,a ,,fantasy ,,of ,,far ,,japan or ,summer ,dream ,dialogues ,by ,,baron ,,suyematsu ,author of ',,the ,,risen ,,sun' ,london ,,archibald ,,constable ,,and ,,company1 ,,ltd4 #aije ,,le ,,samurai ,c'tait un homme deux sabres4 ,d'un doigt distrait frlant la sonore bva1 ,a travers les bambous tresss en fine latte1 ,elle a vu1 par la plage blouissante et plate1 ,s'avancer le vainqueur que son amour rva4 ,c'est lui4 ,sabres au flanc1 l'ventail haut1 il va4 ,la cordelire rouge et le gland carlate ,coupent l'armure sombre1 et1 sur l'paule1 clate ,le blason de ,hizen et de ,tokugawa4 ,ce beau guerrier vtu de lames et de plaques ,sous le bronze1 la soie et les brillantes laques ,semble un crustac noir1 gigantesque et vermeil4 ,il l'a vue4 ,il sourit dans la barbe du masque1 ,et son pas plus htif fait reluire au soleil ,les deux antennes d'or qui tremblent son casque4 ,,jos-,,maria ,,de ,,heredia4 ,,preface ,in the following pages ,i have depicted certain ,japanese ideals and notions1 as well as some historical facts which seemed likely to interest those of the sympathetic ,western public who may be inclined to study the mental side of ,japan4 ,the dialogues are founded upon actual conversations1 not indeed always in exactly the same phraseology1 nor under exactly the same circumstances1 but something very like4 ,the questions put into the mouths of the characters in the book are the kind of questions which are being constantly put to me1 and my answers are always on the same lines2 so that my readers may regard the book as a serious treatise so far as the materials are concerned4 ,this is the reason why ,i have written this book in a light1 conversational style1 and not in the form of an ordinary critical or expository treatise4 ,besides1 ,i thought that more lucidity of exposition and more penetration into the inner views could be achieved by writing in the way ,i have done4 ,the period to which these conversations relate is chiefly the summer of the present year1 #aije1 and the greater part of this book was written before peace was concluded1 and therefore there may be occasionally some dicta which sound somewhat polemic4 ,on that point ,i can request my readers to show leniency4 ,i have appended to the dialogues a few papers on various subjects4 ,they deal with subjects germane to those treated in the body of the work1 and it is hoped that they will afford the reader first aid in acquiring information relative to the analysis of ,japanese social life which has here1 however imperfectly1 been attempted4 ,i may add a few words4 ,in publishing this volume1 ,i am not in the least degree actuated by a desire to exalt my country unduly1--still less to boast about her achievements4 ,my sole object has been to show ,japan as she is1 and to claim ,occidental sympathy to such a degree as she may deserve4 ,k4,s4 ,,paris1 ,november #aije4 ,,contents ,i ,the issue of the war--,some ,forecasts--,english and ,french papers --,political situation in the summer of #aije--;,beaconsfield--,japanese fictions and their plots--,some similarities between the customs of ,greece1 ,rome1 and ,japan--,love stories--,a ,japanese love tale--,custom of adoption--,jane ,eyre and ,japan--,japanese art--,japanese gardening--,full description of marriage ceremonies--,preliminary inquiries--,description of the rooms1 and decorations--,butterflies --,the banquet--,wedding presents--,position of the women in ,japan --,japanese mothers and wives--,a ,samurai mother illustrated by a drama--,lays of ,ancient ,rome and ,commandant ,hiros--,japanese notions of pardon and forgiving--,trip to ,japan ,,ii ,greek inspiration--,semitic sympathy--,religion--,difference between ,japanese and ,european chivalry--,what is the ,bushi8--,the weakest point of a hereditary military organisation--,introduction of the new system--,new commoners and the history of their emancipation--,combination of democratic ideas and conservative traditions--,old bottles and new wine--,the ,great ,change of #ahfg--,napoleon--,negligence of a proper estimation--,scenery of ,japan---,history of ,tokio--,european and ,japanese method of dwelling--,president ,roosevelt and jiujitsu ,,iii ,japanese art and the ,west--,night-ftes--,sale of flowers and plants--,singing ,insects--,a discussion on the moon1 flowers1 snow1 etc4--,music of snow and rain--,lines on hailstones--,a particular evening for lunar perspective--,a blind scholar and his wife--,the deaf1 dumb1 and blind of ,japan--,the calendar and its radical change in ,japan--,calumnies on ,japan1 and an anonymous letter--,japanese ways of counting ages--,the question of women and a lady's opinion on ,japanese women--,lafcadio ,hearn--,japanese names--,difficulty of distinguishing between ',l' and ',r'--,discussion on pronunciation--,london and ,tokio patois--,japanese nobility and the method of addressing nobility--,books on ,japan--,once more on ,lafcadio ,hearn--,discussion on women's education--,the ,risen ,sun ,,iv ,a talk on brackens--,eating of fruits without peeling--,a pet tortoise--,remarks on languages--,discourses on jiujitsu--,comparison of jiujitsu and wrestling--,japanese art and the ,kokkwa--,pictures in the ,gospel--,discourse on ,bushido1 its history and the origin of the term--,explanation of the terms ,daimio1 ,samurai1 and ,bushi--,its literature--,japanese revenge and ,european duel--,japanese sword--,soul of ,samurai--,general ,stoessel and a broken sword--,discussion on ,japanese social morality--,japan far cleaner than any other nation--,the condition at the time of the transition--,general view of the westernised ,japan--,occidental vulgarity ,v ,some observations on peace prospects--,discussion on ,anglo-,french-,russo-,japanese entente--,russian views of the ,japanese--,discussion on religion and ,japan--,japan and the ,international ,conventions--,the meaning of religion--,general ,nogi--,a high-priest on ,japan and ,russia--,the ,japanese conception of death--,a quotation from an old book on ,bushido--,the notion of the name--,further remarks on the ,russian views of the ,japanese--,england and ,america--,the outbreak of the war--,a wanton project of the ,russian admiral restrained by the ,french admiral--,discussion on the ,yellow ,peril and ,pan-,asiatic ambition--,japan not a small country--,french poor in the caves--,paris by night--,sir ,stamford ,raffles and his appreciation of ,japan ninety years ago --,patriotism and ,france--,la ,france1 c'est le pays de mon cur--,a romantic and tragical story--,discussion on ,socialism and ,japan--,england and ,america--,discussion on the word ',revolution'--,the ,great ,change of ,japan in #ahfg--;,its political and social effects--,a comparison with the ,french ,revolution--,discussion on unity and continuity of authority--,an anonymous pamphlet--,discussion on the relative position of the ,french ,nationalists and ,socialists with regard to ,japan--,french thrift ,,vi ,the age of the ,japanese--,ito and ,inouy--,intermarriages--,commander ,hiros--,some abuse of the ,japanese nationality--,the climate of ,japan--,chrysanthemums--,japanese rain--,the two great currents--,how ,japan developed--,summer resorts of foreigners--,spring and autumn --,picnics--,sports--,a letter by an ,american--,pastimes of the ,japanese gentry--,description of the ,japanese chess and the game of ',go'--,description of ,japanese cards--,poem cards--,flower cards--,pierre ,loti--,public baths--,an interview on common and military education in ,japan--,george ,washington and ,nelson--,the cause of ,russian defeats according to the wounded ,,vii ,some talk on superstition--,a remark on earrings--,japanese troops after the war2 no fear of ,chauvinism--,generals and officers--,how the system of the hereditary military service was abolished and the new system was introduced--,its history--,japan after the war--,views given to the ,american press--,mr4 ,seppings-,wright and his views on the ,japanese character--,the ,japanese navy and its history--,origin of the shipbuilding yards--,the difficulty of a thorough reform in ,china and ,russia--,how ,japan managed to bring about the consummation of the great reform--,the feudal system was a great help--,explanation of the ,japanese feudal system and the clans--,the re-shuffling of the feudatories under the ,tokugawa rgime--,difference of grandeur of the feudatories--,exceptional formation of the ,satsuma clan--,financial system of the ,shogunate --,finance of the ,imperial ,government at the beginning of the ,great ,change--,how the affairs of the governments of the feudatories were wound up--,the old system of taxation--,thorough reform--,the old notion of land tenure ,,viii ,commerce and industry--,old methods of communication--,roads and ships--,how they have been improved--,railways1 post1 telegraphs1 and telephones--,progress of the financial system--,the ,satsuma war--,the ,bank of ,japan--,the ,national banks--,the monetary system one of the causes of ,japan's success--,further remarks on the military reforms--,evolution of the mode of fighting--,all reforms at much cost of blood and money--,the cause of the ,satsuma war--,saigo the ,elder--,social condition of ,japan to-day--,evolution of legislation--,chinese jurisprudence--,the ,japanese are not good correspondents--,my future--,an operatic singer--,japanese stages--,danjiuro and ,irving--,the old school and the new one--,kawakami and ,sada ,yakko--,the opera ,maritana--,the end of the dream ,,appendices ,i4 ,political ,organism of ,japan ,,ii4 ,japanese ,education ,,iii4 ,anglo-,french ,diplomacy in ,japan ,forty ,years ago ,,iv4 ,sketches of some chief ,figures of ,actual ,japan 7,ito1 ,yamagata1 ,inouy1 ,matsukata1 ,katsura1 ,okuma1 ,saionji7 ,v4 ,an old ,speech by ,marquis ,ito ,,vi4 ,the ,commercial ,morality of the ,japanese ,,vii4 ,japan and ,foreign ,capital ,,viii4 ,the ,languages of ,china and ,japan ,,ix4 ,once more on ,japan and ,france ,x4 ,japan and ,europe ,,xi4 ,the ,indo-,china ,question ,,xii4 ,the ,australian ,question ,,xiii4 ,the ,anglo-,japanese ,alliance and ,america ,notes to ,dialogues ,v4 and ,,viii41 and to the ,paper on ',commercial ,morality' ,a ,,fantasy ,,of ,,far ,,japan3 ,,summer ,,dream ,,dialogues ,i ,the issue of the war--,some ,forecasts--,english and ,french papers --,political situation in the summer of #aije--;,beaconsfield--,japanese fictions and their plots--,some similarities between the customs of ,greece1 ,rome1 and ,japan--,love stories--,a ,japanese love tale--,custom of adoption--,jane ,eyre and ,japan--,japanese art--,japanese gardening--,full description of marriage ceremonies--,preliminary inquiries--,description of the rooms1 and decorations--,butterflies --,the banquet--,wedding presents--,position of the women in ,japan --,japanese mothers and wives--,a ,samurai mother illustrated by a drama--,lays of ,ancient ,rome and ,commandant ,hiros--,japanese notions of pardon and forgiving--,trip to ,japan ,it was a cool summer afternoon in a quiet hotel in a quiet part of ,paris4 ,i threw myself lazily into an easy-chair on the balcony and began reading ,le ,journal4 ,i was somewhat tired and soon felt myself drowsily wandering into dreamland as the breeze lulled me soothingly4 ,i felt myself1 as it were1 wafted through the air4 ,soon ,i found myself in the company of a friend of mine and his wife1 though ,i do not know how all that came about4 ,we passed together through the ,bois de ,boulogne1 now amidst tall1 green forests1 now along the turfy shores of mirror-like lakes4 ,we arrived at last before the entrance of a large house4 ,it was the residence of the ,duke of ,fairfield4 ,his wife1 the ,duchess of ,fairfield1 is a star in ,parisian society and a great hostess4 ,her salon is periodically filled with politicians1 savants1 great artists1 and the most fashionable ladies and belles of the day4 ,her forte is politics1 and indeed she is no mean politician in her way4 ,it was in that lady's drawing-room that we in no time found ourselves4 --',i am so glad that you were able to come here to-day1' said the duchess4 ',i was very anxious to make your acquaintance1 and so asked your friend to bring you4 ,i have known you long by interviews and articles4 ,we all read them with delight4 ,they are read on the ,continent far more than you imagine4' --',don't mention it1 madam1' said ,i4 ',it is a great honour1 ,i feel1 to have access here4 ,as to my articles1 ,i am highly flattered to hear they have any interest for you4' ,there were already many people in the salon4 ,i was naturally introduced to some of the ladies and gentlemen present4 ,in a few moments ,i found myself talking with the duchess on some questions of the day4 --,she said1 ',some people foresaw1 even before the war had began1 what the issue would be4 ,general ,penetrator1 for instance1 ,i learned a good deal from him1--and also from my own observations4' --',may ,i add1' said ,i1 ',general ,foresight also8 ,i have heard some incidents about him quite lately4 ,but ,i am glad to see you take so much interest in our affairs4' --',no6' said the duchess1 'they are not exclusively your affairs4 ,we are also much concerned in the matter1 as you know4 ,but let us stop a moment4 ,baron1--won't you have a cup of tea8 ,do take one4' --',if you please4' ,the duchess had already risen and was proceeding towards a table where the tea was laid out4 ,i stood up also and followed her1 saying1 ',allow me1 madam1 ,i will help myself1 ,i'm troubling you too much'2 but the duchess taking no notice of my words prepared a cup of tea and gave it to me where ,i stood2 she was assisted by one of her daughters who offered me some cakes4 ,i noticed that the tea was poured out of a pot made in the shape of a beautiful waterfowl1 its beak forming the spout4 --',it is very artistic1' ,i said1 pointing to the tea-pot4 --',it is ,japanese ware1' said the duchess4 ',this kind of ware is1 ,i suppose1 only made for the foreign markets1 and not used in ,japan1 and so probably you have not seen it before4 ,we think it rather nice4 ,you see our taste has little depth4' --',well6 madam1 ,i must apologise to you for carelessly expressing approbation of an article coming from my own country4 ,i would not have done so if ,i had carefully examined it and had made sure that it was ,japanese1 but it certainly looks charming4' ,we sat down again and resumed our conversation4 --',do you read our papers much8' said the duchess4 --',not much1 madam1 only those parts which interest me particularly--the war1 for instance4' --',then you speak ,french1 of course1' said she4 --',only a very1 very little1 madam1 and unless spoken very slowly1 ,i do not understand at all1' ,i replied4 ',people in society generally do not care to take that trouble4' --',very true1 indeed1' she said1 'one often forgets that one is speaking to a foreigner while actually doing so4 ,but what do you think of our papers8' --',they seem generally good1' ,i answered1 'though not perhaps as good as those of ,england1 for there1 far more money is spent in obtaining good items of news from all parts of the world4 ,but this is too trite1 ,i think1 to speak to you about4' --',i am sorry for it1' she said1 'but ,i must say that most of our journals appear not to have done sufficient justice to your country1 in regard to the present war4' --',to be frank1 madam1 ,i must say that they generally were not quite fair4 ,i am afraid they have done more harm than good to the country which they meant to befriend1 for if they had not given so much encouragement to that country1 much misfortune which has overtaken it might have been evaded or at least lessened4 ,it may have been only due to a pacing mistake4 ,the press is much better now1 and is beginning to represent more truthfully the sentiment of the people1 ,i think4' --',it is very true1' she said2 'at the same time1 ,i must say that the aggressive attitude of that country could not have been created by our journals1 however partial they may have been4 ,in that respect1 there may be another country which is more responsible4' ,all the while other guests and members of the house were carrying on conversation in a very lively manner1 in twos1 threes1 or fours4 --',but1 baron1 what do you think of the present political situation8' she said4 ',what is the real sentiment of ,england8' --',you must know such things better than ,i4 ,to me1 however1 it seems ,england is perfectly sincere in her good wishes towards ,france4 ,she has no arrire pense4' --',but some people say she wants war with our neighbour1' said she4 --',no6 decidedly not1' ,i said4 ',i know there are many people in ,england who have no confidence in ,german policy2 but want war1 provoke war1 decidedly not6' --',that's my opinion too1' said she quickly4 ,hereupon a few gentlemen joined in our discussion4 ,we went over the international situation of the day from many points1 with many hypotheses and conjectures4 ,we thought the discussion both interesting and beneficial2 the trend of the conversation naturally turned upon the bearing of the international relationship in the ,far ,east4 ,a rumour recently circulated was mentioned by one of those present1 to the effect that ,german policy was to draw ,france into some sort of 'combination' similar to that which took place after the ,sino-,japanese war4 ,a gentleman who is senator and an ex-minister said that it was1 of course1 necessary to watch what the ,premier was going to do1 but that he trusted the ,premier would not be so imprudent4 ,if ever1 he added1 he were to be drawn into such an unjust and imprudent action1 he would at once revolt all statesmen1 indeed all the ,french public1 and1 moreover1 the rumour was more likely unfounded than true4 ,to this opinion all present expressed an assent4 ,at this point some more visitors arrived1 and the duchess left us to welcome them4 ,i also rose1 and slowly went into the next room1 which was the study of the duke1 but its sliding door was opened and formed with the drawing-room one long salon4 ,the other daughter--the duchess has two daughters only1 and no sons--was there1 together with a few young folk4 ,she observed me at once1 and we were soon talking together4 ,there was a book lying on a table beside us4 ,opening it at random1 a picture of a warrior appeared before us4 --',it is ,cond1' she said4 --',yes1 so ,i see1' ,i replied2 'he was a great general4 ,i admire him very much4 ,his splendid career1 which ,i read many years ago in history1 is still vividly impressed on my memory6' --',and ,jeanne d',arc too1 ,i suppose1' she said4 --',of course1 mademoiselle4' --',women sometimes do fine things1 don't they6 but ,japan is a country of heroes and heroines4' --',i dare say1 but ,jeanne d',arc especially appeals to one's imagination4' --',i admire your ,bushido so much1' said she4 --',do you8 ,i am glad to hear you say so4' ,looking up1 my eyes caught sight of many pictures hanging on the walls3 for the most part they seemed family portraits1 and most of them men in military uniform4 ,i was tempted to make some observations1 and unconsciously stood up to approach nearer to them4 ,she followed my example and walked by my side4 ,pointing to them1 one after another1 she told me this was her grandfather1 that her great-grandfather1 these were this one's sons or daughters1 those that one's1 etc4 ,amongst them1 no doubt1 there were some who had done noble service for their country2 that fact was evident from the pedigree of her family4 ,but1 unlike ordinary people1 she had neither the necessity nor desire to glorify her ancestors1 but for my part ,i wished she had explained a little more of their history4 ,finally1 she pointed out a picture as that of her mother1 saying she did not like it1 and that it did not resemble her4 --',why not8 ,one cannot expect a portrait to be like the original at every stage of life1' ,i remarked4 --',no6 ,i did not mean exactly in that way1' she answered4 ,we were now at the end of the room leading on to a balcony4 ,we stepped on to it4 ,i leaned on the railing2 she stood not far off from me4 ,the garden was not very large1 but neat and clean4 ,now ,i looked down at the garden1 now ,i turned towards ,lady ,modestina1 which is her ,christian name1 exchanging some remarks about flowers and trees4 ,her sister now joined us coming forth from the drawing-room4 ,dulciana is her name4 ,our conversation somehow or other turned on works of fiction4 --',do you read fiction much1 baron8' asked ,lady ,dulciana4 --',no2 not much4 ,but ,i have read nearly all ,beaconsfield4' --',i understand1' said she1 'his books are always full of spirit and aspiration4 ,incidents d'amour are only secondary1 and that suits your taste1 ,i suppose--,i mean1 your countrymen in general4' --',just so1 the majority of our works of fiction are stories of heroic characters--stories of the ,alroy type1 perhaps1 with a little more definite morals1 and something more of loyalty or patriotism4' --',i can understand that1 too1 from what ,i have heard and seen of late1' said she4 --',but have you not in your country1' interposed ,lady ,modestina1 'any works of fiction solely based on romantic incidents8 ,western fictions are1 ,i am afraid1 too full of such4' --',well1 we also have one kind of literature which may be called love stories4 ,they are mostly written in an easy style1 more for the less educated portion of the public4' --',are they read much8' she asked4 --',not very much1' ,i answered2 'with us those books do not hold a high position4' --',and the plots4 ,what are they like8' she asked4 --',perhaps you know1' ,i answered1 'we have had certain customs which resembled those of ,greece and ,rome4 ,consequently the plots of such books1 like the ,greek and ,roman comedies1 are much influenced by those customs and do not suit the tastes of modern refinement4' --',am ,i too curious if ,i ask the nature of those customs and manners8' --',oh no6 ,in ,greece and ,rome there was1 perhaps you know1 a certain class of females called ,hetaira1 also a class of males called parasites4 ,they mixed pretty freely with men of good standing1 and1 of course1 are not to be judged by the same standard as the disreputable of modern days4 ,in ,japan1 also1 there existed an almost identical class4 ,i am referring to those females known to the occidental races by the name of ,geishas1 and the men we call ,taiko-,mochi1 i4e4 'tam-bour1' though the latter were comparatively few in number4 ,the chief profession of the ,geisha was music4 ,indeed1 the books ,i have just referred to are peopled with this class4 ,novelists in those days were never recognised as legitimate literati1 and were quite content to be associated with the so-called town people1 and to write chiefly about their surroundings4 ,the very condition of the higher classes supplied but few subjects for romance1 and the altered social conditions of present-day ,japan clearly shows the reason why their works do not suit the modern taste4' --',i suppose that sort of people1 ,i mean the class resembling those of ,greece and ,rome1 exists no more4' --',yes1 they still exist4 ,the modern ,geisha1 as a rule1 are the same in kind1 but not in quality4 ,in the days gone by1 that is1 during the feudal period1 social discipline was very rigid1 and the occasional adventures of those people were regarded as good subjects for ,romancers1 whilst the modern ones are far too degraded--they have either no romance1 or too much1 to be made the subject of romance4 ,excuse my telling you such things1 ,i only do so from a sociological point of view4' --',science will cry out1 if you make use of her name in such a place4' --',never mind1 but listen6 ,the fiction written in the new era differs1 widely differs1 in the selection of subjects1 from that of the old4 ,only remember6 ,even those books1 ,i mean the old love stories1 portrayed a great deal of female chivalry and heroism4 ,indeed1 a spirit of chivalry was the forte of the period4 ,i can tell you1 if you like1 one plot which ,i recollect4' --',do1 please4' --',there was a young ,samurai1 ,x41 and a maiden1 ,y41 who loved each other4 ,they were not decreed by fate to marry4 ,x41 the young ,samurai1 was the second son of his father1 and1 therefore1 not the heir4 ,he was adopted by another ,samurai1 and eventually marries ,z41 the daughter of the house4 ,now1 in ,japan adoption is1 as it was with the ,romans1 a common custom2 it was more so in days gone by4 ,this was natural enough because1 apart from other reasons1 every ,samurai was a retainer of a feudal lord from whom he received a certain allowance annually for his services1 and his family depended upon him4 ,in default of a male heir1 the house1 in other words the family1 lost every privilege and emolument4 ,the succession1 however1 could be made good by an heir1 adopted from a blood relation1 or even from a totally strange family4 ,on the other hand1 the second or third son of a ,samurai had no legal status as a ,samurai1 and was vulgarly called ,cold ,rice ,meals or ,back ,room ,resident4 ,personal service of a ,samurai house to its lord was only required of its head4 ,succession of ,samurai--the title as well as emolument--was according to primogeniture1 and1 therefore1 a second or third son could scarcely get a livelihood1 unless adopted by another ,samurai1 or unless a totally different kind of profession be adopted1 or else he was made1 by some lord1 head of a new ,samurai house1 by virtue of some well-merited distinction1 which was a matter of rare occurrence4 ,well1 ,x4 was adopted by the family of ,z41 his future wife according to that custom4 ',misfortune fell upon the family of ,y41 the maiden1 and she became a ,geisha1 an actress1 if you like1 not from levity on her part1 but from a sense of duty1 which caused her to sacrifice herself to the occupation just mentioned--a sentiment which is unintelligible in the ,west4 ,the story proceeds to narrate how ,x41 the young ,samurai1 and ,y41 his former sweetheart1 meet each other after a long lapse of time by pure accident1 and how their love of days gone by revived in their hearts1 especially from the pity which the young ,samurai felt for her misfortune and her corresponding responsiveness4 ,further1 how the young ,samurai began to neglect his official duties and to incur the displeasure of the councillors of his lord1 and was on the brink of becoming a ,ronin--a masterless ,samurai1 the greatest shame of a ,samurai1 if incurred by his own dishonourable conduct4 ',in those days1 it must be remembered1 the moral discipline of the ,samurai was very rigid4 ,the conduct of our young ,samurai involved not only the ruin of himself but also the destruction of the family as a ,samurai1 a matter most lamentable to the house of a knight4 ,at last ,z41 the despairing wife1 takes the matter very seriously to heart1 not so much from jealousy as from a sense of duty to her house and a desire to save her lord and husband from disgrace4 ,she forms a bold plan1 and personally visits her rival to obtain her confidence4 ,she persuades her1 not by any vulgar quarrel1 but by serious reasoning and rational appeal1 to put a stop to all connection with her husband4 ,the rival assents and gives her promise4 ,then comes the climax4 ,after a great struggle between love and reason1 and hampered by several circumstances which made her unable to fulfil her promise1 the rival puts an end to her own life1 committing jigai1 which is equivalent to ,seppuku--vulgarly called ,harakiri--in the case of a man1 leaving some touching and well-meant letters behind her4 ,what became of the young ,samurai and his wife after that ,i scarcely need to relate here4 ,such1 then1 is the kind of plot we find in that class of books4' ,while discoursing in this strain1 a young lady--an ,english maiden--joined us4 --',your plot seems not altogether like ours1' said the ,english lady4 ',i dare say you have read some of our everyday novels8' --',well1 ,i have read some1 but it is now so many years ago that ,i do not remember them1 with one exception1 and that is ,jane ,eyre4 ,years ago ,i read some chapters of it1 and those are enough4 ,the general contents of those chapters remained ever in my memory4 ,a little time ago ,i was staying at ,folkestone4 ,one gloomy afternoon1 when ,i was intent over many things1 that memory recurred to me all of a sudden4 ,i went to a bookseller and bought a copy of the book3 ,i read through once more some of the earlier chapters1 and it created a great impression on me4' --',what caused that impression1 ,i should like to know8' interposed ,lady ,modestina4 --',well1 ,i cannot explain the reason very well1' ,i answered4 --',i can see it very well1' said the ,english lady2 'you are too proud to explain the reason1' ,turning to the ,ladies ,modestina and ,dulciana1 she continued4 ',perhaps you have not read1 or do not remember well1 the story of our ,english novel4 ,the story is this3 ,jane ,eyre1 a young girl1 suffers every torture in the house of her uncle at the hands of young ,john ,reed and his sisters1 and indeed of ,mrs4 ,reed also4 ,you know ,jane ,eyre was the orphan child of a sister of ,mr4 ,reed4 ,he had taken her into his family in order to bring her up with his own children4 ,he died some time after1 enjoining his wife on his deathbed to look after her kindly4 ,you see1 therefore1 though ,jane ,eyre was not properly a member of the family1 some of the same blood ran in her veins as in theirs4 ,in spite of that fact1 and in spite of the injunction of ,mr4 ,reed1 her uncle1 and1 above all1 in spite of all the modesty and good behaviour she showed1 ,jane was tormented by every member of the family4 ,that is no doubt the point which has impressed the baron so much to think of----' --',perhaps1' ,i said smilingly4 --',never mind1 baron1 ,jane was of strong enough character to emerge from the trouble1 and so will ,japan1 in spite of all the calumnies1 if indeed she has not done so already4' ,at this point a bustle was heard in another part of the room4 ,lady ,modestina cast her eyes in that direction and said3 ',here comes a lady1 a friend of ours1 a star in our society1 we think much of her--,i must go to her4' ,and as she was moving away slowly1 remarked to me1 ',i will introduce you to her4' ,to which ,i replied1 ',i shall be delighted4' ,we went together towards the lady mentioned1 to whom ,i was duly introduced4 ,she was the ,marchioness de ,vivastine1 and was extremely beautiful1 looking far younger than her age must be1 for ,i afterwards heard that she is the mother of a married daughter4 ,her face was covered by a veil1 but her round and brilliant eyes sparkled through it4 ,her beauty1 however1 was not the point of my appreciation1 but her vivacity and frankness4 ,i soon entered into conversation with her4 ,she spoke fluently and unhesitatingly4 ,we commenced to speak on art4 --',i admire ,japanese art very highly3 it is so natural and vivid1 flowers and animals and what-not4' --',may be1 but our human figures are very bad1' said ,i4 --',perhaps so1' said she1 'in the later productions1 but not in antique works4 ,i think there has been no nation which has produced such striking representation of nature as your country4 ,curiously enough1 one sometimes notices very close representations of nature in the carvings or the inscriptions of very primitive tribes4 ,don't misunderstand me4 ,i do not mean that yours are of that kind4' --',you must be1 madam1 very well acquainted with our arts4 ,whence have you acquired that taste8' --',from the time of the last ,great ,exhibition here1 when your country sent so many valuable specimens of art4' --',you must yourself be an artist4 ,i can see it from your observations4' --',yes1 she is an artist1 although an amateur1' interposed ,lady ,modestina4 --',no1 don't say that1' interrupted the marchioness4 --',i dare say you paint much1' said ,i4 --',no1 not at all1' replied the marchioness1 and continued as she laughed slightly1 'except1 perhaps1 that ,i used to paint occasionally my own portrait1 of course after the style of the chef-d'uvre of your literary picture in the faintest and lightest colours4 ,by the way1 ,i also like ,japanese methods of gardening4 ,i once had a ,japanese gardener for three years at my country seat4' --',really1' said ,i1 'you interest me very much4' --',he was very clever2 far more so than any ,european1 any ,frenchman1 in the same calling of life could ever possibly be4' --',with us1' said ,i1 'it is very common4 ,every gardener understands the ordinary art of garden-making1 though1 of course1 there are only a few real experts4 ,but let me tell you that it comes more from the general atmosphere and surroundings in which they grow up4 ,there is nothing surprising in it to our eyes4' --',may be4 ,but to us it seems extraordinary4 ,after three years1 during which he served me very faithfully1 ,i transferred him to a ,frenchman1 ,mr4 ,canny by name4' --',is that so8 ,i have seen his ,japanese gardens4' --',then you know him8' --',yes1 ,i first came to know him when he visited my country some years ago4 ,the other day ,i made a great circuit round ,paris in his motor3 we left ,paris by the ,bois1 then ,st4 ,cloud1 ,versailles1 on to ,fontainebleau1 making a large circuit through ,cagny1 ,surveilliers1 ,beaumont1 ,pointoise1 thus reaching ,st4 ,germain1 thence on to ,st ,cloud and back to ,paris by the same route4 ,we must have travelled three or four hundred kilometres4' --',then you must have passed through the forests of ,fontainebleau4 ,are not the trees and rocks there splendid8' --',yes1 that is just what struck me very much1 but ,i am most interested to hear that you appreciate the value of natural rocks4 ,they are very important elements in our ,japanese gardens4' --',i cannot understand how so great a number of rocks could have been heaped up there in that peculiar way4 ,some people imagine that at one time they formed the bottom of the sea4' --',oh6 but if so1 it must have been a very long time ago4 ,at all events1 before we came into existence1' said ,i1 laughing1 and added1 ',i should like to get a concession from the government to take those rocks1 because the time will certainly come when they will be wanted for ,french gardens1 and perhaps ,i could then become a millionaire4' ,thereupon we all broke out into laughter4 ,the marchioness still continued to talk on different subjects4 ,she had no affectation3 she said boldly just what she thought with all the sparkle of her intelligence4 ,i tried not to be overwhelmed by her eloquence1 and the consequence was that we had a very heated discussion on the customs and manners of different countries4 ,reverting to ,japan she said3 --',i hear one can marry for two months in ,japan4 ,is that true8' --',i beg your pardon8' --',well1 that is what ,i have heard1' she said1 'from an acquaintance4 ,he said that he himself had married when he was staying in ,japan1 having gone through the requisite wedding ceremony--partaking of sak cups with the bride4' --',well1 madam1' ,i said1 ',i must say it is possible4 ,nay1 more than possible4 ,i can go further and tell you that such things may occur even for much shorter times than that4 ,but similar customs6 ,is it not the same all over the world8--even in ,paris itself1 ,i am afraid4 ,however1 ,i must say the nuptials of that particular kind are far less in number in my country than in most of the civilised countries4' ,thereupon she burst into great laughter1 as also did the others1 and she said3 --',i should like to hear something of your marriage ceremony4 ,is it a civil or religious one8' --',entirely civil1 madam1' ,i replied4 ',we hear now and then of people celebrating a religious marriage after the fashion of the ,west1 but it is very rare1 as rare as one or two stars in a cloudy sky4' --',you seem to imitate the ,west in everything1' said she2 'but what ,i would like to know of is your national ceremony4' --',our marriage ceremony is a time-honoured one and entirely civil1' ,i said4 ',there is always an officiating person or a witness or an assistant1 if you like4 ,he is the person who is responsible for the completion of a marriage4 ,generally he is the person who arranges the matter from the very beginning--,i mean1 from the time when the engagement is formally made between the parties and1 therefore1 he is called a ,nakaodo1 a middle-man1 or a go-between1 as you like4 ,even when all the preliminary arrangements have been made by a second person1 and another person1 for some reason1 is preferred to officiate1 the latter is called theoretically1 or1 as it were1 officially1 a ,nakaodo1 and he is considered as being responsible for all4 ,a middle-man must be married1 for his function must be shared by his wife1 especially when the essential part of the ceremony is performed2 besides1 a bachelor or widower would never be considered a fit person for such an occasion4 ,but do you mean to make me give you the whole history of a wedding8' --',of course6 ,your story is just beginning to be most interesting1' said she4 --',very well6 ,the ceremony is very elaborate and solemn1 though the scale differs1 or rather is magnified or simplified1 according to circumstances4 ,to begin with1 when the engagement is formally made1 certain presents called ,yuino are at once exchanged simultaneously between the families of the bride and bridegroom elect--there are certain usages in the selection of these presents4' --',what kind of things1 for instance8' she asked4 --',a staff for ceremonial onna-obi 7a sort of a broad sash for women7 for the bride1 and a staff for a ceremonial hakama 7a sort of long kilt7 and an otoko-obi 7a sort of sash for men7 for the bridegroom4 ,they are invariably accompanied by noshi and katsuo4' --',what are they8' --',they are things which you have not got in ,europe4 ,one made of seaweed and the other of dried fish meat1 but it is waste of time to describe them1 for you would hardly realise them if ,i did so4 ,suffice it to say that they are of little value intrinsically1 but they are used in ,japan to signify felicity4 ,remember1 practical people sometimes substitute cash and a list of presents3 the conventionality of the world is apt to take this form4 ,these presents correspond to your giving an engagement ring1 only ours are more solemn and1 moreover1 not one-sided4' --',and what next8' --',pray be patient4 ,there is no fixed usage as to the length of the interval between the engagement and wedding1 but some months usually intervene4 ,nevertheless1 we are not so patient1 like many ,occidentals1 as to let it stand over for many years4 ,when the time which is convenient for both parties approaches1 the date is fixed1 a selection being made of a day of happy omen1 as is also the case when the engagement presents are made4 ,you see1 there exists more or less a sort of superstition in every country4' --',let us suppose that day arrived4 ,what takes place then8' --',wedding ceremonies are generally performed in the evening and at the house of the bridegroom4 ,but remember1 here again a restaurant or some other place is sometimes substituted for the residence1 if the latter is not suitable for the occasion4' --',naturally4' --',all the paraphernalia and suchlike of the bride are sent to her future home some days previously4 ,they are generally packed up in boxes in such a way that each box can be carried on the shoulders of two persons by poles4 ,they are not packed and sent by carts1 as when moving the place of one's residence4 ,the escort and carriers receive good tips on arriving at their destination1 so that those who happen to perform that duty are only too glad to do so4 ,the quantity and quality of the articles thus sent1 of course1 vary according to the conditions and positions of the parties4' --',as ours do1 ,i presume4' --',but there are certain articles which are most usually prepared for the bride4' --',as ours are also4' --',previously to the departure of the bride from her home1 some entertainments are generally given to her near relations1 intimate friends1 and also to the servants for a farewell1 or at least all the members of the family gather together and make some merriment4 ,this generally takes place on the previous evening4 ,on the day of her departure1 the officiating person and his wife go to her parents' home and accompany her to her future home4 ,her parents1 brothers1 and sisters also accompany1 nay more1 all her near relations and those of the bridegroom also are invited1 in order to be formally introduced to each other and be present at the wedding banquet4 ,in ,china the character which means to return is generally used also to signify the act of a bride leaving her home and going to the home of her future husband to be married to him4 ,the idea is that her future home1 to which she is now going1 is imagined to be her real home1 where she is now going back1 and she is not expected to return to her previous home for good1 or rather for any permanent purpose1 for such a thing is considered out of the question altogether4 ,this notion is also the same with us ,japanese2 consequently in ,samurai families the same formality as that of the departure of the dead is generally performed at the departure of the bride4 ,i wonder if the ,western custom of throwing slippers has any similar origin6' --',very likely6' the marchioness interposed4 --',and yet1' interrupted ,lady ,modestina1 'girls1 and indeed young men1 too1 are compelled to marry without knowing and seeing each other at all before the wedding1 as people say4 ,poor girls6 ,poor young men1 too6' ',not exactly1' ,i answered2 'remember1 ,napoleon and the ,archduchess of ,austria had never seen each other before her state entry into the ,french territory4 ,the duchess1 it is said1 heaved deep sighs of relief at the first sight of ,napoleon1 who was not after all a monstrous creature1 as she had fancied from the stories she had heard of the sanguinary battles he had fought everywhere4 ,such things--at least1 similar things--often take place even in ,europe4 ,so with us1 too1 in former days1 marriages of great feudal lords were generally not unlike ,napoleon's second marriage4 ,but with the people in general the matter was different4 ,in these cases ,miai1 which literally means to see each other1 was essential and almost the formal part of the ceremony4 ,when preliminary inquiries1 so to say1 had turned out satisfactory1 the so-called seeing each other took place1 that is to say1 a rendezvous was arranged in one way or the other1 say1 at a flower garden or a theatre1 in such a manner that neither of the parties felt any discomfort1 and it did not become an obligation to either of them4 ,remember there was nothing indiscreet in the affair1 as both of the parties were always accompanied by some near relatives or trustworthy friends4 ,in nuptial affairs1 parental authority was much exercised1 as in this country1 it is true2 but the power of vetoing was always reserved by the would-be bride1 and still more by the bridegroom1 especially after the rendezvous4 ,it was1 however1 thought advisable that as full preliminary inquiries as possible should be made before the rendezvous1 in order that one side might not inconsiderately disappoint the other4' --',but what do you mean by preliminary inquiries8' --',it means obtaining as much information as possible with regard to family affairs1 family traditions1 the character and attainments1 even habits and tastes of the would-be bride or bridegroom as the case may be1 and ,i dare say the faces also1 even the number of the black spots on it4' --',please be serious4' --',i don't think private detectives were employed1 as in the ,slater case4' --',no joking1 please4' --',but nearly similar things used to be done4 ,friends and schoolmates1 servants1 ex-servants1 teachers of music1 jewellers1 fishmongers1 grocers1 tailors1 dress-makers1 or anybody who had any connection with the family whatever1 were one and all an object from whom as much information as possible was extracted directly or indirectly2 above all1 ,mrs4 ,hairdresser1 who knows such matters best4 ,you know1 our ladies arrange their hair in all sorts of very complicated forms1 and hairdressers make it a regular profession1 paying professional visits constantly to ladies' homes1 and our ladies do not mind wasting time in such matters any more than their sisters of other countries4' --',please to the point4' --',i am to the point4 ,it was only after these inquiries that1 to use a diplomatic phrase1 pourparler for negotiations began4 ,of course all the inquiries were done by some one else on behalf of the would-be bride or bridegroom4 ,they would certainly be too delicate for a girl of1 say1 sweet seventeen1 to carry them out for herself4 ,don't you agree with me on that point8' --',life is short4 ,please don't spin out webs too long4 ,but how do matters stand nowadays8' --',much the same1' ,i replied4 ',but in our own days society gives much more facility for young people to see and know each other4 ,and ,i may add that nowadays photos play a great part in the first stage of the inquiries4 ,they say photos are for studying physiognomy in order to discern the character and intellectual capabilities1 but ,i am afraid it is also to study the looks as well1 or rather chiefly4 ,human nature is weak after all4' --',still spinning out4' --',oh no6 ,i am only giving out the essence4' --',let us then proceed with the ceremony4' --',very well1 the essential part of the ceremony consists in the bride and bridegroom partaking sak cups1 as you know1 but perhaps not exactly as your acquaintance did1' said ,i teasingly4 ',the room wherein that part of the ceremony is performed is kept sacred for the occasion4 ,the bridegroom is led to that room by the officiating person1 and the bride by his wife4 ,in our rooms there is a small part1 a little elevated1 called ,toko-no-ma 7alcove73 it is the place of honour in the room1 and it is there that the ,kakemono 7hanging picture or writing7 is hung--sometimes a single one1 sometimes a pair1 or a series of three4 ,we do not hang up pictures all over the walls like a picture exhibition2 and it is also there that we arrange flowers and plants in vases4 ,the ,kakemono would be the chosen ones having some signification of felicity4 ,there are many subjects for such purposes1 for instance1 the landscape of the mythological island of ,mount ,horai1 where immortals are said to reside1 or cranes and long hair-tailed mythical tortoises1 or the three twin plants of pine1 plum1 and bamboo4 ,all of these objects are popularly viewed as emblems of longevity4 ,the flowers or plants arranged in the vase for the occasion would also be of the same nature4' --',and you have a special art in the arrangement of flowers1 ,i understand1 not as we do in the ,west by simply putting bunches into the vase without any discrimination4' --',just so6' ,i answered1 'and there would be a ,shimadai on ,toko-no-ma4' --',what's that8' --',shimadai is a representation of the ,mount ,horai which ,i have just mentioned4 ,in later days ,jo-tom-ba1 more correctly ,jo-to-uba1 that is1 the old couple of ,takasago1 came to be usually to be represented with it as well ,jo-tom-ba were mythical man and wife who lived very long and happy lives4 ,they are supposed to have dwelt in the beautiful pine forests on the lovely seashore of ,takasago1 where they spent their days in gathering pine needles4 ,small artificial mounts and pine forests and figures of the aged couple are tastefully arranged on a clean tray of white wood1 the edges of the tray being indented in order to represent an idea of the sea-coast1 with some cranes on the branches of the pine1 generally with a nest and young ones1 as well as the hair-tailed tortoise on the seashore4 ,cranes and tortoises play their part in our ceremonies so often1 you see4 ,i will here tell you the gist of a common song4 ,once a crane married a tortoise4 ,now1 cranes are supposed to live one thousand years and tortoises ten thousand years4 ,in the course of a duet pouring forth their touching sentiments1 the wife gives vent to her thought to this effect3 she feels sad at the idea that after a happy life of nigh a thousand years she would have to lead a young widow's life for nine thousand years4' --',for us mankind a thousand years is long enough4 ,but please proceed with the main story4' --',very well1' said ,i3 'the bridegroom and bride are seated vis--vis before the ,toko-no-ma at a distance1 with the officiating person next the bridegroom1 and his wife next the bride1 each giving assistance to the bridegroom and bride respectively4 ,the me-cho 7she-butterfly7 and o-cho 7he-butterfly7 enter4' --',what's that8' --',well1 you see1 butterflies are very beautiful1 and when in couples are very amiable to each other4 ,if you see them flying about in the fields1 now touching the flowers1 now playing with each other1 you can well imagine what happy lives they lead4 ,at the wedding two virgins are chosen to represent a male and a female butterfly4 ,they each hold a 'choshi1' a vessel with a long handle for holding sak4 ,to one of the vessels a male butterfly made of paper is fastened1 and to the other a female4 ,they both1 simultaneously1 pour out a few drops for the bride and bridegroom successively1 the idea being that two butterflies help the rites4' --',your idea of butterflies seems to be different from ours4' --',well1 we do not attach to them the sense of frivolity4 ,at all events1 in case of wedding the point taken into consideration is different4 ,they are also pictured as a symbol of ,dream based upon a discourse of an ancient ,chinese philosopher1 who said that when he became a butterfly in a dream he had no other notion than being a real butterfly1 and therefore he could not vouchsafe that his present ego was not similarly a phenomenon of a greater ,dream4' --',but you haven't yet explained where and how the cups are brought in4' --',the cups generally consist of a set of three1 usually of plain1 clean earthenware4 ,they are put