The Redwood gazette., 1916-04-26

japan has now entered new
ara and that the time has come
for her to cease worship of the
West and to aspire to independ
-nce in science, commercial lead
rsh:p and greater sea and land
power.
DR.. Kamada in the Japan
Magazine says: "Henceforth as
nation the empire enters on a
new career of unlimited hope
and ambition. Japan's goal is
now the most important and
most significant possible to a
people.
:'Up to the present Japan has
been kept in the leading strings
Of European thought and civil
ization, lying abject at the feet
Of German scence, sending her
young men abroad to acquire ac-
cidenta, knowledge before they
were thought fit to lead their
countrymen. This state OF at
fairs must now change. Japan
should cease to worship at West
ern shrines.
For Japan a period Of new
inventions and discoveries is
dawning. Up to the present we
have been all too busy adopting
and adapting and initiating Eu-
ropean civilization until imita-
ton has grown to be a habit
with us; but our world Of
thought and science is not now
so poor that we hafe nothing
to admire and emulate at home.
In my opinion the Japanese
are as capable of thought and
: invention as any other people.
Germany, whom we have been
worshipping so far in this re-
spect, was not the originator of
those things for which we adored
her, but herself an imitator Of
England, America, France and
Italy where most of the great
inventions and discoveries took
place. It is, indeed, great mis-
take to regard Germany as a
great inventive nation"
"While up to the present
japanese commerce and indust-
ry have been under the domina-
. ton of the West, Japan should
now make change and exert
herself for worldwide recogni-
J ton. The best time to do this
IS the present, while Europe is
engaged otherwise and the
greatest commercial states are
too busy to molest us. At pres
ent England and France are too
much taken up with the war to
take much interest in competi-
ton. while Germany, which has
made the poverty stricken East
her unwilling customer, is now
!. surrounded and cut off from
maintaining her commerce
abroad. The whole trade field
Of the Orient lies open to Japa-
nese commerce and if she does
not seize the opportunity it will
he her own fault. We have thus
the rarest of chances for unus-
lal development"
For the sake of national COM
merce and industry, if for no
other reason, the writer consid-
cred that Japan must develop
her sea power. He added: ut
is necessary that the nation
should see also to the compile
ton of its preparations for ar
mamental expansion. The whole
nation should be drilled and
ready to defend the empire in
time of emergency. The pres
ent method Of keeping small
number of young men in bar
racks for long intervals is not
only uneconomical but impracti-
cal; for those so drilled, to the
exclusion of others, might all be
killed in battle and then nc
trained soldiers would be left to
take their places. What Japan
wants is universal military ser
vice. The whole nation must be
ready to bear arms if need be.
"The war now raging in Eu-
rope proves that men, after
training of a few months, fight
as bravely and successfully as
old soldiers, and the outcome
now depends more on the mum
: Der Of those who can go to the
front than on the amount OF
drill they have received. Thus
to confne drill to a small mum
Der is a fatal policy for efficiency
La ,aational dofanca AlCn Il l.