Evening star., 1920-02-22
JAPANESE RADICALLY
DIFFER FROM CHINESE
Peoples of Same Oriental Race, Separated
by Narrow Seas, in Startling
Contrast.
BY THEODORE e. BURTON.
Former Senator From Ohio.


APAN and China, separated by
seas of comparatively narrow
~ width, are inhabited by peoples
Of practically the same oriental
race and affiliated for thousands of
years. Each has derived from the
other, particularly the smaller from
the larger, much OF that which
shapes national life. such as
the Buddhist religion. architecture.
art, ideographs or letters by which
written language is expressed In fact,
the casual observer, in passing from
one country to the other and noticing
the physical characteristics. the dress
and customs of the inhabitants,
might think himself among the same
people with only such differences as
develop by changed environment.
Yet between no two people are there
more startling contrasts The jap
anese have the national spirit in
the highest degree. Among them pa
triotism and love of country amount
to a passion. Religious fanaticism
could hardly. surpass their supreme
loyalty to their sovereign, to whom,
IL the necessity exists, they must rem
DER their possessions. their very lives
There Is also genius for co-opera-
ton and organization of the messed
FORCES OF the whole people, nowhere
excelled and in nothing more devel-
oped than in military prowess.
In China the interest of the fndi-
vidual is the supreme consideration.
United political action for country's
sake is most difficult Success in
modern warfare has seemed to be i'm
possible. The boundaries Of the forty
six provinces of Japan are. in a Do
iitical sense. indistinct lines on the
map. separating for convenience of
administration one people in whose
thought the word Nation" begins
with a big IN" In the larger coun-
try the twenty-five provinces stand
out prominently as separate entities
with conflicting claims and interests
which cause constant friction. The
generals and civilians of Japan be-
long to the whole country. The lead
ing men of China are more asso-
ciated with provinces.
Japanese officials have not been free
from graft, but all their peculations
stop short of disloyalty to their coun-
try. Chinese officials have been known
to be secretly in the pay of the worst
enemies Of China The system of
commissions on purchases Of supplies.
eA taxes collected and payments for
franchises granted, as well as Of
bribes from 1itigants or contesting
parties. has been in vogue there from
time imnnetnorial. Unfortunately. sines
the formation Of a republic the prevt
alence Of graft or squeeze" seems to
have increased. That which under
the ,Manchu dynasty had developed
into more or less of a system with a
measure of uniformity has now come
to know no limits except the un-
bridled demands Of rapacious off,
cials. If efficiency were the test Of
our preferences between nations un-
questionably we would accord the
palm to Japan.
Three Stages in Relations.
There have been three distinct
stages or periods in modern relations
between the two countries. In the
first, prior to the war of 1s94-s5,
China treated Japan with the same
supercilious spirit that formerly had
characterized her attitude toward the
nations of the occident. Her neigh
Dor was carefully preparing for war
and confident Of victory. In the con-
test which ensued the defeat Of China
was SO overwhelming that Japan as
sumed a new position in the east.
Thenceforth the Chinese have felt a
mortal dread of their insular neigh
bors.
Japan gained in this war an admis.
sion from China of the independence
Of Korea, paving the way for a Japa-
nese protectorate and eventual an
nexation in 1910; the Island of For
mosa and the Pescadores, an indem-
nifty SO large as to more than defray
her expenses in the contest, and tenn
porarily a cession Of the southern end
of Manchuria, which, however. she
was compelled to give back to China
upon the joint demand of Germany,
Russia and France.
The second stage or period occu-
pies the nine years from the war be-
tween Japan and China in 1S94-95 to