on a tray of pure white wood with legs called ,sambo--a dumb waiter1 if you like4 ,they are generally placed together with the sak vase at the ,toko-no-ma before the ceremony begins1 and are taken out at the bidding of the officiating person by the butterflies4 ,the exchanging of cups between the bride and bridegroom is rather complicated4 ,each time the bride or bridegroom holds up the cup1 three drops of sak are poured into it by each butterfly1 and this is repeated three times1 and therefore this part is called ,san-san-kudo1 that is1 three threes making nine1 and that phrase is commonly used to signify a marriage ceremony4 ,this part of the ceremony requires much formality4 ,people concerned have to take some lessons beforehand4 ,but remember people generally do not indulge on such occasions in swallowing too great a quantity1 whatever their capacities may be4' --',no joking1 please4' --',very well4 ,when this part of the ceremony is over1 the officiating person1 or a special person who is called into the next room for the purpose1 sings a short song called ,takasago 7one of the classical ,japanese songs called utai74 ,the song is founded upon the story of the aged couple of whom ,i spoke1 and is regarded as a contribution of good presage4 ,but remember1 officiating persons are often indifferent singers1 consequently they often merely utter in tone a few words of the song4 ,i remember a very amusing incident4 ,it was told me by the ,marchioness ,ito4 ,at the wedding of ,isaburo ,yamagata1 son of ,marquis ,yamagata1 ,marquis ,ito was the officiating person4 ,he was unable to sing1 so he said when the moment for singing came1 ,isa1 let us suppose ,i have sung4 ,if father asks you what ,i have done1 tell him ,i have sung all right4 ,the marchioness restrained herself with great difficulty from bursting into laughter4 ,that kind of incident sometimes occurs in reality4' --',no wonder3 people are not always singers4 ,but pray proceed4' --',the banquet now begins3 bride and bridegroom now appear as a married couple1 ceremonial cups are exchanged as a token of the cementing of the new relationship of those present1 and after a good deal of merriment the couple retire and the guests disperse4 ,on that day the bride and bridegroom wear ceremonial dress as a matter of course4 ,it being a grand day for a woman1 it is natural enough that the bride should get herself up as well as she can4 ,i dare say the ,western bride does the same1 is it not so1 madam8' --',i hear1 but please proceed1' said the marchioness4 --',the bride generally wears a dress with bright designs and very long sleeves4 ,but it would be somewhat different if the bride were an old maid or an aged widow1 don't you think so8' --',please really no more joking4 ,what elderly widow could dress like a young bride8' --',very well4 ,the bride often keeps on her head a white headgear called boshi until the end of the first part of the ceremony4 ,it answers the purpose of your veil4 ,i think it is used for hiding the blushes4 ,is it also so here in the ,west8' --',i don't remember4' --',then also the bride changes her dress several times1 twice1 thrice1 or even four times in the course of the evening1 which is quietly made an opportunity for displaying female vanity4 ,oh1 ,i beg your pardon4' --',never mind1 but continue4' --',very well4 ,after a few days the newly married couple1 together with the near relations of the husband1 go to the bride's former home and are there entertained at a banquet4 ,it is called a ,satobiraki4 ,at the wedding some suitable presents to each member of the husband's family are made by the bride as a token of the new affection arising between them1 so also does the husband on the day of ,satobiraki4 ,after a suitable lapse of time all the relatives and friends are invited to a banquet1 or some sort of entertainment1 at a convenient place1 at which the formal announcement of the marriage is personally given to the guests4 ,the invitations are generally issued in common by the fathers of the bride and bridegroom1 and thus is concluded the whole wedding ceremony4' --',and the wedding presents8' --',yes1 we also make wedding presents1 but perhaps there is a slight difference4 ,in the ,west the presents are on account of individual friendship1 but in ,japan more on account of family intercourse1 that is to say1 in ,japan such presents would be made by a family if the family of the bride or bridegroom1 as the case may be1 were in intimate intercourse1 even though no particular friendship exists between any particular member of that family and the bride or bridegroom4' --',i see the ceremony is really very elaborate1 but when does the legality of marriage begin8' --',the ceremony is elaborate1 as you see1 but it counts for nothing in the eyes of the law3 the heart of the law is cold in every country4 ,the legality of a marriage begins in the eyes of the law only when a proper form of it is filled at the office of the registry of l'tat civil4 ,it is desirable that a marriage should be reported in the form thus filed and duly registered as soon as possible after the ceremony4 ,otherwise1 whatever ceremony you may have undergone1 the marriage is not recognised in the eyes of the law4 ,but mind6 if you ask me what a marriage is1 ,i don't think ,i can explain it to you4 ,from the ,athenian republic down to the twentieth century all philosophers and jurists have been trying to define the exact signification of that word marriage2 none of them have ever succeeded4 ,on hearing that fact a peasant exclaimed3 ,what fools are these mountain-dwellers2 every one on earth knows what a marriage is6' --',no joking1 please1' said the marchioness4 --',but it is a tale ,i was taught by my teacher when ,i was studying the law at ,cambridge1' said ,i4 --',anyhow1 ,i now see very well that all that ,i was told about the two months' marriage must have been a joke1' said the marchioness4 ',there are some more points ,i should like to ask you1 but ,i will let them stand over until some future occasion4' ,the marchioness was originally born of a very high noble family of a neighbouring country1 and ,france is her adopted home by marriage4 ,her sister1 ,countess de ,daisyland1 who had been staying at her sister's1 as is her custom from time to time1 was also present4 ,i noticed some difference of character between them4 ,while ,i was speaking with the marchioness1 the countess was chiefly talking with ,madame ,matoni1 wife of my friend1 though she turned to us occasionally and interposed some laconic remarks4 ,monsieur ,matoni was then engaged in a conversation with the duchess4 ,by shifting seats1 so to say1 almost unconsciously to one another1 the duchess and ,madame ,matoni now began to converse1 and ,monsieur ,matoni and the marchioness1 who turned towards him without moving1 did the same4 ,the countess1 who spoke less than her sister1 and whose eloquence was of a totally different style1 now began to put several questions to me4 --',there is one thing1' said she1 'which has been puzzling me very much of late1 and that is1 some people speak of the ,spartan character of the ,japanese women in general1 basing their observations upon deeds displayed during the present war4 ,but on the other hand there are many writers who tell us that ,japanese women are mere domestic servants4 ,of course ,i do not believe that1 but there seems too much margin between these observations4 ,if ,i am not too curious1 will you give me your opinion4' --',with pleasure1 countess1' said ,i4 ',without giving excessive credit to our women1 which ,i do not dare1 ,i can assure you that the ,western estimation of our women is generally incorrect4 ,it is perhaps beyond your conception how great an influence a ,japanese mother or wife has over her family4 ,i will give you an instance of a mother illustrated in a well-known drama4 ,the scene is a summer evening4 ,the aged mother of ,miura ,yoshimura 7a hero having a real existence in history7 lay on her deathbed within a mosquito netting1 depending from the four corners of the room4 ,our mosquito nettings are very large and spacious4 ,a young lady1 the hero's fiance1 is waiting upon her as nurse4 ,here the hero suddenly returns home from the battlefield clad in full armour4 ,he makes inquiry of the young lady about his mother's condition4 ,she tells him that the aged lady's condition has not presented any marked difference1 that she often falls into a drowsy state1 and is calmly sleeping at that moment4 ,a cough is heard from the room which is separated by paper screens and where the aged mother lay2 in fact she had just awoke4 ,she perceives the hero has returned1 and with a few terse and killing sentences she admonishes him from where she lay for his conduct4 ,to her it was cowardly to leave the battlefield at that juncture4 ,it was contrary to a warrior's honour and an infringement of loyalty4 ,she will not see him face to face4 ,her last words are1 ,if thou darest to approach me1 dare to break this net4 ,it is an iron castle of mine4 ,having thus denounced her beloved son1 she falls into a calm slumber again4 ,as a matter of fact1 the hero's mind is already made up to sacrifice his life in battle to the cause he was supporting4 ,he merely returned home to bid his last farewell to his dying mother1 and to intrust her to the care of his fiance4 ,his helmet is perfumed with the best kind of incense--an act common to a warrior of distinguished position--the idea being that a hero's head should not be exposed to odious odour after death4 ,the young lady discovers it1 and1 as is natural in a drama1 a bit of love-scene follows4 ,she would not stop him1 but at least he might wait until his aged mother awakes again and spend a single night by her bedside4 ,the stay of a single eve1 she says1 would make no material difference to chivalry and loyalty4 ,he does not listen to her1 and shaking her off dashes back to the field1 where he meets with an honourable death4 ,the point ,i wish to lay stress upon is not the last part1 but the part where the aged mother speaks of the iron castle4 ,does that not show you the kind of authority a ,japanese mother wields over her children8 ,is it any way inferior to that of ,coriolanus's mother1 before whom that brave ,roman warrior had to cry out1 ,o mother6 you have prevailed4 ,it is1 of course1 a scene in fiction1 but with us it is an incident quite imaginable in real life4 ,indeed1 there are several instances of similar nature recorded in history4 ,a ,japanese wife has an influence far greater than any outsider can imagine4 ,i can only say1 so far as domestic affairs are concerned1 she is far more a master of the house than her husband4 ,think for a moment6 ,if the wife were a mere servant of the house1 as is represented by many ,western writers1 how could it possibly happen that1 as a mother1 she exercises such austere authority1 as the mother of the hero just mentioned did1 over her son after her husband's death8' ,the countess listened to me very attentively2 my long explanation did not appear to weary her4 ,when ,i had finished it she smiled and said3 --',then in your country also mothers play a great rle in the family4 ,would you also say like ,napoleon1 ,women are the mothers of the nation8 ,but won't tell us a dramatic illustration of a wife8' --',too many dishes spoil the appetite1 as our saying goes1' ,i answered1 'so ,i must not go on endlessly1--but propos to the ,roman matron1 ,i will tell you an incident which will illustrate that ,japanese women1 too1 do not limit their activity to indoor affairs4 ,you have1 no doubt1 heard something about ,commandant ,hiros1 one of our great heroes of ,port ,arthur4 ,it was in the summer of last year that an eminent ,english admiral1 whom ,i know very well1 wished me to forward to the hero's family a copy of ,macaulay's ,lays of ,ancient ,rome as a token of his admiration4 ,he said he thought that ,japanese warriors bore a great resemblance to ,roman warriors1 even to ,horatius himself1 and ,hiros was the most conspicuous among them4 ,now ,hiros was a bachelor2 his brother1 who was his senior1 is married1 and was also at the front4 ,when ,i forwarded the book to ,tokio1 ,mrs4 ,hiros1 in the absence of her husband1 took the matter in her own hands and wrote a letter of thanks in ,english to the admiral1 accompanying it with a likeness and facsimile of the last poem of the deceased1 all of which she forwarded to me1 asking me to send on to the admiral4 ,people might think she was audacious1 but the fact was she did not shrink from taking the entire responsibility of the matter4 ,i approve of it4 ,the letter ran thus4' ,so saying1 ,i recited the letter4 ,it is strange1 but in dreamland one often remembers by heart that which it is impossible to do when awake4 ',i tender my sincere thanks to you for your very kind present of a beautiful edition of ,macaulay's ,lays of ,ancient ,rome1 forwarded to me by ,baron ,suyematsu4 ',the book is so much esteemed in ,japan that it is used as a text-book in some schools where ,english is taught1 and part of it was annotated in ,japanese in a magazine devoted to the study of ,english4 ',i beg to assure you how much ,i feel the honour done to my deceased brother-in-law by a renowned admiral of a great and glorious nation1 in comparing him with a ,roman hero1 who is said to have defended the ,sublician ,bridge against the whole ,etruscan army under ,porsena1 while the ,romans broke down the bridge behind him4 ',i am happy to say that as a reward for the deed of the late ,commander ,hiros1 the people of ,japan are going to erect his bronze statue to his memory in ,tokio1 as the ,romans did in ,comitium4 ',may ,i be permitted to make you a present of the deceased's latest photograph and a facsimile of his autograph poem1 which was composed by him just before his departure for the second blocking attempt4 ',the poem was intended by him to be the final expression of his desires1 and it is sad it proved to be such4 ',literally translated1 it runs as follows3 ,would that ,i could be born seven times ,and sacrifice my life for my country6 ,resolved to die1 my mind is firm1 ,and again expecting to win success1 ,smiling ,i go on board6 ',i will take the earliest opportunity to refer to your inestimable present in my letter to my husband1 the elder brother of the deceased1 who is now in the front1 commanding the gunboat ,chokai1 by whom1 needless to say1 your kindness will be most highly appreciated4' --',i do not see1' observed the countess1 'much in the mere act of writing a letter1 but the letter itself is interesting enough1 and1 besides1 ,i must say ,i am much amused at the manner in which you manage to bring out things to suit your purpose1 just indeed as though you are writing a novel and would make us serve you as materials4' --',not at all1 but just a little bit of a ,summer ,dream1' ,i said4 --',what6' --',nothing1 ,i beg your pardon4' --',but1 baron1 ,i should like to ask you another question4 ,with us1 pardon1 or an act of forgiving1 is considered a great virtue4 ,it is an act of courage1 and1 at the same time1 it contains in it delicacy and tenderness2 especially when the subject is a woman1 that virtue sometimes amounts to nobleness1 or even sublimity4 ,it is1 therefore1 regarded in the ,west as one of the greatest elements of ethics2 but some people ,i hear say that that idea is wanting in oriental ethics1 though the notion of pity exists4 ,is that correct8' --',no1 not exactly1' ,i answered1 'but you interest me by putting such a question4 ,however1 it requires some explanation4 ,i am afraid ,i weary you4' --',no1 not at all2 go on1 if you please4' --',perhaps you know that the fundamental idea in ,buddhism is mercy and forbearance4 ,these attributes would already suggest an idea of forgiving and of not taking offence4 ,then1 again1 in ,japan there are several new ,buddhist sects1 which are very much like ,protestantism in ,europe4 ,in fact1 some of them go so far as to allow priests to marry4 ,i say new sects1 but not so new as you may imagine1 because they are as old as eight hundred years4 ,the essence of the tenets held by them is that the great ,budha ,amida is the very embodiment of mercy and forgiveness1 and therefore1 if one devoutly throws oneself upon him and asks his salvation1 all sins committed by the suppliant would be at once forgiven and salvation granted4 ,theologically speaking1 there is much room for discussion about this1 but it is not the point which ,i have in view4 ,i only mean to say that this theory is nothing else than a great example of pardon4 ,in ,confucian ethics there are more names given to different kinds of virtues than in the ,west4 ,the word ,jen is the name of a virtue most comprehensive4 ,there is no word corresponding to it in the ,west4 ,there are some who translate it as humanity1 others benevolence1 some even as charity in its broadest sense1 but all these only represent a part of the original meaning4 ,in that word the idea of pardoning and forgiving is amply implied4 ,a lord who pardons an offender magnanimously is a lord rich in the virtue of ,jen1 ,there is also one classification of virtues1 comprised in two words1 chung1 shu4 ,the first word is generally translated as loyalty1 but in this instance it is not necessarily loyalty to a master1 but faithfulness and truthfulness in general4 ,the second word1 shu1 has no equivalent in the ,western language4 ,it means this3 ,we should put ourselves in the position of any one who has done wrong against us or otherwise committed some error1 and we view the matter with the greatest leniency1 and thus give the most favourable consideration4 ,the ,chinese ideograph of it is composed of two other ideographs1 like and mind1 that is to say1 like one's own mind1 meaning--consider the matter as your own1 and act toward him in such a way as your own mind would like him to act toward you under the same circumstances if he were in your place4 ,this ideograph is often used for the very purpose of an action which cannot be any other than the equivalent of pardoning and forgiving4 ,are you not becoming a little wearied8' --',oh1 no6 ,go on4' --',very well6 ,in our ,bushido1 that is the teaching of chivalry1 of which you must have heard1 pardoning and forgiving is the important element4 ,we have a proverb saying1 ,when the helpless bird takes refuge in the breast of the hunter1 he would not kill it4 ,this proverb is very well known and is considered as the embodiment of a warrior's magnanimity4 ,from all that ,i have just said you will understand that the criticism which says oriental ethics lack notions of pardon and forgiving is incorrect4' --',thank you very much1' said the countess4 ',in such matters one requires much study of and penetration into the very depths of thought and reasoning of a people4 ,one certainly ought not to come to a hasty conclusion4 ,japan is a country which ,i am so anxious to see4' --',go1 or rather1 come1 by all means1 you will be most welcome1' ,i said4 --',but it is so far off and travelling will take such a long time1' said she4 --',no1 it will not take so long a time as you imagine4 ,means of communication are so quick nowadays4 ,the quickest route is through ,america by the ,canadian ,pacific via ,vancouver4 ,another route is via ,san ,francisco1 which takes a few days longer4 ,if you go by the ,canadian ,pacific1 like a letter in a postbag1 it takes only a few days over three weeks4 ,when ,i came to ,europe last year ,i left ,yokohama on the #ajth of ,february4 ,having arrived at ,victoria1 in the island of ,vancouver1 ,i made my way to ,seattle1 where ,i disembarked4 ,i took thence the ,great ,northern ,railway down to ,st4 ,paul and ,chicago1 a route which runs between the ,canadian and ,san ,francisco lines1 and on to ,new ,york4 ,i spent a day at ,seattle4 ,i had to stop at the summit of the ,rockies for five hours1 on account of an accident which happened to a train in front of ours4 ,it made me miss the junction1 so that ,i lost more than one day on the way4 ,i spent two days in ,new ,york1 and one in ,washington4 ,the mail steamer in which ,i crossed the ,atlantic was not the quickest one4 ,and yet on the morning of the #acth ,march ,i was quietly taking tea at an hotel in ,liverpool4 ,last year was a leap year1 but counting by days1 inclusive one extra1 the whole journey took thirty-two days in all4 ,you see the globe is like an egg--the higher the latitude1 the shorter the distance4' --',that looks long enough4' --',well1 but one cannot jump over from one side of the world to the other in one leap4' --',supposing the ,trans-,siberian ,railway free again1 what do you think of it8' --',well1 a friend of mine who took that route took twenty days from ,petersburg to the ,pacific ,coast4 ,it is1 of course1 shorter2 but you see travelling continuously by train is not very agreeable4 ,i believe that the railway services in those quarters will be much improved and made quicker1 but at present1 that is to say1 judging from experience before the war1 the service is said to be very irregular and long4 ,i should prefer a sea-voyage4 ,the direct service between ,europe and ,japan on board the ,german or ,french mail ships through the ,indian ,ocean seems to be most agreeable4 ,of course it takes a longer time3 it takes from forty-four to forty-seven days from ,marseilles or ,genoa to ,yokohama4 ,i have twice taken that route on a ,french mail ship and liked the voyage very much4' --',but one would be killed by sea-sickness4' --',not at all4 ,the sea is not always calm in the ,mediterranean1 so also between ,hong ,kong and ,japan4 ,but all the other parts are usually very calm4 ,besides1 one soon gets accustomed to the sea1 after two or three days1 excepting some few persons who are by nature averse to the sea altogether4' --',i cannot believe it4' --',you must believe it1 it is a fact1 and moreover1 on mail steamers there is much fun and pleasure2 dances and concerts are given on board from time to time4 ,the meals are splendid and plentiful4 ,passengers soon become friendly4' --',ah6 that's too good to hear1 but ,i wonder if it is always so1' she said4 ,a lady1 who had travelled in the ,far ,east1 joined us a few minutes since4 ,she spent two months in ,japan1 she said1 and supported my views about the voyage1 and talked of the pleasure of the trips somewhat in opposition to the observations of the countess4 ,the marchioness now turned to me and said1 ',i have just been talking to your friend ,monsieur ,matoni about the new invention of ,monsieur ,blanry4 ,a long account of it was given in ,le ,matin the other day4 ,it is an improvement on the wireless telegraphy4 ,guns may be fired1 wheels may be turned by electricity produced by wireless apparatus4 ,he is going to give a lecture illustrated by practical experiments4 ,would you like to go8 ,if so1 ,i would send you a ticket for a box for yourself and friends4' --',i shall be delighted1' ,i answered4 --',marchioness patronises science1' said ,monsieur ,matoni to me1 as though he only meant me to hear him1 and in a further subdued voice whispered1 ',her tastes differ from the ordinary tastes of ladies4' ,the visitors were now gradually dispersing4 ,the marchioness and her sister also rose to take their leave1 asking us1 as they did so1 to visit them on the marchioness's next reception day4 ,we had stopped for longer than we anticipated1 despite an appointment ,i had at my hotel4 ,soon after the departure of those ladies1 however1 we also said our goodbyes to the duchess and her daughters1 and to the few people who had still remained4 ,we were again wafted through the air1 and were once more moving over the tops of countless houses on the way4 ,on reaching my hotel1 ,i shook hands with my friend and his wife on the tops of the beautiful avenue-trees in front of the hotel4 ,,ii ,greek inspiration--,semitic sympathy--,religion--,difference between ,japanese and ,european chivalry--,what is the ,bushi8--,the weakest point of a hereditary military organisation--,introduction of the new system--,new commoners and the history of their emancipation--,combination of democratic ideas and conservative traditions--,old bottles and new wine--,the ,great ,change of #ahfg--,napoleon--,negligence of a proper estimation--,scenery of ,japan---,history of ,tokio--,european and ,japanese method of dwelling--,president ,roosevelt and jiujitsu ,it seems my young secretary1 noticing ,i was asleep1 and fearing that ,i might catch cold1 brought a rug and covered me1 which action roused me for a moment1 but ,i soon returned to the same dreamland again4 ,once more ,i was wafted through the air1 and found myself in a large entrance-hall with gilded ceiling and walls painted with pictures4 ,it was brilliantly lighted1 and in one corner a band was playing4 ,a broad staircase1 the upper part of which branched off into two1 led to the upper part of the house1 numerous men in livery lined both sides of the passage1 displaying the sure sign of aristocracy4 ,there were balconies1 or rather corridors all round overlooking the hall4 ,i ascended the staircase1 and1 passing along one side of the corridors1 entered a large chamber which was evidently the reception-room4 ,but seeing but few people there1 proceeded to an open window at the end of the room and looked down into the garden1 which was brilliantly illuminated4 ,in a few moments ,i moved1 almost unconsciously1 into a further room4 ,it was the study of the host1 who with his wife was showing the room to a group of guests4 ,the host1 noticing me1 made me welcome1 and introduced me to one of the guests in particular4 ,it was the ,prince ,royal of ,greece4 ,i exchanged some words with him1 in the course of which ,i remarked that ,greece was the country which ,i was most anxious to see1 inasmuch as it teemed with historical interest4 ,as ,i did so1 the scene of many heroic actions1 above all1 those of ,salamis and ,marathon1 together with the glory which ,byron sung for her freedom in the recent century vividly arose before my mental eyes4 ,it was then announced that the music was about to commence1 and the party moved on4 ,i was with a charming lady4 ,she was of ,semitic blood4 ,her complexion was snow white1 her eyes were dark1 as also her hair1 which was surmounted by a coronet of pearls1 and round her throat was a necklace of the same4 ,she happened to know me already by name1 through her relatives whom ,i met in ,england4 ,this naturally afforded us a subject of conversation as we proceeded4 ,on arriving at one end of the corridors we stood1 still conversing1 and looking down into the hall1 while the other people moved on the further end of the corridor where many more guests gradually arrived4 ,while thus conversing1 a nobleman passing us was introduced to me4 --',all the generals are gone to the ,front1' he said1 rather suddenly4 ,at first ,i thought he was referring to the war in the ,far ,east1 though ,i soon realised what he meant4 ,he appeared a little excited4 --',there is more exaggeration than fact1' said ,i4 ',i am quite confident that there will be no rupture4' ,at that moment some one persuaded my fair companion to go over to where the prince was sitting4 ,i followed at a distance1 and took my seat in an obscure place in the corridor4 ,from the corridor of the other side1 an operatic singer1 accompanied by a pianist1 rendered the choicest of his songs1 and the bands played in the intervals4 ,i listened to the songs and the music and watched the people4 ,sitting alone ,i am sure ,i must have looked awkward and stupid2 which1 however1 is a thing ,i do not much mind4 ,now and then the host came and exchanged some words with me4 ,he was busy looking after his guests generally1 but managed to tell me he would invite me to a special dinner very soon to which also the ,duchess ,fairfield would be asked4 ,the hostess was similarly occupied1 and ,i did not converse much with her1 except to pass a few remarks about music4 ,she said she preferred vocal music to instrumental4 ,the music over1 all went down to the garden4 ,it was delightful3 the open air on a summer's night is always so4 ,light but choice refreshments were served there4 ,the guests1 partaking of them as they wished1 chatted here and there in groups of two and three4 ,the night was far advanced and the guests began to disperse one after another4 ,i also left1 but without bidding adieu either to the host or hostess lest ,i might disturb them4 ,on my way out ,i saw the lady with whom ,i had talked in the corridor still sitting on a bench chatting with a few gentlemen4 ,she seemed to notice me1 but ,i merely bowed and passed on1 though ,i fancied she had some sympathy for us ,japanese4 ,she did not1 neither does any member of her community1 say anything about the hard fate of her race or the countless hardships which they are suffering1 especially of late1 in certain quarters of the globe4 ,in this world1 we know there are many matters in which silence speaks more than words4 ,time and space1 and indeed1 sequence of events1 are incongruous in ,dreamland4 ,one flits from place to place4 ,i now found myself in a large mansion4 ,it was the residence of the ,marchioness ,vivastine4 ,i was of the few early arrivals4 ,the salon was rather dark1 but cool and spacious4 ,the marchioness was not yet down1 but the valet told me she would soon appear4 ,in a minute or two she entered accompanied by her sister1 asking as they greeted us our pardon for keeping us waiting4 ,more people now arrived one after the other4 ,the marchioness proceeded to make tea and distributed it1 assisted by her sister1 much in the same way as did the ,duchess of ,fairfield and her daughters4 ,i was naturally introduced to many of the visitors1 ,princess ,a41 ,countess ,b41 ,baron ,c41 ,monsieur ,d41 etc41 but for me1 a foreigner1 it is impossible to remember their names4 ,the ,duchess of ,fairfield and the ,lady ,dulciana were among the new arrivals4 --',baron and ,i had a very heated discussion the other day1' remarked the marchioness4 ,then turning to me1 she said1 ',did we not8' ,to which ,i replied1 ',if you please1 it was indeed interesting4' --',did you go to the ,trocadero the other evening8' said the marchioness4 --',yes6 we did4 ,thank you very much for sending the box4 ,and the duchess and her party were there too1--in a box close by ours1' ,i added4 --',did the lecture interest you8' asked the marchioness4 --',oh yes6 the experiments were all very interesting1 but ,i hardly understood a single sentence of the lecture1' ,i answered4 --',no wonder6 for no one else understood it1 at least1 ,i did not4 ,it was so scientific1' interposed ,baron ,c4 ',ah6 you were there too1 of course1' said ,i4 ',and the best fun of the evening was that there was a man distributing hand-bills4 ,at first we all thought it was a kind of syllabus of the lecture1 but in reality it was the advertisement of a competitor stating that he was an earlier inventor4' ,the marchioness and her sister1 being the hostesses1 were unable to talk long to each guest4 ,i soon found myself sitting next to the duchess on a sofa1 with ,baron ,c4 in front of us on a chair4 ,our conversation having turned upon the question of the separation of state and religion1 ,baron ,c41 who was keen on the subject1 being a ,deputy1 said3 --',with us it is a very interesting question4 ,there are many points to be thought of and discussed1 but ,i think it interests outsiders very little1 especially a person like yourself1 a ,japanese1 for ,i understand the ,japanese gentry have very little religion4' --',and yet1' said the duchess1 'in my opinion there is scarcely a single people who have no religion at all4 ,bushido is the creed of the ,japanese gentry1 as ,i understand1 and in truth it is nothing else than a religion4 ,the ,latin religio1 from which the term religion is derived1 comes from the verb religere to hold tight4 ,in that sense1 at least1 ,bushido must also be taken for a religion4 ,i know something about it1 especially through your writings4 ,but1 baron1 will you please explain to me something about the points of resemblance and difference between our ancient chivalry and your ,bushido8' --',i am not1 madam1 well acquainted with your chivalry1 and1 therefore1 ,i cannot pretend to hit the mark4 ,but ,i know that one of the ideals of your chivalry was bravery to the point of being fearless of death2 in that there is certainly a great resemblance4 ,another of your ideals was loyalty and truthfulness4 ,always ready to render assistance to one weaker2 in that also there is a great resemblance4 ,the third ideal was3 a great devotion to religion4 ,on this point ,i must admit there is some difference4 ,i do not say our ,bushi despised the idea of supernatural beings1 but you see our ,bushi had more faith in their own spirit of self-reliance1 therefore religion governed their thoughts to no such degree as it did in the ,west4 ,then comes a great difference between them1--,i mean their attitudes as regards the fair sex4 ,but have you no objection to my proceeding further8' --',not at all1' said the duchess4 --',very well1' said ,i4 ',with your chivalry the custom of rendering respect to the fair sex had been carried to such a high pitch that it was nothing less than adoration or worship4 ,i do not say the motive was originally bad1 because it came no doubt from the idea of helping the weaker4 ,but1 remember1 it often happened that too much prominence was given to keeping faithfulness to women1 even where one had some higher duty which ought to have claimed the whole loyalty of his heart4 ,the subject is rather too delicate for me to describe minutely1 but you can see what ,i mean4 ,in the days of your chivalry faithfulness in love-affairs was looked upon in general as gallantry1 no matter whether the affair was honourable or otherwise1 but with the ,japanese ,bushido it was very different4 ,it was not because a ,bushi was heartless toward the weaker sex1 but effeminacy was a thing which he despised most4 ,in the days gone by in ,japan1 if a ,bushi had been found paying too much attention to a lady1 and making himself a slave to her1 to the neglect of his duty1 he would have been hooted out of society4 ,with ,european chivalry1 therefore1 the tendency of desire was to be noticed by others for his actions performed in homage to a lady1 whilst with our chivalry one would try to do his utmost to conceal his emotion and even to look cold4 ,in the ,west1 therefore1 the word gallantry1 which was originally used more for dashing and noble bravery came in common parlance to have quite a different meaning1 as you know4 ,nothing of the sort has ever taken place with us4' --',but ,i thought your ,samurai also had love-affairs--,i was at least made to understand so from your story of the other day about a young ,samurai1' interrupted ,lady ,dulciana4 --',yes1 that is true1 but our ,samurai is not trees and stones as we say1 and you must know there are exceptions to every rule1' ,i replied and continued4 --',there was also another great difference4 ,in the ,west chivalry had grown and decayed1 traversing always pretty much the same line2 ,i mean it had undergone no great transformation4 ,but in ,japan the case was somewhat different4 ,there it became united with the art of intellectual learning1 and has made ,bushido1 that is1 the ways of ,bushi1 more systematic and ethical4' --',what you have just told us1' said ,baron ,c41 'seems to explain some difference which is said to exist in the attitudes of men towards women in your country and ours4' --',perhaps so1' ,i answered1 'where a gentleman approaches a lady and kisses her hand1 as one sees commonly in the best ,parisian society1 a ,japanese would stand at a distance and make a respectful bow4 ,there is no doubt1 it seems to me1 that a great many of the customs which prevailed in the feudal period are still influencing your modern society1 and ours also in ,japan2 hence the difference which still exists between the customs of ,japan and ,western nations4 ,broadly speaking1 ,i can say that in the ,west friendship or affection moved more towards intimacy1 whilst in the ,east it moved more towards respect4' --',ah1 ,i remember one thing4 ,some years ago there was a smart ,american who was a keen observer of different customs and manners4 ,he said1 the ,japanese hit their wives before strangers1 and caress them in private1 whilst the ,occidentals worship their wives before strangers1 and beat them in private4 ,i beg your pardon1 ,i must not tell you such a thing1 ,i withdraw it at once2 but ,i can say this1 it is dangerous to gauge the customs and manners of other countries only by the measure of one's own country4 ,the position of our women is not so low as represented by those who look through the colour of their own glass4' --',very true1' said ,baron ,c4 ',such things often occur4 ,one ought always to be on guard1 lest one commit unaccountable errors quite inadvertently4 ,but what do you mean by saying your ,bushido has become systematic and ethical4 ,let us have a little more light on the subject4' --',quite so1' said the duchess4 ',i should also like to be more informed on that subject4 ,one never gets tired of things ,japanese1 especially in these days4' --',i am afraid ,i shall appear somewhat dogmatic1 but if you have enough patience ,i will explain4 ,in the ,far ,east1 ,bun and ,bu1 that is to say matters pertaining to ,intellectual culture and matters pertaining to military training1 were always regarded1 at least in theory1 as co-existent and of equal importance4 ,they were compared to the wings of a bird1 or to the two wheels of a cart4 ,the generals who were held in the highest esteem were those who were efficient in both4 ,the same esteem was held for all warriors1 no matter their degree or rank2 though1 of course1 the higher the rank the greater the excellence expected4 ,they all became imbued with a desire for literary and ethical education1 and thus civil elements were introduced into military training4 ,the best ideas and notions of chivalry were ethically systematised1 and these ideas and notions came to be nurtured and developed according to the normal roots of ethics4 ,we were fortunate in arriving at this solution1 for the country had enjoyed a long peaceful epoch1 and the ,bushi had therefore sufficient time to give their attention to both subjects4 ,besides the policy of the country had been directed to that end4 ,moreover1 four hundred thousand families of ,bushi1 having enjoyed their position by hereditary succession1 and having no need to labour for existence1 all that they had to do was to make themselves as much a gentleman as possible4 ,of course1 there were some who became outcasts and some who were newly enrolled1 and some who were degraded1 and some who were promoted from various causes1 but these were exceptions4 ,as a general rule they succeeded to their father's position and handed it down to their own successors4 ,colleges were established by their lords where they received intellectual education side by side with fencing1 riding1 the use of spears or the art of jiujitsu4' --',you mentioned just now1' said the duchess1 'four hundred thousand families of ,bushi1 and of the heredity of their service4 ,that seems to be somewhat different from our knighthood1 which was more of the nature of personal distinction1 and its ranks were filled by personal enlistment1 although naturally they came from the same class of people4' --',well1' said ,i1 'our term ,bushi1 otherwise called ,samurai1 is a comprehensive one4 ,it comprised all the retainers of the feudal lords4 ,they generally lived1 with their families1 in the capital town of the lords under whom they served4 ,there was generally a quarter in these towns where the ,samurai lived quite apart from other people4 ,under some lords1 there were ,samurai who lived in the country1 but they were exceptions4 ,by ,bushi then we understand those retainers in general1 and as ,i said the service usually became hereditary4 ,it was the strong point of our military men and also their weakest point1 or at least it became so in the course of time4' --',what do you mean by weak point8 ,tell me1 please1' said ,baron ,c4 --',i say weak point1 because that system as an organisation for fighting purposes became inefficient3 the reason is almost plain without saying4 ,you see the hereditary system has one advantage3 respect and affection increase from generation to generation4 ,personal intelligence was also acquired under that system so long as the training and instruction were well attended to1 but the descendant of a warrior who had led1 for instance1 one thousand or one hundred men with great ability1 could not always be expected to do as well as his ancestor4 ,this is so from the very fact that ability and skill for qualifying one for a higher position is not a thing which is hereditary4 ,this is the weakest point of an hereditary military organisation4 ,ministership and generalship are no inherited stocks is our old saying4 ,napoleon's eighteen marshals were1 one and all1 children of the time4 ,even before the restoration of the present ,imperial rgime we perceived this weak point1 and that was one of the reasons we made a radical change in our military system and adopted the system of universal service4 ,one might think that1 by doing so1 the spirit of respect and affection1 in other words1 loyalty and patriotism1 might be lessened in the ranks of the troops2 but that is not so1 for with us the spirit of loyalty to and patriotism for the ,emperor and country is very strong among all the people4 ,and because the feudal system had been abolished and the whole nation came to owe no other allegiance than that which is direct to the ,emperor1 there is no necessity of making any difference among the different classes of the people in regard to those services4 ,as to intelligence1 we do not leave the children without education1 whatever class they may belong to1 ,i mean to say1 we have adopted a system of universal education which gives sufficient knowledge and therefore intelligence to the men enlisted in the ranks from all classes4 ,as to the officers1 we take in any candidates who are willing to be suitably educated as such1 provided they show sufficient capacity1 without any distinction of class or family4 ,it seems to us the only way to procure the most efficient officers4 ,we are very radical in these matters4 ,one can see in the ,japanese army or navy sons of noblemen or rich merchants being commanded and led by an officer who has risen from the lowest class of the people4 ,there may even be officers whose origin1 if scrutinised minutely1 belonged to a class vulgarly called ,new ,commoners4' --',i think ,i understand now1' said ,baron ,c4 ',but do you mean to say ,bushido is a thing of the past8 ,we are made to understand that the whole ,japanese army and navy1 indeed the whole nation1 are animated with the spirit of ,bushido at this very moment4' --',no1 ,i did not say ,bushido was a thing of the past4 ,bushi exists no more1 it is true1 except that those who belonged to that class still enjoy the privilege of being called ,shizoku 7knight family71 which1 however1 has no legal signification1 and therefore is only an empty title4 ,there may be a ,shizoku driving a carriage or earning a living by selling trifles4 ,it is sad to think of the fact1 as far as personal consideration is concerned1 but they have given their benefits and privileges for the general good of the country1 and ,i am glad to say that the spirit of ,bushido is now made the common property of the whole nation4 ,it has been spread throughout every rank of the ,japanese4' --',it seems sad when we think about ,bushi1 as you say1 from a personal point of view1' said the duchess2 'but when a country makes such a great change as your country has done1 some great sacrifice on the part of some portion of the community is inevitable4' --',and especially so with our ,bushi1' said ,i1 'because they were in fact the chief instruments by which the present great change has been brought about4 ,when we view things in this way1 we can say that our ,bushi fought and sacrificed their lives in order to destroy their own order4' --',but what do you mean by the ,new ,commoners1 which you mentioned just a minute ago8' asked ,baron ,c4 --',by ,new ,commoners is meant those who have been newly made ordinary commoners by emancipation4 ,there was in ,japan a class of people below the class of the common subjects of the empire2 they neither enjoyed the rights of ordinary ,japanese nor owed any duty similar to others4 ,i mean to say1 they enjoyed no citizenship1 but1 on the other hand1 they had in most cases not to pay taxes for the lands they tilled or dwelt on4 ,their position may be in one way compared with the slavery which existed in the ,west from the ,roman period onward4 ,but there were two points of a great difference4 ,in the ,west the slaves had their masters whom they served1 and it seems that no personal pollution in our sense was attached to them4 ,in ,japan1 those people had no masters to serve1 and earned their living by their own labour4 ,at the same time1 however1 they were regarded as having personal pollution1 so much so indeed1 that they were not allowed1 nor did they themselves dare1 to enter within the door of an ordinary ,japanese1 still less could they intermarry or indeed hold any social intercourse with them4 ,a love-affair like that of ,ada1 a slave girl1 and ,ardams in the opera ,ada1 which ,i had the pleasure of seeing in your company the other evening1 is a thing almost unimaginable in ,japan between a girl belonging to the class ,i have just spoken of1 and a man of any other class4 ,the number of these people was only a very small minority of the whole population4 ,but they were to be found in all parts of ,japan4 ,in the country they formed here and there small villages4 ,they were also to be found in the vicinity of towns1 but always having separate communities4 ,they were the only people who dealt with dead oxen and horses1 and even dogs1 and also were the only people who dressed the skins of those animals4 ,in former days in ,japan no beef was eaten but by those people4 ,horse flesh was not eaten even by them4 ,the common notion was that horse flesh was sour and inedible1 but ,i am sorry to say that1 of late years1 it is eaten by the poorer classes to some extent4 ,the dealers in it insist on continuing the trade on the ground that the same business is carried on in the midst of the most enlightened nations in the ,west4 ,i do not like the idea at all4 ,however1 to proceed with my story4 ,when a cow1 a horse1 or a bullock belonging to a commoner died1 it was notified to a community of those people1 who in a group came and carried the carcase to a convenient place1 where they skinned it and buried the rest2 and in the case of a cow or a bullock1 if it had not died from any infectious disease1 they took away its flesh to their homes1 as well as the skin and horns4 ,it was the occupation of those communities who lived in the vicinity of a town to prepare the skins sent to them from all parts of the country4 ,their lot was not1 therefore1 an enviable one1 as you may perceive4 ,this class of people was called ,yeta1 which is represented1 though by corruption1 by the ,chinese ideographs meaning much pollution4 ,no one knows exactly what their origin was2 some say they were the remnants of ,mongolian troops who remained in the land after the total destruction of ,mongolian armada1 while some say they might have been prisoners from ,corea2 but all these conjectures are not satisfactory4 ,there was another portion of the people very much akin to those just described4 ,they were known by the name of ,hinin1 a term which is represented by two ,chinese ideographs1 meaning not-man1 which suggests a similarity of notion to the ,european term outlaw4 ,this class was in number even less than the former4 ,their occupation was also very different4 ,they chiefly lived by fishing or by making some trifling articles1 and1 therefore1 no such deep stigma of personal pollution was attached to them as to the other ones4 ,in fact1 it was supposed that among this class of men there were sometimes to be found a ,samurai declassed from one cause or another4 ,in ,yedo1 now ,tokio1 homeless destitutes were known by that name4 ,one must not suppose1 however1 that either class was unprotected by law1 for their lives and properties were respected just as those of ordinary people2 and1 moreover1 they were not necessarily poor people1 because some of them1 especially those who lived near towns1 were very well off4 ,a characteristic of these people was that they had a certain sentiment of community throughout their own class without distinction of locality4 ,they had no privilege of attending a ,shinto or ,buddhist temple belonging to the citizen classes1 but they had here and there their own ,buddhist temple and priests4 ,i have never seen any instance of their possessing any ,shinto temples2 this fact arises from the very nature of ,shintoism1 which is most sensitive of anything unclean1 in other words1 most opposed to any pollution4 ,the ,imperial rgime was inaugurated with most enlightened notions1 especially in the matter of personal freedom4 ,at the very beginning of the ,imperial rgime1 the present ,marquis ,ito was governor of the prefecture of ,hiogo-,kobe1 and he emancipated1 on his own initiative1 the ,yeta and ,hinin under his government1 and made them ordinary commoners4 ,there was little formality in such matters in those days4 ,a governor of a province sometimes took such measures on his own responsibility4 ,in the course of a few years the ,imperial ,government emancipated all of those people throughout the whole empire1 and the people thus emancipated came to be vulgarly called ,new ,commoners4 ,that term1 however1 is fast losing its significance1 inasmuch as those people are daily acquiring