The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-09-16
UPHOLDS THE
JAP NATION
Or. 1. N. Coon Replies to Article OF
6rIgadler General Howe in the
Register and Leader.
sAyc STATEMENT RIDICULOUS
Japan Has Today Best School Systen m
IN the WorId-Nineteen Years
to Complete the Course.
From Register and Leader.

From Register and Leader.
Denison, lowa.-To the Editor: AS
one who loves justice and truth, |
should like to reply to the letter o.
Brisadier General Howe, which ap-
peared in Sundays paper.
10 ono who has travelled in ia
pan, studying conditions as they exist
today. or to one it seems to me, who
has been at all thoughtful, the state.
ments in the letter of Mr.. Howe
seem ridiculous, and remind one of
the statements made by Hobson in
our chautauquas some years ago.
Japan has today more men studying
conditions in foreign lands than any
other country. Japan is as well in
formed as to our material resources
as our best tinanciers, or our best
statesmen. She knows that should
she make war upon us. that no mat
ter how unprepared we might be at
the outset, with our vast resources,
We would in time destroy them Off
tho earth.
This being fact, she knows as
we'll as we that she could never gain
territory from Uncle Sam, and she
knows enough to keep out of sure
defeat So farsighted was she that
she had her best engineers disguised
as common laborers working OH the
trans-Siberian railway, and at the
same time drawing accurate tOpo-
eraphical maps in secret for the use
of the Japanese government in the
event OF war with Russia.
Japan has today the best system
of schools in the world and it takes
student nineteen years to COM
piete the course, and one of the re-.
quirements of the course is English.
No one can travel over the different
islands of Japan and mingle with
her courteous, Industrious and peace
loving people without being i'm
pressed by their sobriety, kindness
and greatness; and If our government
sent her congressman, and her SEN
ators OH iunketing trips to other lands
with whom We do business. to ascer-
tain at first hand just what condi-
tions are. we should not hear the mis-.
leading statements of such men as
Mr.. Howe. The facts are, that all
this excitement about Japan and the
Yellow Peril originates in California.
where the Japanese have Outclassed
the children of our own people and
where the frugal Japanese have made
good, where the sons of Americans
have succumbed to the contagion of
enjoyment which has so permeated
the people of all our western coast.
To Illustrate:
Look through the city directory of
San Francisco for the names of doc
tors. You will find that they have
office hours only one and two hours
a day. You will find that should a
physician of the highest standing
start to practice medicine in San Fran
cisco and advertise office hours as
they do here, being in the office six to
eight hours day, he would have not
one friend in the medical profession
and what is true Of medicine is true
in everN occupation. The facts are
that the people on the coast are simp-
ly bent on enjoyment and they resent
anyone who comes along and sets a
standard of attention to business or
duty.
But to come to the real facts about
Japan and her relation to us as to
her very life's existence. say moth
ing of her desires. no matter what
they may be, though | am sure they
are not to make trouble with us.
Roughly speaking, the culture Of the
silk worm, and the spinning and
weaving of silk, and the manufacture
of silk goods Is about One-third OF her
industry. The raising OF tea is about
another third of her industry, and
they raise only green tea, and we are
her only customers worth mention
ing who purchase either of these com
modities European countries buy
their silks from Spain and France and
Italy mostly, while India and British
East India likewise do the same. The |
United States is the greatest and the
only customer worth while for her |
curios and the products OF her artists
and craftsmen, including her embroid- |
cry work and her wonderful Sat
suma ware and beautiful Clois some.
Then again, we buy her surplus
rice. beans, etc, and we furnish them
f,ours and meals and meats and hun
dreds of articles OF daily consumption
SO you can readily see that for Japan
TO go to war with us would be as for
q merchant doing local business to
make war upon every customer he
had within the radius Of his circle of
business.
No wonder SO many people are
ready to think badly of the yellow
race, when we as a government treat
them so badly. We allow the lowest
types of the Europeans to enter our
country and have equal rights with
our own boys and girls. But when
Japanese, who is the equal in intellect,
education and morally with us, we
are misled by the few people Of "
western coast states and denys -.
equal rights with any other natfo
Go with me to Toxic or any
of Japan and collect from office
store, or school, or college. ten bog