The New York herald., 1922-01-01

supremacy. Inc only seat OF authority,
in ethics and religion, is "the heart of
the true Japanese" He believes in
"suppressing all ideas which are in
consistent with the healthful existence
of the state" He bases his thesis on
the mythology of the kojiki-an
eighth century mass of tradition and
fairy tales. The ultimate desire Of
the japanese is to see the whole world
unified according to their standard
How modest! How puerile. Some
japanese expect social recognition
within decade.
On the contrary. the Liberals in
Japan, now numbering millions, de
nounce this expression of Japan's
political ideals as reactionary and as
the dying echoes of an exploded
dogma" Bravol
Yes, the liberals" Of all sorts are
trying to persuade the Nippon OK to
get off the track on which the fast
express of modern civilization is COM
ing at full momentum.
In No. Yukio Ozak's arraignment
of the bureaucracy is like a sixteen
inch rife shot well aimed. 1t shows
how the bureaucrats and militarists
have poison gassed and throttled the
life of the Constitution of 1889.
If any one doubts that the tide of
democracy is rising in Japan. let him
read paper No. ). Prof. Yoshino, the
| fearless leader of the young intel
lectual Liberals, minces no words. He
declares that ninety out Of hundred
students have the international mind,
as opposed to that of the bureaucratic
and militaristic class, One wonders
whether Hyde Park, Boston Common
or a New York soap box knows of
greater freedom of thought and speech.
! In old days, unless such an author
himself committed hara kiri he knelt
at the blood pit and lost his head.
In No. Admiral Sato, now in
Washington. shows clearly that if
Japan is a sinner in increasing her
naval armament England and the
United States are arch criminals, for
they taught her her crime-how to
imperil the peace of the world.
Henry Satoh, who as early as 1890
wrote what was "the new book in the
new Japan" in his studies of COM
parative armaments puts our Secre-
taries of the Navy in no enviable
light.
The late Premier Hara wrote essay
No g. He shows what 1 believe every
one who thinks in terms of justice and
who is competent to give an opinion
believes, viz, that the world ciYiliza-
tion practiced-not preached-by the
white race carried in it's soil the seeds
of the great world war He argues
hot filft maintenance nf
is the common charge of all nations
and the responsibility equally Of the
two civilizations, Oriental and Occi-
dental" He calls on both to unite in
forming a new ideal. The Eastern
and Western cultures must be har-
monized and reconciled. When will
our universities listen to this? AS in
Rousseau's mausoleum in the Pan
theon i'm Paris. Hara holds flaming
torch out of his tomb
Marquis Okuma. with his usual in
sight and incisiveness, dwells On the
manifest illusions of the white race.
Japan has exploded the old supersti-
ton that the world is to be wholly
ruled by whites, who entertain per-
verted feeling of racial superiority.
An anonymous writer, not a Iapa-
nese but probably Hindoo," exposes
the white peril in Asia. He looks for
a union of the Asian nationalists and
European Bolshevists Few Japanese
do or would accept his view.
The very practical statesman. now
Mayor of Toxic, Baron Goto Shimpei,
discusses temperately the question
which agitates California.
Probably the paper which will be
read with the most critical attention is
the final one. Kanzo Uchimura, the
champion of Christianity as he thinks
the Founder taught 1t, breaches
weekly in his audience hall in Toxic
the Gospel of Jesus to thousands but
he will have nothing to do with for
eign missionaries, dogmas or organiza- I
tions He rejects what has "accumu- ,
lated" about the religion of the Christ /
He believes that ''the only Christianity /
that can conquer Japan is one inter |
preted in terms OF Japanese thought
Much OF what Uchimura says is self
evident. but as he Is handled vigor-
ously by critics who are his own |
countrymen must refrain. Mr. /
Uchimura is confident that Japan (
will become the foremost Christian /
nation of the earth,' and this IS be- |
cause the pure and original precepts /
and life power of Jesus will come to |
Japan stripped Of their Occidental ac-
cretions. associations and PHILOSOPHERS |
Whatever views or opinions any of
us may hold on this subject. II would I
be but history repeating itself IL the I
Japanese do exactly what our own 4
ancestors did. They took a book, or |
rather a library. of essentially Oriental /
form and spirit and they rationalized .
it into formulas according to methods .
that suit the Occidental mind. What .
Japan seeks is an honest testing of
our professions. The results already .
show both the old trunk and the new
graft. that is already budding with a
new and fruitful life.
There are two Japans. one is slowly !
dying. the other emerging. What will /
its form. what its spirit be? Only one
can survive.
Not only has Archibald Rutledge