common intercourse with the ordinary people2 this is especially the case with those who transfer their abodes to other parts of the country1 where their identity is not known4 ,i am even told there are one or two deputies in the ,house of ,representatives who originally belonged to that class4' --',it shows a very bold and enlightened policy on the part of your ,government1' said the duchess4 ',from all that you have said1 it appears that the success of the great changes in your country is due to the combination of democratic ideas with conservative traditions2 in other words1 you seem to have well succeeded in putting new wine into old bottles4' --',if you please1 you may think so1' ,i said2 'that phrase describes our situation very aptly4 ,you see1 the present rgime of our ,imperial ,government is1 after all1 a restoration to its ancient form1 animated by modern spirits4 ,our change has not taken place through any uprising of the people at large4 ,before the ,restoration1 ,european notions of ,liberty1 ,equality1 and ,fraternity had not been much developed1 it is true1 but then the people had not been labouring under any great oppression and destitution4 ,they were not rich1 as a rule1 but they were mostly happy1 and not in an extreme condition of misery1 as was the case in ,europe when the popular movements based on those notions commenced1 or as is the case in a certain country now before our eyes4 ,the movements which caused our great change were due almost entirely to aspirations of a political nature1 that is to say1 for the bettering of the political organism of the country4 ,the matter was taken up by the upper classes1 and was fought out chiefly by them1 and1 therefore1 when the strife came to an end there existed no more class animosity1 and the people1 both high and low1 devoted their energy to the common good which they held in view4 ,it is true that at one time their views of the right methods to attain the end were not altogether unanimous4 ,some of the feudal lords and their retainers fought against other feudal lords and retainers4 ,one side espoused the ,imperial cause1 and the other opposed1 but those who opposed bore no opposition to the ,imperial house itself4 ,it was more an opposition to the lords and their clansmen who stood on the other side4 ,you know that1 after the submission of the ,shogun himself to the emperor1 the great majority of the feudal lords in the north and the east of ,japan effected a combination among themselves and opposed the troops on the ,imperial side4 ,what ,i said just now was chiefly in reference to that occurrence4 ,the nature of our civil war being such1 it was not a matter of surprise that the country should be reconciled and conciliated under the new rgime4 ,i may here mention an instance1 trifling as it is1 to show how it has operated even in ordinary social matters4 ,marshal ,oyama1 who is now commanding our armies in ,manchuria1 is a ,satsuma man1 and he fought as a young officer of the ,imperialists in the east4 ,his wife is a daughter of a ,samurai of an eastern feudal lord1 one of the staunchest opponents to the ,imperial troops1 ,i mean the ,lord of ,aizu1 whose castle was besieged and taken after a long resistance4 ,a sister of ,madame ,oyama is a lady in our ,imperial courts1 and her brother1 who had been a leader of the troops of his clan1 was afterwards a general of the ,imperial army1 and died in that capacity recently4 ,we have a nobility of five grades1 almost identical with the ,european system4 ,the origin of our noble families is various1 but their broad distinctions are3 ,noblemen who were formerly feudal lords2 noblemen who were formerly court nobles attached direct to the ,imperial courts before the ,restoration1 and those who have been newly made nobles by virtue of their meritorious services rendered to the new ,government4 ,but in the eyes of the law1 or rather in the treatment of them by the ,imperial court1 there is no difference1 nor is there any confliction of interest or sentiment existing between them4 ,napoleon was a great ruler1 there is no doubt1 but his one misfortune was that the very nature of his origin was not sufficiently potent to reconcile and harmonise all the difference of this kind in which sentiments go a long way4 ,supposing he had been a direct scion of the ,bourbons1 and supposing the general condition of the ,french people of those days had not been such as it was1 and supposing that the great ,revolution had been effected by the movements of the aristocracy itself with ,napoleon at its head1 the course of the history of ,france might have been very different1 although1 in spite of that1 ,france has always been a remarkable nation4' ,the marchioness seems to have noticed that our conversation was becoming animated and stepped towards us1 evidently to take part in it4 ,at this juncture1 an elderly gentleman and his wife were ushered into the room4 ,they were duly introduced to us4 ,he was an astronomer4 ,he said that he and his wife had been in ,japan years ago when a transit of ,venus across the sun was taking place4 ,but their observation of the transit was a failure owing to bad weather4 ,they stayed eight years1 and waited for another transit1 but again he was disappointed2 because a sudden change in the weather obscured the heavens4 --',that must have been a great disappointment1' ,i said4 ',as to myself1 ,i have seen one such transit very well at a temporary observatory erected at ,yokohama4 ,it was very interesting to me1 unscientific as ,i am1 to see the sun reflected in white on the prepared ground1 and the planet1 a small black spot1 traversing slowly across the white surface4 ,of course1 one could also see the actual sun and planet through a smoked glass4 ,the transit ,i refer to might have been a different one1 or else the locality where ,i saw it from was not the same4 ,i will tell you a stupid experience of mine1' said ,i1 turning to others present4 ',there was a total eclipse of the sun1 some eighteen years ago4 ,i was on a trip1 and had to cross over a high mountain pass4 ,i1 and a few companions1 thought it would be great fun to see an eclipse from the summit of the mountain and observe all the changing phenomena of nature from there4 ,so we hurried on our way1 but by the time we reached the summit the sky was very cloudy1 it even showered1 and the consequence was that we did not see much and regretted that we had not stayed a little longer on the lower grounds1 from where the people saw the eclipse very well4 ,fancy the height of a mountain1--however high it may be1 it is only an infinitesimal part of the distance between the earth and the sun4 ,to think that we would be nearer to the sun if we climbed to the summit of the mountain was an act of great stupidity2 but such things often occur in actual life4 ,we often forget to think about the relative situation between ourselves and others1 and make our calculations according to fancy4 ,thus great errors are often committed4 ,such is the case when we play at games1 say at chess4 ,we make our moves1 thinking that our opponent would make his move just as we ourselves would do1 but the probability is that he makes a move totally different to our anticipation1 much to our chagrin and surprise4 ,all this arises from our negligence of making a proper estimate of the relative position occupied by both sides4' --',you seem to have some special reference in what you say1' said the marchioness4 ',by the bye1 ,madame ,p4 says she likes ,japan very much4' --',yes1 ,i do1' said the professor's wife4 ',i can never forget it4 ,miyanoshita1 ,nikko1 ,chiuzenzi1 and above all1 the scenery of the inland sea1 are superb4' --',yes1 those are the places which foreign travellers are fond of and talk about the most4 ,the accommodation of the warm spring of ,miyanoshita and the sights of the artistic buildings of the ,nikko temples seem to be thought much of4 ,chiuzenzi1 with its calm1 mirror-like lake1 is certainly an excellent summer resort1--no wonder most of the corps diplomatic in ,japan betake themselves thereto every summer4 ,but from our own point of view the ,nikko temples are new and consequently the arts displayed there are only of modern type1 elaborate but not deep4 ,they are not quite three hundred years old4 ,in fact1--,tokio itself is only a new town1 being scarcely three hundred years old4 ,one must go to ,kioto and ,nara if one wishes to see the real classical ,japan4 ,those are places where there are so many spots of historical and artistic interest1 not only in the towns themselves1 but also in the surrounding localities4' --',yes1 my husband and ,i had opportunities of visiting those places1 and we made very pleasant and interesting trips4' --',but how is it that ,tokio is such an important town in these days1 as ,i understand8' asked the marchioness4 --',i will explain1' said ,i4 ',tokio is situated on both banks of the mouth of a river called ,sumida1 about the same size as the ,seine1 running through the middle of a large flat land and flowing into the bay of ,tokio4 ,that flat land was formerly called ,musashi-no1 that is to say1 plain of ,musashi1--from the fact that the greater parts of it belong to the province of ,musashi 7we call it a large plain because ,japan is so mountainous and flat plains are so rare74 ,it is the plain which was sung of by a poet as one where the moon rises and sinks from grass to grass1 there being no mountain for her to seek shelter4 ,when ,tokugawa1 that is to say1 the family of the last ,shogunate1 became a powerful feudal lord about three hundred years ago1 it made the site of the present ,tokio its seat and built its castle on the spot where a small old castle had stood some time before4 ,towns had arisen around the castle1 which came to be known as ,yedo until it was changed into ,tokio thirty-eight years ago4 ,the town1 and1 indeed1 the castle itself1 had been gradually enlarged from time to time4 ,it is well known that1 not long after ,yedo was made the seat of ,tokugawa1 the house of ,tokugawa became the ,shogunate1 that is to say1 the military and administrative government of the empire which used to be called by foreigners the temporary chief of ,japan4 ,for nearly three hundred years the ,shogunate exercised great power4 ,all the feudal lords were obliged to reside in ,yedo every other year4 ,their families1 ,i mean wives and children1 had to live permanently in their mansions at ,yedo all the year round as a kind of hostage4 ,great lords usually had three mansions1 the upper1 the middle1 and the lower ones as they were called2 even small lords had two4 ,it was almost necessary for them to have several mansions because ,yedo was so famous for fire--fire was called the flowers of ,yedo--and they had to move their residence from one to the other in case of fire4 ,of course1 the magnitude of these mansions differed according to the rank and position of the owners1 but were mostly very large1 and a large number of retainers also resided in surrounding buildings1 though the exact number of the retainers also varied according to the ranks of the lords4 ,you may well imagine how expensive such establishments must have been4 ,hence also the flourishing condition of the town itself1 and thus ,yedo had become the largest town of the ,empire4 ,when the ,shogunate came to an end1 the emperor removed his residence to ,yedo and re-named it ,tokio1 that is to say1 the eastern capital in contrast to ,kioto1 which is also known as ,saikio1 i4e4 the western capital4 ,it was a masterstroke of the bold policy of the new ,government4 ,the removal went a long way in facilitating the renovation of ,japan1 for it helped the getting rid of old notions and introducing new ideas4 ,besides1 by assuming a commanding position over the whole country1 and having been thus made the new ,imperial capital1 ,tokio continues to maintain1 even advances in1 its prosperity4 ,voila6 the answer to your question4' --',i suppose ,tokio is much changed1 as people say8' asked the marchioness4 --',yes1 it is so1' ,i answered4 ',one can no longer see the ,tokio of thirty years ago4 ,the residences of the feudal lords in former days were very grand1 especially the parts just beyond the inner moats surrounding the castle1 where stood the residential mansions of great lords1 called ,daimio-,koji1 i4e4 broad way of the ,grand ,seigneurs4 ,the premises of these mansions generally formed a square1 the main building stood in the middle1 the four sides of the square were generally occupied by long lines of buildings in which the retainers lived4 ,there were several gateways1 the main entrance1 of course1 being the largest4 ,some great lords spent a good deal more money than necessary in making their mansions appear grand in order to efface any suspicion of their unfaithfulness to the ,shogunate--in other words1 they showed by so doing that they had no idea of accumulating wealth for secret designs4 ,i well remember those buildings1 but nothing is left of them now4 ,the very centre of the place where those houses stood is now a park4 ,the gates1 which were constructed of wood1 were very elaborate and imposing4 ,there are only three or four of them left in ,tokio1 but not on their old sites4 ,they are but reminiscences of old ones1 and reconstructed elsewhere by private persons as curiosities4 ,the streets where the great lords once marched in grand state are now crossed in all directions by electric tramways4 ,but we are not sorry for all that4' --',people say there will soon be no more old ,japan to be seen in ,japan1' said ,lady ,dulciana1 'unless one visits her without delay4' --',that is not likely1' ,i said4 ',a nation cannot completely metamorphosise itself at a moment's notice4 ,despite all those changes1 ,japan is still ,japan1 especially in the interior4 ,the old ,japan will not disappear during the lifetime of either you or me4 ,however1 we have a saying1 ,for good things let us hurry4 ,if you have any idea of going to see ,japan1 which ,i consider a good thing1 hurry by all means4' --',i suppose the style of residence in ,japan differed1 and still differs1 from ours8' asked the duchess4 --',yes1 very much2 and not only the grand residences1 but also the houses of all classes4 ,if you allow me to be candid1 ,i will tell you a conversation ,i had with a ,frenchman a little time ago on the very subject4 ,he asked me what ,i thought of the appearance of ,paris1 and if ,i did not think the rows of grand1 lofty houses which form the avenues and streets magnificent4 ,they are magnificent for sights1 ,i answered4 ,the last part of my remark made him a little suspicious1 and he pressed me to explain my meaning1 and ,i did so4 ,can you guess my answer8' --',no1 ,i cannot4' --',my answer was to the following effect4 ,you see1 here in ,paris1 people who dwell in a building generally occupy only one part of it4 ,they share a house and live in different flats and corners of the same building2 and yet the people1 who meet every day at their very door1 do not know each other4 ,their rooms are generally dark1 because the buildings overshadow each other4 ,they cannot move out of their rooms without putting on hat and jacket1 and generally have no spare ground attached to the house where they can rest or promenade4 ,they seldom see the moon or the beautiful morning and evening sun1 being buried in deep valleys of houses4 ,for practical purposes1 therefore1 my preference is for the style of my country--,i mean houses detached1 though not grand and lofty1 so that one can use every part of the building1 from the basement to the roof1 with some ground1 around the building1 be it large or small1 tastefully laid out into a garden4 ,i say1 therefore1 people who live in magnificent1 high buildings may not necessarily be happier than those who live in smaller and humbler dwellings4 ,this is what ,i said to that ,french friend of mine4 ,please excuse my making such remarks3 ,i have no thought of running down your style of living1 but have only been tempted to say what little good ,i can of my country4' --',when spaces are available1' said ,baron ,c1 'we also attach gardens to our houses4 ,apropos1 you were at the matine dance at the ,palais ,elyse1 were you not8' --',yes1 ,i had the pleasure of being invited by ,monsieur le ,president and ,madame ,loubet4' --',the trees there are fine1 are they not8' said ,baron ,c4 --',yes1 they are very fine1 and the gathering was fine also4 ,an incident which ,i experienced there was rather unique4 ,i was walking with ,madame ,matoni in the crowd4 ,we encountered two gentlemen clad in fashionable attire4 ,somehow or other1 ,madame ,matoni began conversing with one of them4 ,at the same time ,i heard a female voice echoing in my ears--,i could not imagine where it came from1 except from the gentleman with whom madame was talking4 ,i thought it very queer1 but presently ,i was introduced to them3 they were announced as ,monsieur and ,madame ,ecrivan4 ,then it occurred to me that the person whom ,i thought a gentleman was in reality a lady of whom ,i had heard something before4 ,she was an author attired like a man4' --',yes1 she is an author1 and a clever one too1' said the duchess4 ',but what did you think of the whole reception8' --',simplicity was1 ,i thought1 its features as compared with similar occasions in monarchical countries1 but it was in unison with the constitution of the country4 ,then1 too1 although somehow or other ,i missed entering into the dancing pavilion1 ,i understood the matine dance there was customarily given chiefly for the entertainment of the orphan daughters of army and naval officers4 ,the idea is pleasant4' --',and what of the ,president8' inquired one young lady4 --',a fine old gentleman1 ,i thought1 and kind-hearted too4 ,i was specially introduced to him1 in the garden1 after the formal reception4 ,he repeatedly pressed me to put my hat on while talking with him1 because the sun's rays glanced on my head through the foliage4' --',you met with many fashionable belles there1 too1 ,i suppose1' remarked another4 --',there were ,madame ,riviera1 who is so very vivacious1 and several other ladies2 ,i mean the wives of cabinet ministers and other high personages4 ,but on the whole1 ,i did not think the gathering was particularly unique for ,paris1 with regard to beauty4' --',by the bye1 have you ever seen ,mr4 ,roosevelt8' asked the duchess4 --',yes1 ,i have4 ,he impresses one at first sight with his enormous energy and intellectual power4 ,he likes ,japan4 ,he was taking lessons in jiujitsu under a ,japanese master when ,i was at ,washington early last year4 ,he told me he had been practising it three times a week4' --',yes1' said the duchess1 ',i understand jiujitsu is much in vogue in ,england and ,america just at present4' --',it seems so4 ,in ,new ,york and ,washington some ladies are also taking lessons1 ,i am told2 so also in ,england1 as you know4' --',but ,i suppose even in ,japan it is only studied something like fencing is in our fencing schools1 not as a part of the universal education4' --',just so1' ,i answered4 ',it does not form a part of the general education1 though it is very extensively studied in the higher colleges and schools4' --',it looks certainly like an art worth paying attention to1' said the duchess4 --',here1 too1 some time ago1' said ,baron ,c41 'a ,japanese jiujitsu master once came to ,paris and gave an exhibition at a theatre1 challenging1 with the offer of a prize1 any ,frenchman who would combat with him4 ,no ,frenchman won4 ,they were beaten one after the other4 ,the people did not like so much humiliation1 and the audience decreased1 so the master had to go back to ,london2 such is the ,frenchman4' --',well1' said ,i1 'it might have been only a momentary caprice1 perhaps because ,japan is not your ally1 but the audience could not have been diminished for such a cause as you say4 ,there can be no notion of humiliation1 because it is a question of art4 ,however1 if the ,occidentals1 with their natural strength and physique1 become well equipped with that art1 we the small ,japs shall never be a match for them2 so ,i would rather wish you ,occidentals do not learn the art4' ,all present broke into laughter1 and in a minute or two ,i was once more wafted through the air and making my way elsewhere4 ,,iii ,japanese art and the ,west--,night-ftes--,sale of flowers and plants--,singing ,insects--,a discussion on the moon1 flowers1 snow1 etc4--,music of snow and rain--,lines on hailstones--,a particular evening for lunar perspective--,a blind scholar and his wife--,the deaf1 dumb1 and blind of ,japan--,the calendar and its radical change in ,japan--,calumnies on ,japan1 and an anonymous letter--,japanese ways of counting ages--,the question of women and a lady's opinion on ,japanese women--,lafcadio ,hearn--,japanese names--,difficulty of distinguishing between ',l' and ',r'--,discussion on pronunciation--,london and ,tokio patois--,japanese nobility and the method of addressing nobility --,books on ,japan--,once more on ,lafcadio ,hearn--,discussion on women's education--,the ,risen ,sun ,time and space in dreamland have become more inconsecutive1 and events have crowded rapidly one on another4 ,in dreamland1 moreover1 one frequently sees in an incongruous group people who in ordinary life seldom come into contact with one another4 ,such is my experience4 ,now ,i found myself guest at a reception given by a lady whose residence was in the neighbourhood of the ,grand ,opera1 where ,i met a number of authors and critics of both sexes4 ,then at our ,legation1 near the l',arc de ,triomphe1 where ,i was spending the evening in a large company1 which included several ladies of my own country4 ,again at the soire of an association interested in things ,japanese1 where also were members of both sexes1 and then1 hey presto6 all these events and places would transform themselves into one single scene1 as though they had been but one and the same gathering4 ,i remember well that at the meeting of the association a special toast was proposed after dinner by the president in my honour1 to which ,i responded1 saying how much ,i thanked its members for their sympathy for ,japan4 ,the little which ,japan had been made known to ,france1 or perhaps to ,europe1 was largely due to the appreciation of the ,japanese arts by those present1 and some others who had preceded them1 such as ,,mm4 ,bing and ,guimet4 ,i also said that a nation having an art such as ours1 though perhaps not equal to the best arts of ,europe1 could not be so savage and wild as many calumniators represent1 and further1 that ,i wished ,frenchmen1 and indeed ,europeans generally1 would study and examine ,japan a little more1 and cast away their prejudices4 ,i also remarked en passant that the oriental section of the ,louvre was anything but strong in ,japanese objets d'art1 ,japanese painting was scarcely represented at all4 ,other conversations that ,i had were an agglomeration1 so that ,i cannot remember where and with whom they were held4 --',by the bye1 have you seen the ftes of ,neuilly8' asked a lady4 --',yes1 ,i have seen them1' ,i answered2 'but the place was so crowded1 ,i could scarcely stand4 ,it was interesting to watch the common people enjoy themselves4 ,one thing which struck me most in the fte was that there were so many mnage aux chevaux 7roundabouts7 without any horses at all4 ,all the objects on which people were riding were other animals--even pigs1 the dirtiest animal on earth4' --',but pigs are considered objects of luck4' --',ah6 that's an ideal notion of the civilised people1 ,i presume4' --',have you any similar ftes in your country8' --',yes1 we have4 ,in ,tokio1 especially1 we have ftes very similar almost all the year round1 though not on so large a scale as your night-ftes of ,neuilly4 ,in ,tokio there are one or two ftes in the same night in some quarters of the town4 ,there are many small shrines in different parts of ,tokio1 and the ftes are nominally in their honour4 ,i say nominally1 because most people who go there1 go to see the sights or the pretty things rather than to do homage to the shrines4 ,each of these shrines has a certain day which is kept in its honour4 ,in our ftes the things most sold are small plants and flowers with their roots1 so that they may be planted as they are6 ,they are taken to the ftes by gardeners living in the suburbs1 who make this kind of business their regular occupation1 and therefore the occasion is more properly considered as the gardeners' evening4 ,sweets1 toys1 and small light objects for domestic use are sold1 and there are different kinds of entertainments as well4 ,the nature of your evening ftes seems very different4 ,in fact1 ,i have not seen any plants or flowers sold there4' --',the difference seems remarkable2 but what do you do with those plants and flowers8' --',there is a difference between our common people and yours4 ,you see the bulk of those who frequent the fte in ,tokio are ordinary townspeople4 ,they buy the plants or flowers for a small sum of money2 when first offered for sale a high price is asked1 but it is quite an understood thing to bargain and at last to buy at a very low price4 ,the more advanced the evening1 the cheaper one can get them4 ,the bargaining at these ftes is so lively that it has become proverbial1 and people often say1 this or that is not like buying night-fte plants4 ,it is1 however1 a mistake if one were to suppose bargaining is a common thing at every shop in ,japan1 as in ,italy or ,egypt4 ,well1 these people1 however moderate their means1 purchase one or other of the plants or flowers and take them home1 and plant them either in their small gardens or in pots and vessels1 and place them in their rooms4 ,some plants or flowers are already planted in a tasteful manner in pots or vessels of different shapes1 so that they may be used as they are4 ,the people are very happy with these objects4 ,in summer and autumn all sorts of singing insects#a are sold in pretty little cages4 ,in the ,orient1 unlike in the ,occident1 the term insect itself is very poetic1 and conveys more of the significance of the singing than of the object itself4' --',i have always heard that your people in general are very artistic1' said she4 ',i should like to follow their sentiments in regard to nature4 ,for instance1 when we look at the moon we sometimes become very sentimental4' --',you mean in such cases as the night-scene where sweet ,jessica and her lover ,lorenzo sang ,in such a night1 in such a night as this4' --',exactly4' --',well1 in that respect1' ,i answered1 'we are perhaps more developed than other peoples4 ,even the etymology of our language proves it4 ,we have such terms as ,hanami1 that is a flower-seeing2 ,tsukimi1 that is moon-seeing2 and ,yukimi1 that is1 snow-seeing4 ,you have phrases such as to see the flowers1 to see the moon1 and to see the snow1 but these are hardly an equivalent4 ,our phrases imply a deeper feeling1 both poetical and artistic2 may even imply an act of seeing those objects in the company of congenial friends4 ,the snow is1 as ,i indicated1 one of these sights4 ,apropos of snow1 ,i went to ,richmond once in company with a few compatriots1 to see the snow-scene in the park there1 whence one commands a beautiful view of the river ,thames4 ,many years afterwards ,i was asked if we had snow in my country 7you know this kind of question is asked of us very often74 ,i answered ,yes4 ,thereupon a lady1 who happened to remember that ,i had gone to ,richmond to see the snow there years ago1 abruptly remarked1 ,oh6 ,i thought you had no snow in your country4 ,when ,i replied1 ,what makes you think so1 she said1 ,because you went to ,richmond on purpose to see the snow4 ,i had then to explain that our excursion to ,richmond was not because we did not know what snow was1 but because we liked to see the sight4 ,we do not get tired of seeing such scenes any more than you ,europeans get tired of going to the opera1 to see1 or rather to hear the same opera over and over again1 as for instance ,faust4' --',but at the opera we can satisfy our sense of sight as well as that of hearing1' said a young lady1 'but what of the snow6 ,it has no colour1 being white1--it has no sound3 besides1 the season must be cold and the very sight of it must be chilling4' --',you are partly right1 ,i admit1 but is not white the very ideal of purity8 ,are you not very fond of it8 ,do not you ladies like wearing pure white dresses8 ,are you not wearing one at this very moment8 ,we ,japanese are very fond of white4 ,the ideal colour of ,shintoism is white4 ,according to that creed1 even for mourning1 white is preferred to black4 ,it suggests a notion of cleanliness1 which is the essence of the creed4 ,besides1 you cannot surely say opera boxes are ideally comfortable4 ,they are not cold1 it is true1 but certainly they are generally stifling4 ,one sees there scenery1 but what is it compared with the grandeur of nature4 ,then again1 you cannot exactly say snow has no sound4 ,we1 in our poetry1 speak of the music of falling snow1 or the music of dropping rain4 ,those sounds are considered especially musical in the depth of night3 we even poetise the sounds of falling hailstones4 ,there is a well-known poem on a hailstorm composed some seven centuries ago4 ,it is a short poem1 as ours usually are1 but to us it gives a deep impression1 and animates a martial spirit4 ,it is difficult to translate1 but it runs somewhat like this3 ,oh see in this wilderness of vast ,nasu ,how the hailstones dash on the frozen ground6 ,and ring on the gauntlets of hunters bold ,as they draw their arrows from leathern fold6 --',many hundred years after this poem was composed1 when our country was enjoying a perfect peace1 a well-known statesman1 reflecting on that poem1 gave his own bent of thought1 as follows3 ,not knowing the age when hailstones rang ,on the gauntlets of warriors' hands2 ,warmly enveloped ,i lay me down1 ,listening all night to their dropping sound4 --',apropos of hailstones1 what a strange occurrence it was the other day1 when hailstones ravaged the vicinity of ,paris1 and that too in the height of summer4 ,i met a compatriot and his wife1 now staying near ,st4 ,germain1 at a small gathering on the evening of the same day1 and they described the size of the stones and the damage done to the glass of the different houses4 ,at first no one present believed them1 but my friends did their best to explain that some of the stones they picked up and put on a tray were still large when they had left their home several hours afterwards4 ,what they said was perfectly true1 for ,i read in the papers next morning that in some places the hailstones were like eggs and weighed on an average from twenty to forty grammes2 some even two hundred grammes4 ,but ah6 how silly ,i am to tell you all this1 as you must all be well aware of it4' --',never mind1' said those present1 'but please proceed with your discourse4' --',well1 there is a particular night of the year which is considered the best for the moon-scene2 the #aeth of ,august by the ,lunar ,calendar4 ,the people generally get up a small social gathering to celebrate that evening4 ,it was on one of those occasions that ,hanawa1 the celebrated blind scholar of ,japan1 gently sang as he sighed3 ,if it were a flower1 ,i might touch it4 ',the line does not sound very sympathetic when translated into a foreign language1 but in the original ,japanese it is full of poetry1 and the meaning is understood that he could not even console himself by the sense of touch4 ,the remark was overheard by his wife1 who pathetically joined him by singing3 ,this ,moon6 'tis the night that makes blind men's wives weep4 --',very fine and pathetic2 but you said just now celebrated blind scholar1' remarked a lady4 ',what do you mean by that8 ,do you mean to say he was a blind poet like ,homer8' --',no1 he was not exactly a poet1 but a great scholar4 ,in ,england there was a celebrated blind scholar1 ,fawcett1 and ,hanawa was our ,fawcett4 ,he was a ,professor under the ,shogunate ,government1 and one of the best and largest collections of rare old ,japanese books made by him was his crowning achievement1 and we are all much indebted to him4' --',i suppose there are as many blind1 deaf1 and dumb in your country as in any other8' asked another2 'and what do they do1 or rather1 what do you do with them8' --',there are some deaf1 dumb1 and blind schools at present1 and those1 among them1 who are fortunate1 are educated there as in ,europe4 ,there was no such school in former days1 but much care was taken of the blind1 even more than at present4' --',in what way8' asked she4 --',in former days the blind had several privileges4 ,in the first place1 there was a special order consisting of several degrees1 which was bestowed on meritorious blind people2 next1 there was a law which protected blind men when lending money1 so that they had great facility in getting their dues paid1 inasmuch as a lay debtor was summarily ordered to pay any claim raised by a blind man4 ,then the musical profession was generally assigned to them1 thus1 the professors of the ,koto1 a stringed instrument1 were generally blind men1 and they had the privilege of giving out diplomas to their pupils4 ,in the country parts1 blind men were allowed to make a round of visits to the different houses of the gentry1 singing a particular kind of war-song1 called ,heike1 to the accompaniment of the ,biwa1 another kind of stringed instrument4 ,then again1 the ,amma1 the ,japanese massage was mostly the profession of blind men4' ',you say blind men1 but what of blind women8' asked another4 --',ah6 ,i was wrong1 for ,i have only spoken of blind men1 but blind women were accounted much the same4 ,but that ,japanese ,amma1 ,i can never forget it1 especially after hard work when one's muscles have become stiffened4 ,it is such a soothing remedy4 ,in ,europe massage is used only for people who have some ailment1 but in ,japan ordinary people very commonly make use of it1 and consequently a large number of blind people follow that occupation4 ,the protection of the blind under the old rgime was1 of course1 good in its aim1 but it produced some abuse1 and1 besides1 the great change of all methods of administration also affected the privileges given them4 ,there is no longer any order bestowed on them1 nor any special protection given to blind money-lenders1 but in other respects their occupations remain pretty much the same4' --',you have just spoken of lunar months of ,august1' said another3 'here in ,paris the ,russian ,embassy and the ,chinese ,legation celebrate their ,new ,year each differently from ours4 ,russia still sticks to the old style of calendar though solar2 and ,china seems to hold to the lunar4 ,how is it with you8 ,your calendar does not seem to differ from ours4' --',yes1 our calendar at present is exactly the same as yours1' ,i answered4 ',it used to be lunar1 as is the ,chinese1 but it is now thirty-four years since we adopted the solar by a stroke of the pen1 that is to say1 by an edict of the ,emperor4 ,we thought in this world of cosmopolitanism that it was rather inconvenient for the different nations to have different calendars1 and that it would be expedient to follow the example of the majority of the nations4 ,we considered it a bold stroke of policy1 but you see all such changes are made subjects of ridicule1 and the ,japanese are called mere imitators4' --',oh no1 you go too far1' said another4 ',no one ridicules ,japan for that kind of change4 ,it was excellent4' --',and yet1' said ,i1 'all other changes are exactly the same in our eyes as that one4' --',people are now beginning to understand ,japan1' said she4 --',may be1' ,i said4 ',i am very glad of it1 but1 you see1 our calumniators even now make very unjust accusations against us1 and still speak of us as monkeys4 ,since my arrival in ,europe1 not only have ,i noticed that these things have been written in newspapers1 but ,i have myself received many letters of that kind4 ,i cannot think what good they can do by sending me such letters and wasting stamps4 ,i suppose they are but an infinitesimal part of the money spent for such purposes by our opponents4 ,this very day1 when ,i was coming out of the hotel1 ,i received one of those letters3 the postmark is ,paris4 ,i read it through on the way1 and ,i have it still here4 ,it is this3 you may read it4' ,so saying1 ,i handed the letter to the lady1 and she read it out as follows3 ',,mon ,,cher ,,singe ,,jaune1--,vous singes jaunes1 voulez avoir beaucoup de pices jaunes--travaillez--vous les aurez2 mais avec votre tuerie--vous n'arriverez pas les avoir--je vous assure4 ,fichez le camp--allez habiter aux ,philipines4 ,l',europe et l',amrique sont fermes aux singes jaunes sauvages4 ,vous martirisez chez vous les femmes6 ,votre meilleur homme ,yoma 7sic7--en a tu plusieurs4 ,vous tes singes jaunes trs mprisables--oh1 bientt l'or aura raison de vos hordes 444 ,souvenez-vous de mes singes4 ,singes jaunes sauvages dgoutants4 ,,miss ,,nelly4 ',qui ne vous aime pas3 oh du tout4444' ,finishing the reading1 the lady exclaimed1 ',what a shame6' in which all those listening joined4 ,said ,i1--',the letter evidently refers to the question of indemnity4 ,you see1 it is written on a telegraph-form1 and the article and the song1 both equally disgusting1 pasted purposely for me to read1 are cuttings from ,russophile papers3 you can pretty well surmise from what source it came2 the signature is also amusing6' --',shame6' they all exclaimed once more1 but we all soon burst into laughter4 ,when the laughter1 whereby the peace of my dreamland had been a trifle disturbed1 subsided1 a lady present said3 --',you have a peculiar way of counting one's age1 have you not8 ,has that anything to do with the calendar8 ,don't you say1 for instance1 a baby born the year before the last1 three years old8' --',yes1' ,i answered1 'we still do so in ordinary conversation4 ,but it has nothing to do with the calendar2 it is only a matter of usage4 ,you see the year in which one is born is counted as one year1 and the year in which one is counting is counted as another1 and therefore1 a child born the year before last is reckoned as three years old4 ,in the case of a dead person1 the year in which he died is counted as one year2 therefore1 when you read of the age of our heroes or statesmen in history1 you have always to take that into account4 ,in former days1 young ladies born late in the year used to complain to their mothers that they had a disadvantage in point of age4 ,young ladies like to minimise their age all over the world4 ,don't they8' --',no joking1 please4' --',very well6 since the alteration of the calendar we have adopted your mode of reckoning for legal purposes1 and we say in that case1 full so many years4 ,it is therefore rather strange in actual society to hear people often speaking of so many years of age according to the new style1 and so many years according to the old style4' --',it must sound very odd4 ,apropos of ladies1 ,i adore ,japanese ladies1' said a lady4 --',ah6 that's too much3 surely you do not think so1' ,i remarked4 ,the lady just referred to was an ,american by birth1 who came to ,france when a mere child1 and having grown up in this country had married a ,frenchman4 ,the couple were out in ,japan for many years4 ,they had several children1 the majority of whom were born there4 ,she had resided in one of the most populous towns1 her husband having been attached to a certain public function4 ,she seemed not entirely to approve of the social condition of ,france4 --',france will be ruined by her women4 ,look1 for instance1 at the condition of ,paris1' she said4 --',you jest4 ,i imagine your ideal of women must be very different from ours1' ,i said4 --',no6 ,not at all1' she answered4 --',and yet1' said ,i1 'the question of the status of women is becoming more keen1 far more keen in ,america than in this country4 ,i have observed it in many writings4' --',that's true1 ,i dare say1' she said4 --',a little time ago1' ,i continued1 ',i read an article describing the influence of ,american wives and daughters over their husbands and parents4 ,i remember one instance mentioned in that article4 ,the daughter of a well-to-do business man took a fancy to live in a town where she had been on a visit for a little time4 ,she prevailed on her father to remove their home to that town4 ,he did so1 and the result was his total ruin in consequence of losing old customers and not obtaining new4 ,the story may be a little exaggerated4' --',no1 it is quite possible1' she said4 ',i like ,japanese ladies and their children4 ,the ,japanese ladies ,i met with were so sweet and gentle and real models of women4 ,i came to know them very intimately in this way4 ,you see1 in the town where ,i lived there is an association for the promotion of the mutual interests of ,france and ,japan1 the members being mostly ,frenchmen4 ,no lady was admitted into membership at first4 ,i insisted on having it done4 ,i was the first lady member4 ,i induced many ,japanese ladies to become members4 ,the views ,i held were that mutual understanding could only be promoted by both sexes associating with each other4 ,we found the innovation work very satisfactory4 ,i often invited ,japanese ladies to my home to spend an afternoon or evening4 ,i usually caused them to bring their children1 and made them play with mine4 ,i did all this with as little ceremony as possible1 because only by doing so can real friendship be brought about4 ,i1 of course1 returned the visits and took my children with me4 ,during that intercourse ,i naturally came to know a great deal about the ,japanese ladies1 and for that reason ,i think so much of them4 ,they are real ideals of women4 ,perhaps a little more freedom for them might be good1 but on the whole nothing more could be desired4 ,don't let them get spoilt by the evil influence of the ,west4' --',i think ,i must reserve my remarks1 either pro or con1' ,i said1 'but it is curious to notice what divergence of opinion there is relating to the condition of ,japanese women4 ,perusing casually a book by ,lafcadio ,hearn a little time ago1 ,i came across a passage where he speaks of ,japanese women as being the most artistic objects1 as it were1 of the most artistic nation of the world1 and laments that this perfection will be deteriorated by the influence of time4 ,there is a lady of good birth in ,london whom ,i know very well1 who admires ,japanese ladies very much1 though ,i am not quite sure that she herself would like to live like a ,japanese lady4 ,she told me that when the time came for her two boys to marry she would send them to ,japan in order to be married out there4 ,her words may not have been mere passing compliments1 for she has contributed to a monthly an article under the title of the ,true ,chrysanthemum1 which pays a very high tribute to the ,japanese women4 ,on the other hand1 however1 few ,occidentals know what the ,japanese women are1 and writers are not wanting who cast upon them sweeping condemnation4 ,they even say that ,japanese women know not what is chastity1 and even that no such word exists in the ,jananese language4' --',what nonsense6' --',excuse me for pushing my remarks to such a point as this1' ,i continued1 'but you see ,i am so blunt in expression1 and ,i cannot make my meaning plain unless ,i use such cut-and-dry phrases4 ,in my own opinion1 without any partiality for my own country1 ,i think ,i can confidently say that chastity is far more practised in ,japan than in any other nation4' --',hearn's books1 which you have just mentioned1 are charming1' said another lady4 ',i have read some of them4 ,they go1 ,i think1 a long way in contradicting those unfair charges4' --',yes1 ,i think so too1' said ,i4 ',but1 you know1 one tongue is nothing against a hundred1 as we say4 ,however that may be1 he was a fine writer4 ,it is sad that he died last year4 ,he made1 as he said1 the study of the ,japanese heart and thought his special subject4 ,all his books1 therefore1 are concerned with some sort of ,japanese psychology4 ,they are generally so full of pathos and feeling that even ,japanese readers are often moved to tears4' --',then you have read all his books4 ,i should like you to give me the outline of them at your leisure1' she said4 --',i don't think that would be possible1 because ,i don't know them all4' --',but you have just now said all his books1 as though you knew all1' she said4 --',no6' ,i answered1 ',i have not read all4 ,i have seen most of the titles1 and some pages here and there1 and guessed all the rest4 ,you see1 nowadays1 printing is comparatively so cheap and people are so fond of writing1 and further1 nine-tenths of the writers have their books printed at their own expense1 so that the publishers run no1 risk4 ,if1 therefore1 one tries to read all books1 one would become a mere bookworm and a good-for-nothing fellow4 ,once a compatriot of mine1 when in ,germany1 was admitted into the study of a great professor4 ,the four walls were covered with nothing but shelves of books4 ,the professor said that all those books were sent to him by writers of all nations who were engaged in the same pursuits as himself4 ,as a matter of fact he was a jurist1 and all those books were on law4 ,the visitor asked if he had read all of them1 to which the professor answered ,yes4 ,thereupon he observed1 ,impossible1 you could not have had time to read them all4 ,the professor then explained that the essential points of any book were all known to experts1 so that a few pages on those points1 which could easily be found by index1 were sufficient to know all that was contained in a book4 ,in that way1 he said1 he read all the books which had come to him4' --',what a joke6' said the lady4 ',but what kind of man was he8 ,i mean ,mr4 ,hearn4 ,his life seems to have been much in the clouds4' --',so far as ,i am aware of1' said ,i1 'he was born in ,lafcadi1 one of the ,ionian ,islands1 when it was under ,english occupation1 having an ,irish father1 ,i believe1 and a ,greek mother4 ,he passed his early years in ,england until he became a youth1 when he went to ,america1 where he remained until after the prime of life4 ,he then went to ,japan1 and in course of time married a ,japanese lady and became a naturalised subject there4 ,so he was a regular cosmopolitan4 ,he always occupied some position as teacher1 and was much liked by his numerous pupils4 ,his ,japanese name was ,koizumi ,yakumo4 ,technically speaking1 he caused himself to be adopted by the family of his wife1 and so took their family name ,koizumi for his surname1 and ,yakumo for his personal name1 or1 as you call it1 ,christian name4' --',what you have just said somewhat strikes me1' remarked the lady4 ',you have put the ,christian name after the surname4' --',ah6' said ,i1 that's a reasonable question4 ,perhaps you don't know that in ,japan we put our family name first4 ,that is to say ,gambetta ,lon instead of ,lon ,gambetta1 if he were a ,japanese4 ,it is so with the ,chinese2 it is also so with the ,hungarians4 ,it is one of the proofs which the ,hungarians produce as being descendants of the same stock as the ,orientals4 ,when1 however1 we are in ,europe1 or write with ,european letters1 we generally reverse the order and make it agree with the ,european method4 ,well1 unless we do that1 we are liable to be called wrongly by having our names reversed1 in such a fashio as ,monsieur ,lon1 or ,monsieur ,g4 ,lon1 instead of ,monsieur ,gambetta1 or ,monsieur ,l4 ,gambetta4 ,such absurdities often occur in reality1 and it is very inconvenient4 --',i see3 that accounts for many discrepancies which exist in writing som well-known ,japanese names1 as ,i occasionally notice in books or papers written in a foreign language2 but it is no use to refer to the ,japanese by name1 their names are too difficult for us to remember--it took me weeks to remember your name correctly4' --',just so1' ,i answered1 ',it is equally difficult for us to remember ,european names4 ,it is the reason why ,i do not recollect many people to whom ,i am continually introduced2 to confess1 ,i do not remember your name correctly4 ,russian names are particularly difficult to remember1 not only to us ,orientals1 but to ,anglo-,saxons1 even to you1 the ,french4 ,do you know that in ,england ,rodjestvensky1 before he became famous and well known1 was called simply ,roj very often1 and aliens sometimes called him ,rotten-cheese-sky4 ,poor admiral6 ,witte is simple enough to remember4 ,we ,japanese remember and often write ,general ,kuropatkin as ,kurobato1 that is to say1 black pigeon4 ,of course1 association is the best means of remembrance4 ,we remember your words ,salle--manger by ,sara-mongi1 that is1 a plate and written characters1 and the ,english word ,minister as me-no-shita1 that is1 below the eyes4 ,in fact1 me-no-shita is used very commonly in corrupt ,english at the open ports of ,japan4 ,frans-,me-no-shita is ,french ,minister1 and ,igiris-,me-no-,shita is ,english ,minister4 ,a dozen years ago there was in ,japan an enterprising man who advertised that he had invented a good system of memory1 and even opened a school4 ,it was no other than remembering things by association1 and ,i think there is a good deal in it4 ,a little time ago1 as you know1 their ,highnesses ,prince and ,princess ,arisugawa were on a visit to ,europe4 ,lord ,lansdowne had great difficulty in remembering the name4 ,our ,me-no-shita in ,london asked him if there were not a ,princess ,alice in ,england1 to which his ,lordship replied ,yes4 ,he then asked if there were not a street called ,gower ,street1 to which his ,lordship similarly answered ,yes4 ,thereupon our minister said3 ,very well1 ,princess ,alice and ,gower ,street1 that makes ,arisugawa4 ,after that his lordship1 the ,foreign ,secretary of ,great ,britain1 remembered