Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-10-01

The suicide of General Nogi of ia
pan on the occasion of the funeral
OF the late emperor, in which act of
self-destruction his wife, a graduate
of noted American college. Joined
him, has shocked the christian
world 1t has been the fashion to
talk OF Japan as a nation of great
enlightenment and most advanced
ideas, and people are startled by the
suicidal act of one Of the foremost
men in the Japanese empire, who af-
frmed that he did the rash deed in
order that he might attend and serve
his deceased emperor in the spirit
world. All this seems to be utterly
inconsistent with the intelligence
which has been attributed to the
japanese leaders Nevertheless ms
fellow-countrymen applaud the sui
eide as being highly heroic and
praiseworthy.
Those who are more intimately
acquainted with affairs and condi-
tions in Japan are not surprised by
the incident The wonder is that
there were not more such suicides
when the Mikado passed away.
Less LudA q NNaA 05S
vember-, when the Emperor went
to attend the great military man
euvers in Western Japan, the i'm
perial train. during shunting opera
tons iumned the track and by
consequence he was detained forty
minutes at the Moi station. Suisse
Nuuently the station-master as
mark Of penitence for what was aft
er all not his fault committed sui
eide by throwing himself in front or
fast running express train. 1t was
said that the Emperor was deeply
moved by the suicidal act, and sent
a sum of money to defray the tuner
al expenses. 1t was later proposed
to erect a monument to the honour
of the dead station-master that his
heroic deed might be remembered by
posterity. DR.. Yamakawa, Leading
professor i'm the Imperial University,
strongly disapproved the proposal,
and wrote to the newspapers articles
in which he insisted that such sui
cides should not be so honoured. In
his articles he drew attention to the
common incident Of Japanese school
teachers being killed or severely
burned in their attempts to rescue
the picture of the Emperor, which
hangs in every school room, from the
flames when their school buildings
take fire. The Japanese press with
scarcely an exception, criticized Sc
verely the Doctors letter and de-
manded his removal from the faculty
of the University. Accordingly ne
offered his resignation last March
insisting upon the simple truth that
not even the picture of the Emperor
is worth the life of man.
The act of General Nogi is IN
line with prevalent public opinion In
Japan by which such deeds are glori-
fed and it sheds light upon the
moral life and the religious beliers
of the Japanese people.
The Japan nation, with all It's ar.
tistic taste, scientific attachments in
medicine. and military achievements
IS pagan at heart. II is about on
level with the Roman Empire IN Ne
ro's time. In those days the Roman
world had lost faith I'm its old pa
ganism, and began to deity the en-.
perors, partly from superstition and
partly from political policy. Before
that period the prevalent habit OF
generating deceased ancestors was al
most universal. just as has been the
case in Japan. 1t was an easy step
to advance from this veneration to
the notion that a national leader, who
had rendered service to, the state,
became divine at death on account OF
his illustrious deeds. Hence when
one so highly honoured by the peo-