Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-20
Women s Clubs

President James A. b. Scherer of
Throop Polytechnic institute reviewed
yesterday. for the Friday morning club,
the relations that have existed for the
last fifty-five years between the United
States and Japan, reading again
paper he presented before the city clup
last month.
During a residence of five years in
Japan DR.. Scherer followed his profess
sion of teaching and through associa-
ton with his pupils had rare oppor-
tunity to become acquainted with the
oriental mentality, which, to most eau
casian minds, must always remain an
unknown quantity.
DR.. Scherer Is a convincing speaker
and handles his timely topic with au-
thority. The paper opened with an
excerpt from a letter written by PreSi-
dent Fillmore which was presented to
the emperor of Japan in 1853 by Com
modore Perry, who commanded the ex-
petition which resulted In the eStab-
lishment of diplomatic and commercial
relations between the two countries.
In this letter "our great state of Cali
fornia," with her vast products OF gold,
minerals and precious stones. was
given alluring prominence, and the en-
tire trend of the document revealed
clearly that cold blooded commercialism
and not missionary zeal forced open
the gales OIL JuDdtl W ll0 WOiios
The speaker charged that we, as
nation, thrust ourselves upon the Jap
anese when they preferred hermitage,
and have been ever since their self-ap-
pointed and continuous teachers in
matters pertaining to trade and labor,
and that, too, not always according to
the highest ethical standards, until at
the present day they are going their
instructors one better The national
virtues and ideals are heather, and DR..
Scherer feels that there is urgent and
deep need in Japan of Christianity
not the sort that is taught from the
Bible, but the convincing kind that the
American nation should teach in broth
erly love and "a square deal"
The speaker expressed absolute belief
in the good faith of the Japanese gov
eminent toward America and other
world powers, and referring to certain
recent rash and ill-advised efforts at
Sacramento, he said:
"Of all states in the Union. Califor-
mia should be the last to originate such
provocation, seeing that 1t was chiefly
for her sake that the federal govern
ment sent Perry with his letters to the
emperor"
The real international struggle of the
future, DR.. Scherer prophesied, will be
commercial.
Mrs. j. Il. F1tZSerdlu entertainer lis
Galpin Shakespeare club Wednesday
afternoon at her residence, 2315 West
Adams street. Mrs. Fitzgerald gave
delightful informal talk on Japan and
looked exceedingly picturesque In the
Japanese costume. She was very favor
ably impressed by the Japanese in her
recent visit to Japan with the chamber
of commerce delegation, and graphic
ally described the scenes, incidents and
people which came under her observa-
ton and succeeded in arousing a great
deal of enthusiasm among her hearers.
She spoke very warmly of the hos
pitality and generosity of the japanese,
also of the admiration which that peo-
pie processes for everything American.
Numerous gifts with which the Amerl-
can visitors were showered on every
hand were displayed about the rooms.
Miss Marion Wilson played the Jap
anese national anthem on the piano,
also other selections.
The guests then repaired to the din
ing room, where refreshments were
served.
Miss Evelyn A. Withrow of San
Francisco, art commissioner for Cali
fornia at the Seattle exposition, has
been in Los Angeles for the past week.