the name of our ,prince and ,princess very well4' --',that's all very well1' said she3 'but you mix up r and l altogether4' --',that's true1' ,i answered1 'it is the weakest point for us in speaking ,european tongues4 ,we cannot1 or at least without the greatest difficulty1 make any difference in pronouncing r and l4 ,thus right and light become alike when we speak4 ,it is very necessary to think of that fact when you talk with a ,japanese4 ,all this arises from the fact that in the ,chinese and ,japanese tongues there are not two different sounds of r and l2 those sounds in ,japanese are more like your ra1 ri1 ru1 re1 ro1 whilst they are la1 li1 lu1 le1 lo in ,chinese4' --',i have noticed it very often1' she said1 'even while you talk you do the same4 ,your allusion to remembering things by association is very true2 we do the same very often4 ,but it often produces curious errors4' --',true1' ,i said1 ',i know a few instances4 ,in ,japan there is a kind of cloth1 mostly used for ngliges1 called ,yukata1 a bath-cloth1 so called because it was originally used after the bath4 ,we call the evening ,yiukata1 the only difference being the u in one case being pronounced longer than in the other4 ,we call shower ,yiudachi4 ,a ,european lady married to a ,japanese appears to have tried to remember the bath-cloth by association4 ,she went to a draper's and asked for a ,yiudachi 7shower7 in place of ,yiukata 7evening74 ,no one understood it4 ,she was speaking of shower instead of evening1 the result of trying to speak by association4 ,we have two ways of counting1 and we call the number ten either jiu or to4 ,we have a certain kind of boxes which are made to fit one on top of the other1 and only the topmost box has a lid4 ,they are called jiu-bako1 which means piling boxes4 ,they are used in households very commonly4 ,the same lady appears to have remembered that name by jiu1 that is1 ten of the number according to one of two ways1 and ,hako1 a box4 ,one day she called her servant to bring to-bako instead of jiu-bako4 ,the servants1 of1 course1 did not understand her4 ,the lady misused the association of counting ten in one way instead of the other4' --',you said you had no difference between r and l1 but ,i suppose you have almost all sounds of our tongue4' --',no1' ,i answered1 'we have not4 ,we have1 for instance1 no sound of f or v4 ,in some parts of the country people pronounce ha1 hi1 he1 ho like fa1 fi1 fe1 fo1 but it is considered bad dialect4 ,the want of v and f in our letters is a point of great difficulty in transcribing foreign words into our writing1 but we employ a new method for doing so4 ,on the other hand1 our h is pronounced very acutely4 ,you say you have h mute and h aspirate1 but in practice ,i never see1 or rather hear1 any aspiration at all4 ,hence1 ,count ,hisamatsu1 our actual military attach1 is always called by the ,french1 as he complains1 ,isamatsu1 which is not his ,japanese name at all4 ,this fact reminds me of a similar matter concerning our own ,tokio4 ,the genuine ,tokio people generally pronounce ,hi as shi4 ,it is curious1 but it is a fact4 ,this often causes comical mistakes to be made by servant-girls who are told by their mistresses to pronounce it correctly1 for they often mix up and use hi in place of shi and vice versa4 ,mind6 ,tokio is the capital of ,japan1 but its language is not the purest of the ,japanese language4 ,the same holds good in ,london4 ,it is rather strange for us to notice that in ,london the h is so commonly misused4 ,i once went to a master1 or rather mistress1 as she was a woman1 of elocution1 or at least she advertised herself as such1 and she told me that one must be very careful not to be corrupted by the ,london patois1 and that one must not say am and hegg for ham and egg1 but while she was telling me those things she herself was making an awful mangling of the h4 ,no wonder6 ,she was a pure ,londoner4 ,i went to her no more4' --',that's too awful6 ,she could not have been a well-educated woman1 or you are telling us an exaggerated story4' --',maybe she was not well educated1' said ,i1 'but my story is a plain1 naked fact4 ,it is very difficult1 ,i think1 to get rid of colloquial corruption when once thoroughly imbued with it1 even with all the aids of education4 ,i can relate an incident bearing on the point4 ,there is1 in ,japan1 far away from ,tokio1 a district where people in common parlance can make no difference between shi and su4 ,once ,i went to that district and gave a lecture to a large gathering of students belonging to the higher schools of the district4 ,seven or eight of the most capable students took down my speech1 and a complete draft of it was made by them1 the defective parts having been supplied by one from the other4 ,it was published in the local papers4 ,it was most perfect1 as though taken by shorthand1 except in one respect1 and it was that shi and su had been intermingled1 as though ,i had spoken in the local dialect4 ,it seems that not only are they unable to distinguish the difference when they themselves speak1 but also when they hear other people speak4 ,it is a great drawback to the development of the district4 ,the local authorities hire teachers from other districts and try to correct this defect1 but with little success4 ,the function of our ears is strange4 ,sounds which are quite distinct to some people are quite indistinct to others4 ,our music has not so high a variation of tune as the ,western music1 but it has sufficient variation to please our ears2 but the ,occidentals compare our music to the beating of a drum by a child--no tune and no variation1 the reason being1 ,i think1 because our tunes and variations are quite inaudible to the ,western ear4 ,from the same point of view1 crows or cows1 and1 indeed1 all living animals have their own language1 only our ears cannot distinguish the difference of their words one from another4' --',another pleasantry1 ,i perceive1' remarked a lady4 ',but tell me1 baron1 how do you pronounce the name of your great statesman1 ,ito8 ,is it pronounced like a-i-t-o-1 that is to say1 i in the ,english way of pronouncing ,ireland8' --',no1' ,i said1 'like a-i-t-o- without a1 that is to say1 i in your own ,french way of pronouncing ,ireland4 ,i will once for all give you a good clue how to pronounce ,japanese names1 which you must come across very often nowadays in the newspapers4 ,i is pronounced always like i in your il or ,english ill4 ,our ,e is always like e in ,french tat or t4 ,g is always hard gutteral1 that is to say1 ga like g in ,gambetta1 ge like ge in ,english get1 and ge in ,german1 and your gue4 ,gi like gi in the ,english gift1 and your gui in ,guillaume1 and1 therefore1 you must pronounce ,general ,nogi like ,general ,nogui in the ,french way1 and not like ,noji or ,nozi as you generally do4 ,our go is always go1 in ,english got1 unless the o is a long one as in ,tg1 and our gu is always like a simple g in ,gladstone and ,grant4' --',but how do you then account for u8' interposed she4 --',our u preceded by a consonant1' ,i answered1 'is generally sounded very1 very slightly--almost inaudibly1 in fact--so much so that you need take no notice of it4 ,therefore ku1 su1 mu1 etc41 are like simple k1 s1 m1 etc4 ,there is another secret in pronouncing our names1 and it is this3 when a consonant is followed by a vowel1 pronounce it always together with the vowel4 ,thus yoritomo should be pronounced yo-ri-to-mo1 and not yor-i-tom-o1 and pronounce it without putting any accent3 if you follow this rule1 you will get nearer to the right pronunciation4' ,there was among those present the daughter of ,prince ,ichijo1 naval attach to the ,japanese ,legation4 ,she was addressed by a person present as ,miss ,ichijo4 ,this appears to have struck a lady present1 who was at a little distance from her4 ,she said to me3 --',is not that young lady of very high birth8' --',yes1 she is4 ,her parentage is very high1 though not of the ,imperial blood4' --',is she not a daughter of ,prince ,ichijo8' --',yes1 she is the daughter by his first wife1 who is no more2 the present princess is his second wife1 also of high birth1 being a daughter of one of our former great feudal lords4' --',how is it1 then1 that the young lady is addressed as ,miss4 ,if she were a ,european1 she would certainly be addressed as princess1 or by some other title8' --',you are right in thinking so1' ,i answered2 'but in ,japan the titles of nobility are only borne personally by the chief of the family and his wife4 ,all the other members of the family differ in no way from ordinary people1 except that they share the membership of the family4 ,in this respect our system totally differs from that of ,continental ,europe4 ,the ,english system is like ours as far as law goes1 but there also the younger members of noble families enjoy some distinction by courtesy4 ,this is the reason why one hears of a marquis1 an earl1 or a viscount speaking in the ,house of ,commons as an ,m4,p4' --',i suppose your system of nobility is pretty much the same as the ,western ones in other respects1' said she4 --',yes1 our titles of nobility are divided into five grades1 corresponding1 for example1 to the ,english duke1 marquis1 earl1 viscount1 and baron4 ,the first grade1 which corresponds to the ,english duke1 is generally translated as prince2 ,i don't know who began it but it is so4 ,in ,germany the highest title of nobility is ,frst1 as you know1 and it is translated as prince in ,english or ,french4 ,i believe the analogy is taken from that fact4 ,it must not1 however1 be confounded with the princes of ,imperial blood1 for in ,japanese the two titles in question are absolutely distinct1 though1 translated into the ,european languages1 they sound very much alike4' --',what books written in ,english on ,japan would you recommend me to read8' asked one lady4 --',i cannot say with much authority1 because naturally ,i have not spent much time over those books1 but began it from what ,i have observed and from what ,i have heard from other people ,lafcadio ,hearn's are the best to study the ,japanese character1 but his books are generally collections of different essays1 so that they do not give a panoramic survey of ,japan4 ,in that respect ,advance ,japan1 by ,j4 ,morris1 is said to be very handy and good4 ,concerning that book1 ,i may mention a rather commendable incident which took place last year4 ,a ,russian lady1 a lover of her own country1 ,i presume1 lamented the great lack of knowledge of ,japan among her country people1 which was1 as she thought1 the cause of the many misfortunes to her country4 ,she wrote to an ,english friend of hers asking what book written in ,english on ,japan she would recommend her to translate into ,russian4 ,the ,english lady recommended the book just mentioned1 and it was translated and published in ,russia4 ,i have myself seen the ,russian edition of it1 neatly printed and beautifully illustrated4 ,the ,rev4 ,william ,e4 ,griffis1 of ,america1 has written several books on ,japan4 ,his ,mikado's ,empire gives a most excellent generalisation of ,japanese history4 ,a new book on ,japan1 entitled ,imperial ,japan by ,knox1 another ,american1 is very good4 ,i have read it through4 ,the only chapter in it which ,i think very unfair is one relating to ,japanese women4 ,of course1 even in the best books there are some points which are not quite exact1 and they contain many amusing mistakes when scrutinised from our point of view4' --',what is then your opinion about ,lafcadio ,hearn's books1 for instance8 ,i would like to know your opinion1' said another lady4 --',you make me traverse almost the same field over again1' ,i said4 --',never mind6 ,the points are different1' she said4 --',well1 ,i need not speak of his occasional mistranslations of ,japanese words or some small technical errors1 but ,i can say that1 in my opinion1 he sometimes goes a little too far in giving reasons to matters concerning feeling and sentiment4 ,for instance1 he raises the question1 if a soul be something concrete and suppose it is gone somewhere--heaven or ,paradise1 as one may term it--how would it be possible to be present simultaneously at the place where it is enshrined1 or where offerings are made1 and he tries to solve the difficulty philosophically and logically4 ,he seems to place too much stress on our notions of ancestral worship4 ,we practise it1 we like it1 and we think it fine and noble1 and yet we do so from a spirit of feeling and sentiment4 ,many things in connection therewith are done by us1 not always with conclusive1 logical reasoning4 ,in this respect many ,europeans often misjudge us1 forgetting that they themselves do the same at home4 ,they canonise meritorious persons1 sometimes only legendary2 they have their wayside shrines of ,madonna2 they celebrate ,all ,souls' ,day1 when the whole town or village flocks to the cemetery2 they set up statues of great men1--a statesman1 a warrior1 a writer1 a philanthropist1 a musical composer1 a sculptor1 a scientist1 and what not4 ,they construct a grand pantheon or cathedral and consecrate the remains of their distinguished dead therein4 ,they even erect colossal figures of an ideal personification1 such as ,liberty standing on high at the ,place de la ,rpublique1 and other figures representing great cities1 as at the ,place de la ,concorde4 ,they sometimes decorate such figures on certain days with flowers1 as is the case with the statue of ,beaconsfield1 which is covered with primroses on ,primrose ,league ,day1 nay1 sometimes a figure is decorated with wreaths all the year round1 like ,strasbourg at the ,place de la ,concorde4 ,mind1 with regard to this last1 ,i am not speaking of any political aspect of the matter4 ,all this to my mind is very fine in idea4 ,all this1 ,i think1 is not done for mere play1 nor are those objects set up for mere ornament4 ,the notion contained therein is1 ,i think1 intended to perpetuate and sanctify the memory of the person1 or of an idea in the minds of the people4 ,if any stranger1 for instance1 approach any of these objects and insult it in any gross manner1 he would be sure to be much hissed1 or even punished4 ,from this1 it is certain that these matters belong to the sphere of feeling and sentiment and are not exactly within the limits of strict philosophical and logical reasoning4 ,our ancestral worship and things connected with it are of the same kind4 ,and yet those ,occidentals who have themselves very similar things look upon such institutions in ,japan with amazement or curiosity1 or even with contempt1 or else like ,lafcadio ,hearn1 try to reason out some points which are not altogether soluable by ordinary reasoning4 ,a ,confucian saying has this3 ,when you perform a commemoration in honour of your dead parents1 do it as though their spirit is present before you4 ,and ,i think it quite right2 it is no honour to the dead if one make an offering and reasons in his mind at the same time that the dead is nothing more than dust1 or that its spirit could not be in existence1 or at all events1 far away from us in an unknown region4 ,when a foreigner sees the shrine erected in ,tokio where men1 generals and soldiers alike1 who died for their country1 are consecrated as a sort of deity1 he is apt to think it a peculiar custom4 ,but what difference is there between our observance of the illustrious dead and that of burying a distinguished statesman or soldier in the ,pantheon or ,westminster ,abbey8 ,the only difference in all such matters seems to me to amount to this3 the feeling and sentiment of the preservation of the memory of the deserving men is more intent and more general in one case than in the other4' --',i cannot agree with you altogether in your philosophy1' said a young lady4 --',that may be1' said ,i4 ',you shut your eyes to things near2 we have a saying1 ,a lighthouse does not see its own base4 ,oh6 ,i beg your pardon4 ,i must not make such remarks2 you see1 too great a freedom of speech is apt to produce an abuse2 nay1 that very freedom sometimes even wrecks a grand army on an expedition4' --',i see4 ,that is the reason why you muzzled all the newspaper correspondents who purposely went out to the ,far ,east1 and1 by doing so1 you have nearly wrecked your own country4' --',yes1 nearly1' ,i answered1 'but we happily managed to escape their vindictiveness1 and won our battles4 ,no one in the world knew that ,togo was quietly waiting with his fleets for the ever-memorable ,armada behind the islands of ,tsushima1 almost on the same spot where the great ,mongolian ,armada was annihilated some six hundred years ago4' --',and yet you yourself are rather voluble4 ,you are always talking about something3 you talk a good deal more than any ordinary person4' --',excuse me1' ,i retorted1 ',i don't think ,i am voluble at all4 ,by nature ,i prefer listening to others than talking to them1 for in listening to others one can learn something1 but nothing when talking to them4 ,i prefer still more to be alone1 than either to be listening or talking1 for then the waste of time is still less4 ,i only talk when it is absolutely necessary4 ,you know1 of course1 that from ,pythagoras down to ,spencer and ,huxley1 extending1 over some four or five thousand years1 thousands of philosophers have written books1 millions of books1 spinning out their thoughts or rather conjectures1 like spiders webs1 but the essence of it all is summed up in only these few words1 ,i don't know4' --',ah6 ,i see1' cried she1 'you talk nowadays so much1 because you think it necessary for the good of your country4 ,do you know you are generally called the ,japanese ,mentor1 or the ,missionary of things ,japanese4' --',i don't mind by what name they call me4 ,don't you remember3 ,that which we call a rose1 by any other name would smell as sweet4' --',and yet you must not monopolise the time2 ,i must now have my turn of freedom of speech4' ,the lady thus claiming her turn of speech was a lively1 vigorous1 energetic young lady1 capable of talking and writing in several languages1 confident of herself and of her sex1 as confident as though she were carrying on her shoulders the responsibility of half mankind1 that is1 the whole of womankind4 ,she takes1 of course1 great interest in women's education and the promotion of women's rights in all matters4 ,she began by saying1 with her face turned towards me3 --',in the letter you have just read--' --',i did not read it1' ,i interposed2 'it was that lady4' --',well1 then1' she said1 'in the letter you have brought in your pocket and have made one of the ladies read to us4 ,in that letter mention is made of ,japanese ladies--' --',oh1 no more of the ladies1' ,i interrupted2 ',i have spoken so much of them1 that if ,i repeat too often1 ,i shall weary my readers of ,a ,summer ,dream4' --',what6' she said1 ',i do not mind if you read or copy the ,midsummer ,night's ,dream1 or the ,winters ,tale1 but ,i must have my turn of speech4 ,in that letter1 the writer speaks of the ,japanese killing their mothers1 wives1 and sisters3 by that the writer1 no doubt1 means the affliction which is put upon them by the death of so many men on the battlefields4 ,but in my opinion1 it is not only in ,japan that women are killed1 but in all countries1 in ,england1 in ,france1 in ,america and everywhere else6 ,man everywhere despises women's education and deprives women of their lives4' --',of course1 you take great interest in women's education1' ,i interposed4 --',not only1' she continued1 'they despise women's education1 but they employ every machination to hinder women from developing brain power1 which is their only life4' --',you are too harsh1' ,i remarked4 --',no1 not at all1' she continued4 ',people talk about ,american girls getting the upper hand of their elders1 as though they were not capable of giving advice to their somewhat belated relatives4 ,the younger we are1 the older and wiser we deem ourselves3 such are the real facts of the world1 don't you think so1 baron8' --',well1 not exactly1' ,i replied4 --',i don't think you take much interest in women's education4 ,you are intelligent1 but you are1 all the same1 a man4 ,you men have all one trait in common1 and that is1 a desire to exclude women from every sphere of action politically and socially4' --',no1 far from it1' ,i answered4 ',i am a great advocate of the mental and physical development of women4 ,my only desire as man is that the time should soon arrive when we could elect women as deputies to the ,chamber2 send them to the barracks and ships as soldiers and sailors1 and to the field of campaign in time of emergency2 select the most beautiful as our ambassadors and ministers to the courts of different countries and win over the hearts of the nation to which they are sent1 while all this time we men might stay at home and calmly nurse the babies or indulge in a quiet smoke1 of which ,i am very fond4' --',let's have some more serious talk1' remarked another lady4 ',you have not yet told us of the foundation of ,bushido and its ethics4 ,let us hear something of that4' --',it is rather complicated4 ,it will take much time4 ,it won't do for my ,summer ,dream4' --',what8' she asked4 --',nothing4 ,i mean it is too complicated and serious to tell you in this place4 ,on those points1 ,i must refer you to my book entitled ,the ,risen ,sun1 published by ,archibald ,constable1 the best publisher in ,london4 ,it is one of the most important books published in the twentieth century2 otherwise ,archibald ,constable would never have published it4' --',i see a ,japanese gentleman is sometimes capable of indulging in a little bluff4' --',but the twentieth century has only just begun3 besides1 this kind of bluff is quite harmless4 ,it is very different from that which some people are fond of indulging in1 and1 above all1 it cannot bring about a national catastrophe4' --',enough1 we all see what you mean4 ,their rising senses1 as the poet says1 will soon begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle their clearer reason4 ,let us go now1' said one of them1 and they all dispersed4 ,thereupon ,i also having left the room1 sprang into the air1 and once more floated away like a sprite1 humming as ,i did so3-- '444 ,i do fly ,after summer1 merrily3 ,merrily1 merrily1 shall ,i live now1 ,under the blossom that hangs on the bough4' #a ,for these 'singing insects1' which are a distinctive feature in the ,far ,east1 see ,lafcadio ,hearn on ',insect-,musicians' in his ,exotics and ,retrospectives 7#ahih71 pp4 #ci-hj4 ,the practice of caging them dates at least from #ajie ,a4,d4 ,insects are now bred for this purpose in enormous numbers4 ,,iv ,a talk on brackens--,eating of fruits without peeling--,a pet tortoise--,remarks on languages--,discourses on jiujitsu--,comparison of jiujitsu and wrestling--,japanese art and the ,kokkwa--,pictures in the ,gospel--,discourse on ,bushido1 its history and the origin of the term--,explanation of the terms ,daimio1 ,samurai1 and ,bushi--,its literature--,japanese revenge and ,european duel--,japanese sword--,soul of ,samurai--,general ,stoessel and a broken sword--,discussion on ,japanese social morality--,japan far cleaner than any other nation--,the condition at the time of the transition--,general view of the westernised ,japan--,occidental vulgarity ,i was at the luncheon table of the ,duke and ,duchess of ,fairfield3 quite en famille1 there being present only a young nobleman of ,italian descent besides the duke and duchess and their two daughters4 ,in the course of luncheon1 casual mention was made by one of the young ladies of the fronds of bracken1 called warabi in ,japan1 regarding which ,i had made some remarks in ,england as to its edible properties4 --',i have read in some ,english papers all that you said about it1' said the young nobleman2 'and1 indeed1 most of the ,french journals have also reported it since4' --',yes1 after ,i had initiated the matter1 almost all the ,english papers1 both in town and country1 made some comments4 ,i have even read that a philanthropic gentleman had reproduced the necessary information in leaflet form1 for distribution amongst the needy people in some parts of ,wales1 where there is often a scarcity of food4 ,the starch made from the roots of bracken is considered in ,japan the best1 and is used very widely4 ,there is a similar vegetable called jemmai2 it is larger than bracken and used in a dried form4 ,it is very soft and palatable1 and is very extensively used in ,japanese cookery4 ,i do not know for certain if the latter kind exists in ,europe1 though ,i believe it does4 ,as to bracken1 it grows everywhere4 ,i am1 however1 but little sanguine that my recommendation will be utilised in ,england1 though the method of preparation is very simple4 ,the secret of the preliminary preparation lies in soaking it1 from ten to fifteen hours in water with soda4 ,i revealed it from a philanthropic motive4 ,but1 you see1 the ,british are so conservative in such matters4 ,i even noticed1 in a newspaper1 a letter wherein the writer stated that he had cooked some bracken1 but it turned out unpalatable1 although quite tender4 ,he did not wait to find out if there might not be room for improvement in his method of cooking3 people are so apt to discredit others before they make sure of a fact4' --',that is generally the case in this world1' said the duchess2 'but ,i wonder if ,french bracken is equally good4' --',surely it is1' ,i replied1 'even that in the neighbourhood of ,paris3 the bracken in ,fontainebleau forests is said to be very fine4 ,only in ,may last1 a number of ,japanese ladies in ,paris made a special excursion there1 and brought back bunches of it4 ,i was one of those who enjoyed the dishes resulting4' --',you may be sure it is a subject that will be taken up1 when the semi-famine days come1 and then1 perhaps1 your name will be remembered1' remarked one of the young ladies4 --',no1 ,i think not1' ,i replied4 ',i believe1 ,i shall be buried long before that1 and my name too4' --',oh1 don't say that1' broke in another of the young ladies4 ,dessert was now served1 in the course of which ,i remarked3 --',i will tell you an incident which will probably interest you4 ,i was spending a week-end with the ,dake and ,duchess of ,hamilton1 who have always been very courteous to me4 ,one morning1 at the breakfast table1 ,i noticed the duchess cut an apple1 and gave it to her young son without peeling4 ,this rather struck me1 so ,i asked her reason1 when she told me that her medical adviser had instructed her to do so1 because the essence of the nourishing part of the fruit was contained just under the skin1 so that it was better not to remove the skin4 ,it was quite a relief to me 7for we men1 and especially myself1 often find it troublesome to pare fruit74 ,now ,i could eat fruit without paring the skin unconcernedly1 and should any onlooker laugh at me1 or ask the reason1 ,i could lecture him from the point of medical science4' --',you always view things from a point of vantage1' interposed the younger daughter4 ,we went into the garden1 and took our coffee there in a shaded corner4 ,meanwhile ,i noticed a little puppy looking up at us from a corner of the turf4 ,it did not move1 and ,i soon discovered it was porcelain4 --',ah1 ,i see1 ,i thought it was a live dog when ,i was here last4 ,it was towards evening1 just as ,i was leaving when ,i noticed it4' ,at this moment a servant brought in a tortoise3 it was a very large one and quite tame4 ,the duchess fed it with lettuce1 saying3 --',this is my pet1 and ,i am very fond of it4 ,it prefers lettuce to any other vegetable4' --',i have seen many tortoises1' ,i said1 'but this is the first time ,i have seen one as a pet4 ,in ,japan1 one sees in the ponds or small lakes round the temples1 hundreds1 nay1 thousands1 floating in the water1 or lying on rocks or boards basking in the sun4 ,their preservation is chiefly due to the customary kindness and religious sentiment of the ,japanese4' ,i then told the duchess what ,i knew of tortoises and their habits1 remarking that those amphibians lived more in the water than on land1 and it was necessary for them to be put in the water at least occasionally4 ,and so the soft summer evening glided away as we passed from one topic of conversation to another4 --',do you find ,european languages very difficult to learn8' asked one of the young ladies4 ',i suppose there is no similarity between our language and yours8' --',none whatever1' ,i replied1 'and we certainly find them very difficult to acquire4 ,the difference between the various ,european languages might perhaps be compared to the difference between a horse and a mule1 while the difference between ,japanese and the ,european languages would certainly not be closer in comparison than a horse to an ox4 ,that is to say1 the former differs only in species1 and the latter in kind4 ,hence you can easily see how much more difficult it is for an ,oriental to learn any ,european language1 than a ,european to learn a second ,european language4 ,even amongst the ,european languages1 there are1 as you know1 many idioms differing one from the other1 and consequently difficult to understand4 ,only the other day ,i was not a little amused at a ,french translation of the ,english sentence hold good in the sense that one thing had an advantage over another4 ,you can imagine how much more difficult it is for a ,japanese to know the value of every word1 not to say an idiom1 of a ,european language4 ,once in ,japan1 ,i was watching some ,european and ,japanese children playing ,hide-and-,seek together4 ,the ,european children were making use of the ,japanese words meaning ,hot and ,cold in place of ,far and ,near4 ,i could only make out what they meant after ,i had carefully watched the game4 ,i am sure we commit similar errors every day when speaking in a foreign language4 ,more than thirty years ago a party of ,japanese ambassadors1 including the present ,marquis ,ito1 whom you know1 and their suites1 made a round trip through ,america and ,europe3 perhaps the duke remembers it4 ,the mayor of a large manufacturing town in ,england1 which a portion of the party were visiting1 invited the visitors to the play4 ,the party was divided into two and occupied two boxes opposite each other4 ,the mayor and his wife were in a box and their daughter in the other4 ,an ,englishman who was in the mayor's box remarked to a ,japanese guest1 of an eminent fellow-guest seated beside the young lady opposite1 ,monsieur ,k4 must be very happy1 meaning1 no doubt1 to pay a compliment indirectly to the mayor and his wife2 but the ,japanese to whom the remark was addressed understood but little ,english and replied3 ,k4 must be quite ashamed4 --',it spoilt everything4 ,in our language the word meaning shame and bashfulness are identical and the sense is only modified by a slight difference in construction4 ,a somewhat similar example is the great difference in the meaning between the phrases fch contre and fch de4 ,the results of the misconstruction1 as may be imagined1 were rather serious4 ,it was only made good by another ,japanese who made a timely explanation4 ,i heard this incident direct from that gentleman who made the explanation4 ,that incident clearly demonstrates how difficult and delicate it is to express oneself in a tongue other than one's own4' --',exactly1' interposed the young nobleman4 ',it is always necessary to make much allowance for a foreigner1 and to make a guess at his meaning4' --',the jiujitsu is being exhibited once more in ,france1' said the duchess4 ',i have seen several advertisements in to-day's papers1 one of which states that a physician asked the exhibitor to demonstrate on him1 and afterwards declared it quite scientific4 ,people in ,france know very little of that art4' --',no wonder1' ,i answered2 'even in ,england1 where jiujitsu is so much spoken of1 it was very little known until quite recently4 ,not many years ago a lecture on the subject1 accompanied by some practical demonstrations1 was delivered at a literary society1 by a ,japanese gentleman1 assisted by another ,japanese4 ,on that occasion a weekly paper of high reputation commented upon the art1 saying that there was nothing in it4 ,the writer added that jiujitsu was exactly the same as the ,english wrestling1 with a few different tricks4' --',is there much difference between the two8' --',yes1 there is a great difference4 ,of course the combatants in both exercises strive to get the upper hand of each other1 but the great difference is that the wrestling relies chiefly on strength1 whilst jiujitsu depends on all sorts of tricks1 based upon a careful study of physical organism1 and therefore physical strength may be said to be of little value1 nay1 in truth1 it uses the strength of the opponent against himself4 ,we1 in ,japan1 have also a method of competition resembling the wrestling of the ,west1 and we apply to that the ,western name wrestling4 ,we do not like our jiujitsu to be confounded with it1 though ,western people sometimes call it by that name4 ,when our jiujitsu is called wrestling1 it hurts our feelings a little4' --',why1 how is that8' demanded the duchess4 --',well1 nothing very serious1 but the reason is this3 jiujitsu has always been regarded in ,japan as an art chiefly practised by men of the higher classes4 ,it has never been a profession1 still less a public show1 and the reason why now and then the art is made an object of exhibition in a public hall of the ,western towns1 is only an outcome of the altered conditions of the time4 ,on the other hand1 the wrestling which we call ,sumoo has always been a profession and for public entertainment for many centuries4' --',i see4' --',it must1 however1 be understood that even wrestling is not considered a low profession1 and though it is exhibited to the public1 is very different from other kinds of shows--those1 for instance1 given at a fte4 ,wrestling in ,japan has a very remote origin4 ,in its earlier stage it was not a profession1 it was one of the military sports1 but as time went on it became a regular profession4 ,tokio is the centre of the ,wrestling ,association1 and therefore it has the best wrestlers4 ,osaka comes next4 ,the wrestlers are brought up and trained from boyhood3 promising youths are picked up from all parts of the country by the principal wrestlers and taken into their private halls4 ,there are two principal exhibitions of ten days1 one early in the year and the other early in the summer1 held in ,tokio1 when the rank and order of every member of the association is determined by competition4 ,in the intervals they subdivide themselves into several parties and go about the country exhibiting their art4 ,men are very fond of seeing the wrestling1 though very few women care to see it2 in fact1 it is only of recent date that one observes any women at all at such exhibitions1 and those only of indifferent standing4 ,it is not considered good taste4 ,the last point excepted1 wrestling in ,japan resembles somewhat a bull-fight in ,spain4 ,i do not mean the sport itself1 but in the sense of its being a national institution4 ,from this fact you may see that we have more and better wrestlers than you in the ,west4 ,sometimes ,western wrestlers come to ,japan and challenge our wrestlers1 but they are no match for ours4 ,it is not worth boasting about1 ,i merely state the fact4 ,of course1 there is also much wrestling in country parts1 and young people often perform1 but they are1 after all1 only amateurs4 ,as to jiujitsu1 the art has been studied by the ,samurai in a similar manner to fencing1 with no professional performance or public show4 ,hence a great difference in the social position of jiujitsu experts and wrestlers4 ,nevertheless1 the wrestlers maintain some trace of their ancient standing1 for their position even now is regarded as superior to actors or the geisha1 though good actors are rapidly gaining a social position4' --',is jiujitsu as old as wrestling8' --',no1 it is not4 ,jiujitsu is not quite three hundred years old1 since it has been systematised into an art4 ,there are many schools1 ,i mean styles1 of jiujitsu1 and naturally some are older than others4 ,they differ somewhat from one another1 the difference having arisen chiefly from the endeavour of the founders to make improvements4' --',but what is the real purport of jiujitsu8' --',the masters call it an art of self-defence4 ,you see1 our ,samurai do not like to be arrogant or offensive to other people1 and therefore they profess to use jiujitsu only when attacked1 hence the name of self-defence1 and this point is one of their ideals2 but as a matter of fact1 it is an art that can be used for attack equally well1 and therefore may be called an art both offensive and defensive4 ,the advantage of knowing this art is that we can throw an opponent without hurting or killing him1 because it requires no weapons1 not even a stick4 ,it is done by catching hold of various parts of the opponent by the hands4 ,of course1 there are many tricks1 and therefore1 if both parties be equally efficient in the art1 the combat becomes very complicated4 ,the term jiujitsu literally means soft art1 or an art accomplished by sleight of body1 as some people put it1 so much so that one school is called ,the ,willow ,mind ,style4 ,we have a saying1 ,a willow knows not a breaking by snow1 meaning that a slender branch of a willow is stronger than a branch of a robust tree like the pine1 an analogy showing that flexibility is often stronger than stubbornness4 ',from all this it may well be imagined that a slender and small man1 without any perceptible physical strength1 can often become a great master of the art4 ,once at ,shanghai1 a ,japanese who understood jiujitsu well was attacked by a group of ,chinese roughs in the middle of a bridge1 but he threw them all1 one after the other1 since when no ,chinaman attempts to attack a ,japanese1 concluding wisely that we may all be masters of the art4 ,once in ,england--,i believe it was in ,newcastle--a number of roughs attacked a ,japanese2 he threw them all1 one after the other1 and went off4 ,the roughs were taken into custody by constables1 when they confessed that they would not have attacked the man had they known he was a ,japanese1 and they believed that all ,japanese knew the devilish trick of wrestling1 as they called it4 ,you now see the nature of our jiujitsu1 ,i suppose4' --',and suppose your best wrestler and a jiujitsu man encountered8' asked one of the young ladies4 --',a wrestler is no match for a jiujitsu man4 ,a wrestler who can lift up a big stone1 or catch hold of a bull by its horns1 would be easily beaten by a youth of fourteen scarcely able to lift a small cannon ball1 provided the boy were well trained in jiujitsu4 ,in wrestling1 therefore1 all jiujitsu tricks are forbidden4 ,this will explain why no ,occidental1 even a champion wrestler1 has ever succeeded in defeating a ,japanese jiujitsu man4 ,perhaps you remember one of our jiujitsu men1 who is in ,england1 won the ,gold ,championship ,cup last year1 and yet in ,japan he is not considered a first-class man in the art4 ,i do not1 however1 wish to boast of the matter4 ,even amongst the most undeveloped tribes one sometimes sees the greatest possible skill shown in such matters1 especially in the use of the bow and arrow4 ,i hear ,american ,indians shoot fishes in the rivers with arrows1 and that too not by aiming direct1 but by sending arrows up in the air and letting them fall in the water4 ,they do not shoot direct1 because1 as you know1 the curve of sight in water is very different from that in plain air4' --',i understand that1' said the duchess1 'but your jiujitsu seems to be very different from mere skill4 ,it is the result of a long and deliberate study of physical organism1 systematised upon a scientific basis1 as the physician in the paper says4' --',maybe1' ,i answered4 --',but what is that book which you have brought with you8' asked the duchess4 --',it is the book ,i promised you the other day4 ,it is the ,kokkwa1 a monthly on art4 ,it contains1 as you see1 very good photogravures and chromographs of our old objets d'art4' ,so saying1 ,i handed the book to the duchess1 and continued3 --',you told me the other day1 apropos of the conversation of the ,marchioness ,vivastine and myself1 that you were also an admirer of our art1 and that you appreciated ,utamaro and ,hokusai4 ,no doubt they were great artists1 and ,i am delighted1 of course1 with your appreciation1 but we should be sorry if they stood to you for the best that we can do in art4 ,this monthly will give you a good idea why ,i say so4' ,all present were interested in the book1 and its pages were gently turned over one by one4 ,presently the duchess remarked3 --',do you mean to say that the originals of these illustrations date back thirteen centuries8' --',indeed1 ,i do1' ,i replied4 --',and that these prints were really made in ,japan8' said another4 --',yes1 surely4' --',what a softness and feeling here6 ,look6' the duchess went on2 'and how this part resembles classic ,italian4' --',the art of printing1' ,i said1 'is well developed in ,japan4 ,the other day ,i showed a copy of the ,financial and ,economical ,annual of ,japan to a ,frenchman1 and he thought the printing was very neat and clear1 and could scarcely believe that the book had been printed in my country4' --',i can quite realise the scepticism of that person2 but can you give me a rough idea of your ideal of pictures8' --',that's a rather difficult question4 ,in your sacred book you have a picture where ,christ talks about lilies4 ,he stands in a field1 utters ,his words1 pointing to some pure white lilies blooming1 but not in abundance1 in the field4 ,there is a perfect picture1 the symbolic meaning of the pure white flowers standing out vividly before your eyes4 ,in another place you see ,christ entering a boat on a lake4 ,there is another picture4 ,a lake calm and serene1 surrounded by undulating hills1 perhaps with the shadow of the hills and trees reflected on the surface of the water4 ,there one or two fishermen handle oars in a fantastic boat4 ,a sage calls them from the shore to come to ,him4 ,a perfect landscape6 ,an immense expanse and an eternal stillness of the universe almost unconsciously arises before the mind's eye of the onlooker4 ,such is1 then1 a type of the ideals of our pictorial worlds4' --',i can well imagine it1' said the young nobleman4 ',your chromographs of even small objects1 such as picture postcards1 are very fine and artistic and1 at the same time1 so simple4 ,look at ours3 they have neither feeling nor taste1 and usually are showy and gorgeous1 and1 indeed1 often vulgar4' --',i must say ,i agree with you to some extent4 ,i am rather sorry that such monthly publications as ,kokkwa do not pay well in ,japan4 ,the present publisher of the journal is the proprietor of a large newspaper1 and not a regular book publisher4 ,he is himself a great collector of our objets d'art1 of which he is very fond1 and this is the sole reason why he took up the publication after it had been nearly discontinued by its former publisher4 ,he is now trying to see if an ,english edition of it will pay1 although the end he has in view is to make ,japan known to the ,west1 rather than any pecuniary personal gain4 ,indeed1 it is for that reason he has sent me this copy1 asking me to show it to those who have a taste for such things4 ,i really think that1 for the general good1 the publication is worth continuing4' --',certainly1' said the duchess4 ',let me see1 it is only two yen per number1 that is five francs per month2 cheap enough4 ,i will subscribe at once4' ,the young nobleman now left our party1 for he had another engagement4 ,he has a talent for music1 and when a private concert was given only a few weeks ago in the garden of an aristocratic family which ,i know1 he was the conductor1 although only an amateur4 ,this the young ladies told me1 and the circumstance led me to ask if they also were not musical4 ,one of them1 she told me1 played the piano1 and the other the violin1 and ,i said ,i hoped that one day they would let me have the pleasure of hearing them4 ,i further said that the piano was only known in ,japan to a slight degree1 and that only recently2 but that we had always had an instrument much resembling the violin4 ,the duke held in his hand an ,english literary weekly of the highest repute4 ,turning to me he said3 --',look6 here is a review of two new books1 one on the ,bushido by a ,japanese writer1 and the other on ,japan in general by an ,american1 ,i suppose4 ,it is a subject that interests me1 as1 indeed1 it does many people nowadays4 ,i have read it through and noticed that the reviewer speaks of ,bushido very sarcastically4 ,he says1 among other things1 that the discovery of ,bushido is of quite recent date1 and continues2 but listen1 ,i will read it3 ',neither ,sir ,e4 ,satow nor ,dr4 ,aston even mentions the word ,bushido2 ,prof4 ,chamberlain in his ,things ,japanese 7#ahih7 does not refer to it2 the word is not contained in the admirable dictionary prepared by ,captain ,brinkley1 the able but intensely ,japanicised correspondent of the ,times2 nor is it to be found in the principal native dictionary1 the ,kotoba no ,izumi 7,source of ,language74' --',what nonsense1' ,i interrupted2 'by the same analogy one might say1 because there is no compound noun ,christian-morality in an ,english dictionary1 there is no such thing as ,christian morality4' ',bushido1 in literal ,chinese1' continued the duke1 reading1 'is the way of the executioner1 and those who were eye-witnesses of the tyranny of the ,samurai1 in the last three years of the ,bakufu ,shogunate1 will not regard the name as altogether inappropriate4 ,the ,bushi 7a ,japano-,chinese1 but not ,chineseform71 or ,samurai1 were neither knights nor knightly2 they were followers merely2 many1 if not most of them1 petty officials1 few of them for two hundred and fifty years possessed any military experience whatever4' --',how ridiculous1' ,i interrupted2 'but ,i cannot make out what the reviewer could have got into his head to make him translate the term ,bushi as executioner4 ,it is an insult to ,bushi1 of whom we have the oft-quoted saying1 ,hana wa sakura ni hitowa bushi3 ,as the cherry blossoms are the prime of the flowers1 so the ,bushi is the flower of man4 ,we have a popular drama in which there is a scene where a female prisoner is brought out under the superintendence of a common ,bushi2 and there the phrase ,keigo-no-,bushi occurs1 meaning1 the ,bushi who guards4 ,perhaps the reviewer remembered it1 and concluded that ,bushi meant an executioner1 because he had charge of a prisoner4 ,if this is so1 by the same analogy we might say the ,knight of the ,garter is a domestic servant who looks after his mistress's garter4 ,ah6 there is another thing which occurs to me4 ,in ,china1 where military men are little thought of1 they are often used for such duties as those of an executioner2 some foreigners1 who had seen the fact whereby those men were called ,bushi1 perhaps thought that the term meant executioners without knowing its primary meaning4 ,by that analogy one might say that gentlemen belonging to the honourable guild known as ,the ,worshipful ,company of ,grocers of the ,city of ,london were common dealers in tea and sugar1 because they are called grocers1 without knowing the origin of the term4 ,the passages in that review accidentally caught my sight too1 and out of curiosity ,i looked the matter up in a few books which ,i happened to have by me4 ,it is a little technical1 but if you do not mind1 ,i will explain it to you in detail4' --',please do1' said the duke4 --',the word ,bushi is a noun composed of two ,chinese characters1 bu and shi1 both having a distinct meaning4 ,bu means military or martial when used as an adjective1 but it is also very commonly used as a concrete noun2 and in that case it may be translated as martialism4 ,when used as a noun it is used in contradistinction to bun4 ,the last word may be translated as civil1 but ,i am unable to find out an exact equivalent in the ,western terms1 because the ,western term civil1 still less the term civism1 does not convey the true idea of the word4 ,it may1 however1 be taken to signify things or affairs on civil lines1 as contrasting with those on military lines4 ,shi means a man of position or a gentleman1 which came by evolution to mean a military man rather than a civilian4 ,these two words1 bu and shi1 were put together and made a compound noun1 signifying professional military people4 ,the term has been most commonly used in ,japan for over ten centuries4 ,there are two other terms1 ,bundo and ,budo1 the former means principle1 or doctrine1 or teaching1 or ways of affairs on civil lines1 and the latter means the same on martial lines4 ,they are very antique terms1 contradistinguishing each other4 ,the term ,bushido is not so ancient as those two1 but still it is by no means modern4 ,the term ,budo is used when one wishes to refer the matter more to the system or the principle as a unit2 and the term ,bushido is used when one wishes to designate more the individuals4 ,in ,china the term ,bushi had existed1 as is natural from the antiquity of her history1 many centuries before it did in ,japan2 ,i have seen it used in the history of the ,hung dynasty4 ,the term of course signifies military men2 nevertheless1 it has not acquired so much prominence as it has done in ,japan1 because in ,china military men have never attained the same importance and organisation as in ,japan1 and naturally enough there exists in ,china no such term as ,bushido in its concrete sense1 ,bushido being peculiarly unique to the ,japanese4 ,bushido consists of three ,chinese characters1 as the reviewer says4 ,in the colloquial ,japanese it is read as ,bushi-no-michi1 do being the ,chinese