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Show Japan s Ambition By Count Shlgenobu Okuma To know one's enemy nnd to know one's self Is a strategical maxim that should nlways bo noted upon. For tho apparent enmity between tho east and the west has Its roots In tho ar- "" rogant conviction of western nations -vr9 that Asiatics aro Inferior and nro to to bo mado easy vlttnis of western nggrcsslon. I ndmlt that tho higher civilization must always lnvado nnd overcomo tho lower; but I contend that tho west rccolvcd its civilization from tho east, and by this means was ablo to turn tho tldo of oriental aggression ag-gression westward. Tho western pcoplo mado bettor uso of tho civilization civil-ization handed on to them nnd thoy have triumphed, defeating tho orient with Its own weapons. But this superiority su-periority of tho Occident to tho orient ori-ent Is only about four centuries old. When tho orlont makes proper uso of its civilization It will ngaln como to Its own. In this great work Japan Ja-pan must take her placo. She is at prcsont cleaning houso In preparation. Japan at prcsont has no enemy In the west. Her nearest posslblo enemies are thoso oriental nations who retard tho march of modern mod-ern progress. For this reason tho greatest danger lies at Japan's door In China.. Japan must keep her defenses de-fenses up to a standard that will enable en-able hor to bocomo arbiter in Chi-neso Chi-neso affairs so as to prevent western aggression In that country. Japan of tho present day Is not of spontaneous growth. Thero is a deep underlying causo for tho mod- iorn progress of tho emplro, nnd to understand now Japan It Is noeossary to know the causes that mado such a wonderful development posslblo in so few years. Tho causoB may bo traced back to tho feudal system which was tho natural outcomo of topographical conditions. Tho country coun-try was divided Into many secluded areas, separated by mountain ridges. In tbeso protected strongholds tho barons established their authority. They were unified under the rule of the emperor, obtaining from him their appointment as governors of provinces. prov-inces. This system was formally abolished during tho reign of Emporia Empor-ia or Tenjl, who promulgated an Im-. Im-. porlal decreo for the inauguration of c,r a system of local government and located lo-cated tho central power la tho court at Kyoto. A careful observor will not fall to eee that tho Japanese national character char-acter Is tho result of a powerful Influence In-fluence which has been actlvo for centuries. It Is this which has molded mold-ed the social life of tho pcoplo and nffected their art and literature . It lias formed tho education of tho mass of tho people and dovelopod traits ithat have como to bo possessed by tho wholo nation. The fact that the Jopanoso of tho lower classes show superior qualities is a matter difficult of interpretation to the average foreigner. On tho oth-I oth-I cr band, the upper classes, notwlth- standing tho fatt that thoy woro lm- I bucd with tho most exalted ideals of I nobility, exhibited in their character I plebeian traits. This Is apparently 1 a paradox which has no precedent In I tho hUtory of any of tho European countries. I To understand tho roasons for this I condition of affairs It must bo re- I niombered that in tho history of Ja- I pan thero was a porlod when tho I wholo country was nt strife, whon I tho central government had lost con- I trol, nnd In nil parts of tho omplro I thero woro Incossant wars botweon j tho powerful feudal lords. This mny bo called tho dark ago of tho Japanese Japan-ese history, and It lasted for 100 years, beginning with tho latter part of tho reign of tho Ashlknga Sho-guns. Sho-guns. This was tho period of tho survival of tho flttost. Ancient feudal families woro obliterated oblit-erated by bold chieftains who managed manag-ed to muster a number of adhoronts together and to become barons, cr dalmyos. Tho changes which took placo in tho arlstoiratlo families nt this tlmo woro violent and rapid. Tho foudal lords had In tholr service largo numbers of vassals who wcro obliged to earn their living by other means whon deprived of their horod-'"U horod-'"U Itary pensions. They bocamo ronlns. . , w Somo of them through sheer necos-ft necos-ft slty had recourso to thoso moans of K livelihood which thoy had formerly I held In contompt, such as farming K and commorco. Others woro oven H obliged to cam tholr bread as com- raon laborers. If traced back far enough, among B tho lower classes may bo found rop-5 rop-5 rosentatlves who nro descendants cf E tho Oonjl nnd Talr families of tho lmporiul lino. So today, tho blood of nobles flows In tho veins of farm- ers or laborers as a rosult of tho vlo-H vlo-H lent changos that took placo during H the strife of civil war. H Gradually tho national character mj wob formed. Tho spirit of chlval. ',, tliQ sense of lioDor, tho readiness to l BkkkkkkkkkkkkkckkkHEEEEEEEEEEl " - m m . help tho weak and suppress tho strong and arrogant, camo to bo embodied In the spirit of BIshldo. The samurai, or Japanese gentleman, oxprcssed compassion for others and n deep reverence for loyalty and bravery, othcrwlso ho was not considered worthy of the name. Acts of bravery, pity, for tho unfortunate un-fortunate and resistance agalnat tko strong wero to bo found In such stories stor-ies as "monogatarl gudan," or war stories, tales of rovonge, as well as In novels. I'lays nnd dramas wero founded on theso works of Action. Tho Jorurl and gldayu stories that otq sung while acted wero also full of such themes. In this manner the people wero enabled en-abled to recelvo education, and the spirit of chivalry nnd honor vas kept allvo. Whon a story was related concerning con-cerning tho acts of a villain, tho spirit of rovenge was In tho hearts of the listeners. In scrmonH delivered deliver-ed by Buddhist prleBts, it tho familiar famil-iar themes wero not Interwoven the words fulled to appeal to the audience. audi-ence. Whenevor a nation of Inferior civilization civ-ilization comes in contact with tho far advanced occidental clvllUatlou the former la destined to perish, according ac-cording to history. Look at tho history his-tory of tho Spanish and tho Portuguese! Portu-guese! With tbo aid of tho Jesuit propaganda and the sword they swuy-ed swuy-ed the whole world for centuries. With Europe as a center, they penetrated pene-trated every country then known, South America, Africa, Australia, and tho countries of tho far east. It was lnvarlnbly the case that tho weak nations na-tions succumbed, as frost and unow melt before sunshine. What was tho result in tho caso of our own country? When tho nation first camo Into contact with occidental occident-al civilization, what force camo Into activity? The Japanese nation rose as one man to assimilate the advanced advanc-ed civilization of the west rather than resist It. What tho Japanese nation has been able to asslmllato during the lost fifty years from various countries coun-tries is almost too wonderful to relate. re-late. Religion Itself was absorbed Into the Japanese national character. The teachings of Buddha and Confucius, Confu-cius, when onco they wero plated In Japanese soil, wcro assimilated. Confucianism Con-fucianism was no longer Chinese but Japanese, and tho Buddhist religion of India also became changed. With regard to Christianity, thero Is no doubt but that It will gradually expand, ex-pand, yet It Is destined to bo assimilated assim-ilated Into the Japancso national charactor.. Tho so called civilization of New Japan Is but of recent orlgnn, hnrdly mora than halt a century, nnd It we deduct tho porlod of contusion of tho Meljl era, It Is about forty years. What Japan has been ablo to achieve during this short space of forty years, Is almost boyond the range of imagination. Sho has accomplished what took other countries four centuries. cen-turies. Tho Japanese Ideal Is to raise tho civilization of the far cast, with l's CO per cent of the world's population. Tho mission of Japan consists In safo guarding tho peaco of tho far east by causing Its civilization to progress. pro-gress. J |