, the London Times.
Il am not for moment blaming the
Japanese soldiery, but they have only
the ideals of a heather race
Not only does the religious bias make
some Christians cruelty unjust to a great
moral-loving people, but such censors un-
Willingly give aid and comfort to the SEN
satiOnal press in America which despises
the peoples Of the east and tries by SLAM
ders and even lies to poison and inflame
the minds of the people here against 1.-The
yellCws.' One need only to ask. us a
nation pagan after it has adopted and
adapted the very best fruits of modern
civilization-civil and religious liberty. uni
versal education. equality before the law.
and representative government? Can an
army Of over half million carry on a
campaign in foreign land on higher
mora! level than was ever attained by
other armies and still have only the
ideals OF heather race'?'
Time to Revise Sentiment.
The time for revising our nineteenth
century ideas of the east has come. The
real facts are beginning to loom up be-
fore us. And new and glad voices are
bearing witness to the wonderful moral
and spiritual life in the nations of the
east. Bishop Roots Of the Episcopal
Church is ole of these witnesses. In an
address given in Boston he recently said:
1T is difficult to take in the moral
greatness of the people of China! They
are the only people who have never
deified vice. who have never placed I'M
savory stories of vice In their classics, who
have never publicly sanctioned immoral
ity. Their ideals have been scholarship,
peace with the world, and righteousness;
and it may be their mission to impress
these upon the world"
I cannot frame sentence just like that
for Japan, but can truly shape one that
shall have fully as high a moral ring to
it and shall begin with the same words:
It is difficult to take in the moral great
ness Of the people Of Japan. They are
line unbroken from prehistoric ages, SO
revered and loved that against it the peo-
pie have never risen in revolt. What
morat power Is embodied in that historic
fact! In the face of the barbarous be-
headings of kings and queens in the west,
and of the horrible assassination only
the other day of the King and Crown
Prince Of Portugal, how exceptionally
moral appears this imperial line, for which
during millenniums supreme reverence
and devotion have been so strong that it
has never been attacked.
They are the only people who have fur
nished moral hero whose death is 80
close to that Of Christ that You cannot
read it without putting the two together.
When Sakura Sogoro was crucified his
noble wife refused to be divorced, pre-
ferring crucihxion with her husband and
death with her children rather than life
divorced from him. And his parting
to his Pea9e az ne su1E d on the
give them all for your! The history OF
Japan is rich in this spirit of self-sacri-
flee for others, and this Is one OF the
elements that make Japan a nation of
moral greatness.
Passion for Righteousness.
Again. they are the only people. think
it safe to say, whose passion for right
eousness has exceeded her greed for
gold. and whose love of honor was greater
than her fear Of death.
Here is a nation whose virtues were so
embodied in life that when the Red Cross
Society and it's humane work were pre-
scented to them it just fitted into the ma
TONS moral character so that 1t came nat
ural to be kind to wounded Russians. and
to treat their 1900 prisoners with a de-
gree of kindness and consideration that
no Christian nation under similar circum-
stances has yet equaled. After the bat
tie Of Mukden I saw whole trainloads of
prisoners coming down to Dalny. Every
time our trains met I saw Japanese OFF,
GERS and soldiers give, not as conquerors.
tack to the Russians until their private
stores were >exhausted. Read Human
Bulletsr' That tells of a wounded officer
who beckoned for aid for help to Red
Cross man on his enemy's side. I'M
mediately he received the needed help.
of water left by his side. After which
he drew his revolver and deliberately
shot his deliverer dead. The officer who
did that dastardly deed was not Of the
yellow race; he was white man.
subject of a Christian nation. 1 was
in the Japanese army for six weeks, priv
ileged by letters from the premier, Count
Katsura. to see everything that did not
interfere with the fixed regulations of
war time. and 1 have no hesitation in
through careful inquiry, there never was
an army SO absolutely free from camp
women, so free from drunkenness. SO free
from looting, SO free from boasting over
a conquered foe and SO kind to prison.
ers of war as were the half million sol
diers of his majesty the Emperor OF
Japan.
1t may not be out of place to say here
that those victories on land and sea were
really won by the virtues of the en-
peror" What nonsense to ascribe those
victories to the emperor who never was
on battlefield and presumably has no
military knowledge!' some Americans
have exclaimed. Yet those reports of vic
tories sent by generals and admirals. as
cribing their success to the virtues of
his majesty were absolutely correct. But
for the traditional virtues of that i'm
perial line there could be no such devo-
ton and loyalty as held together the gen.
erals of that huge army and the admirals
Of that victorious navy SO that no Jeal-
Ousies or rivalries or persOne hatreds or
love of women even once imperiled the
success of the strategy. Every dying
soldier, too bore the same witness to the
virtues of the emperor If strength suf-
fice1 to utter the words "Heika. Ban
Zai!' Long live the emperor! 1t was not
the flattery Of underlngs, but true ex-
preston of faith in the virtues of the
imperial line which have made possible
the history of old and new Japan.
Rut right here DIRECTORS may say: You
are making them out altogether too good
Are they not commercially untrustWOrthy
and about as dishonest as they can be?