way of pronunciation1 and michi being the colloquial ,japanese pronunciation of the one and the same character2 and therefore do and michi are both the same thing4 ,in ,hogen ,monogatari1 an historical record of the events which took place in the middle of the twelfth century ,a4,d41 and written not longer after that period1 a great hero1 ,tametomo1 is represented to have said1 in the course of a speech1 as follows3 ',for a ,bushi1 an act of killing is inevitable4 ,nevertheless ,bushi-no-michi i4e4 ,bushido forbids to kill an unfit object1 and therefore1 though ,i have fought more than twenty battles1 and put an end to countless lives1 ,i have always fought legitimate foes1 and not illegitimate foes in modern phraseology combatants and non-combatants4 ,and more6 ,i have neither killed a deer nor fished a fish4 ',in the fourteenth century ,a4,d41 a book called ,chiku-ba-sho 7the reminiscence of the bamboo-horse71 which is ethical teaching for ,bushi1 was written by ,shiwa ,yoshimasa1 a ,japanese general1 born #acdi1 died #adaj ,a4,d4 ',within the last three hundred years1 when ,bushido has made a great systematic progress on its literary and intellectual side1 many treatises on the subject have been written by eminent scholars and expounders of that doctrine4 ,nakaye-toju1 born in #afjh ,a4,d41 wrote a book called ,questions and ,answers on ,bun and ,bu1 in which the terms ,bundo and ,budo are used4 ,in the collection of the epistles of ,kumazawa ,banzan1 born #afai ,a4,d41 the same terms are much used4 ,in ,lectures by ,yamaga ,soko1 who was born in #afbb1 and was the founder of a school of our military science1 there is one part called ,shido4 ,shido and ,bushido are one and the same thing1 for the term bu is added to shi when one particularly wishes to denote the idea of the military profession4 ,thus1 for instance1 the old class of ,samurai is now known as ,shizoku1 and not as ,bushi-,zoku4 ,kaibara ,yekken1 born #afcj ,a4,d41 wrote a book called ,bukum1 namely1 ,instructions on ,bu1 in which the term ,bushi-no-michi is freely used4 ,the ,elementary ,lessons on ,budo is a book written by ,daidoji ,yiuzan1 born #afci4 ,in that book the term ,bushido is freely used1 and we see therein such phrases3 ,what is most important in ,bushido is the three conceptions of loyalty1 justice1 and bravery2 and if a ,bushi comprehend the two opposing notions of justice and injustice1 and endeavour to do justice and refrain from doing injustice1 ,bushido will be attained4 ,izawa ,hanrioshi1 born #agaa ,a4,d41 published a book called ,bushikun1 namely1 ,instructions for ,bushi4 ,in that book1 also1 the term ,bushi-no-michi is repeatedly used1 and at the end of the fourth volume of it there is a short postscript in which he says3 ',these four volumes have been written to record the outlines of ,bushido1 in order to supplement the points left untouched in books published in recent generations1 such as 444 so that one must not say after reading this book that it is not minute4 ',i could mention several more books1 but ,i might weary you4 ,the names ,i have just cited are1 in ,japan1 no less household words than ,voltaire or ,rousseau in ,france1 and ,johnson or ,goldsmith in ,england4 ,satow1 ,aston1 ,chamberlain1 or ,brinkley might not have had time enough to touch upon the ,bushido1 but if one says that because they have not touched upon it there is no such thing as ,bushido in ,japan1 it is tantamount to saying that there is no such thing as a diamond in ,south ,africa because some travellers have not mentioned it in their diaries4' --',you appear always to be making use of the names ,bushi and ,samurai indiscriminately4 ,no doubt they signify one and the same category of people4 ,but what is the difference8' --',you are right in raising that question4 ,the term ,samurai is a pure and simple ,japanese word1 derived from a verb meaning to wait or to serve4 ,in ancient times military men on guard at the ,imperial palace were called by that name2 but when one wished to make the appellation more concise and appear more scholastic1 the term ,bushi was used4 ,the ,chinese character ,shi is uniformly translated in ,japanese as ,samurai1 but one preferred to employ the term ,bushi more commonly because it gave more prominence to the military calling4 ,at first the guards were recruited from ordinary people1 but in course of time the recruiting became hereditary in certain families4 ,they also began gradually to form a sort of class in different provinces1 having their leaders1 and at last formed a regular class of military men4 ,those men were universally called ,bushi1 and their families1 when collectively spoken of1 were called ,buke namely1 ,houses of ,bu4' --',i understand4 ,but what is the difference between ,daimio and ,samurai8' --',a ,daimio is the lord under whom the ,samurai served4 ,there were nearly three hundred feudal lords of different standing in ,japan4 ,and the number of them therefore1 when spoken of roughly1 was called three hundred4 ,in the broad signification the lords were also included in the category of ,samurai4 ,in a popular drama1 in which a child lord is represented as being in want of food on account of an intrigue1 he pathetically says1 ,a ,samurai does not feel hungry even with an empty stomach4 ,feudal lords belonged to the category of ,buke1 in contradistinction to ,kuge1 namely1 noble families attached direct to the ,imperial courts4 ,at present1 of course1 there is no such distinction1 all former feudal lords and court nobles form the ,japanese nobility as one class4' --',i see1 it is quite plain1' said the duke4 ',the reviewer appears to have some knowledge of ,japan1 but judging from what ,i have just heard from you1 ,i am more convinced than ever of the saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing4 ,one is apt to commit errors on account of such knowledge1 especially if he has any feeling of spite and tries to find fault with others4 ,it amuses me all the more1 because he further says3 ',if one ignored history1 it would be easy to draw a picture of ,napoleon as a good-natured man of genius who was kind to his relations1 and evolved order out of chaos2 and he himself ignores all the history of ,bushido1 which you have just given me4' --',i do not think1' ,i said1 'the reviewer could have any spite against us1 nor do ,i think he has intentionally committed the error you have just mentioned1 but it is unfortunate that it has that appearance4' --',again1' said the duke1 'what does this mean8 ,the reviewer says here3 ',the meaningless quasi-military formalism of the ,bakufu1 under which the sword1 undrawn from its scabbard1 came to be almost worshipped1 a system of merciless vendetta1 often based upon trivial forms of injury1 was established4' --',well1 ,i will begin with answering the second point first4 ,in thus giving vent to his vindictiveness1 the reviewer seems to have forgotten1 for instance1 how few decades ago it was that in ,england a personage no less eminent than the prime minister was engaged1 if not killed1 in a duel4 ,he forgets how widely duels are practised and connived at even now by the law on the ,continent1 and that men die1 conceivably1 in consequence of a sword-thrust or a pistol-shot4 ,in ,japan duels have been altogether forbidden by the law1 as there were signs of duelling being introduced with ,european customs1 and the prohibition has proved to be very effective4 ,in the feudal period a custom similar to duelling1 which the reviewer calls vendetta1 existed1 as he says2 but its purport was very different from what he describes4 ,the act was called ,kataki-uchi1 that is1 revenge4 ,when a man lost his life on account of an unlawful and malicious injury1 the children of the deceased regarded it as incumbent on them to take the matter in their hands1 if no legal adjustments could be obtained4 ,in the feudal times redress in such matters was not always easy1 because the different clans had autonomy2 and the ,samurai's fighting generally originated from some quarrel of a political nature1 and not from robbery or any other felonious act4 ,on the other hand1 ,confucian ethics held it unworthy of a pious son to share the same heaven with a person who wrongfully murdered his father4 ,from these circumstances arose the notion of the necessary vindication of the father's wrongs by the hands of the son4 ,thus the ,japanese vendetta 7,kataki-uchi7 came to be officially recognised--a step further than the official connivance of the ,western duels4 ,as a matter of fact1 our ,kataki-uchi was of a far more serious nature1 but of much rarer occurrence1 than the ,western duels4 ,the same sentiments and practices were applicable to a lord and his retainers1 though in a lesser degree1 as in the case of blood relations4 ,with us the avenger had always to stake much on his own part--life1 position1 and fortune--for although the principle of revenge was recognised in a measure1 the avenger seldom got off scot-free from the responsibility of his act1 which by the technical points of law was generally amenable to punishment4 ,thus you will see in the case of the famous forty-seven ,ronin1 they avenged the death of their lord1 because the latter had had to put an end to his own life1 which was accompanied by an order for the total extinction of his house and clan1 the cause of all of which was the injurious acts of the wrongdoer4 ,the action of the forty-seven ,ronin was morally approved by public sentiment1 but they had to commit suicide because they were offenders in the eyes of the law4 ,how1 then1 can one say that the ,japanese ,kataki-uchi was a merciless system1 based upon trivial forms of injury1 as the reviewer pleases to put it4' --',but1' said the duke1 'suppose the revenge went on endlessly1 to be handed down from generation to generation1 as it was with the ,scottish clans1 that would be awful4' --',no1 in that respect1 there was a limit4 ,no second revenge was recognised in any form whatever4 ,thus1 if ,a4 murdered ,b4 and ,b4's son killed ,a4 in revenge1 ,a4's son had no claim legally or morally to avenge his fathers death4 ,i may also add that under the new ,imperial rgime ,kataki-uchi has been totally discountenanced by law4 ,there is no connivance of it at all4 ,the law promises redress to every wrong1 and every possible care is taken to protect the sufferers4 ,therefore1 nowadays1 if one kills another in revenge1 he would be accounted an ordinary murderer in the eyes of the law4' --',what about the sword8' interposed the duke4 --',the sword1' ,i answered1 'was considered the soul of ,samurai4 ,they regarded it as the symbol1--nay1 the very embodiment of noble sentiment and spirit4 ,it has been so more or less with almost every nation1 but it was especially so with us ,japanese4 ,the ,japanese swords are known to be unrivalled by those of any other nation4 ,our sword was the envy of all the continental peoples of the ,far ,east4 ,there is a famous poem composed by a great ,chinese statesman and scholar1 in which he pays high tribute not only to the sword itself1 but to the nation which produces it4 ,even from a merely artistic point of view1 our swords deserve to rank high2 but that is not all4 ,a latter-day author writes as follows3 ,the sword-smith was not a mere artisan1 but an inspired artist1 and his workshop his sanctuary4 ,daily he commences his craft with prayer and purification1 or1 as was said1 he committed his soul and spirit into the forging and tempering of the steel4 ,every swing of the sledge-hammer1 every plunge into the water1 every friction on the stone1 was a religious act of no slight import4 ,was it the spirit of the master or his tutelary deity that cast such a spell over our sword8 ,perfect as a work of art1 setting at defiance its ,toledo and ,damascus rivals1 there was more than art could impart4 ,its cold blade collecting on its surface1 the moment it is drawn1 the vapours of the atmosphere3 its immaculate texture1 flashing light of bluish hue2 its matchless edge1 upon which histories and possibilities hang1 the curve of its back uniting exquisite grace with utmost strength--all these fill us with mixed feelings of power and beauty1 of awe and terror4 ',such was1 then1 the sword which our ,samurai adored4 ,there were two or three at least of such swords1 which were heirlooms of a ,samurai family4 ,just imagine a ,samurai going forth to the battlefield and reflecting what a distinction his ancestors had made in similar battlefields1 or what devotions he had displayed to his lord by that very sword1 now being borne in his hand or in his girdle3 why6 the very thought would fire his soul and make him emulate the deeds of his ancestors and despise cowardice4 ,no mean thought could enter his mind2 the spirit of the sword radiating from the pure cold lustre of the blade handed down by his ancestors could not but thrust such thought from his mind4 ,such would at least be the sentiments of a real ,samurai4 ,the sword was not unsheathed wantonly1 but when drawn it was a maxim that it should not be sheathed until its legitimate mission had been fulfilled4 ,no wonder1 then1 that a ,samurai should almost have worshipped his sword1 even when undrawn from its scabbard1 as the reviewer sarcastically describes4 ,the sword of a ,samurai1 even when in the scabbard1 was not a thing to be trifled with4 ,a ,samurai worshipped sword1 but not money-bags4 ,if they had worshipped the latter instead of the former1 they might have met with the approval of the reviewer4 ,from the utilitarian point of view1 if they had done so1 it might have benefited their country more materially1 and1 therefore1 their worshipping a sword might have been the weakest point of their ideals1 but we do not see cause for regret for all that4 ,the tide of time has brought changes on all such matters4 ,the ,government has forbidden not only ,samurai1 but also all others who were privileged1 to wear swords in their girdles4 ,hundreds and thousands of our best blades have left the houses of ,samurai and been either exported1 or turned into other implements1 for mere trifling sums1 often for the gold and silver used for the ornaments of the scabbard4 ,for us1 it is sad to think of1 though it is of course a necessary outcome of the great changes which have passed over us4 ,it is1 however1 my earnest desire that the spirit of devotion to the swords with which the ,samurai was animated may always be preserved4 ,the same feeling explains why some of our officers carry with them their heirloom swords1 even in the present war1 as you must have noticed now and then in the press4 ,the traditions of the sword1 ,i am glad to say1 have not as yet died in the breasts of the ,japanese4 ,there is an association in ,tokio1 the members of which meet periodically1 bringing their own choice swords1 and offering their comments on those of others4 ,it may be difficult to appreciate how one can enjoy oneself looking at the blades of swords1 but with us it gives great pleasure1 if only from an artistic point of view4 ,there have been many different schools of swordsmiths1 and even amongst the workers of one school there is some special characteristics of their work4 ,it is the pleasure of the ,japanese who are fond of good sword blades to judge of the school and maker by inspecting the blades only4 ,it pleases me to tell you of a gentleman in ,england who has made the study of ,japanese swords a special subject1 and his attainment of knowledge in the subject has been recognised by the association in ,tokio1 which has cheerfully elected him its honorary member4 ,i may add a word or two4 ,when ,port ,arthur was on the brink of falling1 a cartoon was published in the ,london ,punch representing ,general ,stoessel standing at the top of a fortified hill under a half-torn ,russian flag4 ,he was holding up a broken sword and uttering a few words of devotion to the ,emperor of ,russia4 ,that cartoon took the ,english public very much1 and was reproduced on the pages of many papers4 ,it appealed very deeply to the imagination of the ,japanese1 in particular1 though ,i am not quite sure if ,stoessel deserved such sympathy at the last stage of the siege4' --',that cartoon was very good1' said ,lady ,modestina4 ',i have seen it4' --',so have ,i too1' chimed in ,lady ,dulciana4 --',let us proceed to the latter part of the review1' said the duke4 ',the reviewer says of the author of the other book that he takes rather a pessimistic view of ,japan1 and proceeds to say3 ',professor ,s4 takes rather a pessimistic view of ,japan4 ,he admits to the full1 as every one must1 the five noble qualities of ,japanese character1 viz4 bravery1 loyalty1 alertness1 thoroughness1 and self-control1 to which list courtesy should be added4 ,but he goes on to quote from the author3 ',the two cancers at the core of ,japanese character are deep-set dishonesty and abandoned impurity2 either would be sufficient to wreck the life of any nation4 ,and it seems1 according to the reviewer1 the author tells us that ,japan is still a country where the word lie is not a term of reproach1 but rather implies a jocular compliment1 and then dilates upon the undesirable occupations of some females4 ,the words employed are very strong4 ,let us have your opinion4' --',we are at times vexed with some of the occidental writers1' ,i replied1 'even with ,anglo-,saxon writers occasionally1 who write in such a strain as though they lived high in the pure air1 while we ,japanese live in the muddy marshes4 ,they pick out some dark spots in our customs1 and magnify them to suit their own purpose1 as though for all the world they had nothing similar1 or even worse1 in their own countries4 ,some of them do this from an excess of zeal which they display in their particular calling1 without any particular bad intention of defaming ,japan2 but the results are the same4 ,my answer to your question is very simple4 ,the ,yellow ,peril alarmists may rest assured1 for1 according to the author1 ,japan must die a natural death4 ,what an idea1 to indict a whole nation as a den of liars6 ,does he not know that truthfulness and honesty is the highest ideal of our ethical notions8 ,the commonest of our ethical sayings is3 ,shozikino atama ni kami yadoru 7,deity rests on the heads that are honest74 ,the commonest of the ethical poems is3 ',kokoro dani makoto no michi ni kanai naba ,inorazu totemo kami ya mamoran4 7,if only one's thoughts be in accord ,with the way of truthfulness1 ,deity will protect him1 though he may not pray47 ',does he not know another forcible and common saying of ,bushido3 ,bushi no ichigon 7,one word of a ,bushi71 which means that a word uttered by a ,bushi shall never be idle2 or1 expressed otherwise--,a word is sufficient2 he will remain faithful to it8 ,it is the watchword of ,bushi1 and if ever a ,bushi were doubted1 that phrase sufficed for an answer4 ,and it still governs our social ideal of truthfulness4 ,yes or ,no1 when once definitely uttered by a ,bushi1 was no more alterable than the ebb and flow of the tide4 ,does he not know another of our sayings8 ,ichidaku senkin 7,one ,yes is equal to a thousand pieces of gold74 ,does he not know ,usotsuki 7a liar7 is with us an everyday word of scathing contempt8 ,does he not know an untruthful word1 namely1 a lie1 is accounted a great sin in the ,ten ,commandments of ,buddhism8 ,does he not know ,yamashi 7a speculator71 a term akin to a liar1 is with us a common word of contempt8 ,does he not know that in large ,european towns waiters and drivers are constantly cheating strangers by giving wrong change or bad money8 ,i particularly mention these incidents because ,i myself have often been a victim4 ,fancy the idea of saying that the word lie is not a term of reproach in ,japan6 ,i would feign go a step further4 ,this kind of charge is the commonest method which the ,occidentals employ when they talk about the character of other races which they generally regard as inferior to themselves4 ,but mere common-sense will tell them that there can be no human community1 even amongst undeveloped tribes1 where the word lie is not a word of reproach1 if only the smallest element of a moral notion exist1 and there can hardly be any human community where there is no such moral notion at all4 ,such1 at least1 is my sociological view4 ,with regard to the second accusation1 the refutation ,i am going to make may not be quite in unison with social delicacy1 but for that ,i ask your pardon4 ,you say the author speaks of the undesirable life of some females4 ,the matter is ugly enough1 we admit4 ,of course1 metaphorically speaking1 we could restore by explanation the paint which had been blackened to its original colour1 but still it would not be snow-white4 ,pure such matters cannot be1 we admit1 but is there any nation on earth which has no dark spot at all8 ,i ask the author3 ,does he not know the real condition of the ,western countries1 whence he springs8 ,how is it with ,paris1 ,london1 ,berlin1 or ,vienna8 ,pick1 for instance1 one hundred pedestrians at random1 one afternoon or evening1 in ,regent ,street1 or on the ,boulevards1 the best thoroughfares of ,london and ,paris4 ,what percentage of them can be held up as the ideals of purity the writer seems to imagine them to be8 ,i might go much further if ,i wished1 but ,i prefer not4 ,taken as a whole1 ,i venture to think that the social structure of ,japan is in reality far cleaner than that of most countries4 ,of course1 ,i do not say two wrongs make a right1 but ,i do say this3 ,it is nave to accuse us in such harsh terms1 as though believing that we ,japanese have no idea of the dark spots of other nations4 ,men after the style of this writer admit such of our noble characteristics as those enumerated by the writer because they have become manifest1 not during an epoch of peace1 but in the time of war4 ,could any one say that they were manufactured specially for the war--at a minute's notice8 ,did not the greatest error of our opponents lie in the fact that they had not perceived these qualities in the time of peace8 ,it saddens us to think that such a writer either cannot see1 or intentionally ignores1 some of the essential points of our character1 unless they are incontestably demonstrated by incessant slaughter4 --',pardon me1--,i have been a little excited1 and have spoken1 perhaps1 more than ,i should4 ,once a ,frenchman told ,lord ,palmerston that ,english thieves were cleverer than ,continental ones2 whereupon ,palmerston answered3 ,i am glad of that1 for it shows that our intellectual faculty is more developed all round4 ,that is one way of looking at things4 ,at any rate1 ,i have no intention of attacking any occidental vices3 our writers do not indulge in writing on these matters either4 ,i rather believe that vices are necessary outcomes of modern progress4 ,every nation has its virtues and vices4 ,i dare say we shall have to add more vices as we make further progress4 ,cards1 for instance1 are much played nowadays among our people1 since we have learned that they are played generally among our occidental benefactors4 ,ah6 but ,i must not forget to mention that there are in the ,west1 especially in ,england and ,america1 many writers for whose fairness we have much gratitude4 ,one does not like to see1 still less to acknowledge1 any point of superiority in a fellow-creature or a fellow-nation one has been accustomed to look down upon3 such is human nature4 ,our sense of gratitude is1 therefore1 all the more due to those unbiassed writers4 ',japan is cleaner than most countries1' ,i continued1 'but she was even better in that respect in the days gone by4 ,conversely1 therefore1 the general atmosphere of social morality1 ,i confess1 became somewhat tarnished at the time of the great transition1 as is bound at such period4 ,there are two reasons for that4 ,in the first place1 in the feudal days social discipline was very strict in general1 and tranquil enjoyment of the positions of ,samurai--above all1 those holding official positions--depended a great deal upon their private conduct2 but with the introduction of occidental ideas1 the private affairs of individuals have come to be viewed very leniently under the name of personal freedom4 ,in the second place1 the general condition of society has occasioned laxity in moral discipline almost unavoidably and of necessity4 ,i mean to say that1 during the last years of the ,shogunate1 when the country was in a state of effervescence1 and when freedom of speech and meeting had no existence in the modern sense--nay1 when any meetings or speeches having a political nature were most rigidly watched and pursued by emissaries1 it was almost a matter of necessity that countless young patriots whose lives were as precarious as candle-lights in the wind1 as we have it1 should resort to a restaurant or tavern1 where they could exchange and communicate thought and schemes under the cover of merriment and jocularity4 ,nay1 more3 there were not wanting young patriots1 who in after years became famous1 who owed their lives and success to the heroic assistance rendered by women of uncertain position1 to whom they had to repay their indebtedness by personal consideration rather than yield to social scruples4 ',the women also were heroic in those days1 as is generally the case at the time of revolution in most countries4 ,add to this the general disruption and transformation1 unknown in our previous history1 of the whole structure of society1 both political and social1 and it will be no matter of surprise that a certain relaxation in the usual moral discipline of the people was the result4 ,the ,japan which foreigners have seen is that ,japan and not the ,japan of her normal days4 ,the effect of that great change of #ahfg--;,i say ,great ,change1 because we do not like to apply the term revolution--has been subsiding for many years1 and now ,japan is fast returning to her normal state4 ,i am1 therefore1 not at all pessimistic in regard to the future of our national life1 though the author may be4' --',and besides1' interposed the duchess1 'foreigners themselves are also spoiling your manners1 according to your remarks which ,i read in one of the ,english periodicals you gave me4 ,dulcy1 will you bring the ,english periodical ,i mean8 ,it is on the small table in my boudoir3 ,i should like to read it once more4' ,in a few moments the periodical in question was brought by ,lady ,dulciana4 ,the duchess took it in her hand1 saying1 ',here are the baron's remarks4 ,listen1 ,i will read aloud4' ,she read as follows3-- ',,occidental ,,civilisation ,,in ,,japan ',do you really think1 ,i asked1 that1 generally speaking1 occidental civilisation is beneficial to ,japan8 ',well1 slowly replied the baron1 that is a question which requires very careful answering4 ,i am certainly of opinion that1 from the purely material point of view1 this invasion of ,western thought and methods has done us the greatest possible good4 ,i refer especially1 of course1 to science and mechanics4 ,and as to the mental part of it1 the influence also is distinctly good--but still1 is not so beneficial as from the material point of view4 ',remember that for centuries we have had our own way of thinking and reasoning1 and so1 to a great extent1 we are not convinced by ,western thought4 ,we keep to our old ways1 to our old methods1 though the trend of our ideas is slightly altered by ,european thought4 ,let me give you an illustration of what ,i mean1 for it is rather a difficult point to explain4 ,for instance1 we have always been humane and charitable to our fellow-creatures1 but in the old days there was no form of public charity4 ,it was not much needed1 as a matter of fact1 but now you will find that we are everywhere establishing hospitals on the ,european system4 ,so you see only the old mode of our charity is changed4 ,it is rather a delicate point to say how far ,western thought has impregnated our own4 ,the opinions of ,darwin1 ,huxley1 and ,spencer1 as well as the views of ,catholic and ,protestant ,missions1 are spread all over ,japan2 but our ethical sense is such that it does not allow us easily to adopt the dogmatic points of foreign religions1 and though many ,japanese have adopted ,christianity1 yet they are1 after all1 in a vast minority4 ,but that does not signify that we are averse to religion2 on the contrary1 ,i am glad to say we extend the greatest tolerance to all kinds of religionists4 ,i am not a ,christian myself1 but ,i know1 perhaps1 more of the essence of ,christianity than some of my fellow-countrymen who profess it1 for ,i had to study the ,greek ,testament in my ,cambridge days4 ,i am always amused when the people here imagine ,i know nothing about that religion4 ,the ,missionary question is always a very delicate one4 ,i am sure missionaries mean well1 but sometimes they are very indiscreet4 ,for instance1 ,miss ,m',caul1 writing the other day from the front1 says that one of her escorts was a ,japanese lady of position1 who had been specially attached to her by the ,japanese ,government4 ,one day a missionary went up to this lady and asked her if she was married4 ',oh yes1' she replied1 'and ,i have three children4' ',but were you married in church8' ',no1' ',then1 of course1 you are not really married6' ,well such narrow minds do real harm4 ,the missionary did not mean to be offensive1 but as your proverb has it--',evil is often wrought by want of thought4' ',has ,occidentalism spoiled your art1 baron1 do you think8 ',to a certain extent the ,western civilisation has damaged the artistic side of our life4 ,i don't think that your oil-paintings will ever supersede our own light sketches4 ,our houses are not made for elaborate picture frames1 and the price of your pictures is much greater than the price of ours4 ,and why should we pay a large sum when we can get as much happiness and pleasure for a small sum8 ,but undoubtedly the ,european style is influencing ours1 as ours is influencing yours4 ,although our pictures1 as a rule1 are excellent on the side of idealism1 they are very often defective from a technical point of view4 ,our perspective can certainly be improved by the ,european method4 ,some people are of opinion that ,european methods will spoil our characteristics4 ,but in my opinion it will be so only while the artists are in a transitory state2 if they excel they will be all right4 ,i don't see any reason to reject that kind of improvement4 ,let me give you a plain and simple example of what ,i mean4 ,take that square box1 for instance4 ,now1 a ,japanese artist1 owing to his inefficiency in perspective1 would so draw it as to make it appear triangular2 well1 what harm could be done by showing him how to draw it properly4 ',the people generally move with the upper classes1 and all our upper classes in ,japan are in favour of ,western modes of thought and life4 ,people generally are delighted with the ,westernisation of ,japan1 and especially grateful for the improvement in political and civic conditions4 ,we have now the representative system in ,parliament2 our ,courts of ,law are modelled on yours2 and alas6 the increase of ,courts has increased litigation1 yet justice can be obtained1 and appeal can be made against injustice1 easier than under the old feudal system4 ,the general condition of the lower classes is far better than in the days of the feudal daimios4 ,then every locality differed4 ,in some places1 if the daimio was a good man1 the poor were happy2 in others they were less happy1 but on the whole there was not extreme poverty4 ,the same condition is continued and somewhat improved4 ,i fear1 however1 that the relative position of the poor has a tendency to degenerate as in ,europe4 ',,the ,,standard ,,of ,,living ',are the people generally better off as regards money8 ',well1 they make more money1 but #aj now is only equal to #a1 or less1 in the old days4 ,but one thing is certain1 they have better food4 ,there is one thing1 however1 in which ,western methods have not benefited us--the demarcation between rich and poor is becoming more marked with the new civilisation4 ,and that is a bad sign1 though it can't be helped4 ,education1 ,i am glad to say1 is much more general than it was4 ,in former days the ,samurai class were well educated1 and there were several very good schools1 but education was not so general as it is now1 when every community has its elementary schools1 although we are still far from well off in the way of universities4 ,however1 they will come4 ',in speaking to me of the new civilisation1 for which he is mainly responsible1 the ,marquis ,ito told me he was afraid that the reverence of the young for the old1 and of children for their parents1 which was so much a feature of old ,japan1 appeared to be dying out4 ',i quite agree with him1 replied the baron1 and if the individualistic ideas of ,western nations continue to increase in ,japan1 the old family feeling of reverence is sure to decline4 ,that is our great problem of the future4 ,young ,japan in some ways is departing from the ways of its ancestors1 and it is a thing to be very greatly feared and deplored4 ',do you think that1 speaking generally1 character is improved in ,japan by the ,western influence8 ',speaking of individuals1 replied my host1 with great vehemence1 no1 it is not4 ,on the contrary1 ,i notice great deterioration from association with foreigners4 ,take1 for instance1 our ports1 where there are mainly houses of ill-fame1 mainly supported by ,european sailors1 who have introduced vices and vulgarities of which old ,japan was absolutely ignorant4 ,but1 of course1 ,i do not consider that the ,western influence is wholly bad merely because certain very low-class foreigners come to our country and behave badly4 ,the general good of the community has been greatly advanced by our contact with the ,west4 ,trades-unions1 for instance1 and the formation of great business companies1 which were quite unknown in the old days1 have helped greatly to raise the commerical status of our people1 both employers and employed4 ,you ask me as to individual morality under modern influences4 ,well1 it is difficult to define4 ,on the whole1 ,i think the morality of the individual was higher in the old days1 because those days were more simple and the community was more sober4 ,the more primitive a land is1 the better it is morally4 ,but ,i fear we must move with modern times4 ',and which do you prefer--the quiet feudal days of old ,japan1 or the modern push and worry and hustle and bustle8 ',it all depends on the point of view1 was my host's reply4 ,competition with the world is absolutely necessary4 ,but there were many good points about the old days4 ,although they involved a rgime of restriction and there was very little chance of individual development 7though not so little as ,lafcadio ,hearn would make out71 men of ability could always push their way to the front even in the days of feudalism4 ',the ,marquis ,ito1 for instance8 ',don't speak of him4 ,he1 ,marquis ,yamagata1 and many others1 have arisen from an obscure position1 but1 they belong more to our own time1 ,i am speaking of older days4 ,take1 for instance1 ,arai ,hakuseki1 who1 born in humble circumstances1 became the chief adviser of the ,shogun4 ,many a farmer's son who joined the priesthood rose to greater power and position than that of a middle-class daimio4 ',and do you think that the general level of happiness in ,japan is as high as it was in the old days of romance8 ',yes1 smiled the baron4 ,but people were happy in former days because they did not know what freedom meant1 still less the enjoyment of the luxuries to which they are now accustomed4 ,to them ignorance was literally bliss4 ,but the idea of happiness nowadays differs in kind and character1 and it is difficult to say if modern ,japan is as happy as the ancient ,japan4 ,one thing1 ,i hope1 will always remain with us1 and that is our patriotism and loyalty4 ,a country is in a good way which puts loyalty to the sovereign and love of country before all private and meaner considerations4' ,finishing the reading1 the duchess continued1 ',i suppose you are correctly reported8' --',yes1 in the main1' ,i answered4 --',i was reading1' said the duchess1 'the other day1 the chapter on ,japan in the ,far ,east1 by ,archibald ,little1 just issued from the ,clarendon ,press1 which1 ,i think1 is the best topographical description of ,japan written in a popular style4 ,in it ,i came across a passage to this effect3 ',whether increased intercourse with the essentially vulgar ,west will1 as many well-wishers fear1 at the same time destroy the old simplicity of living1 the future will show4 ',the ,occidentals seem to have begun to perceive vulgarity in things ,european4 ,there is really vulgarity in many things1 ,i fear4 ,but1 baron1 had you any particular idea when you spoke about the vulgarity introduced into your open ports8' --',i am afraid not1' ,i answered2 'it would be difficult for me to explain it to you1 and you would not appreciate it if ,i did4 ,look6 the last ray of the sun is glittering in the foliage4 ,time has flown wonderfully quick3 ,i must say au revoir' ,v ,some observations on peace prospects--,discussion on ,anglo-,french-,russo-,japanese entente--,russian views of the ,japanese--,discussion on religion and ,japan--,japan and the ,international ,conventions--,the meaning of religion--,general ,nogi--,a high-priest on ,japan and ,russia--,the ,japanese conception of death--,a quotation from an old book on ,bushido--,the notion of the name--,further remarks on the ,russian views of the ,japanese--,england and ,america--,the outbreak of the war--,a wanton project of the ,russian admiral restrained by the ,french admiral--,discussion on the ,yellow ,peril and ,pan-,asiatic ambition--,japan not a small country--,french poor in the caves--,paris by night--,sir ,stamford ,raffles and his appreciation of ,japan ninety years ago --,patriotism and ,france--,la ,france1 c'est le pays de mon cur--,a romantic and tragical story--,discussion on ,socialism and ,japan--,england and ,america--,discussion on the word ',revolution'--,the ,great ,change of ,japan in #ahfg--;,its political and social effects--,a comparison with the ,french ,revolution--,discussion on unity and continuity of authority--,an anonymous pamphlet--,discussion on the relative position of the ,french ,nationalists and ,socialists with regard to ,japan--,french thrift ,i was once more partaking of tea en famille in the ,duchess of ,fairfield's garden4 ,she1 like myself1 prefers to be unceremonious1 as there is then so much more possibility of a quiet conversation4 --',what do you think of the prospect of peace8' said the duke4 ',the war must surely now cease4' --',yes1 ,i should think so too1' ,i replied4 ',enough blood has already been shed2 but1 you know1 our opponents are such that they do not see things in the same light as other people4' --',but they must do so now1' was the reply4 ',every one has known for a long time that it is of no use for them to carry on the war4 ,the issue is clear4' --',well1 we shall see what will happen4' --',the justice of the cause and the singleness of the aim of ,japan are now widely recognised by the thinking people of the whole world1' said the duchess1 'and the part you have played in it is not small4' --',i thank you very much for your sympathetic words1' ,i answered4 ',on the morrow of the battle of ,tsu-shima ,i received a telegram from a well-known ,english writer in which he congratulated me on the brilliant victory1 as he said1 of our fleets1 adding thereto only equalled by your success in ,europe4 ,that that victory was brilliant ,i cannot deny1 though the honour belongs to my own country1 but as to the part of the telegram concerning myself1 it is an exaggeration4 ,the only thing which is true1 however1 is that ,i have worked hard all this time--,i may say1 harder than ,i have in all my life4 ,i have done so1 as every ,japanese ought to do1 having in view the fact that my fatherland has been engaged in the most gigantic struggle since the famous invasion of the ,mongolian ,armada1 or even more momentous than that4 ,i merely mention this incident to you because you are so sympathetic3 ,i have never told it to any one else4' --',i can quite understand your feelings1' said the duchess1 and continued after a little pause-- ',the whole world knows the chivalrous character of the ,japanese4 ,remember1 however1 ,i am a friend of ,russia1 and that is the reason why ,i am all the more anxious that ,russia should recognise the situation as it is4' --',yes1 ,i know your views very well4 ,there are many ,frenchmen who hold similar views4 ,some of them sincerely wished to save the ,baltic ,fleet and advocated peace1 as they were sure all the ships would go to the bottom of the sea if they ventured to the ,far ,east1 which would leave the ,baltic defenceless1 and would thus deprive ,france of the usefulness of the ,dual ,alliance4 ,but those friendly counsels were not heeded by the ,russians2 on the contrary1 as you know1 some insinuations were made regarding the press which had published them4 ,we have a saying3 ,good medicine is bitter to the mouth1 and faithful counsel is averse to the ear4 ,this is a case in point4' --',it is often so1 ,i fear1' said the duke4 ',but1 baron1 ,i must now leave you4 ,i have an engagement to-day1 and have to take my daughters with me4 ,the duchess studies diplomacy and politics more than ,i1 so please stay and talk with her4' ,the ,duke of ,fairfield is a typical aristocrat3 although not a great talker1 he is eminently sensible1 unostentatious1 and dignified4 ,france of to-day is not for the aristocracy1 but the duke is resigned to the circumstance4 ,he has always been as cordial and kind to me as the other members of his family4 ,he now left the duchess and me to our conversation1 and went out with his two daughters4 --',i am an advocate of an entente ,anglo-,french as well as ,russo-,japanese3 we all four ought to keep on well together1 that you know very well1' said the duchess4 ',of course ,i do not sympathise with the way in which the ,russian bureaucracy carries on the administration of that country3 that is understood4 ,but what is your opinion of the ,russians in general8 ,do you think you can ever be friendly with them8' --',yes1 ,i think so3 on our part there is no reason why we should not be friendly with the ,russians4 ,i can even say we like them individually4 ,but1 you see1 they have some deep-rooted prejudices against us which stand in the way4 ,only some weeks ago1 ,i read a letter written and widely circulated by ,countess ,sophie1 the wife of ,count ,leo ,tolstoy4 ,she is an advocate of peace1 and abhors war in general1 as does her husband4 ,we have no objection to her1 so far as her conviction is concerned regarding war1 but in that letter she is pleased to write3 ',a spiritually undeveloped1 unchristian nation1 such as the ,japanese1 is bound to conquer1 for among them is rife the principle of patriotism1 which is opposed to the ,christian principle of love to one's neighbour1 and1 therefore1 of aversion to war4 ,russians have not yet grown to this stage1 but they are on the way to it4 ',you see1 the countess says we are not ,christians1 and therefore cannot love our neighbours3 it is a calumny4 ,the great bulk of the ,japanese are not ,christians in religion1 it is true1 but we know how to love our neighbours all the same4 ,it is a point of our ethics4 ,for all that1 we cannot give up our patriotism4 ,patriotism is not irreconcilable with the love of one's neighbour4 ,if ,christianity is such as the countess represents it to be1 then ,i am fain to think that the less it influences our people the better4 ,besides1 to say that the ,russians are defeated by the ,japanese because they love their neighbours more than the ,japanese do theirs1 is a proposition which1 however religious it may be1 cannot convince us in the least degree4' --',neither does it give me a shadow of conviction1' said the duchess4 ',on the contrary1 ,i know that intense belief in ,christianity has often produced the best soldiers4 ,think of the ,spanish army of ,charles ,v41 for instance4 ,they were intensely religious1 and at the same time intensely patriotic1 and fought well4 ,people often say the ,japanese have no religion1 but ,i do not believe it4 ,they have a religion unique to themselves4' --',such views as those of the countess1' said ,i1 'are entertained not only by women like herself1 but even by serious men1 holding high positions4 ,only in the autumn of last year1 a letter from one who signed himself ,a ,russian ,statesman1 and spoken of by the ,editor as ,a prominent ,russian statesman1 about whose love of peace there is no doubt1 appeared in the ,deutsche ,revue1 stating ,russian views which to our eyes were of the most fantastic character4 ,my answer to it was published in the same ,revue1 when the writer retaliated by another letter expounding notions even more extraordinary4 ,i answered him once more1 and there the matter ended4 ,in the course of the controversy he spoke of the difference between the ,russian religious views of life and those of the ,japanese1 and insinuated that our conception of justice and morality was inferior to that of his country4 ,he abused our law-courts and legislation4 ,fancy6 a ,russian statesman boasting of the matters relating to laws4 ',he even went on to say1' ,i continued1 'that ,japan has not been doing her duty according to the ,convention agreed upon at ,the ,hague ,conference1 whereas ,russia 7according to his view7 had been doing hers for months4 ,but the truth is1 ,japan has been most scrupulous in those matters from the very beginning of the war2 the prisoners' treatment regulations were promulgated within a week's time after the outbreak of the war1 and the ,prisoners' ,intelligence ,board was instituted seven days later4 ,the whole world knows the excellent working of the ,japanese ,red ,cross ,society1 and1 ,i may add1 the defectiveness of ,russia in similar respects4 ,yet the so-called ,russian statesman can make an assertion of this kind1 not in his own country1 but in a foreign press1 unchecked4 ,his statement regarding the difference in moral thought1 and cognate subjects1 may be partly due to some political motive1 but the fact remains that he circulates false ideas4' --',i1 for one1 agree with you that the charge is certainly unfair1' said the duchess1 'and besides1 ,i repeat ,i do not agree with those who say that the ,japanese have no religion4 ,the very ideals which they hold up as models for their soldiers cannot but be a religion1 as ,i said the other day4 ,what does a religion mean8 ,it means a conscientious preparedness and practice for the suppression of one's lower nature4 ,man has all sorts of wishes and desires1 temptations and tendencies1 which the experience of generations knows must be restrained4 ,wisdom comes in and teaches him to control such weakness1 and the teaching1 if systematised at all1 becomes a religion1 a cult1 if one prefers to call it by that appellation4 ,for instance1 man likes to live 7what creature likes to die if left to his natural desire71 and if he prefers to give up his life for some ideal1 is it not an act of self-repression1 or indeed of self-sacrifice1 and if it forms a characteristic of a nation1 does it not become the religion of that nation8 ,some say the ,japanese despise life1 because they like death for its own sake3 ,i call that a nonsensical observation4 ,on the contrary1 ,i see a religion in the very fact of the ,japanese being so patriotic as to so cheerfully sacrifice their lives for their country and for their emperor4 ,a remark which ,i have read in a paper as having been uttered by ,general ,nogi certainly contains1 to my idea1 a strong religious strain4 ,it was3 ',now that my two sons have sacrificed their lives and ,i am a childless man1 ,i may with an easier conscience face the parents of those thousands of young men who have likewise offered up their lives under my command4 ',the expression may be simple1' continued the duchess1 'but nevertheless1 it is possible to discern in it a touch of feeling1 which to me has a strong religious element4 ,in truth1 ,i must confess that ,i have noticed more deeds worthy of religion manifested by your country than any nation professing a religion can lay claim to4 ,some time ago1 a priest of very high standing returned from the ,far ,east4 ,he made an application while out there to be allowed to visit the ,russian prisoners in order to see how they were treated by the ,japanese authorities4 ,he got the permission at once1 and saw everything1 to his great personal satisfaction4 ,he then made a similar application to the ,russian authorities1 but was refused4 ,he had some ground to suspect that the ,russian treatment of the prisoners was not quite satisfactory4 ,to begin with1 he said1 ,japan1 who is not our ally1 had given him every facility1 and ,russia1 who is1 refused to do so4 ,he almost wept at the thought that a non-,christian nation had more of the essence of a religion than another who professed ,christianity4 ,i should not have told you all this1 were ,i not moved by the current of events1 which have left a deep impression on my mind4 ,i have no thoughts of being unfriendly to ,russia1 but ,i cannot help appreciating ,japan all the same4' --',i thank you very much1' ,i said4 --',i know the horror of war very well1' continued the duchess1 'and what lamentable incidents occur when the wild1 warlike spirit prevails4 ,during our last great war1 ,i was but a girl of thirteen1 and ,i was naturally with my mother4 ,we had to quarter the wounded2 ,i remember how ,i used to carry about a small table from one to another1 writing short notes for them4 ,little as ,i was1 many awful tales reached my ear during that war1 wherein our priests1 and our women too1 were sufferers4 ,i can never forget them4 ,compared to it the present