The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-10-13
COMMERCIAL
CLUBS GUESTS
1rrnm sntnraay,s AavertIser.l

cd gentlemen, eacn Oh Nhuih no" -
SAGE of Importance to give from tne
Far East. message which was Oh poeh
interest and Importance TO tne n.ein.
bsrs Of the club and the institutions
ana classes they represent. These men
,,,ero the Rev. DR.. j. H. De Forrest, lot
.h;rtv vears missionary in Japan, ana
Mr. Mason Mitchell who has until late'
Nv heen United States Consul at Chun-
l.;ng in the far western province Oh
Szechuen, China.
Mr. lanes Wakefield presided and IN.
+roduced the two gentlemen IN a oliei
lint thoughtful address of whlch .he
sbeme was that Misunderstanding pe'
4,vcen peoples were the most proilnc
aonree of international differences ne
snoke of the Crimean war which plung,
cd nations into debt and misery anu
,,os caused by n misunderstanding
Rev DIR. De Forrest was the hrst
.noaker and il was of the character OF
tbo Jananese and of her merchants that
he spoke.
Mr.. De Forests Address.
Everywhere co." he said, -
,m told that the japanese merchants
are tricky and dishonest. That OPINION
seems to be everywhere prevalent NOW
6rst let me say that the people VINO
have made Japan what 1T Is, great
people and great nation, are not ner
merchants. The people who have mould
cd her and given her her spirituality
opd her ideals are first of all her samu'
rai and second her farmers, and last
of all her merchants. The samurai who
inn
valued three things; they valued niIse'
Righteousness; second, hfe, anu the,
thew set sort of value on SILVER anu
gold. But the samurai to tins Day 90
not value money; the gentlemaniy class
do not. and even the coohe class 90
not to so great an extent as othep peo'
nles. Even tips are not to be gwen
rs money in Japan, but the money Is
TO be wrapped up in a little paper,
which Won can get everywhere with
the character on it indicating that 1t
is a gift.
l'When Japan was opened to inter,
course with the world, the japanese did
not know the mercantile ways OF the
western world, and when the govern.
ment asked the ancient house OF Mltsnl
TO 90 to Yokohama and take charge OF
the mercantile intercourse with the 1or-
eipners, it refused, because 1T did not
know their methods. The result was
that the unscrupulous traders. the men
with no character, flocked to Yokohama
TO trade with the foreigners; and the
foreign merchant who went there was
not always an angel.
scBut there are ancient and honor
able mercantile houses in Japan VINO
have maintained establishments Tor
centuries who never had two prices,
and who never misrepresented the gooas
they sold and who always kept then
contracts.
ga friend of mine, Philadelphia
merchant. sought in Kyoto some SILK
curtains for his house in Philadelphia
But he found they would cost S4oo'
This he thought was too high, and when
he came to Sendai where / live, 6OU
miles to the north, he told me about
it. I took him to a dealer there VINO
showed him the identical goods which
he had looked at in Kyoto. This mer'
chant offered them at very much low
er price than the Kyoto price, but nc
did not have sufficient stock on hand
and said he would have to send tc
Kvoto for the remainder. Mr.. frienc
was aghast at this. In response to m!
question the merchant said he eoult
have the whole quantity delivered II
nv friend in Kyoto, for my friend wa
going there, within a few days. My
friend hesitated to buy them without
seeing them, but / told him 1 wouiC
be responsible. They were delivered
on time and were in every way salts
factory.
ait is not that the Kyoto merchants
are dishonest or necessarily have two
prices. But Kyoto is where all the
globe come. Prices are always
high, the world over, in such localities
"In Sendai they make fine cabinets
An order for three came from foreign
house in one of the big cities. Ihe
exact measurements were given. The
maker made them according to instruc
tions and shipped them. Word came
back that two of them were all right bu
that the third was not as ordered an'
would only be accepted at certain
price, about half that agreed to b.
paid. The maker came to me, thoug
j was not acquainted with him and ha
never had any dealings with him.
told him to write telling them to re
turn the cabinet at his expense. H
finally concluded to accept my suggef
tion and did so. The answer came bac
that on re.examination it had bee
found satisfactory. 1t was cas-
where the bankko or comprador of tn
house was trying to do little graf
ing. Thus it is. If the members of tn
house themselves could have commu
nicated directly there would not hav
been any of this. 1t is the margin o
deception that makes many of us di'
honest.
"The Japanese are the most fran
and open people in the world. The
are the only nation that is conseiousl
seeking to instil high mercantile ideal
Prof. Ladd gave a course of six lie
lures on mercantile morality to the ST
dents of the higher commercial schoo
of Yokohama at the request of the Mi
lister of Finance.
"There is the story that the ia
anese are so dishonest that they ha,
to have Chinese in all their banks
handle there money. This is sland
ON great people There isn't wol
of truth in it.
SIN the resolution adopted by Il
Chambers of Commerce of Seattle, T