The St. Joseph observer., 1917-03-03
VICTOR MURDOCH
IN THE ORIENT

people swallow when the newcomer
Compliments the Japanese In their
presence. The resident white man
down under his skin doesn't like the
Japanese nation. OF course, he does
MT confess it, in fact, ordinarily you
couldn't yet pull the confession out
Of him with a corkscrew, But the
dislike Is there, Just the same, and
anybody who can tell O ham from a
handspike can see that It is. You be-
gin to pick 1t up out in California be-
fore you start to the Orient. Any who
visit the western coast will bear me
out In the statement that 1 of the
favorite contentious OF the Californ-
ian Is that the Chinaman is much
more desirable than the Jap; that he
Is more given to honesty and fidelity
and so forth. Well, that contention is
given the loud pedal in the Orient
The white man extois the Chinaman.
and takes on grim silence when
some one extols the japanese. Now
the real trouble is that the Jap has
been asserting his rights 10 equality
and that the white man doesn't like.
I spoke commendingly Of Japan's pro-
gress and heretofore quiscent white
man erupted with: Don't do it, they
are puffed out of shape already" An
Englishman said to me. "Ws fought
for our progress; the advantages we
have in the sciences, in government, in
industry, we Anglo-Saxons bled for
during generations The laps came
along and appropriated the results of
our labor. 1 wouldn't help them so
much as by raising my finger" I do
not find in books and l have not found
here in Japan the reason why Japan
blossomed forth as she did. As late
as 1853 the country was sealed, that is,
foreigners were absolutely barred and
had been for hundreds of years. But
Japan suddenly broke loose, and 1
of the chief determinate factors in
western civilization appearing to be
military power, she bought few ships
and hitched up her chair. She swiped
the ancient empire of China across
the face, and then trimmed the mighty
Russia with neatness and dispatch,
and has since been trying to find the
money to help pay the expenses of
the picnic. She butted into the Eu-
ropean war long enuf to put tap
on the point of Germany's chin in
China, in memory of an old insult,
but has otherwise remained docile.
And yet every ambitious white nation
on earth is keeping an eye on Japan.
and not in the least watchful among
them are her dearest friends-Eng-
land included. The attitude of the
individual white man is the same; he
is a friend of the Jap. but From
the beginning of western civilization,
the white man has used the same
formula on everybody. He assured the
American Indian that he was his
friend and bumped him off his land.
He also drifted down to South Africa
and became a friend of the Kaffir
and put him to work-for the white
man. And in the last 80 years China
has doomed up as a pretty good thing
The white man assured the China
man that he was the Chinaman's
friend, and began grabbing his best
harbors. Then Japan stepped in with
smile-and a sword-and said she
was friend of the white man-but-
and the white man has been squirm-
ing ever since. The white man does
MT like that "but" when the Japan
ese use it. It has the look of a dan
gerous reservation about it. It does
MT sound precisely sincere, and IT is
impudent. For the japanese is the
1st colored man since Attila to put a
but" into his protestation Of friend
| ship for the white man. While the
white men are fighting among them
selves, Japan is busily hog-tying China
for private use, China, the biggest un-
developed market on earth. Will ia
pan get away with it? / do not think
| so. But 1t must be acknowledged
that she is going at the job in a work
! se, Axs, eat
to everybody, but. Now, 1t is a
pretty extreme thing to say. but
do not believe that Japan understands
/ thing-that the white man will
either survive or perish-that is, he
will either dominate or die. With
this view in mind / have been study
ing the Japanese here in Japan with
a great deal of interest. A bright, in.
telligent, capable people they are, and
since their truly wonderful successes
in arts, industries and arms, a very
proud people. And as this pride
grows, and it will. it will lead then
to the precipice. Pride is the mos
dangerous quality on earth in a mar
or in a nation. There is always
trapdoor in its path. / don't think tn,
Japanese know this. certainly not al
d ely 90 tlo WDiIc uOtbI hlA
the white man is constantly forget
ting it, and If / were a Japanese
would sally forth and preach the doc
trine of an humble and contrite heart
for the good OF the nation. Fo
pride will lead Japan into the expan
sion which is the mild word for ag
gression. 1t has already begun will
the Chinese policy. By playing
white nation against the other, ia
pan will undoubtedly make grea
headway. and will convince hersel
that success has been attained an,
will rise to new heights of pride. An,
: the day will come, as In this game
} always comes, when Japan will seel
} openly to compel the vests friend
ship, as she compelled Russia's friend
ship, and with that day will com
Japan's hour Of humiliation at tn
hands OF the white man. who will
either dominate or die. From what
SS9 Sn,IP PA sR s ifa statss S,n 0G9i ~,
nation but only by a whole-hearte
spirit Of genuine amity, It will hav
TO be without guile. II cannot hav
reservations. And It viii have /
: show stronger foundations than fai