war is a lesson2 the so-called civilised world has to learn much from the ,japanese1 not only on points of courage and devotion1 but also in regard to morale4' ,a little pause1 and the duchess went on-- --',stoical imperturbability appears to be a marked feature in your heroes4 ,there are many people who have seen the character of the ,japanese in many lights and appreciate it1 and yet are unable to perceive their feelings1 or ,i might rather say1 sentimental qualities4 ,they are curious to know if the ,japanese nature is much developed in that respect4' --',well1 ,i can tell you1 as far as ,i may be permitted to judge my own countrymen1 we have much feeling and sentimental elements4 ,at the very bottom of the stoicism of ,bushi there flows hidden streams of feeling and sentimentality1 often imperceptible to the onlooker4 ,in one way1 ,i am of opinion that our heart is filled with even too much feeling and sentimentality1 and ,i am inclined to believe it is our weak point1 for feeling and sentimentality are often accompanied by over-scrupulousness and over-sensitiveness1 and with us this disposition exercises much influence1 not only in our private affairs1 but also in politics and diplomacy4 ,in this world1 in which some people say that politics1 still more international diplomacy1 knows not morality1 the fact that we are so scrupulous often hinders our politics and diplomacy1 and yet we do not regret it1 for the time may come when the just traits of our character will be discovered by the world at large1 and receive its approval4' --',you are1' said the duchess1 'well acquainted with our common saying1 ,honesty is the best policy1 and my earnest hope is that your country will never imitate some of the ,european politics4 ,but1 baron1 let me ask another question3 ,granted that the moral and ethical training of ,japan is a religion1 as ,i do1 yet ,i cannot entirely see how that training could have been instilled in the minds of millions of men so deeply4 ,when one hears of thousands rushing on to certain death at a word of command 7as we have often heard of the ,japanese troops71 one is almost tempted to think there may be something in it which promises a reward in the future life for such a death1 as is the case with the ,mohammedan creed2 but ,i understand that there is nothing of the sort in your training1 and that the fact of your soldiers being so fearless of death has nothing to do with religion in its ordinarily accepted sense4 ,i can very well imagine that this or that group of honourable men1 picked out of multitudes1 could be of that type1 but it almost amazes me when we see hundreds of thousands of men1 one and all1 being animated by the same spirit1 without any exception4' --',i cannot1' ,i answered1 'profess that every man of our troops is so high-minded as you say1 or at least1 ,i cannot say so myself1 being ,japanese2 but assuming it to be the case1 the kind of doubt to which you give expression is entertained by many ,occidentals1 and questions to that effect have often been put to me4 ,i can1 however1 give no other answer than to repeat that there is no such religious belief in our case1 as there is in ,mohammedanism4 ,in ,europe one often engages in a deadly duel on account of some dispute1 sometimes for public reasons1 but often for other reasons which do not appear commendable to outsiders3 those who fight surely do not risk their lives from any religious belief in their cause4 ,they do so because1 as far as they themselves are concerned1 a consideration of honour demands4 ,this sentiment is exactly similar to our sense of honour1 only in our case we have1 perhaps1 made it more rational and more general4 ,to attain this ideal1 a long training and preparation is necessary1 but when once attained1 there is nothing to wonder at4 ,if one imagined that a man killed in a duel on account of a quarrel over a woman sacrificed his life because he believed he would be happy in a future life1--if he died in that fashion1 every one else would laugh at him4 ,why1 then1 is there anything to wonder at when we say that we ,japanese can be fearless of death without connecting it with a religious belief of the future life1 for a cause which is far nobler than that of the ordinary ,western custom of sacrificing one's life in a duel4 ,the morale of our troops is the result purely of ordinary ethical training and diffusion of national traditions4 ,loyalty and patriotism are the highest ideals of the ,japanese nation4 ,japanese ethics have taught for centuries how to die an honourable death1 and yet one must not think that ,japanese ethics teach only how to die3 they also teach how to live4' --',what do you mean by that8' --',i mean to say1 in ,bushido1 death was not valued for its own sake1 even in a battle1 for if one died a useless or dishonourable death1 it was called a dog's death1 which1 of course1 is a term of contempt4 ,we still have the same notion of death4 ,in a book on ,bushido1 entitled ,chiku-ba-sho1 written in the fourteenth century ,a4,d41 by ,shiwa-,yoshimasa1 as ,i mentioned the other day1 we have in the very opening page1 as follows3 ',men who handle bows and arrows military men should do their part1 thinking not only of their own persons1 but of the names of their descendants4 ,they should not incur a perpetually irksome name permanent bad reputation on account of a greed for life1 which is after all of short duration4 ,but1 on the other hand1 if they cast away their lives when they ought not to die1 they will also incur a discreditable name4 ,the chief point is that life should be sacrificed when it is honourable to do so1 in behalf of the supreme lord the emperor1 or on account of an affair which is of great importance to the generalissimo of their bows and arrows the ,shogun4 ,only by thus behaving can the famous names of the descendants be secured and perpetuated4 ,as a ,bushi1 one should never be light-minded2 on the contrary1 he should always be thoughtful and meditative4 ,the majority of men pass their time saying they would behave aptly when time and circumstances requiring it arrive4 ,such people generally experience great difficulty when any emergency unexpectedly arises1 and generally regret afterwards that they had missed the opportunity when they ought to have died4 ,the training of the mind of the best bow-handlers warriors and of ,buddhists is said to be identical4 ,in all cases1 restlessness of mind is deplorable4' --',the term name plays a great part in your ethical notions1 as ,i see from the quotation you have just given1' said the duchess4 ',you yourself have also spoken about it in your peroration to the article on ,japanese education1 which you published in the ,independent ,review4 ,i was reading that article this very morning1 and had intended to ask you for a further explanation about it1 but ,i think ,i have now caught the idea1 though it is somewhat vague to me still4 ,the idea of doing one's part1 thinking of the names of one's descendants1 as the book you have just quoted speaks about1 sounds somewhat odd to our ears4 ,it will be always puzzling to the generality of the ,occidentals4' --',why so1' ,i answered2 'you ,occidentals seem always to make simple matters difficult to comprehend1 when they would be quite clear if only viewed in a light1 not deep1 philosophical manner4 ,the spirit of the dictum ,i have just quoted has always been maintained in our ethics1 under all circumstances4 ,as you say1 no human creature can love death2 it is against nature1 and1 therefore1 we ,japanese value life no less than other races2 but we study how to live and how to die1 and when circumstances require1 we value our life lighter than the proverbial feather3 that's all4' --',and yet it is a problem for us1' said the duchess4 --',and it is plain to us who have grown up in such an atmosphere1 although it may be somewhat difficult for foreigners to understand4' --',do you think those noble characteristics will last long under the influence of modern civilisation8' asked the duchess4 --',it is a question1' ,i answered1 'but ,i hope and believe it will last2 indeed1 we must make it do so4' --',but now1 to take up the thread of our original conversation1' said the duchess4 ',politically speaking1 ,i am of the opinion that ,russia ought to make friends with you1 and that my long1 endearing hope for an entente between ,england1 ,france1 ,russia1 and your country ought to be effected for the security of peace at large and for the benefit of humanity4' --',i appreciate1' ,i answered1 'the general trend of your discourse1 and ,i know it has been your line of politics for many years1 and not a view invented merely to please me4 ,i sympathise with you all the more when ,i hear you confessing the weak points of an ally and paying high tribute to my country4 ,the time may come when your cherished idea may be realised1 but at present the prospects do not look bright4 ,the greatest obstacle in the path is the pretensions of the ,russians4 ,they will not reconcile themselves to the idea that we ,japanese are also a nation which deserves the name of a civilised race4' --',they will and must do so in time1' said the duchess4 --',we ,japanese are modest4 ,we do not give ourselves airs4 ,i say this frankly and sincerely4 ,it is neither presumption nor self-conceit1 it is my pure conviction2 but we like to be treated with proper consideration4 ,a few days ago an interview which ,i gave to a ,french weekly was published4 ,the subject was somewhat akin to our present conversation4 ,a telegram from ,washington1 which was published in some journals1 stated that the ,russians in ,america were irritated because ,president ,roosevelt had given an informal reception to ,baron ,komura4 ,it also stated that the ,russians were inspiring the impression that ,mr4 ,roosevelt was annoyed with ,great ,britain because she had refused to put pressure on ,japan to be moderate1 and so on4 ,the gist of my observation on the telegram was3-- ',it was understood that the plenipotentiaries of both countries should arrive in ,washington before the first part of ,august4 ,the ,japanese plenipotentiaries arrived punctually at the prearranged date1 but the ,russian plenipotentiaries were belated1 as we all know1 and yet complaints are made that it was ,mr4 ,roosevelt's partiality towards ,japan which made him receive the ,japanese plenipotentiaries informally4 ,i cannot see why the president should not offer cordiality to his distinguished guests1 be they ,japanese or ,russian1 on their arrival4 ,england is not less anxious to see the termination of the present war than any other nation1 but ,i do not see why ,england should put pressure upon ,japan to give advantage to ,russia1 inasmuch as she knows that ,japan is not a nation to make any unreasonable demand upon her worsted foe4 ,president ,roosevelt knows all this4 ,i also believe that while the president is determined to be quite impartial in the matter1 he is not inclined to oppress ,japan in order to give any unreasonable advantage to ,russia1 nor does he expect to see ,england do so either4 --',you see1 such sentiments as those expressed in the telegram1 which ,i do not consider a misrepresentation1 cannot but arise from some idea of prestige1 with which the ,russians imagine they have been endowed to a much higher degree by nature than ,japan has been4 ,there is another point they have made a great deal of fuss about1 and which they cannot get out of their heads4 ,it is the first torpedoing of the ,russian fleets at the entrance of ,port ,arthur1 which took place1 as you know1 on the night of the #h-ith of ,february last year4 ,they always speak of it as a treacherous attack4 ,as a matter of fact1 however1 it was nothing of the sort1 as may be seen from all the circumstances which forced us into the war1 and which are known to all the world4 ,our justification has become more evident since the revelation of the secret history of the ,russian politics of the time4 ,there even exists a secret treaty between ,china and ,russia1 made at the time when ,russia obtained a concession from ,china for the construction of the ,manchurian railways4 ,the purport of the treaty1 which is now no longer a secret1 is no other than that ,russia and ,china were to regard ,japan as their enemy1 and to menace her by the use of that railway4 ,china soon discovered the fallacy3 she soon saw that ,japan had not the disposition represented by the ,russians4 ,russia would perhaps now say that the treaty was only made for the purpose of obtaining the concession3 ,i hope it was so1 but who knows that it had been so from the beginning8 ,in spite of all this1 ,japan had always adopted a conciliatory attitude before the outbreak of the war--a war in which1 to use a phrase of ,president ,roosevelt's memorable message to the ,american ,congress1 it was necessary for the aggrieved nation valiantly to stand up for its rights4 ,remember1 ,i do not quote this in any vainglory4 ,moreover1 when the war became inevitable1 we gave a clear notice of war to our opponents 7on the #fth of that month74 ,perhaps you have seen the ,white ,book of ,japan relating to the subject4' --',i saw a ,french translation of it1' said the duchess1 'and it has modified considerably the early impressions1 not only of myself1 but of most people4' --',i am glad of that1' ,i said4 ',it is true that the ,emperor of ,japan issued on the #ajth of that month a formal declaration of war1 but it was addressed to his own subjects1 and its aim was to make the actual situation known to them and also indirectly to the neutrals4 ,as far as ,russia and ,japan are concerned1 the notice of the #fth1 whereby ,japan announced to ,russia that she would take an independent action1 was nothing else than a declaration of war4 ,it is1 therefore1 unfair to state that the first attack on ,port ,arthur was a treacherous attack or an attack by surprise1 even if there were no other reasons which justify ,japan's action4' --',and yet the ,russian statesman1 for instance1 wrote in the same remarkable letters that the whole world knows that ,japan and not ,russia has provoked the present war1 and spoke of ,japan1 in reference to the first battle of ,port ,arthur1 as guilty of a criminal breach of peace1 and of that battle as a piratical night attack4 ,he went on so far as to stigmatise ,japan as this bullying and bellicose nation4 ,it is the more remarkable that all this had been done after the plain facts of the truth had come into the possession of the world4 ,in the course of my refutation ,i stated that torpedoing was not a surprise attack in the sense of ,international ,law1 as the ,russian statesman affirms2 at the most it could only be construed as a tactical surprise1 but in reality it was not even of that nature4 ,i gave my reason therefor1 to which the ,russian statesman replied1 that a ,japanese is the only person who can make any difference between a surprise and a tactical surprise1 and no educated ,european can make such a difference4 ,the difference itself is plain enough4 ,tactical surprises come under no sphere of international question4 ,the ,russian troops themselves are daily practising them in the war4 ,in spite of it1 he feigns his ignorance4 ,in my reply ,i had to detail and to develop my argument a step further4 ,if you are not already wearied1 ,i will recall a passage of my letter in question3 ',with regard to the ,port ,arthur question1 ,i should like in the first place to ask the ,russian statesman as to what ,russia herself did in all warlike engagements before the battle of ,narva1 and also when the army of his country entered ,poland in #agcc2 when it entered ,moldavia and took possession of ,chotsin1 ,bender1 and ,jassi in #ahjf2 when the ,russian ships fired into1 and sunk or captured1 some ,greek ships and made an attack upon ,poros in #ahca8 ,further1 how was it when the ,russian troops made raids on the coasts of the northern islands of ,japan unexpectedly and repeatedly in the beginning of the nineteenth century1 on which occasions they slaughtered our innocent villagers and burned our villages1 or when they attacked and occupied our ,island of ,tsushima in #ahfa8--;in all these cases there having been no cause or reason whatever for the hostility perpetrated1 and that1 too1 without the slightest warning4 ,above all1 ,i should like to call his attention to the proposal which his country made through its ambassador1 ,baron ,brunnow1 to the ,diplomatique ,corps of the ,great ,powers at ,constantinople in #ahdj1 concerning ,egypt4 ,the ,russian ambassador offered various schemes for action1 the pith of which was to be found in the following words3 ',to execute all these measures with the greatest promptitude1 and with the greatest secrecy1--promptitude1 because it is the only means of ensuring their success2 secrecy1 because the blow must first be struck before it is announced4' ,having read so far1 ,i continued3 ',after ,i had thus written1 ,i proceeded to elucidate that1 with these facts in view1 the ,russians had no right to calumniate ,japan1 even if their country were attacked by surprise1 and that1 nevertheless1 ,japan had done nothing of the sort1 as is plain from other facts4 ,such is the case on our side4' --',that point is now wholly cleared up in the eyes of the world1' said the duchess4 ',the ,russians certainly ought not to grumble endlessly over the milk which they themselves spilled6' --',i may remind you of a still more fresh instance of the unscrupulousness of the ,russians themselves4 ,at the time of the ratification of the treaty of ,simonoseki1 did not the ,russian admiral commanding the ,pacific fleet propose to the ,french admiral commanding the ,french fleet in the same water to attack and destroy the ,japanese fleet by a deliberate surprise6 ,was it not only restrained from being carried out by the judicious refusal of the ,french admiral on the ground that he had received no such instruction from his government6 ,we cannot1 of course1 be thankful to ,france for joining the memorable combination of the three powers1 but we remember with pleasant recollection the noble determination of her admiral4' --',thank ,god6 our action was correct1 at least in that respect4' --',you must be quite sickened1' ,i said1 'of the hackneyed talk of the ,yellow ,peril cry1 and the ,pan-,asiatic ambition attributed to ,japan1 because you know they are all groundless4 ,the same ,russian statesman dilated on them also3 if he really entertains any belief in them his conception is erroneous2 if he does not1 and still says so1 it is most unfair4 ,i assured him that ,japan knew no such ambition1 and gave vent to my conviction in this manner4 ,i hope you will kindly listen to me4 ',there is no possibility of ,panasianism even if ,japan had dreamed of it1 nor is there any likelihood of the ,western powers being endangered by the ascendency of ,japan4 ,the insinuation of your writer that the ,english and ,american commerce would be jeopardised by ,japan's victory1 and1 therefore1 ,japan ought to be thoroughly defeated1 is a most absurd proposition4 ,to begin with1 ,japan's victory would never prejudice the commercial interests of those countries2 on the contrary1 they would be more safeguarded4 ,but suppose it did1 it would be for ,england and ,america to look after those matters before the ,russians did for them4 ,england and ,america1 however1 are amongst those countries which are most sympathetic with ,japan4 ,i can put it in another way4 ,suppose1 after ,japan's success in this war1 ,japan's industry should be more developed1 it would only serve more to stimulate the commerce between the ,east and ,west4 ,supposing1 however1 that the development of ,japan's industry be more or less detrimental to the ,western commerce1 is it just and humane--let me repeat1 is it just and humane1 to formulate a doctrine that she is to be crushed because there is a fear that her industry might be developed8 ,it would be like a rich person formulating the doctrine that a poor neighbour of his ought to be murdered for no other reason than a vague apprehension that he might possibly become a prosperous man4 ',that is what ,i answered the ,russian statesman4 ,but even at this moment such speculative opinions are widespread4 ,i can only hope that ,japan's real motive and aspiration for emulating occidental civilisation is now becoming better known to the ,western nations1 at all events to the bulk of the ,french people4' --',i believe so1 too1' said the duchess4 ',but one thing which strikes me is that1 while on the one hand many people depict ,japan by her huge shadow1 even a greater number of people speak of ,japan as a small country1 as though she were no more than ,belgium1 ,holland1 or ,denmark4 ,a country which competes with the ,united ,kingdom of ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 ,france1 or even ,germany1 in the size of her territory and number of population1 cannot be a small country4' --',it is perhaps because we ,japanese do not parade ourselves4 ,we prefer to speak of ourselves as small in deference to the modern civilisation of the ,western nations4 ,besides1 we are not so wealthy as the occidental nations4 ,we always feel it4 ,it often prevents us from doing better things4' --',but your country is not poor4' --',we are not poor4 ,i am only speaking comparatively with the great powers of the ,west4 ,the volume of our commerce has risen from a few millions to six or seven hundred million yens in less than forty years4 ,in a way we ought to be satisfied4' --',i suppose the people are happy4' --',well1 ,i may say so4 ,we have no very rich classes1 but at the same time we have no extreme poverty as yet4 ,only the other evening a compatriot of mine who had travelled in the country near ,tours told me that the common people there lived in small caves in the cliffs1 or on the slopes of the hills1 and they were all barefooted when they were at home1 or were at work in the vintage4 ,i hear there are many such in ,britain also4 ,it sounds rather odd for ,france4 ,and more6 ,paris is a wonderful town4 ,it is a place of the agglomeration of everything extreme4 ,a little time ago1 accompanied by a few ,frenchmen1 ,i made a round of visits to all sorts of places through the whole night in order to see ,paris by night4 ,i saw many night shows to begin with3 ,i saw many gay places3 ,i saw several dens of the poor4 ,among the shows1 that of ,niente struck me most4 ,it seemed so strange to entertain visitors with beer at tables which are coffins1 and in a room lighted by a chandelier constructed of human bones4 ,a small cave tavern made right in the ground1 where the poor were enjoying bocks of beer1 and listening to some indifferent musical performance1 was also interesting4 ,i asked from where they got the air into the place4 ,the answer was nowhere4 ,but what impressed me most was a den of the destitute1 where the poor get permission to sleep for one night1 and to receive a basin of soup1 at a total cost of twopence4 ,when ,i visited the dens1 it was far on in the night4 ,i saw some four or five hundred men1 clad in rags most of them1 leaning on tables1 asleep1 in different cellars connected by narrow passages1 right deep in the ground4 ,naturally also many were lying on the ground1 and several on the stone staircases4 ,these cellars could not have been made for such a purpose1 and ,i was unable to divine for what they had been originally used4 ,perhaps they had been the cellars of some great wine merchant4 ,i don't think you yourself can have seen such a place1 but you can imagine the awfulness of the sight4 ,indeed1 the ,french gentleman who was with me said he began to feel upset4 ,i am happy to say that we have not such extreme cases of poverty in our country up to the present generation4' --',i am afraid it is such cases as these that give good pretext to the socialistic movement1' said the duchess4 ',it is a great problem4 ,but to return to our subject1 you have no embassy in ,europe1 as all other great powers have4 ,you have only legations1 with ordinary ministers1 like secondary powers4 ,it might have been one cause why ordinary people think ,japan is such a small country4' --',it may be so1' ,i answered1 'in one way2 but you see we have not had any particular reason to make ourselves ostentatious1 and besides1 the matter does not rest with one side only4' --',it is rather singular1' said the duchess1 'that the world has not discovered the real character of the ,japanese for so long a time4 ,but yet there was at least one man who realised it ninety years ago4 ,i have read an account about him in a recent issue of the ,english press4 ,it was in the year #ahac1 and1 therefore1 at the time when ,java was under ,english occupation4 ,lord ,minto 7ancestor of the new viceroy7 was then ,viceroy of ,india1 and it seems ,sir ,stamford ,raffles was the chief representative of the ,british ,east ,india ,company out in the ,east4 ,the latter sent in that year an ,englishman1 ,dr4 ,daniel ,ainslie1 to whom was attached a ,dutchman1 ,wardenaar by name1 to ,nagasaki on a mission to look after ,english interests1 and to make a confidential report on the situation in ,japan4 ,the mission was a failure2 the time was not ripe enough4 ,but the impression ,sir ,stamford obtained through ,dr4 ,ainslie is interesting4 ,it reads as fresh as though it had been brought back from ,japan only yesterday1 and speaks for itself3 ',the refusal of the ,japanese1 instigated by the prejudiced and stiff-necked ,dutchman1 ,hendrik ,doeff1 to trade with the ,english1 did not bias ,sir ,stamford's mind against them4 ,dr4 ,ainslie1 in whom he had implicit confidence1 sent him voluminous reports1 and on them he formed a judgment most favourable to the ,japanese in every respect4 ,expression was given to these opinions in ,sir ,stamford's presidential address to the ,batavian ,society of ,arts and ,sciences on ,september #aa1 #ahae4 ,the following extracts are those of the most direct importance2 ,i need only offer a few notices on the character which they appeared to ,dr4 ,ainslie to display during a residence of four months1 and as far as he had the opportunity of judging4 ,they are represented to be a nervous1 vigorous people1 whose bodily and mental powers assimilate much nearer to those of ,europe than what is attributed to ,asiatics in general4 ,their features are masculine and perfectly ,european1 with the exception of the small1 lengthened ,tartar eye1 which almost universally prevails1 and is the only feature of resemblance between them and the ,chinese4 ,the complexion is perfectly fair1 and indeed blooming1 the women of the higher classes being equally fair with ,europeans1 and having the bloom of health more generally prevalent among them than is usually found in ,europe4 ,for a people who have had very few1 if any1 external aids1 the ,japanese cannot but rank high in the scale of civilisation4444 ',the ,chinese have been stationary1 at least as long as we have known them1 but the slightest impulse seems sufficient to give a determination to the ,japanese character which would progressively improve until it attained the same height of civilisation with the ,european4444 ',the ,japanese1 with an apparent coldness like the stillness of the ,spanish character1 and derived nearly from the same causes--that system of espionage and that principle of disunion dictated by the principles of both ,governments--are represented to be eager of novelty and warm in their attachments1 open to strangers1 and1 hating the restrictions of their political institutions1 a people who seem inclined to throw themselves into the hands of any nation of superior intelligence4 ,they have1 at the same time1 a great contempt and disregard of everything below their own standard of morals and habits1 as instanced in the case of the ,chinese4 ',these remarks1 uttered ninety years ago1 show that at least one discerning mind had appreciated all the difference between the ,japanese and other ,asiatics1 judged according to the accepted views among ,europeans4 ,it was the apathy of the home authorities that alone prevented the establishment nearly a century ago of an entente cordiale between ,england and ,japan as the consequence of the strenuous effort of ,sir ,stamford ,raffles to promote commercial relations at ,nagasaki4' ,at this juncture the duke returned with his two daughters2 joining us very soon1 he said to me3 --',have you noticed the controversy about ,french patriotism waging in the papers just now8 ,i wish all ,frenchmen were as patriotic as your countrymen4' --',i have noticed1' ,i said1 'but ,i believe that whatever opinion one may entertain1 or whatever views one may express1 in the innermost shrine of the heart of every ,frenchman there is treasured a phrase1 ,la ,france3 c'est le pays de mon cur4 ,it cannot be otherwise4' --',i hope so1' rejoined the duke4 ',to love one's own country1 which is patriotism1 is almost a natural instinct4 ,the only difference is the degree of intensity4' --',let me tell you1' ,i proceeded1 'how ,i came to remember that phrase1 and excuse me if my talk is somewhat delicate4 ,it is now more than twenty years ago1 perhaps you remember1 when a young cantatrice1 together with her companion-maid1 put an end to their lives1 under romantic but tragic circumstances1 beneath the windows of the chateau of a young foreign nobleman in his country4 ,it created a great sensation at the time4 ,i was then staying in ,england4 ,she left a letter in which she expressed her desire that her enfant d'amour should be brought up and educated in ,france1 adding thereto the phrase ,i have just quoted4 ,we have a saying1 ,do not cast away good dictum on account of the person who uttered it4 ,those words--,i mean ,la ,france1 etc4--though uttered by a female of her type1 left a deep impression in my mind4 ,they are so fine and touching4 ,i dare say many a ,frenchman has used1 and still uses1 that phrase1 at least in his mind4 ,apropos to that story1 ,i will tell you an incident4 ,several years after that event ,i was in ,japan1 and dined one evening with some friends1 the party including a few foreigners4 ,there were no ladies present4 ,as is usual1 a good deal of merry chatting went on among us after dinner4 ,on that occasion ,i narrated to them the story of the event just mentioned1 and1 of course1 recalled that phrase to their remembrance4 ,one of the foreigners suddenly said1 ,i was the man concerned in it--,i was the man4 ,you can imagine how awkward ,i felt4 ,it is always necessary to be on one's guard in society4 ,one never knows who a person may be4 ,the incident1 however1 will serve to show how vividly the phrase remained in my memory4' --',now1 baron1' interposed the duchess1 'permit me to ask you to explain a problem which ,i am unable to solve myself4' --',what is it8' ,i replied4 ',i am always ready to answer your questions as far as possible4' --',the ideals as well as the whole structure1 both political and social1 of your country1' continued the duchess1 'seem to differ1 as far as ,i can judge1 from the ideals and doctrines of some of the ,socialists of the ,west4 ,according to these latter1 there can be no patriotism1 as the essence of their teaching is cosmopolite and not national1 and there can be no such social and political structure as1 for instance1 those which your country adores4 ,and yet1 on the ,continent1 the ,socialists are disposed to be more friendly to your country than the other sections of the communities4 ,on your part1 also1 you appear to be more intimate1 or at least more acquainted1 with people belonging to that class4 ,excuse me if my remarks are too personal4' --',i am not intimate1' ,i interposed1 'nor am ,i even acquainted with many4 ,but please continue4' --',well1 in ,england1 for instance1 it is the ,conservatives who are more enthusiastic about your country1 and the ,liberals only rank second4 ,i cannot make out how all that comes about on the ,continent4' --',i do not think ,english sympathy for ,japan has anything to do with their home politics4 ,look at ,america6 ,the form of the government and their political ideas are totally different from ours1 and yet they have shown great sympathy to us1 as you must have observed4' --',american democracy1 nevertheless1 is more apparent than real1' said the duchess4 ',their methods are more monarchical than republican4 ,when once a man is elected ,president1 he is like a monarch4 ,he has a wide scope for political movement in his hands4 ,he chooses his ministers independently of the ,congress1 and the ministry is not dependent on the ,congress2 in other words1 there is a concentration of power and also the continuity of it1 though the person of the ,president may change after a certain lapse of time4 ,look at ,mr4 ,roosevelt1 what a position he occupies in his country4' --',for all that1' ,i said1 ',america is a republic4 ,american sympathy for ,japan cannot be explained by the theory you put upon the ,american polity4 ,the sympathy of the ,anglo-,saxons arises1 in my opinion1 chiefly from their perception of the justice of our cause1 and from their appreciation of the humane and enlightened behaviour of the ,japanese4 ,this is my plain opinion4 ,no one can fail to perceive a great contrast in these respects between the two countries engaged in the war4 ,the sympathy of the ,european ,socialists is somewhat similar1 ,i believe4 ,the conditions of ,japan are much nearer to their own ideals than are those of our opponents4' --',that is very likely1' said the duchess1 'but ,japan as she is cannot be an ideal object of admiration to them2 their sympathy appears only to be based on comparison4 ,why1 there was even an assertion by some ,socialists that ,japan was liked only because the autocracy of the other side was disliked4 ,by the bye1 you said the other day1 that you did not like to apply the term revolution to your great change of #ahfg4' --',yes1 ,i said so4' --',and ,i agree with you1' continued the duchess4 ',revolution means upsetting and destroying everything1 but you never had anything of that kind4 ,your emperor assumed a new authority1 but it was only a restoration1 or1 in other words1 unification of power2 then1 too1 the sovereignty of his majesty's family is so antique that there is again a great continuity of power3 those are the points which make ,japan so fine a nation4 --',well1' ,i continued1 'we do not like to apply the term revolution to our great change1 because that term is usually applied to a big1 popular movement against established governments1 which1 while destroying one1 sets up another4 ,that is to say1 the term is generally used in a political sense4 ,the history of our great change differs from that1 because1 although the ,shogunate ,government was upset1 the other ,government1 namely1 the ,imperial1 which was reinvigorated and had come to exercise again its full authority1 had always existed1 and the sovereignty had continued to rest with the heads of that ,government1 namely1 the emperors2 that you know very well4 ,nevertheless1 with regard to the social aspects of the change1 one cannot say there has been no upsetting of things4 ,as a matter of fact1 almost everything has been upset2 restoration and innovation were the two currents of thought then prevailing4 ,the main work was restoration1 but almost everything else was innovation1 or at least renovation4 ,hence1 almost every institution and material object which was old was destroyed1 or nearly destroyed1 beyond all necessary limit1 almost in the same way as was experienced by ,england under the ,long ,parliament1 and ,france in #aghi4 ,i don't mean there was in ,japan any such sanguinary deeds perpetrated as those by the ,jacobins1 but the general social currents of events were something like those of ,french and ,english experience4 ,there was even a suggestion made by serious people of cutting down the big trees of a fine park in the middle of ,tokio and turning it into mulberry fields1 on the argument that the latter would be beneficial to the nation1 whilst the former was a useless luxury4 ,at one time1 indeed1 even the word civilisation was much abused3 of course1 not in such a way as ,madame ,roland lamented the abuse of the term liberty1 because our abuse of the word civilisation was neither political nor serious4 ,it was chiefly so with small social matters4 ,for instance1 when one wished to dispense with some of the old customs and manners1 which he deemed too rigid and inconvenient1 he would cast them away light-heartedly1 with the remark that it was not a civilised method4 ,of course1 a great change like the one we have made can only be carried out under such circumstances as those1 accompanied necessarily by great sacrifices4 ,without doubt1 it would not do if the same thing went on endlessly4 ,fortunately we have managed to tide over that transitory state1 and have produced the ,japan of the present day4' --',whatever may have been the social aspects of your great change1' said the duchess1 'one thing is undeniable1 and that is1 that its best results have been brought about by the unification and continuity of the pouvoir--,i mean1 authority4 ,but by saying this1 ,i must not be misunderstood1 especially in this country1 as saying that a continuity of authority is necessarily to be connected with heredity1 for ,i maintain1 for instance1 that the ,catholic religion is a specimen of continuity in the person of the ,pope4 ,but1 baron1 was there any outcry for ,libert1 ,egalit1 and ,fraternit at the time of your great change8' --',no1 not exactly1' ,i replied4 ',our struggle was not one of the lower classes en masse against the upper classes4 ,besides1 our lower classes were not in such a desperate condition as those of ,france in her troubled days4' --',you know already1' proceeded the duchess1 'that those three terms contradict each other if carried out literally4' --',that is true4 ,but by similar reasoning1 all terms of virtue are contradictory if carried out to the letter4 ,thus1 the extremity of patience makes one a fool2 that of bravery1 foolhardy2 that of charity1 lavish2 and that of extensive love of all things1 makes one a sentimental weeper4 ,forgive me if ,i am a little polemic4 ,however1 there is one thing that ,i think ,i have not told you1 and that is this3 ,although there was no definite cry for the three t's during our great change1 some vague notion of them was observable during that event and some time after4 ,it was during that transition period that the ,french notion of personal right based upon the civil law got into the ,japanese mind a little too strongly in opposition to the idea of public laws based upon the principles of ,state and common good4 ,thus1 for instance1 a man did not scruple to cut down whatever forests belonged to him1 no matter whether or not by doing so irreparable public injury should be occasioned2 his notion being that his proprietary right of the forests stood over any other right4 ,in other words1 the notion of private laws was not reconciled with that of public laws4 ,we have had to bring about an amelioration1 and to enact fresh laws to regulate the forest question1 much on the same lines as the old regulations which had previously existed in many parts of the country4 ,there have been many other matters much similar to this4 ,i may also add that proper respect between inferior and superior1 and younger and elder1 was also slackened at one time1 which is a sort of misuse of equality and fraternity4 ',but to return to our discourse3 all the arguments ,i have heard from you to-day remind me of an anonymous political pamphlet which ,i happened to glance at4 ,it speaks of the necessity of unification and continuation of authority4 ,it speaks of the advisability of non-dependency of the ,ministry on the ,chamber1 and it speaks of the self-contradiction of the three terms4 ,i almost suspect that the writer of the pamphlet is influenced by you1 or you by him1 or is it a coincidence8' --',no matter1' said the duchess lightly1 and continued2 ',i think there are no ,socialists in ,japan--at all events1 not worth speaking of1 as a party8' --',very true1' ,i interposed4 --',i thought so1' continued the duchess2 ',japan is not a country compatible with the ideas and doctrines of ,socialism3 she does not want it4' --',and yet1 some points of her aspirations1' ,i said1 'deserve attention4 ,it is the duty of an enlightened ,government to anticipate the legitimate requirements of the lower classes1 and to make the spread of dangerous doctrines useless4' --',and ,japan does so1 ,i suppose1' said the duchess4 --',well1 we are doing our best1' ,i answered1 'more especially because the introduction of ,western methods of progress tend to produce all sorts of evils1 though1 of course1 the benefit derived therefrom is comparatively far greater in its way4' --',the freer a country is1 the less it is likely to be disturbed by socialistic or nihilistic movements1 you mean1 ,i suppose1' said the duchess4 --',it is not all1 but something like it1' ,i said4 ',england and ,america are free from those movements4' --',france is a free country1' said the duchess1 'and yet she labours under an overpowering influence of ,socialism4' --',it seems true1' ,i said4 --',you might say because she is too free1 perhaps1' said the duchess4 --',or1 rather1' ,i replied1 'she might be paying the penalty incurred during the ancient monarchy of the misuse of its power4' --',maybe1' she answered4 ',but ,i am far from believing in real power of that party4 ,it is1 of course1 foolish to ignore an existence of such an element4 ,they have1 however1 never been in office4 ,suppose they have formed a ,government1 what do you think will come out of it8 ,at all events1 ,i can never agree with some of their extreme views which1 if carried out literally1 would mean an abolition of the army and navy1 the ,government1 even the ,state4' --',the subject is too intricate for me1' ,i said2 ',i give it up4' --',at all events1' she replied1 'there being no socialistic party in ,japan1 as you say1 is it not all the more strange that no cordiality seems to exist between ,japan and the ,french ,nationalists1 whose notions and ideas resemble those of the ,japanese4' --',we can have no sympathy1 still less concern1 with any political aspiration of a section of other people as far as their domestic politics are concerned4 ,but ,i do not see why the ,japanese should not be willing to be friendly with the ,nationalist section of the ,french people4 ,of late1 the ,japanese have not seemed to be persona grat with your ,nationalists1 if there be any such section4 ,but it is not our fault4 ,they have shown through their partiality to our opponents much antipathy to ,japan4 ,it is another reason why the contrast between the ,socialists and other sections of the ,french people has become1 or rather1 once became1 so manifest as regards their attitude to my country4' --',but the ,nationalists are not enemies of ,japan4 ,in fact1 it was the ,nationalists who disapproved ten years ago the action of the ,government1 which joined in the combination of the three powers against ,japan4' --',maybe1' ,i said1 'but the general tendency of that section1 since the outbreak of the present war1 has not been so favourable to us as you would have liked4' --',but you must make some allowance for the fact that ,france is the ally of the other side4' --',i do so1 but the contrast in tone between different journals is so marked1 and the papers which are most bitter against us1 at one time were those reputed as the organs of the ,nationalists4' --',that may have been so1' said the duchess1 'and there have even been some which were rather misleading4 ,i confess ,i was rather surprised when once asked by a member of a respectable family1 how it was that the ,japanese were near ,moukden1 whilst we had been informed by the press all these months that the ,russians had been constantly gaining victories4 ,probably that family happened to take in some exceptional journal1 and perhaps only one4 ,but you cannot read journalistic opinions only and regard them as the real views of the ,nationalists4 ,they have1 in reality1 very little influence over the papers2 ,i wish they had more4 ,journals generally go their own way3 ,i cannot and must not explain why4 ,besides1 the socialist journals also have not been friendly to ,japan from the very beginning4 ,they became so only when the contrasts between the belligerents had become somewhat manifest4 ,they were shrewd in the matter3 the ,nationalists were slow2 one had to awake them4' --',i was not here at that time1' said ,i1 'so ,i cannot offer any observation thereon4 ,but1 madam1 is it too impertinent for me to ask if ,french interest in ,russian bonds are much in the hands of ,nationalists8' --',oh no1' answered the duchess4 ',i wish they were2 but you see our old families are not like those of some other countries4 ,the interest of the ,russian bonds mostly concerns petty people who have invested in them their hard-earned savings4 ,it is1 therefore1 all the more unfortunate that the present war should be protracted4' --',i envy ,france1' ,i said1 'that she has such a saving people3 it is in consequence of this that she has1 as ,i am told1 some billions of surplus francs every year4' --',that1 ,i believe1 is the case1' said the duchess4 --',as to the friendly relations between your country and mine1 let us hope that a time happier than the present may arrive soon1 and the sooner the better4' --',i hope so1 too1' said the duchess1 'and we must try to make it so4' ,,vi ,the age of the ,japanese--,ito and ,inouy--,intermarriages--,commander ,hiros--,some abuse of the ,japanese nationality--,the climate of ,japan--,chrysanthemums--,japanese rain--,the two great currents--,how ,japan developed--,summer resorts of foreigners--,spring and autumn-- ,picnics--,sports--,a letter by an ,american--,pastimes of the ,japanese gentry--,description of the ,japanese chess and the game of ',go'--,description of ,japanese cards--,poem cards--,flower cards--,pierre ,loti--,public baths--,an interview on common and military education in ,japan--,george ,washington and ,nelson--,the cause of ,russian defeats according to the wounded ,i found myself once more in a group of people1 including some ladies4 ,the group was very incongruous1 as is usual in dreamland4 ,the conversation went on merrily and very light-heartedly4 --',now1 baron1 it is your turn4 ,you must now tell us something interesting1' said one of those present4 --',i have nothing worth telling1' ,i answered4 --',but you must3 you were in ,europe for many years1 when quite young1 ,i have heard4 ,you must have had some experiences to interest us4' --',well1 ,i can remember only one or two amusing incidents4 ,i once knew a charming young lady1 called by her friends the modest ,violet4 ,she lived with her mother and sisters in a country home near ,london4 ,i was often invited there to take tea and play tennis1 or accompany them for a drive4 ,on one occasion1 ,i was walking with her round the garden1 when we came to a nook where there was a garden seat4 ,we sat down4 ,but the seat1 being old1 the part on which ,i sat gave way all of a sudden1 and ,i found myself flat on the ground1 the other part of the seat remaining intact4' --',does she still remember you1 or rather1 have you seen her since your arrival in ,europe this time8' asked another4 --',yes6 ,i have seen her1 and ,i noticed when ,i visited her she was still using on her table a silver trinket1 of which ,i made her a present years ago1 on the occasion of her wedding4' --',that is one--and another4' --',well1 ,i was at ,brighton one summer1 and met there a young lady with whom ,i was acquainted4 ,we went for a walk together on the ,parade one bright afternoon and then went down to the beach4 ,she sat on a small rock and leaned against the stone wall4 ,she had a book of select poems in her hand and read a good many of them while ,i reclined on the sand by her side4 ,when she rose from her seat1 ,i noticed that the back of her white summer dress was stained green by the moss on the stone against which she had leaned1 and she was obliged to go home with her sunshade open over her back4' --',let me again ask if you have met her since8' --',no1 ,i have lost trace of her altogether4 ,she was the daughter of an astronomer4 ,if she is still living1 she will remember me when she sees my ,summer ,dream4' --',what8' --',i don't know4' --',but ,i have heard you utter those words once or twice4 ,surely they must have a meaning4' --',no6 ,i think not4 ,you must know that ,i was formerly a ,deputy of the ,japanese ,diet4' --',what has that to do with the subject8' --',well6 ,deputies often talk about things which they know nothing about4 ,just observe the deputies who talk most in the chamber4 ,they are sure to be those who have never read through the documents they hold in their hands4' --',what a pleasantry6 ,however1 we have had the second tale4 ,what next8' --',no more amusing ones4 ,but ,i remember another which was somewhat chivalrous4 ,in a large town in the north of ,france1 there was a group of rich manufacturers belonging to the same family1 originally ,english1 though some of the younger members had been born in ,france4 ,a bosom friend of mine1 and another compatriot1 were staying there1 and they were both on intimate terms with all the members of the family4 ,i spent several summer days in that town1 and also in ,dunkirk and ,ostend1 with my friends and most of the people ,i am referring to4 ,they were all very cordial1 and it goes without saying that ,i spent a very jolly time4 ,there was a young lady belonging to one branch of the family1 who in age1 to say the least of it1 was past the first bloom of youth4 ,i noticed that she and the members of another branch of the family never spoke together1 which aroused my curiosity1 and as a result of discreet inquiry1 ,i found that some discord