The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-03
What the 'Ye11o1v Peri1s" Of the Future Are Like

thought. Hence, no doubt the apparent success with which fictitious emperor worship has. since the revolution of lo6S, been imposed upon the nation. The Jap- anse are naturally and properly patriotic. Their history, down to the aforesaid revo. Iution. had not been axactly glorious.
 for 1t had consisted of a long series of internal broils. ending at last in two
 centuries and a half of paralyzing ty- ranny. But they possessed an exquisite
 ly beautiful country which had never. in
 recorded times, been conquered, or even
 Invaded, from without; and they had, moreover, many artistic achievements whereof to be justly proud. Their nat ural patriotism then, was artfully com bned with the aneester worship which
 was their primitive religion, and worked
 up into a fanaical cult of the imperial
 family. School boys are gravely taught
 that the majesty of our imperial house
 towers high above everything to be found
 in the world and is as durable as heaven and earth Lafoadio Hearn records that
 having asked in various classes for
 written answers to the question, 'Wha. Ia
 your dearest =wish3' he found that about
 20 per cent of the replies expressed the
 single desire ito die for his sacred ma
 iesty, our beloved Emperor" It is said that if a schoolhouse caught fire and the master failed to save the portraits of i rhe Emperor and Empress. popular f5si- ing would condemn him to commit 'harI- kh'i Not long ago, stationmaster.
 by some small error, delayed the progress | of an imperial train in which the lats
 Mikado was travelling No accident 4oc- | curred nor does 1t appear that fhers | was any danger of one; but the station
 master ineontinently killed himself. The
 point of the anecdote, however, nes in | the sequel A professor in one of the |
 opinion that this act of expiation was rather exeessive: whereupon he was | promptly boyeotted, and q understand) | compelled to resign his post. To such ex- !, tremes is Emperor worship carried.
 l Tt may seem then, that all l have said
 goes to show that the Japanese are an | extremely formidable people. They arc
 prolific. we'll educated, intelligent and
 united ina self sacrificing religion of patriotism. They have also given ample proof that they are good fighters, both | bv land and sea. Does 1t not appear that other nations, whose coast lines
 front the Pahcie may well regard them with disquietude2
 | | do not think so, for various reasons.
 which must be very briefly stated In
 the first place. the natural resources of the Japanese are very scanty. It is
 in reality a poor country-ill titted to
 bear the strain of great war, wagsd at
 a distance from it's own shores. I do | not believe that it's statesmen are mad enough to contemplate aggression upon | the United States, or upon any part of ! the British empire. so long as the Brit
 ish empire holds together If crushing
 disaster were to oYertake the sea power of England, the ease might be different;
 but even then ik. is difficult to con-
 ceive that whatever power succeeded to l the command of the sea would permit
 the conquest of a white mans land by yellow race Secondly I believe that, as
 education and culture take firmer hold
 on the people they will gradually be- | come less prolific. Already the cost of | living and the standard of comfort are
 rising and as this process goes on. the
 nation will tend less and less to outgrow
 it's natural boundaries. It may seek to | widen it's outlet in Manchuria Ca spien- l did country); but that need not greatly | disturb us Anglo-Saxons. In the third | place. do not believe that tho fanatical l aspect of Japanese patriotism Is either | healthy or durable. For defensive pur- poses it may be useful-the war with | Russia was really defensive. But if it
 were to tempt Japan into aggressive ad- ventures. it might very likely receive e | nasty knocl5' that would shake the peo- | ple's faith in their divine" figurehead. The real yellow peril' would arise if | Japanese energy and cunning were to
 obtain control of the giant resources of | China; but that Is a contingency on which it would be premature to speculate.
 ! Copyright, 1912 by Curtis Brown.)