The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-06

the highest authority upon questions of
/ japanese history of the past half GEN.
fury.
Fifty years ago Count 0kuma was a
boy of twenty, living in small Japan
/ ese town, trained in the virtues Of the
ancient japanese learning, and sharing
with his fellows all the beliefs anu
preindiees of their exclusive race. But
! to these ideas he added curiosity, and
curiosity was his making. The visit
of Commodore Perry and the granting
of treaty rights to foreigners by the
| Shotgun had set all Japan to talking
about the .red-haired barbarians.
The law set it's face sternly against
| the Christian religion and missionaries,
and while Okuma approved of the law,
his curiosity impelled him TO inquire
about these strange people.
| So it happened that Okuma heard of
an American missionary who was Sc
cretly spreading the forbidden doctrine
in the country. He went to DR. Veer-
beck as Nicodemus went to Jesus, by
| night. From that renowned mission
airy the young Okuma learned of the
great world outside of Dai Nippon, of
the nations where men ruled themselves
and of the precious doctrines of the
Rights of Man. First of all he learn
ed to read the Bible. Then came the
one political document which the de-
voted missionary possessed, the Decla
ration of Independence.
Young Okuma read the immortal
charter of American protest and in
dependence, and ais soul was set on
fire. just the other day, seventy years
old, and blessed with every comfort
which one man can claim, he sat in
the magnificent library of his hand
somely appointed home and said: The
reading of the Declaration of indie
pendence when | was a boy made such
an impression upon my soul that the
doctrines proclaimed by it have ever
been my guiding rule in life
In view of this it is not strange that
Count Okuma should admire the great
American democrat, Thomas Jefferson.
When he learned that the Declaration
of independence had been written by
Jefferson he set about studying the
career of that Statesman. He read sew
eral Biographies and some extracts
from Jefferson's own writings and be-
came familiar with his principles.
Three years ago Mr.. William Jennings
and the conversation fell on Jefferson.
When Mr.. Bryan went back to the
United States he sent Count Okuma
complete collection of Jeffersoniana,
which now occupies position of honor
In the old Counts library.
The influence of Jefferson upon Oku-
mas life is marked. AS Jefferson in
his old days placed the University Of
Virginia above every work of his life
as his most worthy deed, so Count
Okuma is prouder of his position as
founder of Waseda University than he
is of all his political accomplishments. |
Waseda University is at the very gates
of Count Okumas beautiful mansion
grounds, just as the University of Vir-
ginia was at the gates of Monticello.
But when Count Okuma looks out upon
his school he sees an institution in
which 5000 young men are being
brought into the light of the higher |
education, willis Jefferson could not |
have counted that many university |
students in the whole nation in his |
time
In the concluding chapter of Count |
Okuma's recent work, Fifty Years of |
New Japan he frankly says that the |
Japanese nation is not yet arrived at |
the'level of civilization enjoyed by the |
other great nations. He declares that |
Japan is still at school, and must stay |
on at its studies until the tasks are /
all finished. Then, he thinks, Japan |
will be the equal of any nation on |
earth. While recognizing the inferior |
ity in accomplishment, he denies that |
this is inherent or permanent There |
fore he is opposed, heart and soul, to |
the Japanese government adopting a |
policy by which it pledges itself to ac- |
cept as right the mandate of another |
nation that Japanese people shall not |
go where they please. just as foreign |
ers are allowed to come and go in !
Japan.
It was in support of this doctrine of |
national pride and dignity that Count /
Okuma voiced the anti-American SEN
timent which stirred Japan a year ago, |
he used the issue to hammer |
the heads of the cabinet. Now that |
the issue is no longer to be used as a |
political cry, Okuma and all his follow
ers have ceased to talk. Count Olxuma |
declares, as all Japanese will declare, I
that the United States is Japan's best I
friend and that trouble between them |
is unthinkable. But Count Okuma /
adds, as other Japanese do not, that /
the United States must treat Japan as /
an equal in every respect. When ask
ed to address himself to American
newspaper readers he said:
Japan came into the community of