existed between them1 the cause of which was she had not married the man of her choice on account of the interference of an uncle1 who was the head of the other branch of the family4 ,i felt rather sorry about the matter1 for it was the only rift in the family lute1 otherwise most happy and harmonious4 ,a strong desire came over me to bring about a reconciliation4 ,one day at ,dunkirk1 ,i accompanied the young lady to the sea-coast1 where1 after a long persuasion1 ,i obtained her consent to be reconciled4 ,the chief individual having been won over1 ,i had no great difficulty in persuading the others2 and peace was proclaimed then and there at ,dunkirk4' --',but you were only a young man1 then4' --',certainly ,i was younger than ,i am now1 but ,i am not quite so young as you may imagine4 ,the ,japanese1 as a rule1 appear to ,european eyes many years younger than they are in reality4 ,thus1 for instance1 when ,marquis ,ito and ,count ,inouy came over to ,england as students for the first time1 they were both over twenty1 and ,count ,inouy was older than the ,marquis ,ito by some years4' --',their relative ages1 however1 must have remained the same always1' said one jestingly4 --',that is so3 but that is not my point4 ,they were then considered as young students of seventeen or eighteen4 ,when1 therefore1 they told their teacher that they would return to ,japan and counsel their ,prince to change his anti-foreign policy into a pro-foreign policy1 he laughed at them1 saying1 ,you boys1 what can you do8 ,and ,ito and ,inouy only succeeded1 after great perseverance1 to obtain the necessary consent4 ,however that may be1 ,i am glad to have heard since that the lady in question was happily married4' --',allow me to ask a very delicate question4 ,have you never fallen in love1 or something like it1 with any ,european lady during your long stay in ,europe8' --',well1 ,i have always preferred to keep my heart well in hand1 so as not to be hampered in the more serious duties of life2 and1 moreover1 ,i do not believe in the desirability of intermarriage between foreigners4 ,there have1 of course1 been many intermarriages between the ,japanese and the occidental races1 and the results of some of them have been apparently very good1 but there have also been many failures1 and ,i do not think1 in general1 happiness can be secured in intermarriages of this kind1 so much as those between people who have greater resemblance in customs and manners and everything else to each other4 ,even if the couple are happy1 it often happens that it is not so between them and their relations4 ,you know1 perhaps1 that the late ,commander ,hiros was a bachelor4 ,he was a man of stoical character4 ,there is1 however1 a rumour about him that while he was staying over here he met a young ,european lady whom he liked very much4 ,he did not propose to her but for one reason1 and that was because he was afraid she might feel unhappy when taken to ,japan for the reason ,i have just mentioned1 in addition to the fact that he was a naval officer1 in consequence of which he would have to leave her to herself more than ordinary married women--and that in a country to which she was a stranger in many things6' --',but your success in the war will make your countrymen very popular among young ladies1' interposed another laughingly4 --',i have no fear4 ,western young ladies are cautious enough4 ,but1 nevertheless1 there is a slight danger of the name of ,japan being taken advantage of4 ,i heard a story only the other day that in ,california some ,chinese cut off their plaits and dressed in ,european costumes while they were staying at an hotel1 and were passing themselves off as ,japanese4 ,they were discovered when a real ,japanese addressed them in his language1 to which they were unable to reply4 ,i have heard of another incident which took place in a town in the north of ,england4 ,a foreigner1 professing himself to be a ,japanese1 tried to take an apartment4 ,the landlady1 who had had some ,japanese lodgers before1 somewhat suspected the nationality of the man from his way of bargaining for the rent4 ,she asked a ,japanese to call in on her1 and the foreigner was soon discovered to be a ,european whose nationality belonged to a country where the climate is very hot1 and whose complexion alone bore resemblance to the ,japanese4' --',what is the ,japanese climate like8' asked another4 --',well1 that is a question ,i am asked so often4 ,you see ,japan is a long1 narrow country running from north to south-west2 therefore1 if you take the northern and southern extremities1 there is much difference of climate1 but as to ,japan proper1 that is to say1 the middle part1 the climate does not much differ from yours4 ,the latitude there is much lower than ,england or ,france4 ,the latitude of ,london is fifty-one degrees1 one minute north2 that of ,paris1 forty-eight degrees1 fifty minutes north2 whilst that of ,yokohama1 which is the port of ,tokio1 and about twenty miles south of the latter1 is thirty-five degrees1 twenty-six minutes2 and1 therefore1 people taking an analogy from ,egypt or ,algeria often wrongly imagine that ,japan is a tropical land1 but it is not so4 ,we have our seasons3 spring1 summer1 autumn1 and winter1 at the same time as you4 ,we have snow1 frost1 even hailstones1 much similar to you4 ,we have occasional rain and showers also1 as you have1 or perhaps a little more frequent4 ,we have a rainy season in ,june1 although we do not have so much fog as in ,england4 ,the weather is generally fine2 our summer lasts longer than yours1 and is somewhat hotter1 but not so hot as people generally imagine4 ,our autumn lasts longer and is finer than yours1 because you seem to jump almost from summer to winter1 and winter to summer4 ,in fact1 in ,japan1 we almost doubt which is the better season of the year1 spring or autumn4 ,in autumn1 in many parts of the country1 almost all the foliage1 as well as the maples1 turn to all shades of red and scarlet intermingled with yellow4 ,it is the result of the brilliant sun shining on the frosted leaves--a grand sight1 which you seem not to have in this quarter of the world4' --',the chrysanthemums are also very fine too1 ,i think1' said another4 --',yes1 but in that respect we cannot now boast so much1 as it is cultivated so extensively in the ,west1 and the blossoms are1 as a rule1 much bigger than ours4 ,everywhere in society nowadays chrysanthemums are plentifully used for table decorations4 ,indeed1 people say the introduction of that flower was a great boon to the florists of ,europe1 as the chrysanthemum season happens to fall just at a time when the scarcity of flowers is most felt4 ,there is1 however1 one difference in its cultivation between the ,occidental and ,japanese horticulturists4 ,the latter strive to keep all the leaves fresh and green from the bottom of the stalk to the top1 which is no easy matter1 and do not trouble to produce very large blossoms1 but in the ,west the size of the flower appears to be almost the only care1 in consequence of which ,i have seen almost all the flowers exhibited at shows without any stalk at all4 ,i may add a word concerning the rain in ,japan1 especially in ,tokio4 ,the shower is often very heavy1 and falls in a slanting direction on account of a strong wind1 which often prevails in ,japan2 therefore1 the roofs of the buildings have long eaves2 even the buildings in ,european style must have eaves and windows specially designed1 differing from the ordinary ,western architecture1 otherwise the rain would soak through4 ,the reason why the climate of ,japan is temperate in comparison with its latitude is chiefly due to the effects of two great currents1 one coming from the ,behring ,strait and the other coming from the south1 one cold and the other warm2 and between those currents is produced the climate of ,japan4 ,strangely enough1 in ,manchuria and the northern parts of ,china proper1 that is to say1 the regions surrounding ,pekin1 the summer is excessively hot and the winter extremely cold4' --',do you say the climate in every part of ,japan proper is pretty much the same8' asked one4 --',pretty much1 but not exactly4 ,you see ,japan proper has a range of mountains1 which divides the country into two parts1 one side facing the ,pacific ,ocean and the other the ,sea of ,japan4 ,the former is more bright and cheerful1 and conversely the latter is less bright and less cheerful4 ,perhaps1 owing to that disadvantage in climate1 the ,japan ,sea side is less advanced in all respects4 ,then1 again1 the development of ,japan seems to have proceeded from west to east1 beginning at the north-western part of ,kiusiu1 thence along both sides of the ,inland ,sea1 thence along the ,pacific ,ocean on toward the ,plain of ,kwanto1 where ,tokio is situated4 ,all travellers can discern this very easily by the general development of these regions in comparison with other parts of the country4' --',is the summer so hot as to be unbearable8' asked another4 --',i would not say unbearable1 but1 of course1 it would be far more comfortable if one went to good summer resorts4 ,there are many places in ,japan suitable for spending the summer1 and are visited by a large number of ,occidentals1 not only from all parts of ,japan1 but also from most of the open ports of the neighbouring countries4 ,for instance1 ,karuizawa1 where ,i have a small villa1 is over three thousand feet above sea level1 and there nearly one thousand foreigners spend the summer every year4 ,apropos to ,karuizawa1 ,i may tell you en passant an incident which occurred there a few years ago4 ,early one morning ,i discovered two foreigners had got into a corner of my garden and were cutting down branches of my favourite trees2 they were not very refined1 and evidently belonged to some irregular mission4 ,on my asking for an explanation1 they told me the branches were for the decoration of the house of ,god4 ,they did not know to apologise1 but appeared to assume that they could do anything in the name of their mission4 ,i had to explain to them that they were doing what they ought not to1 and that if they did the same thing in the grounds of less tolerant people1 trouble might ensue4 ,i then formally gave them the branches already cut down1 in order to exonerate them from any possible infraction of the ,ten ,commandments4 ,i mention this incident in order that other people engaged in similar missions might take it as a warning4 ,but to return to my subject3 well-to-do ,japanese also resort to the mountains or to the seaside places for their summer holidays4 ,for the people in general1 however1 spring and autumn are the best seasons of the year4 ,it is then that countless groups of men and women indulge in innocent picnic parties to see all sorts of flowers and tinted leaves1 and to visit places of interest1 with which the country abounds2 indeed1 some of the people who are more sthetic and poetic often travel great distances simply for those objects4 ,the fire-flies also are a sight in many parts of ,japan4' --',i have read some accounts of those excursions1' said one1 'and their fondness for hanging down from the branches of trees their quaint but simple and innocent effusions of poetic thought1 written on slips of paper4' --',but what are the general pastimes of the ,japanese gentry at home8' asked another4 ',are they fond of open-air sports as the ,english are8' --',no1 ,i am sorry to say they are not4 ,in ,england1 more than elsewhere1 all sorts of open-air sports have been invented and played1 perhaps owing to the condition of the climate4 ,mr4 ,balfour1 the ,prime ,minister1 as everybody knows1 is a great golfer4 ,professor ,balfour1 his brother1 was a great cricketer4 ,his premature death years ago1 by an accident on the ,alps1 was lamented very deeply by the scientific world2 and ,i1 for one1 grieved much1 for he was very kind to me when ,i went up to ,cambridge1 and smoothed my way considerably for the ,university study4 ,with us1 however1 outdoor sports have always been considered childish1 and the rude sports of children have never been improved to suit grown-up men4 ,in recent years1 of course1 ,western open-air sports1 such as base-ball or lawn tennis1 are played by students very widely 7at this moment some ,japanese teams of base-ball players have gone to ,america to play against the ,americans74 ,but older people seldom indulge in that kind of sport4 ,billiards also is only of modern introduction4' --',but surely you must have some kind of pastimes8' --',well1 we have some1 but before entering on that subject ,i will say a word about a letter written by an ,american on kindred subjects4 ,it caught my eye accidentally in the ,japan ,times4 ,it is rather interesting and1 therefore1 ,i will recite it to you verbatim4 ,the heading of it is ,japan is a queer country4 ',such was the heading of an article in one of our ,american papers of recent date4 ,as an example of the country being queer the writer stated among other things that old men in ,japan fly kites and spin tops1 while children look on4 ,now1 ,i for one have been in ,japan a good while and have seen many flying kites and spinning tops4 ,yet ,i have never had the fortune of seeing the picture described above4 ,it is easy to conceive how the kind-hearted ,ojiisan might show his little grandson how to fly a kite or to spin a top while the little fellow looked on1 but that is in no way peculiar to ,japan4 ,the same thing might be seen in almost any country4 ',again the writer says1 ,japanese writers use paint brushes1 not pens1 and write from bottom to top1 in which he has gotten his ideas more topsy-turvy than the ,land of ,topsyturvydom itself4 ,and further1 in ,japan there are no lawyers1 and ,japanese doctors never make any charges4 ,comment is unnecessary4 ',these are only specimens of much that has for years flooded our ,western newspapers about ,japan4 ,not a great while ago ,i saw an article in which it was said that ,japanese babies never cried1 and if a dog barked at night he was taken off next day and killed4 ,it is high time that ,western people were beginning to have a few sane thoughts about ,japan1 and stop speaking of it as an ,oriental puzzle1 a nation of recluses1 a land of fabulous wealth1 of universal licentiousness1 or of ,edenic purity1 the fastness of a treacherous and fickle crew1 a ,paradise of guileless children1 a ,utopia of artists and poets4 ,japan has some superficial oddities1 but what country is there that has not8 ,to be a bit humorous1 if people wish to say ludicrous things about ,japan1 it may not be so bad1 but to put such things out as sober truth makes a false impression and does the people an injustice4 ',imagine a ,japanese going to ,america1 for example1 and writing back something like this3 ,america is a queer country4 ,the people clothe themselves with the hair and skins of animals4 ,they fasten their clothing on by means of little knobs hung in holes2 the women go about with the arms and upper part of the body nude4 ,owing to the peculiar make of their shoes1 they all walk on tiptoe4 ,the people eat dead pigs1 and drink a white1 thick fluid called chichi1 which they squeeze out of the body of a large animal4 ,when eating they stick long iron instruments in their mouths4 ,when moving about they are obliged constantly to set one foot out in front in order to keep from falling on their noses4 ,sometimes when there is a company of them together they open their mouths very wide at each other1 utter loud1 inarticulate cries1 and jump about in a very curious manner1 shaking from head to foot4 ',now what would the ,japanese people think of such a story1 and what kind of impression would they get of the ,american people8 ,but this is a fair specimen of the style in which many have written about this country4 ,we cannot quite speak of it as lying1 yet it amounts to the same in that it deceives and makes a false impression4 ,the people of ,japan are much the same as the world at large4 ',and finally1 what is true of the customs of ,japan is also true of the ,japanese language4 ,a ,westerner1 for instance1 will poke fun at the expression1 ,for the first time1 ,i hang upon your honourable eyes1 and perhaps with the next breath say1 ,i knew him as soon as ,i laid eyes on him4 ,literally speaking it is hard to tell which is the more okashii 7ridiculous71 to hang upon the honourable eyes of another1 or to lay your eyes on somebody else4 ,or which is worse1 to stick to the end of the street in going to your business1 or to stick to it when you get there8 ,all languages must be explained and understood in the light of their idiomatic use and meaning1 otherwise they become idiotic1 and in this the ,japanese language is no exception4 ',there is one point in that letter to which ,i must take exception1 as is remarked in the editorial notes1 too1 but otherwise ,i quite concur with the writer4 ,the matter ,i refer to is that of the kites4 ,on that point neither the writer of the original article nor the writer of the letter hit the mark4 ,as a general rule1 of course1 kites or tops are played with by children as in the ,west1 but there is one particular method of flying special kites which is indulged in by grown-up men4 ,it is done in ,nagasaki4 ,the kites are made in a particular shape so that a slight pull or loosening of the line makes a rapid movement1 and if one pulls when the kite is not in the right position it falls to the ground with lightning-like rapidity4 ,it requires great skill to manage1 and therefore cannot be done by mere boys4 ,those kites are well known by the name of ,nagasaki kites4 ,in that town people fly them in a certain season of the year1 making the kites fight one against the other high up in the air4 ,the method is as follows3 ,a certain portion of the line is gummed over with a mixture containing fine particles of glass1 so that it would cut another line which might come in contact with it4 ,a skilful flier manages his kite in such a way that his line will cut the line of others without hurting his own1 and1 therefore1 during the competition all the kites are making rapid movements to and fro high up in the air4 ,in recent years ,nagasaki men1 a large number of whom are residents in ,tokio1 have instituted a display of kite-flying of their method4 ,the performance takes place on a certain day in spring in a suburban park of the capital4 ',but to return to the subject of the pastimes of the ,japanese gentry in general4 ,some are fond of handling ,kakemono4 ,some are fond of collecting old curios4 ,there are1 therefore1 a far greater number of curiosity shops in ,japan than in any other country4 ,some are fond of performing orthodox tea ceremonies1 but by far the greater number are fond of playing at the game of go1 and ,japanese chess4' --',what are they like8' ',go is a game which you have not in the ,west4 ,our chess is different from yours1 but the principle is similar4 ,with us go is considered more refined than chess1 and in consequence go is more generally played by the upper classes1 and chess by the lower classes4 ,in such games1 ours seem to be more scientific and complicated than those in the ,west4 ,i do not like to appear to boast of our own things1 but my conviction1 founded on fact1 enforces me to tell the truth4 ',i will begin with chess4 ,in all parts of the world the game of chess exists in some form or other4 ,they must have descended from a common origin3 we profess to have derived our game from ,china4 ,it seems there have been several kinds of chess in ,china4 ,in ,japan also there were three kinds in earlier days--the great1 the middle1 and the ordinary4 ,the last is the one which has survived and has become a national game4 ,many improvements have been made since its introduction into ,japan1 so that it now differs considerably from that of ,china4 ,we all know of improvements which have been made on the ,western guns and rifles1 because they belong to our own day3 but we do not know when and by whom the improvements in chess were made4 ,it is said1 until some hundred years ago1 there was an extra piece on either side called the drunken elephant1 having almost omnipotent power--,i suppose something like your queen4 ,the experts of that time agreed that the problems of the game would become much more interesting without that particular piece1 because its omnipotency overshadowed the action of other figures1 and it was accordingly abolished by ,imperial sanction4 ,we consider our game more scientific and complicated than any other of the kind4 ,a single fact will go far to demonstrate my assertion4 ,bring together at random a number of ordinary ,japanese chess players and the same number of ordinary ,european players4 ,let the movements of the men of the ,european chess be shown to the ,japanese1 and let the ,europeans and the ,japanese play the ,european chess1 you may be sure that after the second game1 the ,japanese will be on the winning side4 ,when ,i was staying at ,munich over twenty years ago1 ,i learned the ,european moves from a lad living in the next flat2 after the second game ,i won continually1 and the lad gave up in despair4 ,mind1 ,i am not at all a good player as ,i play rarely1 and1 when ,i do play1 ,i prefer to play go4 ,on the way to ,europe last year1 ,i played ,european chess on board the mail steamer1 learning again the movements of the figures1 which ,i had not practised since my ,munich days4 ,after one or two games1 ,i became one of the best players among the passengers4 ,this was not the case with me only1 for there were several other ,japanese on board1 and they also became excellent players4 ,the same is the experience of all the ,japanese travellers4' --',what is the reason of that8' asked one of those present4 --',because ours is much more complicated than yours4 ,the only danger we have to watch against when we play your game is to be caught in an unguarded moment by a movement which is foreign to us4 ,i mean1 for instance1 your knights move sidewards or backwards1 and we are often caught by it1 because our knights move only forwards4' --',but what do you mean by saying1 your chess being more complicated8' asked another4 --',i will only outline the reason1 for it is impossible to demonstrate it in the short space of a ,summer ,dream4' --',what6' --',well1 ,i mean to say that it would take a long time were ,i to describe it in detail1 but listen3 ,in the first place1 the squares of our boards are nine by nine1 therefore there are seventeen more squares than yours3 the number of our men are twenty in all on each side1 two rows of nine each1 and two extra1 and1 therefore1 four more men than yours on each side4 ,then1 again1 in your game1 when you take one of your opponent's pieces1 you put it aside and never make any use of it except under one particular circumstance1 which ,i need not describe4 ,with ours1 however1 either side of the players can make use of any of the captured pieces of his opponent and add them to his own men1 at any time and place1 and under any circumstance1 provided that he brings them on to the board1 one at a time1 in his turn of move4' --',but how can you make any distinction between your own men and those of your opponent1 if you put down the opponent's men as your own8' said another4 ',well1 we have no difference of colour between friends and foes and our men are made flat ab initio1 and are laid on the squares with their heads turned towards the enemy1 so that one can easily distinguish friends from foes by the position in which they are placed4' --',how can you turn the head towards the enemy8' asked one4 --',by the head1 ,i do not mean the head and tail you use when tossing4 ,our men are made in such a way that one of the four sides has a projected part2 and that side is the head4 ,in other words1 the head does not mean the flat surface1 but rather one of the sides of a flat object4 ,call it the top1 if you prefer4' --',i see1' said one4 --',the methods of making use of the captured men makes the whole play much more intricate4 ,as a rule1 of course1 if you take a man of your opponent1 possessing greater power1 it is better than taking one possessing less power1 but this does not always follow1 because according to the vicissitudes of the game a man which has less power may be utilised for some particular purpose to greater advantage than one of greater power4 ,this is the point in which our chess has far more interest than yours4 ,then1 again1 in your chess one does not seek so much to take a man of one's opponent as one does in our chess1 because with yours mere exchange of men is to be avoided as it does not affect the relative force of either side1 but with ours one often plays in such a way as to capture a piece or two1 even more1 even though he loses similar or identical men of his own1 in the same process1 because by the cleverer use of the captured men a better issue can often be obtained4 ,another peculiarity of our game is that1 when a piece gets into the third row1 or beyond1 of the squares on the opponent's side1 the player has the option of changing its power in certain ways4 ,this is another source of interest4 ,but remember1 this method differs from one which is employed in your chess when a pawn gets into the last row of the squares on the opponent's side4 ,as a consequence of all this1 you can easily see that there cannot be such a result as a drawn game in our chess4' --',can you describe the kind of men and the moves of your chess8' asked one4 --',oh1 that would take too much time2 but ,i will tell you an incident connected with it4 ,after a dinner party in ,england1 ,i had some talk on the subject with a bishop1 who happened to be present4 ,he asked me what our castles 7tours7 were like4 ,i answered we had no castle1 because we did not believe a castle could move about on land4 ,we call our corresponding figures light chariots1 or1 more commonly1 lances4 ,he next asked me what our queen was like4 ,i answered1 we have no queen1 because we do not believe in the advisability of making a queen work hard1 not only harder than the king1 but than all other subjects4 ,you may call it keeping a woman in seclusion1 but we think it respect and consideration for the fair sex not to expose them to such a task as fighting4 ,we have two generals1 between whom the power of your queen is divided4 ,one is called diagonal dasher1 and the other flying chariot4 ,he then asked me what our bishops were like4 ,i answered1 we have no bishop1 because we do not consider it good taste to make a venerable bishop fight a sanguinary battle1 besides1 the same moves with which your bishops are empowered are bestowed on our diagonal dasher4' --',you fabricate the story1' said one4 --',not at all1' ,i answered4 ',it was a true and genuine incident4 ,in fact1 ,i do not think the names of most of your men very commendable4' --',well1 then1 what are your names1 and how do you arrange the position of the men at the commencement8' said another4 --',we place the king in the centre of the last row4 ,we can do so because our squares are nine and not eight1 as yours4 ,on each side of the king we have the gold general1 silver general1 knight1 and lancer respectively4 ,on the second square of the second row from the left we have the diagonal dasher2 and in the second square from the right in the same row we have the flying chariot4 ,the third row is allotted to the pawns1 which we call foot-soldiers1--the same signification as yours4 ,thus you can see the starting position is entirely identical on both sides1 which is not the case with yours1 because your squares being eight1 you cannot place the king in the very centre of the row4' --',but how do you manage when a weaker hand plays with a stronger hand8' interposed another4 --',well1 in that case1 the stronger hand takes off one or more men from the board at the beginning1 just as you do1 and thus equalises the relative strength4' --',what is go8' --',it is a game which you have not1 and1 therefore1 it is rather difficult to describe1 and it would not interest you much1 if ,i described it1 because ,i could make no comparison4 ,when ,i was in ,england before1 now many years ago1 some people played a childish game called go-bang4 ,the board and the pieces used are the same as our go1 though those ,i have seen in ,europe are very simple and cheaply made4 ,in ,japan they are rather expensive4 ,the materials both of the board and pieces are generally choice kinds of wood1 and rare black stone and shells1 which make them expensive1--in fact1 some people regard them as an ornament for the room4 ,the game1 which is the same as your go-bang1 is also played by the name of gomoku narabe1 that is1 placing five pieces in a row4 ,we call the board for go go-ban1 which literally means the board for go1 and from that ,i conclude that your game of go-bang came from ,japan1 only you have misapplied the appellation of the board to the game4 ,in ,japan1 it goes without saying1 that game is only fit for boys and girls1 though occasionally some people show1 even in that game1 great scientific skill4 ,unlike chess1 the pieces of go are placed on the top of the cross1 and the end of the lines which mark the board into squares4 ,there are nineteen by nineteen of such spots1 and1 therefore1 there are three hundred and sixty-one black and white pieces altogether1 though in practice1 the more skilful the players the less the actual number of pieces used4 ,from the simple fact of the pieces being white and black1 and having no difference of value1 casual observers might think the game of go does not possess so much interest and variation as chess1 but according to the opinion generally accepted1 there is much more in go than in chess1 though some who are more partial to chess profess that there is a little more in chess than in go4 ,at all events1 there are more people who understand chess than go1 because the latter is more difficult to learn4 ,go has also been introduced to us from ,china in the earlier days of intercourse1 more than ten centuries ago1 but no one knows the exact history of its introduction4 ,in ,japan the game has undergone many changes4 ,it is known that the board used in ,china in ancient times contained a less number of squares1 but ,i am not sure if it had already the present number when first introduced into ,japan4 ,it seems the present number of the squares is most productive of all sorts of problems4 ,in ancient times in ,china1 the black pieces were offered to the person who held a better social position than the other1 or to the stronger hand in case of a match between those of equal position4 ,this was so in the earlier stage of the game in ,japan1 but later the white pieces came to be used uniformly by the better player4 ,the methods of starting1 and the rules for equalising the relative strength of the players at the beginning1 and for counting1 have all undergone improvements4 ,for three centuries there existed an academy for go1 and also for chess1 under the superintendence of the best players of the empire1 who received certain annuities and personal distinction from the central government in order to maintain the interest in the games4 ,indeed1 diplomas of different degrees were given to champions1 according to their deserts4 ,the ceremony of the competition by the best players was annually performed in the castle of the ,shogun4 ,from this you can well imagine that we have had better players in those games than in the country whence they were originally derived4 ,great geniuses were occasionally produced4 ,since the inauguration of the present ,government1 these institutions have disappeared 7though they still exist as private institutions71 and the positions of the best players1 whatever their genius1 are no longer lucrative nor distinguished4 ,i am not1 therefore1 sure if we can keep up our former standard of skill4 ,in all the games ,i have seen and heard of1 there is none which has so many degrees of skill as the game of go4' --',are there no more games of a similar nature8' --',there are several more1 but mostly childish1 and played by young girls or children at certain seasons of the year1 such as poem cards4' --',what is that8' ',the ,japanese name for poem cards is ,uta-,karuta4 ,strangely enough1 the term ,karuta is not ,japanese4 ,it is of ,european derivation1 being the same as the word ,carta 7card in modern ,english74 ,there had existed poem shells before poem cards came into use4 ,one half of a short poem was written inside one half of a shell1 and the other half of the poem inside the other half1 there being usually one hundred shells with different poems written in them4 ,the game was to find the one half of the shell which belonged to the other4 ,the shells were often richly decorated1 as one may see from the remnants of old ones4 ,a little more than three hundred years ago1 when the ,island of ,hirado was the trading port for ,dutch and ,english vessels1 the ,european traders brought with them their cards with which they were in the habit of playing4 ,the ,japanese who happened to see them seem to have thought that the shape of those cards had some novelty and were more simple than their shells4 ,they1 therefore1 substituted cards for shells1 and hence the original name ,carta came to be used by us4 ,i will now explain the game of poem cards2 it is played at the time of the ,new ,year1 generally by young girls4 ,there are two sets of cards4 ,one half of short poems is written each separately on one set1 and the other half is written in the same manner on the other set as at poem shells4 ,one set is either thrown in the middle of the players or dealt out in equal numbers4 ,while one person is reading the first part of a poem1 each of the players picks up a card on which the other half of the same poem is written1 or turns it upside down1 when the numbers are equally divided1 as the case may be4 ,in the one method1 whoever has picked up the most is the winner4 ,in the other1 if one were slow in turning over her card and it were picked up by another of the party1 she would have as penalty a card from the one who had picked hers up4 ,thus the one who has turned all her cards upside down first would be the first winner1 and one who has any cards left unturned at the end1 is the last loser4' --',surely you must have some kinds of cards played more seriously1' said one4 --',we have another game called flower cards4' --',what's that like8' --',well1 the flower cards is a more difficult and serious game4 ,in times gone by no game of cards having any resemblance to gambling was played among the gentry2 moral discipline forbade such4 ,since the introduction of ,european ideas1 the rigidity of discipline has somewhat slackened and cards are now played to some extent4 ,nevertheless1 people do not consider card-playing good taste4 ,if they play they do so with some diffidence1 somewhat in a similar way as smoking is done by ladies in ,european society nowadays4 ,the flower-cards is a game thus played2 our name of it is ,hana-karuta4 ,the term ,karuta is1 as ,i said before1 of ,european derivation4 ,the principle is taken from your cards1 but so altered and improved1 that scarcely any similarity can be detected in its present form4 ,to begin with3 the pictures represented on your whist cards appear to us rather incongruous and vulgar2 ours are more poetical and consistent4 ,with ours some significant objects of each month1 mostly flowers1 such as the blossom of the cherry and plum1 the iris1 wisteria1 and peonies1 are represented1 variegated by birds1 the moon1 or falling rain4 ,there are four cards for each month1 and1 therefore1 the number of the cards is forty-eight in all4 ,there is a different value assigned to each card4 ,naturally there are several methods of playing the cards1 as is the case with your whist cards1 but the method which is used most is very intricate and interesting4 ,i do not care for playing at cards1 but ,i know the methods4 ,i am also acquainted with various ,european games from whist to bridge as far as the methods are concerned1 but none of them equal in intricacy and variation our game of flower cards1 though there is a certain resemblance between flower cards and bridge4 ,but please1 ,i repeat1 do not think ,i am saying all this from any sense of vanity1 because such a thing is scarcely worth boasting of2 ,i am merely stating a fact as ,i see it4' --',what is1 then1 the method of playing8' --',well1 to describe it in full would require at least a pamphlet1 but ,i will give you an outline of the game4 ,the proper number of players engaged at one time is three2 the game can be played by two1 but it is as slow as playing dummy whist4 ,the advantage of our game lies in that a party could consist of up to six players4 ,the limits of the players engaged at a time1 as ,i have just said1 is three1 and therefore the number exceeding three is obliged to stand out for one game1 namely1 for the play of one deal4 ,but no particular person is obliged to stand out1 so that one must either be bought off or allowed to play by the resignation of any other player1 unless he himself prefers to stand out4 ,this takes place after the cards have been dealt4 ,here1 therefore1 comes in much consideration and often bluff4 ,naturally1 each one plays for himself and for his own advantage1 therefore there is no partnership as in whist2 and yet in the course of playing one has often to form a sort of alliance for a moment with a second player in order to prevent the common calamity against the probable stratagem of the third player4 ,i may also add1 that as each one plays on his own account1 he has the option of standing out for one game1 as ,i have already indicated1 in which case1 however1 he has to pay a certain penalty4 ,should all players but two thus stand out1 those remaining two would play the game4 ,one deal sometimes finishes without any play at all1 when all the players but one throw up their hands and pay penalty rather than play with bad cards1 in which case1 of course1 the penalties go to the one who remains4 ,the penalty paid varies according to the relative positions of the payers to the dealer1 as well as the kinds of the six cards which are thrown out on the table at the beginning of the game1 and therefore paying penalty and standing out from the play for one game requires much consideration4 ,the prices for buying up the surplus number of the players also differ according to the six cards on the table and to the cards the seller holds4 ,similar to bridge1 certain rewards are given to the player who holds certain sets of cards and also to the player who gets in certain sets of cards4 ,it is the latter point which requires1 as is natural1 the greatest skill1 inasmuch as one who aims at getting in one such set loses much when he fails1 and it often happens that while he is striving to get in a certain set1 another player gets in a far better set2 therefore one has often to sacrifice his own chance in order to hinder an opponent4 ,twelve games make a rubber4 ,the method of counting the issue is as follows3 ,each player must have in his hand in the case of quit one hundred and twenty points at the end of the rubber1 and therefore it would seem that each receives one hundred and twenty points in counters at the beginning1 but1 as a matter of fact1 he only receives seventy-two points or sixty1 as the players agree upon4 ,the counting in this game generally goes by dozens1 though odd numbers also come in4 ,thus counters are made of two kinds1 one is a dozen points and the other single points4 ,the balance between the points which one actually receives when starting and ten dozens which he has to make good in his hand at the end of the rubber goes to the person who is the greatest winner of the rubber1 and therefore the more players1 the greater the rewards for the winner of the rubber4 ,of course it is most difficult to play in such a way as just to quit oneself1 because there are so many tricks1 and one often has to float a loan in the course of the game1 or in other words1 to borrow a requisite number of counters from the banker1 which must be repaid at the end of the rubber4 ',the rain cards are another source of fluctuation in the game1 because every one of them1 whatever value it possess1 may be counted as a single point card somewhat similar to what you sometimes do with your aces4 ,i almost think the invention of your bridge is in some way based upon our flower cards4' --',it is dreadful3 one could never get a clear idea only by hearing the explanation4 ,you have1 after all1 wasted your time in trying to make us understand1 though ,i asked you for the explanation1' said one cunningly4 ',thank you very much1' ,i said4 --',you say your social atmosphere in respect of such matters was far better in times gone by1' said another4 --',i do1' ,i answered4 ',but ,i hope it will not get worse4' --',i hope so too1' ,i said1 'but the influence of ,western civilisation is so overwhelming4' --',pierre ,loti's description of some of the features of ,japanese society is very fine from a literary point of view1 but ,i understand it is not a true representation4 ,is that your opinion too8' interposed another4 --',i have not read it1 but from what ,i have heard1 ,i can decidedly answer in the affirmative4 ,the main facts therein contained are nothing else than exaggerated stories of exceptional incidents often practised by foreigners themselves4 ,do you think we ,japanese could not have the same experience in the ,west if we liked8 ,nay1 more3 can you say that similar incidents do not happen in some parts of the ,west8 ,i don't expect an answer4 ,i shall be doing greater service to the ,west by letting such a delicate subject drop4' --',perhaps you may think me a little abrupt1' remarked a gentleman2 'but may ,i ask you rather a delicate question8 ,people say that in ,japan men and women bathe together1 and talk about it as a sign of immorality4 ,is it a fact8' --',not exactly1' ,i answered2 'in public baths1 in times gone by1 both sexes bathed together1 but you must remember1 even in those times1 those who went to public baths were people of the lower classes1 for the better classes always managed to have their own bathroom1 and in ,japan houses having such bathrooms are very common4 ,moreover1 even in those days1 there was nothing more indelicate in the matter of public baths than a sea-bath by both sexes in occidental countries4 ,i should like to remind those who write about such matters of many customs in their own countries to which they may be too much accustomed to perceive any impropriety1 but which appear very indelicate to the eyes of strangers4 ,i may go a step further3 we are sometimes even astonished to notice that the most indelicate performances--such that1 if it were in ,japan1 would not be permitted by the police to go on two minutes--are given1 under the name of dances or suchlike1 and men and women of respectability go and see them without showing the slightest embarrassment4 ,i confess ,i have personally seen some of these performances while visiting out of curiosity different places of interest4 ,but1 in reality1 there is no necessity for me to set up such matters against our former customs of public baths1 because1 for several decades1 such bathing has been forbidden1 and every public bath has long since had one division for men and another for women4 ,those who think that the former custom still exists are mistaken1 and are labouring under a false impression given by travellers of former days4 ',apropos of a bath1 ,i prefer in a way our system1 be it public or private1 to the ordinary ,western method4 ,with our system1 a large space of the floor of the bathroom is made either of wood or concrete1 in such a way that water may be poured on to it4 ,there is1 besides the main bath1 also a small tank containing fresh cold and warm water in separate sections1 so that one who bathes can make free use of the water1 warm or cold1 both before getting into the bath and before dressing4' --',i think1 on the whole1 ,i like your country1' said another4 ',it seems very different from what many people have represented it hitherto1 but you have not yet given us a comprehensive survey of your people1 in respect to social and moral organisation4' --',i think ,i have done so often1' said ,i2 'but if you do not object1 ,i will do so once more by repeating to you the exact words of an interview which ,i gave to a representative of the ,london press3 ',you remember the story of ,george ,washington and the cherry tree8 said ,baron ,suyematsu1 with a smile1 to our representative4 ,well1 that is very often told to the children in the ,japanese schools4 ',the distinguished ,japanese statesman1 who is at present in ,london1 was explaining how the moral virtues1 and especially patriotism and bravery in battle1 are not merely considered desirable things in ,japan1 but are actively propagated in the schools and in the army4 ,for1 as ,mr4 ,lyttelton1 the ,colonial ,secretary1 remarked to an audience last week1 they teach patriotism in ,japan4 ',you see1 there is no religious teaching in the public schools in ,japan1 said ,baron ,suyematsu2 but the teaching of morality occupies an important place in the curriculum4 ,from the ,western point of view it may seem difficult to teach morality without connecting it with religion1 but we do it6 ',this patriotic bravery1 as one of the virtues1 comes into the code4 ,the teaching is based upon the ,confucian ethics1 and the cleanness of conscience which is the essence of ,shintoism1 the national religion of ,japan4 ',,the ,,code ,,of ,,honour4 ',then there is ,bushido1 said the baron1 which may be called the code of honour of ,japanese knighthood4 ,this ,bushido had a tight grasp of the military class1 which consisted of the retainers of feudal lords1 who had not to work for their daily bread4 ,these retainers were not rich1 but they had something to live upon1 and frugality was one of their virtues4 ,their only business was to do their duty to their lords1 which meant in time of war to fight for them4 ,but as for more than two centuries and a half the country had been at peace1 and as the military class had no fields of ordinary occupation1 they naturally gave their energies to intellectual pursuits side by side with military training4 ,in a word1 their business was to make themselves as much gentlemen as possible4 ,thus grew up a code of honour which was primarily founded upon military duty alone1 but which later on was extended to the acquirement of gentlemanly conduct1 and then to be a true gentleman1 and loyal to their lords4 ',after the opening of our country to other nations1 there was a time when we seemed to lose the guiding influence of our old morals1 for ,confucianism lost its influence to some extent1 and intercourse with strangers gave some shock to our old morality1 and led our people to imagine that freedom from restraint and obligation was the characteristic of ,european ideals4 ',it was at this juncture that the emperor issued an edict defining our ideal of morality4 ,in accordance with his edict1 the curriculum of the schools includes the teaching of morality1 and the moral virtues are explained and expatiated upon in lectures and discourses4 ,the teachers introduce sayings and maxims of great men of all nations4 ',,washington ,,and ,,self-,,help4 ',as ,i have told you1 the story of ,george ,washington is often quoted4 ,smiles's ,self-,help is often used1 and ,i have no doubt ,nelson's signal at ,trafalgar4 ,the principal examples are naturally the great heroes of our own country who served the emperor and ,japan4 ,in that way both boys and girls are imbued with the moral virtues1 among which loyalty and patriotism are prominent4 ',but this teaching is not limited to the schools4 ,it is carried on in the barracks in the form of what we call 'spiritual education4' ,the aim is to make men capable of appreciating their duties as soldiers4 ,this barrack teaching is in accordance with an edict issued by the emperor when universal military service was introduced1 and it is based upon the moral virtues4 ,we have no chaplains4 ,the teaching is undertaken by the officers themselves as part of their regular duty1 and they deliver exhortations in the barrack-rooms4 ',but you must know that1 man for man1 ,europeans recognise that ,japanese are superior to ,russians1 and ,i am not surprised that that is said4 ,in ,japan education is universal1 and there is scarcely a soldier who cannot read and write1 or who has not had some kind of education4 ,for that reason they ought to be intellectually superior to the ,russians4 ,and as we have universal service1 all sorts of people are found in the ranks1 without distinction of social position or vocation4 ,in the barracks you find the son of a nobleman and the son of a coolie1 and there is no aloofness between them4 ,that makes the company so efficient4 ',,military ,,training ,,for ,,boys4 ',in the schools we not only have the national flag1 but the boys are drilled in military manner4 ,if the municipality can afford it1 real arms are used in the higher grade schools4 ,in the peers' school and many others they have regular firing manuvres4 ',it is not generally known1 ,i suppose1 that ,i was once an ,english volunteer8 said ,baron ,suyematsu1 with a laugh at the recollection4 ,that was when ,i was at ,cambridge4 ,i joined the ,university ,rifles4 ',as to ,chinese soldiers1 the baron said that the moral teaching of the ,japanese army constituted one of the great differences between them4 ,then he pointed out that in ,china soldiers are rightly looked down upon1 for they are recruited only from the worst classes1 and respectable men will not enter the ranks4 ',baron ,suyematsu does not approve of the efforts of the ,christian missionaries to discourage the national custom of committing suicide rather than be captured in battle1 for he thinks the effect would be to lower the