The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-05-08
SWEEPING ARBITRATION TREATY SIGNED
BY THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN


Shotgun had set all Japan to talking
about the "red-haired barbarians.'
The law set its 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
ary 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 Deela-
ration of Independence.
Young Okuma read the immortal
charter of American protest and in
dependence, and his 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 Inde-
pendence when l was 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
Bryan was the guest of Count Okuma
and the conversation fell on Jefferson.
When Mr.. Bryan went back to the
United States he sent Count Okuma a
complete collection of Jeffersoniana,
which now occupies a position of homo.
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 |
hi
Okuma is prouder of his position as
founder of Waseda University than ne /
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, while 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 it's 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.
1t was in support of this doctrine of
national pride and dignity that Count
Okuma voiced the anti-American SEN
timent which stirred Japan year ago,
although 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 Okuma
declares, as all japanese will declare,
that the United States is Japan's best
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
nations by the Introduction and under
the guidance of the United States,
which fact we appreciate. We were
taught by the United States and we
are still learning from America But
the Americans should remember the
words of the ancient philosopher who
declared that to teach, one must learn.
The United States should study the
condition of her pupil, Japan. We
learn from them, and they should learn
from US that they may the better un-
derstand US. Nowadays the American
understanding of the japanese people
is imperfect. In the American news
papers there is talk of war between
their country and ours. In Japan one
never hears of such a thing, except as
1t is repeated from American and Eu-
ropean newspapers. The whole trouble
is due to the fact that the American
people do not understand Japan, and
are therefore willing to pay heed to
the sensational newspapers. The Japa-