Evening star., 1908-01-19
REBUKES THE ALARMIST
DR.. De Forest Discusses Representa-
tive's War Talk.
JAPAN's RECORD FOR PEACE
Retired Captains Utterances De.
nounced as Evidence Of Ignorance.
Insult to Worlds Intelligence.

Just a storm of laughte- was reused
some years ago by a certain osculatory
episode. now il would seem that
another storm. this time OF protest, Is
circling round the head OF Capt. Richmond
Pearson Hobson. United States repre-
sentative from the sixth district of Ala
bama. Representative Hobson has been
lecturing on the general subject OF the
relations between the United States and
Japan and China. and uttering dire pre-
country must inevitably become involved
with the east. One such lecture was
given recently before the Y. NJ. G. A. in
Hartford. Conn. on the topic Americas
Mighty Mission"
1t happened that DR. John Fl. De Forest
of Auburndale, Mass. and Of the Ameri-
can mission at Sendai, Japan. one OF the
best known of all the American mission
aries in the east. was in Capt Hobson's
audience. and DR.. De Forest did not hesi
tate to take issue with the representative
from Alabama.
DR.. De Forest Dissents.
In an open letter to Representative
Hobson. DR.. De Forest among other
things, said:
You said: Japan has had the war habit
for more than 800 years: It is with her
question of heredity. 1t is inevitable that
as the Japanese emerge from wars of their
own they engage In wars with other coun-
tries. Japan uses the science and
knowledge of the world chiefly for war
Please let me ask you. Capt. Hob.
son, where did you learn this? Isn't
your history a little loose? 1 should
suppose that congressman would know
that for $50 years before Commodore
Perry's visit there was no nation on
earth that could compare with Japan for
the peace habit. While Europe and
America were in the midst of long years
of bitter wars. revolutions and mutual
slaughters. there was for go years neither
Internal nor external disturbance of peace
in the empire of Japan. Your startling
phrase, the war habit. is worthy, 1t seems
to me. of slight medication in view Of
the fact that about one-third of your go
years was unrivaled throughout the world
as an era of peace In Japan.
Secondhand Information.
Il take 1t that you neither read nor
speak the Japanese language, and so
have only secondhand avenues into the
literature and history OF Japan. So, in
your hasty tour through section Of
Japan You could not have noticed that at
the entrance of countless towns and viii
ioses HisH HdSStdH STANDS, at the base
OF which Is written: Peace Be to this VII
lage.'
In the course of your address your
vivid imagination led you to picture the
millions OF China, too, as virtually pos-
sessed with this same war habit and YOU
painted In fiery colors those 100. 600 OOo OF
yellow men. where countless soldiers
could shoot as straight as we can. and
could live on one-tenth Of what we should
need. descending on our Pacific coast
with irresistible force Are you not as far
aheld here as with Japan? True, China
has had some awful internal strifas hut
nothing that approaches a wsr habit
had the honor recently Of an interview
with John w Foster. who kindly present
ed me with copy of his Present Condf-
tions IN China With his long and hon
ored diplomatic service in the easi Who's