Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-06
How About Japan
BY Frederic Y. Haskin

stood the mikado whose word was law.
When that word wen forth, to disobey
was not only a civil and political crime
but moral offense of the blacklist,
and a sin against divinity. Ages Of
this form Of government made the
Japanese nation the most docile and
tractable people on earth where their
own authorities were concerned.
So when the statesmen at the helm
used the imperial rescript to back up
a scheme for railways, the nation
swallowed its objections and built rail-
ways. In the same spirit, 1t accepted
all the new things. The creed Of 10y
atty had robbed it of the privilege Of
protest, by making that protest sin.
Even SO today, the creed Of loyalty
makes 1t a sin to tamper with things
so mundane as plans for dreadnaughts
and half dozen new army divisions.
The late emperor gave them his ap-
prevail. There Is no more to be said.
Another side Of the creed of loyalty
Is the exaggerated national pride that
degenerates into national self con-
seriousness. All casual observations OF
japan must be discounted by, remem-
bering that the island empire is
probably showing off," Japan Is
worried about what the world thinks
of her. to an extent that 1t ia hard for
an American to appreciate. We would
(, like to have the world think we'll of us,
but If the world can not see the mani
fold virtues OF these United States
OF America, then so much the worse
for the world. Not 30 Japan.
She is determined to appear before
the nations in the best possible light,
and to that end she conducts press
j campaigns, grants great subsidies to
her enterprises, covers up her real in
!, dustrial conditions and her industrial
inefficiency from the visitor, makes a
showing out Of all proportion to her
real wealth and commercial import
ance. This Japanese characteristic
| could be passed over with a smile, II
1t were mere puerile vanity. But it is
deadly serious pride and Japan Is
| ready to fight 1t.
Japan gets great credit and admira.
ton from the thoughtless for her in
dustrial advance, that carried her from
the middle ages to the twentieth CEN
fury almost at bound. This advance
! Is taken as evidence that Japan can
become an England Of the orient, a
great factory for eastern Asia. Japan
herself cherishes and encourages the
illusion IN characteristic fashion. It
is no more than an illusion. Japan
might become the England Of the
orient If there were no England, and
no America Of the occident In straight
| free competition with the west, Japan
stands hardly a chance, for all her
geographical advantage and she
knows it. 1t is fact that plays havoc
with all her most vital institutions,
from her pride to her pantry. So she
| comes to the relief of her industries
with subsidies and the sword. She
alternates freight rebates with tho
domination of Chinese provinces.
Her pride covers more than the mill
tary and commercial glory of the en-.
pfre. It extends to the race ITSELF
| Japanese seriously believe that they
are the most remarkable of the people
Of earth. Perhaps it is partly our
fault; We have been telling them so
for fifty years. They believe in their
| mission, which is to unite east and
! west, to dominate the orient and act
as a mediator between orient and
occident. Their great men tell them,
and they believe, that the Japanese is
the moral and intellectual superior of
any other human being. For this rea-
son, race prejudice against them has
never stirred them deeply. Race pre-
JUDGE only cuts when the injured race
has consciousness of inferiority.
! But the Japanese pride is affronted
! by any discrimination against Japan
as nation. Her pride and her creed
| demand that the proudest of nations
recognize her as an equal. Anything
less is an insult to the whole fabric of
Japanese society from top to bottom.
Japan will go to any length rather
than to labor indefinitely under the
least stigma Of inferiority.
Another effect Of the Japanese 70
ligion Of loyalty worth considering is
| it's effect in questions Of war, and tho
declaration Of war. It prevents the
forming of an opposition party under
such circumstances, because such op-
position Is deprived of the sanction of
| principle which 1t often has in a west
ern country There are what purport
to be powerful peace societies in
Japan, yet neither before the Chinese,
nor the Russian, nor the present Ger
man war did they make any opposi-
| ton worth mentioning. Neither do
the peace advocates of Japan, either
| Japanese or American, attack the
Japanese army and navy expansion
. schemes. They content themselves