The San Francisco call., 1913-08-24
Former British Ambassador
in Tokyo Tells Nation to
Retain Her Own Form
of Civilization
LATE DEATH SHOWS
SHE rs DOING SO NOW
Earnest Supporter of Writ
ing Reform Lost in Demise
of Count Hayashi

TOKYO, Aug. 23.--Japan's prime min
ister Count Yamamoto. is a total abb
stainer from the use of spirituous
liquors, but he prefers his native tea
to grape juice. In his abstemiousness
he is also like Secretary of State Bryan
in the fact that he does not smoke,
believing all indulgence in tobacco bad
for his health
At S o'clock precisely every morning
he is seen, in plain Japanese garb,
taking a walk in the neighborhood of
his residence in Tokyo. Upon his re-
turn he reads his papers with extraor-
binary attention, from heavy editorials
down to minor city events. With
Countess Yamamoto he has a plain
breakfast consisting OF milk, eggs and
rice. After breakfast he begins to get
ready for his days work. while his
wife prepares his tea
Although an admiral the premier
wears frock coat. Punctually at 8 he
leaves his home in an automobile, and
In Is minutes he arrives at the cabinet
Offices which are inside the palace
compound. There he grimly goes
through piles of state documents until
con- which invariably drives the sever
ity from his countenance. and he is
then ready for amiable conferences
with his secretaries.
The premier shuns social engage
ments and late hours. At p. m. he
leaves his Office and goes straight to
his home. After q bath and stroll in
his garden he partakes Of hearty
Japanese dinner, for he is a healthy,
CT p1d wit a a
He wears a mustache and beard. now
almost gray but his most striking fea-
lures are his eyes, bright and penetrat-
ing, testifying to the power and
strength within. At the same time he
has a kind heart. His domestics char
acterize him as an amiable and sympa-
thetic master.
In the course of a notable speech
made at Tokyo the Hon. James Bryce,
former British ambassador at Wash
ington said he hoped that Japan would
retain her own form of civilization and
not permit her traditions to be swal-
lowed up by the civilization of the
western world. He thought 1t was re-
freshing to meet a type that was just
as good as the west and not at all
monotonous.
An instance that Japan is retaining
her peculiar form of civilization was
found at the time OF the death last
month of Prince Arisugawa, a member
of the imperial family, at Mako, near
Kobe. after a lingering illness. AL
though everybody knew that the prince
was dead, the authorities made no
official announcement and insisted that
he should be regarded as living until
the body was transferred to Tokyo.
This took place several days after his
actual demise. When the body ar
rived at his Tokyo residence near the
American embassy the government
made the announcement of his death.
FOLLOWING OLD CUSTOM
The reason for all this is found in
the old tradition and custom that no
member Of the imperial family can die
outside of the seat of the imperial
government. which today is Tokyo. 1t
was curious to note In the news COL
un1ns of the Japanese newspapers side
by side with the report OF his death
and incidents of his career, paragraphs
stating that Prince Arisugawa was
about to return to the capital, as his
condition had become critical
Some Japanese opinion is strongly
opposed to this custom. It was pointed
out that years ago Prince Kitashir-
akawa, while commanding the Jap
anese army at Formosa, after the
Sino-Japanese war, died on the battle
field, being almost the first imperial
prince to lose his life at the front in
the cause of his country. This event,
which was an incentive to popular
loyalty toward the crown. was care
fully concealed by the authorities, who
announced later that the prince had
come to Tokyo to report to the throne
about the campaign and died at the
capital. Newspapers alleged that this
procedure only served to dim the Iuster
4
The practice should be abolished. they
custom which is more or less ridicu-
lous.
DEATH ROBs JAPAN
In the death of Count Tadasu Haya-
shi, former foreign minister, Japan lost
an earnest supporter of writing re-
form" He considered the present sys-
tenn of writing the Japanese language
in complicated Chinese ideographs a se-
rious bar to national advancement. and
advocated the adoption OF Roman let
ters
The Chinese ideographs are not only
complicated in their constructions. but
each character has several different
pronunciations and meanings. from two
to FIVE. or more. For instance. the Chi
nese ideographs for Count Hayashi"
may be pronounced Berlin" meaning
the capital of Germany.
In Japan before q person can be con-
sidered at all educated he or she has to
learn nearly 1000 of these Chinese
characters, committing to memory the
complicated construction OF each ideo-
graph and learning the different pro-
nunciations and meanings as we'll as
their proper uses, in addition to the art
OF caligraphy. All this is proving too
heavy burden for the rising genera
tion of Japan. which has to master one