soldiers' high ideal of patriotism and courage4 ',there is all the difference1 he said1 between wanton suicide and voluntarily sacrificing one's life for the honour of the nation4 ,our ideal is to die for one's country rather than bring upon her the disgrace of being taken by the enemy4 ,what can be nobler than that8 ,it is the same as being killed by the enemy4 ,and the missionaries are trying to teach our soldiers that it is wrong4 ,it is a great pity4' --',but that only covers one phase1 the method of your education1' said one4 --',true1 but it covers a good deal6' ,i said4 ',do you think ,i can write a big book on ,japan at a moment's notice8' --',well1 ,i will leave you alone then1' said he4 --',every one of the ,russian soldiers who returned wounded from the battlefield1 when asked the cause of their defeat1 said that the ,russians were defeated because the ,japanese soldiers were great scholars compared to themselves4 ,i have it on good authority1' interposed another4 --',perhaps it looked like that to them1' ,i answered4 ,,vii ,some talk on superstition--,a remark on earrings--,japanese troops after the war2 no fear of ,chauvinism--,generals and officers--,how the system of the hereditary military service was abolished and the new system was introduced--,its history--,japan after the war--,views given to the ,american press--,mr4 ,seppings-,wright and his views on the ,japanese character--,the ,japanese navy and its history--,origin of the shipbuilding yards--,the difficulty of a thorough reform in ,china and ,russia--,how ,japan managed to bring about the consummation of the great reform--,the feudal system was a great help--,explanation of the ,japanese feudal system and the clans--,the re-shuffling of the feudatories under the ,tokugawa rgime--,difference of grandeur of the feudatories--,exceptional formation of the ,satsuma clan--,financial system of the ,shogunate --,finance of the ,imperial ,government at the beginning of the ,great ,change--,how the affairs of the governments of the feudatories were wound up--,the old system of taxation--,thorough reform--,the old notion of land tenure ,i found myself once more in a very incongruous group of people whom ,i had met on various occasions4 ,i noticed a number of them engaged in a lively conversation4 --',ah6 ,monsieur ,a41' said a lady1 'you are acquainted with many ,japanese1 and have been in contact with them for many years1 so that you will be able to explain to me4 ,some say the ,japanese are superstitious1 others again say they are not4 ,which do you think true8' --',i have known1' said ,monsieur ,a41 'some hundreds of the ,japanese1 mostly young men1 of course4 ,they are extremely free from any sort of bias or superstition4 ,i have never known people so unbiassed and so little superstitious4' --',but1' said the lady1 ',i have heard from a gentleman who was resident in ,japan for some years that there existed in that country some sort of superstition4 ,he told me1 for example1 that some people disliked the number four1 because shi1 which is four in ,japanese1 means also death1 as far as the pronunciation is concerned4 ,consequently when1 for instance1 one gives a tip1 he would give either threepence or fivepence1 and not fourpence1 even in the case where fourpence may be more appropriate2 in other words1 either less or more1 to avoid the number four4 ,and the same is generally the case when one makes a present of a number of articles which are identical1 unless they are two pairs2 is not that funny8 ,in the whole world there can be nothing more natural than numbers4 ,no one can make the four cardinal points of the compass less or more because he dislikes the number four4 ,the same reasoning holds good with everything4' --',i do not think1' answered ,monsieur ,a41 'the superstition of four is very widely believed in4 ,but what do you say to our dislike for the number thirteen4' --',but1' said she1 'that is a different matter4 ,that originated with religion4' --',is it so8' said ,monsieur ,a4 ',i wouldn't dispute it4 ,but let me tell you an incident ,i met with some time ago4 ,i was present at a meeting of a literary association4 ,there was a good deal of conversation on the subject of the superstition of less civilised peoples4 ,at the refreshment-table ,i had to sit next an elderly lady4 ,i placed1 accidentally or not ,i don't remember1 my knife and fork crosswise4 ,the lady immediately noticed this1 and told me quickly to alter them4 ,i remarked that the dislike of that position of knife and fork was perhaps also a sort of superstition1 whereupon the lady told me that it was not a superstition1 but a tradition1 and therefore it differed very much from the superstitions practised by less civilised peoples4' --',she was right1 of course1' said the lady4 --',well1 ,i can scarcely see any difference1' observed ,monsieur ,a4 --',i can tell you another incident1' remarked a different gentleman4 ',when an occidental missionary was once telling some women of savage tribes that their wearing rings in their noses was barbarous and unhealthy1 he was asked by them how it was that his wife and daughters were wearing rings in their ears1 and he had great difficulty in explaining to them that the method adopted by the civilised races for wearing rings in their ears was very different from their wearing rings in the nose4' --',oh6' exclaimed some ladies4 --',but stay1' said another1 'let us have some more serious talk4 ,i wish to ask ,baron ,suyematsu his opinion on a few important points of which ,i am anxious to be informed4' ,turning to me1 he said3 --',i do not entertain any wild notion of the ,yellow ,peril cry4 ,one thing is certain1 however1 that your country has been winning all this time brilliant victories unprecedented in history1 and there is no doubt that your success will continue to the end of the war4 ,don't you think after the fighting is over your army will become chauvinistic1 or1 in plain language1 unruly1 and constantly ready to pick quarrels with foreign countries4' --',i do not think so1' ,i answered4 ',in the first place1 the discipline of our men is very good1 and they are most orderly and obedient to the emperor and his government4 ,then1 too1 the very nature of the organisation of our troops makes such matters differ greatly from hereditary troops or volunteers of long service4 ,you see by the universal system1 which we have adopted1 men serve in the ranks only for a limited time1 and therefore in the course of a few years the old soldiers retire1 and go back to their original avocations in the country or the town1 as the case may be1 and the new ones fill their places4 ,while the newcomers would be inspired by the traditions of their regiments1 they could not1 at the same time1 be personally bombastic on account of the deeds of their predecessors4' --',but what of the generals and officers8' --',of them ,i entertain no fear of their becoming jingoes4 ,after having undergone all the hard work1 and having achieved many brilliant victories1 it is only natural that generals and other officers1 indeed the army itself1 should win greater popularity and higher estimation in the people's minds1 and it is possible that their weight may be felt indirectly in internal politics4 ,but it would never go so far as to make any difference in our external relations with foreign countries4 ,as a matter of fact1 our generals and officers are as little inclined to meddle with general politics as they are intent on fulfilling their professional duties4 ,above all1 as ,i have so often said1 it is a great misconception on the part of some ,occidentals to suppose the ,japanese at large to be an aggressive and bellicose nation4' --',your army is now organised under the universal service system1' said another4 ',before the present ,imperial rgime came into existence you had1 as ,i understand1 a very deep-rooted hereditary system of military service4 ,it must have been very difficult to abolish the old and substitute the new4 ,your ,bushi were regarded as the flower of the land1 and surely it was a most bold conception to substitute sons of peasants and tradesmen in their place1 and to believe they would do service equally well1 or better4 ,your statesmen must have had strong convictions to induce them to make such a radical change as the new rgime4 ,please let us have some explanation on that point4' --',well1 roughly speaking1' ,i replied1 ',i can only say that it was an outcome of the changed conditions of the time1 but there were1 of course1 some circumstances which facilitated its formation4 ,the ,samurai1 our hereditary military class1 was the pick of the ,japanese population1 more refined and more intellectual than any other4 ,nevertheless1 the long-continued peace and the effects of inheriting their occupation made them somewhat inclined towards effeminacy--in other words1 less martial than their ancestors4 ,besides1 as ,i have explained elsewhere1 the hereditary military system has one very weak point4 ,such shortcomings as these were already felt before the inauguration of the new rgime1 and it was noticed that the best soldiers who engaged in battles before the ,restoration were those organised under methods differing from the old system4 ,let me explain it more in detail4 ,chosiu was the clan which fought more battles than any other4 ,the ,chosiu troops which fought best were different kinds of voluntary regiments1 consisting of bands of adventurous young men enlisted from the lowest classes of ,samurai1 as well as peasants and tradesmen4 ,there was even a band which consisted of ,yeta1 who were afterwards emancipated and became new commoners1 as ,i have explained elsewhere4 ,at the time when an internal dissension broke out in ,chosiu and its government was overthrown by the more radical elements under the leadership of such men as ,takasugi1 ,kawas1 ,ito1 ,yamagata1 ,inouy and others1 it was those voluntary bands just mentioned that sided with them against the troops of the government1 who mostly belonged to the higher classes of the hereditary military families4 ,shortly after that event ,kido1 who was a participator of the same idea and the ,senior of those men1 had returned to ,chosiu after an absence of about ten months as a fugitive1 and had become the moving spirit of ,chosiu4 ,it was just at the time when ,chosiu was on the eve of being surrounded a second time by the ,shogunate troops1 and it was a very critical period for the ,chosiu1 who had to make every preparation for fighting against great odds4 ,at ,kido's recommendation1 ,murata was intrusted by the prince to organise in the ,european style all the troops of ,chosiu1 including those bands4 ,murata 7who afterwards changed his name into ,omura7 was originally a medical student1 and had studied the ,dutch language and subsequently the ,dutch military system4 ,in the early days of the new ,imperial rgime he occupied a high post in the ,imperial ,army ,department1 and his bronze statue is standing high in ,tokio1 before the shrine of warriors4 ,but to return to my subject4 ,chosiu defeated the ,shogunate troops on all sides4 ,thus in ,chosiu the weakness of the hereditary military system had been practically seen very early4 ,most of the ,shogunate troops were organised according to the old system of the ,middle ,ages4 ,many of them1 being clad in heavy armour1 were no match for the ,chosiu troops with their light equipments4 ,on the ,shogunate side there were also some regiments which fought well1 but they were those which had been organised and drilled after the ,european style4 ,in that war1 and the subsequent ones1 it was well known that the best troops on the anti-imperialist side were also those which had been organised something like volunteer regiments and drilled after the ,european system4 ,these facts will show that even before the ,restoration the credit of the hereditary military system had already considerably declined4 ,marshal ,yamagata was originally a person belonging to an insignificant class of the ,chosiu ,samurai1 and was the leader of the most powerful band of ,chosiu ,i have just mentioned4 ,you may well imagine that he would not be a man to advocate the continuation of the hereditary military system4 ,the introduction of the system of universal service founded upon the ,european ,continental system is due to him4' --',that goes a long way to explain the matter1' said one4 --',but do you conscientiously believe1' said another1 'that ,japan will not suffer from swollen head1 and will continue to have sufficient control of herself8' --',i do4 ,why not8 ,i know it4 ,no sooner had ,i landed on the ,american soil last year1 having left ,japan immediately after the outbreak of the war1 than ,i gave my views to the ,american press on the then existing situation1 as well as on our probable future1 showing the true motives and aspirations of my country4 ,they were widely circulated4 ,my meaning was identical in every case1 though the words and matters touched upon were not necessarily identical4 ,i will recite you one specimen which was then published in an ,american weekly4 ',as to our fight with ,russia1 we are as able to meet her army on land as we are her fleets on the sea4 ,we have just the same confidence in our army as in the navy4 ,but we would be very sorry to be regarded by the world as only fighting men4 ,we have been for many years striving for the assimilation of everything materially and mentally good that belongs to the best type of the ,american and ,european civilisation4 ,we aspire to be a nation1 but our endeavour for the realisation of that idea is based on a larger peaceful acquisition of intellectual culture4 ,we have no ambition for territorial aggrandisement4 ,we have not the least idea of making any difference on account of race4 ,we desire to govern ourselves and advance in the world in peace--not to conquer and tyrannise over another people4 ,we come into the comity of nations1 but that entirely on the occidental basis of civilisation4 ,some people speak of us as pagan1 but the conscience of the people is perfectly free in our country1 and it is guaranteed by our constitution4 ,we believe in toleration and absolute liberty of religious conviction1 and ,i may safely say that religion is many times freer in our country than it is in the country which is now our foe4 ,we are disposed to be1 and earnestly wish and strive to be1 liberal and tolerant in all things4 ,this fact1 ,i am glad to see1 is already so widely recognised by those ,americans and ,europeans who are connected with and know about such matters4 ,we hope to advance to that place in the world where our beautiful little country will be a leader among the nations of the world in science1 industry1 arts1 and intellectual achievements1 and an example of peace and harmony towards all races1 all nations1 and all men4 --',i still hold the same views4 ,i have no reason to fear that ,i shall have to change them after the war4 ,it might perhaps be more interesting and convincing if you were to see what some people1 other than ourselves1 who are capable of giving an idea on the point1 say4 ,mr4 ,seppings ,wright1 an ,english ex-naval officer and an artist1 is one4 ,he was on board one or other of the ships of ,admiral ,togo's fleet for many months under exceptional circumstances4 ,he returned to ,england quite recently4 ,an interesting interview with him was published in a recent number of the ,english press4 ,here is the part bearing on the subject3 ',,the ,,most ,,wonderful ,,people ,,in ,,the ,,world4 ',i gather that you formed a very high opinion of the ,japanese character8 ',they are1 said ,mr4 ,seppings-,wright1 with animation1 the most wonderful people in the world4 ,i make no exception4 ,neither the statesmen nor the peoples of ,europe have yet learned to estimate the ,japanese at their true value4 ,they are destined to play a magnificent rle in the future development of the world4 ,at present people are talking of their courage1 their great military qualities4 ,these are1 indeed1 now sufficiently self-evident4 ,i rate the ,japanese army above any other army in the world4 ,as for the navy1 ,i cannot use language too strong to express my admiration for it4 ,yet what most impressed me was not the personal bravery of the ,japanese soldier and sailor1 or the splendid organisation of their naval and military forces1 it was the character of the people--their unique simplicity1 their chivalrous courtesy1 their kindness of heart1 their sweetness of disposition1 their unaggressiveness4 ,they have none of the lust of conquest for conquest's sake4 ,they have never fought save to protect their territory or their vital interests--but they have never been beaten4 ,chinese1 ,koreans1 and now ,russians--they have resisted all1 and beaten all in turn2 and now that they have proved their right to be regarded as one of the ,great ,powers of the world1 their influence will1 ,i am convinced1 be all on the side of peace and peaceful development4 ',you make the ,japanese out to be a new variety of the human race8 ',no1 not a new variety--an old variety--a variety untainted by the commercialism of ,european civilisation4 ,they have not yet learned the creed of individualism--of every man for himself4 ,they will lay down their lives cheerfully and willingly for their country--for their emperor1 who is almost a god in their eyes1 since he embodies their fatherland4 ,what new traits they may develop ,i cannot pretend to say4 ',,what ,,japan ,,can ,,still ,,do4 ',it would be strange1 ,i interrupted1 if1 after the unbroken series of victories they have won on land and sea1 they did not develop some symptom of 'swelled head'8 --',i saw not the slightest sign of that4 ,very rarely you see even incipient symptoms in an individual4 ,their great successes have not apparently turned their heads in the least4 ,they began this war in the most absolute confidence of victory4 ,they can1 if need be1 do much more than they have done4 ,no one knows the number of men ,oyama has in ,manchuria--no one1 that is1 outside the ,government and the ,headquarters' ,staff4' --',of the navy1' said another1 'it is truly amazing that you should have such an efficient one1 which you have built up in the course of no more than two or three decades4 ,assiduous and energetic as you must have been1 there must have been some other circumstances which have helped you in arriving at that result1 or at least ,i cannot think otherwise when ,i reflect calmly on the matter4' --',your views are not far from fact1' ,i answered4 ',it would be certainly amazing if a people who had only known perhaps canoes in a small stream1 having no seafaring experience or tradition1 built up a new navy as we have done4 ,many people have carelessly looked upon ,japan as such1 hence the misconception4 ,japan abounds in history and traditions of the sea from the dawn of her history4 ,our fleets often made distant expeditions1 and fought battles far out of our own waters4 ,the ships were1 no doubt1 rude and primitive compared with the modern ones4 ,from the model of a warship made about three hundred years ago1 which ,i have seen in a temple not far from ,tokio1 ,i think that our ships of those days were not much inferior to those of the ,west of a corresponding time4 ,from the period when foreign intercourse was suspended1 the construction of large ships was prohibited1 be it a warship or a merchantman4 ,the country was in perfect peace1 and the navy was in use even less than the army1 and this1 therefore1 is why such an enormous difference between the ,european system and ours had come into existence4 ,nevertheless1 some feudal lords whose seats were situated on the sea-coast had a certain number of retainers specially destined for seafaring purposes4 ,and1 moreover1 ,japan being a country surrounded by the sea on all sides1 merchantmen and fishing boats1 rude as they were1 were abundant2 hence the stock of sailors has never been wanting4 ,with the new advent of the ,western nations to the ,far ,east some fifty years ago1 with their black ships1 the country awoke to the necessity of having strong ships1 and the ,shogunate1 jealous as it was in the ascendency of the feudal lords1 abolished the prohibition against building large ships4 ,towards the later years of the ,shogunate it possessed a small but creditable navy in the ,european style4 ,many feudal lords also possessed some kind of ,western ships1 several of them possessing eight or nine ships4 ,of course1 many of these ships were only corvettes1 or schooners1 or ordinary commercial steamers1 but they were all used by those lords and manned chiefly by their retainers1 and were called their navy4 ,they differed from ordinary merchantmen4 ,these ships were mostly bought from ,western merchants2 a few were the presents of the ,western monarchs to the ,shogun2 some were constructed in ,japan4 ,the earliest steamship constructed in ,japan was a steam-launch built about #ahfb in the province of ,ise for the ,prince of ,chosiu4 ,it was navigated from there to ,hagi1 the old capital of ,chosiu1 on the coast of the ,japan ,sea4 ,i do not know what became of it after that1 but the fact that it navigated that distance would show that the ,japanese were already gaining some capacity for building steamships after the ,european style4 ,when the ,shogun submitted to the ,imperial order and vacated the castle of ,tokio1 the navy of the ,shogunate1 declining to share the fate of the ,shogun1 raised anchor and fled to ,hakodate under the leadership of ,yenomoto4 ,several of the best ships were lost by storm and some in fighting1 and practically no ship was left of the revolting fleets4 ,with the submission of ,yenomoto and his participators1 the country regained a complete peace4 ,then began the construction of the new navy4 ,the feudal lords presented to the ,imperial government their ships1 most of which had already done their service during the preceding war4 ,most of the officers and sailors took service under the ,imperial government just as they were4 ,many men who were engaged in naval affairs under the ,shogunate were given suitable positions under the new government2 even ,yenomoto1 the chief of the rebel fleet1 was made an admiral after he had been pardoned4 ,the navy being more expensive in every way than the army1 we had more difficulty in its development2 but in one way or another the ,imperial government has exerted its energy until we have obtained the navy of the present moment4 ,it has required much patience and ingenuity from both technical and political points of view1 but somehow or other we have managed so far4 ,i may add a few words more4 ,in the early days of the ,imperial government a large number of ,english naval officers were engaged by our government1 who did much service in the organisation of our navy1 for which we feel much indebtedness4 ,i may also add that later on ,monsieur ,bertin of ,france1 whom we have engaged for some years1 has also done much service in the matter4' --',you now have several shipbuilding yards1 both governmental and private1' said one1 'and you can construct big ships yourselves4 ,how was it brought about at first8' --',yokosuka is our oldest dockyard4 ,it was begun when the ,shogunate was already tottering4 ,oguri1 an able man1 was the finance minister of the ,shogunate at the time4 ,it was due to his efforts that the ,yokosuka dockyard was constructed4 ,it is said ,oguri told his friend one day1 ,when one becomes a bankrupt it is desirable he should leave behind a ,dozo1 so ,yokosuka will be the ,dozo of the ,shogunate when it comes to an end4 ,dozo is the name for a storehouse1 constructed very solidly2 with us almost every house1 excepting those of the lower classes1 has one or more such buildings1 and it was considered an additional disgrace to a man of better class if he became a bankrupt without any such storehouse for the creditors4 ,oguri evidently foresaw the downfall of the ,shogunate1 and yet ordered the construction of the dockyard1 so that it would be useful for the future rulers of ,japan4 ,such is the early history of our dockyards on the ,european style1 which has expanded itself in the course of time1 so that we now have several shipbuilding yards1 as you know4' --',what do you say about the future of ,china8' said another4 ',don't you think she will also renovate herself like your country and become a formidable power4' --',she may do so1' ,i answered1 'in one way or other in the course of time1 but ,i do not think a sudden and thorough transformation of the kind that has taken place in ,japan is possible in ,china4 ,i do not think it is possible even in ,russia1 where so much movement for internal reform is going on4 ,to begin with1 they have no feudal system in existence4' --',that sounds very odd1' said he3 ',i must be enlightened on the point4' --',well1 ,japan has been swayed by a feudal system before the great change of the present rgime4 ,that fact helped our success to an extent that one cannot easily imagine4 ,of course1 there was a possibility of procrastination of the old system1 if the reform movements had miscarried2 but when the winds blew in the right direction1 that very fact became the most important factor in conveying our ship of state to the harbour where it wished to go4 ,to explain in less metaphorical language3 the introduction of a great political reform in a country against an existing government is most difficult4 ,a revolution with a tremendous force like that of ,france must be regarded as an exceptional case1 but ordinary revolutionists seldom succeed in overthrowing existing governments and introducing better and more progressive ones on a firmer basis4 ,when1 on the other hand1 the existing government is only obliged to introduce some reform by external influence1 the reform it introduces cannot be very radical and thorough4 ,with our great movements previous to #ahfg the matter was taken up by several powerful feudal lords4 ,naturally1 there had been several precursory movements against the ,shogunate by the bands of zealous patriots gathered here and there1 but the ,shogunate had no difficulty in suppressing them4 ,the revolt against the ,shogunate became grave only when some powerful feudal lords with their clans assumed an antagonistic attitude4 ,as you know1 our clans were1 in fact1 autonomic principalities1 as far as our own country was concerned1 and therefore1 when a prince and his government decided to take a certain step in one way or other1 it was an act of state1 however small it may have been1 and not the act of a gathering of private individuals4 ,it follows1 therefore1 that when a great feudal lord became an open enemy of the ,shogunate1 his opposition was an organised power4 ,when1 therefore1 ,chosiu took up the cudgels against the ,shogunate1 the latter found a formidable foe2 and when1 further1 ,satsuma and others began to sympathise with ,chosiu1 the ,shogunate began to totter1 and in the course of a few years came to an end4 ,if it had not been on account of the existence of a feudal system1 such phenomenal change would have been most difficult4 ,of course1 there were several other causes which gave facility to that great change4 ,the system of the ,shogunate had existed in ,japan over seven hundred years1 but the family which held in its hands the authority of the ,shogun changed from time to time4 ,the family which ruled ,japan as ,shogun for the longest time before the ,tokugawa1 viz4 the last ,shogunate1 was the ,ashikaga family1 which lasted two hundred and forty years1 with sixteen ,shoguns in succession4 ,next to the ,ashikaga family was the ,hojio family1 which1 though not actual ,shoguns1 exercised the actual power of the ,shogunate for one hundred and thirty-four years1 with nine representatives in succession4 ,now ,tokugawa lasted as ,shogun two hundred and sixty-four years1 with fifteen ,shoguns2 therefore ,tokugawa ruled as the ,shogunate longer than any other family4 ,in the natural course of events popular imagination had already begun to think1 that the time was approaching for ,tokugawa to cease to be the ,shogunate4 ',then1 again1 public opinion and sentiment were fast growing in favour of the restoration of the ,imperial authority4 ,it was a perfectly legitimate movement2 it differed very widely from those cries which are generally raised in other countries at the time of revolution by the lower classes1 based on the mere dissatisfaction of the conditions of existence4 ,add to this the great shock given by the advent to the country of the ,western black ships one after the other4 ,it was sufficient to stir up the heart and soul of the whole nation1 and to prepare the way for any change or reform1 provided they were good for the preservation of self-existence4 ,such was the tide which occasioned the convulsion of the ,japanese1 previous to the great change of #ahfg4 ,no country1 neither ,china nor ,russia1 would ever get such a splendid opportunity as this for a radical and thorough reform4 ',then again1 the fact that the ,imperial court had existed1 and yet had had no intricate organisation1 was also a great help in assisting the completion of the task4 ,because the ,imperial court had existed1 and that too from time immemorial1 and it had always commanded the greatest possible reverence of the people1 all the new movements knew where to rally2 and because the court had not an intricate and crystallised organisation before the restoration1 as the administrative government of the country1 the tablet was almost blank1 so that nearly all institutions could be introduced with greater facility than they would have been otherwise1 the only requirements being the capacity and forethought with which the matter was to be executed4' --',viewed in the light you have just represented to us1' said another1 'the prospects appear to have been very bright2 but there must have been a great danger of the matter miscarrying1 and the anxiety felt by responsible statesmen must have been very great4' --',certainly it was so4 ,but we were very fortunate4 ,patriotism and loyalty went far to do the greater part of the work4 ,suppose the different princes and their clans had been more selfish1 and had begun to quarrel among themselves1 perhaps with some latent intention of placing themselves in the position of the ,shogunate1 the country would have indeed fared very badly1 and great hindrance would have been placed in the path of reform4 ,in that respect1 however1 the two most powerful clans1 ,satsuma and ,chosiu1 who had the best rights to covet the ,shogunate1 if such a right were permissible at all1 were determined above all others not to embark on such an enterprise4 ,their princes and statesmen all directed their whole energies to the revivification and consolidation of the ,imperial authority4 ,satsuma and ,chosiu being so disposed1 all others had to follow their examples4 ,indeed1 they had no thought of doing otherwise4' --',it was the general spirit of the time1' said one1 'but in what way was the new ,imperial government organised1 and how did it begin to work8 ,surely the spirit of the time cannot work itself out alone2 political wisdom must have played a great part in leading that spirit to the right goal4' --',when the last ,shogun resigned his authority1' ,i continued1 'the ,imperial government on a new and firmer basis was immediately organised4 ,in it were gathered the ablest men of the empire from all sources4 ,able court nobles1 able feudal lords1 and able ,samurai of different clans1 were all given suitable places side by side4 ,there were many court nobles1 with ,sanjio and ,iwakura at their head1 who had done much in bringing about the great change4 ,the ,imperial court before the change had no military power1 as you know1 but the court1 including the nobles1 always stood in high social estimation4 ,for that reason1 as well as for their personal distinction1 they were given high places in different branches of the government4 ,side by side with them1 several feudal lords1 who were endowed with personal ability1 were also given high positions4 ,after them came distinguished ,samurai of different clans1 to whom various positions1 high and low1 were assigned1 according to their fame and ability4 ,at that time there existed two appellations designating those ,samurai who became officials of the ,imperial government3 ,choshi 7summoned ,samurai7 and ,koshi 7tributed ,samurai7--the former meaning those ,samurai who were specially summoned by the emperor to serve in his government2 the latter meaning those who were taken into the ,imperial service at the recommendation of the feudal lord1 whose retainers they had been4 ,thus you can see the intelligence and ability of the different clans were gathered together around the ,imperial throne1 beneath which all of them1 court nobles1 feudal lords1 and ordinary ,samurai1 worked together for the common good of the empire1 a sight never seen before4 ,such disinterestedness and such avidity for ability were subsequently extended even to the men of those clans and of the fleet who had fought against the ,imperialists4' --',very fine1' said one2 'but ,i should think it must have been very difficult for them to get on well together4' --',true1' ,i answered2 'but when men with a vital common aim work together1 putting aside self-interests1 they can achieve great things4 ,besides1 there was a centre of gravity in the political force1 resulting from a combination of the preponderant influences of ,satcho1 viz4 ,satsuma and ,chosiu4 ,that centre of gravity acted the part of a pendulum or regulator in the new government1 and kept all the forces working in unison4 ,you know already that the ,satcho were two powerful clans which were the chief factors in bringing about the ,great ,change4 ,in addition to their natural claim to influence1 they produced men of ability1 far greater in number than any other clans4 ,naturally1 therefore1 ,satcho men occupied more important positions than men of other clans4 ,next to ,satcho1 the clan having similar influence was ,tosa4 ,next to ,tosa1 ,saga came to share influence under the new government4 ,satcho kept their mutual harmony well together1 and ,tosa and ,saga joined in the concert4 ,there could be no other clans able to beat their own drums separately4 ,of course there was a possibility of the ,satcho themselves coming into conflict1 but for that the statesmen of the clans in question understood each other1 and each felt a great responsibility1 and accordingly did their best not to produce any discord between them4 ,the chief representative of the ,chosiu statesmen was ,kido1 whilst there were two such on the side of ,satsuma1 ,saigo the elder1 and ,okubo4 ,these three were popularly called the three great men of the restoration4 ,the types of ,okubo and ,saigo somewhat differed one from the other1 for ,saigo1 unlike ,okubo1 was more of a soldier1 and represented more the military elements of ,satsuma1 and therefore we may say that the reins of statesmanship in the new government1 as represented by the ,satcho1 were in the hands of ,kido and ,okubo4 ,it was chiefly through their efforts that the abolition of the feudal system was ultimately brought about4' ',that part of your history1' said one1 'is a most important and interesting point for us to know4 ,let us be further enlightened by some of your own observations4' ',well1 the inauguration of the ,imperial rgime took place in #ahfg4 ,in the course of a few years a disinterested opinion was mooted and soon spread amongst the lords themselves to the effect that1 now that the ,shogun had resigned his function and had restored his administrative authority to the ,imperial government1 it also behoved the lords of all the clans similarly to resign and to give up to the ,imperial court the administrative authority of their clan governments1 together with the lands and people they governed4 ,with such reasoning all the feudal lords1 headed by the lords of ,satcho1 vied one with another in voluntarily taking that step4 ,the offer was accepted1 and the lords were duly nominated the governors of the different clans4 ,thus the nature of the position of the lords was changed4 ,they now became mere officials appointed by the new ,imperial government1 and delegated to carry out its administrative measures4 ,this was an event which took place in #ahfi4 ,in the course of another few years1 viz4 in #ahga1 the clan system was finally abolished1 and the prefecture system was introduced in its place4 ,the former lords were ordered by the emperor to reside near him in the capital1 and new governors were nominated in their places1 chiefly from amongst the ,samurai1 who were already in the government service4 ,of course those perfectural governments were newly organised1 with suitable subordinates nominated either from amongst those who were already in government service1 or from amongst local celebrities4 ,thus was abolished our feudal system without any murmur4' --',that is the official history1' said one1 'but there must be also some inner history which you know of in connection with it4' --',well1' ,i answered1 'the new ,imperial government was inaugurated as you have already seen4 ,it had no regular revenue as yet2 it had neither army nor navy properly belonging to it4 ,okubo was planning a scheme for ,satsuma1 by which a portion of its revenue or territory was to be given up to the ,imperial government1 and that other clans might also be induced to follow the example4 ,simultaneously with ,okubo1 ,kido was also meditating a project for making the new ,imperial administration effective4 ,he schemed the total abolition of the feudal system1 the initiation of the idea having been impressed on him by ,ito4 ,he returned from ,kioto to ,chosiu1 and presented his views to the ,prince of ,chosiu1 who being a person of extreme loyalty1 willingly gave his assent to ,kido's proposal4 ,on the return of ,kido to ,kioto1 ,okubo gave up his own plan and immediately accepted that of ,kido4 ,the matter having been thus agreed upon between the two most influential statesmen1 it soon became a question of practical politics1 and was successfully carried into effect in no time1 as ,i have already told you4' --',can you give me1' said one1 'some idea of the clans of the ,japanese feudal system8 ,you make use of that word1 as do other writers on ,japan1 but to me1 somehow or other1 it does not appear to give a clear idea4' ',the word clan1' ,i replied1 'which is used in place of the ,japanese word ,han1 does not convey the exact meaning1 as you imagine4 ,the word clan in ,english signifies men1 whereas our word ,han signifies more a territorial community with its government1 including lands and population1 somewhat in the same sense as the word principality or duchy4 ,then1 too1 the word clan1 strictly speaking1 implies the meaning of a collection of families bearing the same surname1 and supposed to have descended from a common ancestor1 but with our word ,han no such meaning is implied in the word itself4 ,every feudal lord of ,japan had a large number of retainers1 and it was natural that a certain number among them were descended from the same ancestors as the lord himself2 but those were1 after all1 in a very small minority1 and the overwhelming number were in nowise connected with their lord1 as far as blood relationship was concerned4 ,thus1 you can see1 the word clan does not represent the exact meaning of the word ,han4 ,the technical term for the acts of giving up and restoring the clan governments to the ,imperial government was ,han-seki ,hokwan1 which meant restoring the ,han records1 whereby the giving up of the territory and its population was implied4' --',i see the difference between the term clan and the term ,han1' said one1 'but ,i wish to know something more about the process by which the ,han came to be formed4' --',that question requires a long answer1 because to explain in detail would amount to writing a history of the feudal system of ,japan1 but ,i will give you a succinct answer4 ,feudal lords originally were local celebrities1 with some landed property and retainers4 ,in the sixteenth century the country had reached the height of disorder3 it was then that countless warriors appeared in the arena1 all fighting their way to distinction1 some on their own account1 and some under the leadership of greater men4 ,the leaders as they became greater had to enlist more followers1 and the greater of those followers had in turn to enlist their own followers4 ,these followers were generally enlisted from all sources1 some being fortunate sons of mere peasants1 some being masterless fighters of a former lord1 whose house had become extinct1 either through war1 or from some other reason4 ,those who offered service and those who accepted it necessarily entered upon a new relationship of master and servant4 ,the best example of this was the famous ,hideyoshi and his followers4 ,of course1 there were many who had better antecedents and pedigrees1 but the process by which the cadre of their military organisation had become enlarged was similar4 ,after the country had returned to its normal condition of peace1 and those leaders became feudal lords1 those followers1 viz4 retainers1 formed their cadre of ,samurai4 ,each lord established his government in his province1 to govern the land and people under his authority1 and the executive officials were appointed by him from amongst those retainers4 ,all those feudal governments enjoyed autonomy1 subject to the general control of the central government of the ,shogun4 ,there were also several feudal lords who were made such by virtue of their close relationship with the ,shogun1 or for their distinguished services1 other than military1 but the method by which their government and military cadre were formed was much the same4 ,i may add that the word ,han was originally ,chinese1 and its literal meaning is a fence4 ,it was used figuratively to signify an idea of protection or defence1 as a fence serves to protect a house1 for the central government against external aggressors4' --',that explains very clearly1' said one1 'the difference between your ,han and the ,western clans1 but ,i should like to know more about the evolution of your feudal system from its earliest stage4' --',very well1' ,i answered1 'under the ancient ,imperial rgime1 local governors were despatched from the central government4 ,imperial guards were taken from amongst the provincial youth1 there were also several military stations1 at different strategic points of the country2 the soldiers having been similarly taken from the neighbouring provinces4 ,in the course of time1 first with the growth of luxury in the capital1 then with the decay of the ,imperial authority1 the governors themselves ceased to go to their respective provinces1 and deputies came to be appointed to discharge their provincial affairs for them4 ,these deputies began to settle in the provinces and to make their functions hereditary1 or local celebrities came to be appointed as deputies1 often by heredity also4 ,in the meantime1 as ,i told you once before1 a sort of hereditary warrior families gradually sprang up in the provinces4 ,the more enfeebled the ,imperial court became1 the less effective the administrative authority of the ,imperial government became in the distant provinces1 where fighting between those warrior families was often waged without any knowledge or any recognition of the ,imperial government4 ,when1 towards the end of the twelfth century1 ,yoritomo defeated his foes1 the ,taira1 and made himself master of the situation1 he established his seat of government at ,kamakura1 and began to control the whole empire4 ,at first he did so on the pretext of keeping peace and order with ,imperial sanction4 ,he called himself1 in that respect1 ,sotsuibushi1 which means nothing else than police-master-general4 ,he appointed new local governors1 chiefly from amongst the leaders of the warrior families4 ,the official names for these new governors differed from those instituted formerly by the ,imperial government4 ,he did not try to do away with the ,imperial official organisation1 which had become almost nominal1 but1 in fact1 he introduced a new organisation in the provinces4 ,needless to say1 these new governors soon became the real governors in all respects1 though their ostensible duties at first were for police affairs in its broad sense4 ,this was the beginning of our system of the military governments4 ,although there were several vicissitudes1 that system in the main lasted down to the great reform of our own days4 ,this period of the system of military power is the period called by the writers in the ,western languages the feudal period1 and the system is called the feudal system4 ,there was1 of course1 much resemblance in customs and manners1 and even institutions1 between the ,european feudal system and our military system1 but ,i do not think the words themselves convey exactly the meaning of our appellation for the system4 ,we call the system ,hoken1 which was originally ,chinese4 ,that term1 which is a combination of two words1 means to create and install and signifies an act by which some particular person is created a hereditary prince of certain districts4 ,thus the idea that the persons so created were only made so by the favour of the central government is implied in the term itself4 ,i have already told you that in the sixteenth century1 ,japan laboured under a condition of the greatest disorder4 ,many feudal lords rose and fell4 ,when the ,tokugawa family assumed the ,shogunate1 the country was brought to a perfect peace1 and that system of ,hoken was brought to a state of perfection4 ,it was then that a total re-shuffling1 so to say1 not of the cards but of the feudal lords1 was effected4 ,many old lords retained their positions by acknowledging the supremacy of ,tokugawa1 but many who were the followers of ,tokugawa itself1 were newly created lords4 ,the former were called ,tozama 7exterior7 ,daimio1 and the latter were called ,fudai 7adherents7 ,daimio4 ,those who had been created1 on account of blood relationship to ,tokugawa1 formed a somewhat different category4 ,the tenure of the lords was not looked upon in the light of private property in its strict sense4 ,the ,shogunate freely exercised its authority1 to confiscate or to transfer to another place1 when political expediency demanded it1 though of course such steps were taken only when some blamable action had been committed1 or on the offer of some higher and better position4 ,the feudal lords had no right to sell or alienate any portion of the land4 ,in the early part of the ,tokugawa rgime1 the tenure was confiscated in case of default of male heir to a deceased lord1 though later on the system of adoption came to the rescue and an adopted heir was allowed to succeed4' --',i understand now the nature of your feudal system1' said one2 'but it must have been a great sacrifice for the feudal lords to give up all their possessions4' ',it was so in one sense1 no doubt1' ,i answered1 'but1 as ,i have already told you1 the lands of our feudal lords were never regarded as private properties4 ,the ,shogun had the power to dispose of those tenures1 but the ,shogun was supposed to have possessed that authority by the delegation of the ,imperial prerogative4 ,even the remotest sea coast is the emperor's land1 and even the humblest creature is the emperor's subject4 ,this was the politico-ethical maxim of ,china1 so also in ,japan4 ,this notion had been brought into special prominence1 in recent centuries1 and patriotic lords and statesmen kept the maxim very vividly in their minds1 especially at the time of the great change4 ,the lords had their feudal governments in their locality4 ,they regarded themselves as being the heads of those governments1 acting for the emperor4 ,they did not1 therefore1 feel so much pain as when one gives up a property which is one's own private possession in the strictest sense4 ,besides1 the deep sentiments of loyalty and patriotism swayed them and animated them to adopt the step without any hesitation4 ,i may also add that all the lords used to be invested with some titles of distinction1 which were names of some official function of the ,imperial court1 and also personal ranks1 resembling ,western orders4 ,these they received through the ,shogunate1 but the giver was the emperor4 ,thus you can see that the fountain of honour had always remained with the ,imperial court1 nay more1 the ,shogun himself received his function and title from the emperor4' --',what do you mean by the re-shuffling of the feudal lords8' asked one4 --',i mean that in the early stage of the ,tokugawa rgime a complete rearrangement of that system1 which is generally called feudal1 was effected1 by transferring all the old lords from one place to another and by creating new lords1 to whom new localities were given to govern1 whilst many of the older lords lost their possessions4 ,by removal also1 some lords were made greater and some smaller4 ,in making that rearrangement1 the ,shogunate took great care to distribute the lands among the lords in such a way that a combination of several lords against the ,shogunate might be impossible4 ,smaller lords were placed round large ones1 and the more trustworthy against less trustworthy1 and so on4 ,this rearrangement or shifting ,i called re-shuffling4 ,the same thing was done even down to the last days of the ,shogunate1 though on a limited scale and less frequently4 ,i can therefore say that there was no feudal lord who continued to possess the same seat from the pre-,tokugawa period4 ,there were1 however1 a few exceptions1 and ,satsuma was the most significant example4 ,in the earlier state of the feudal system1 the lords and retainers did not necessarily reside side by side4 ,the lords had their chief seats where they resided1 but the custom of building strong castles had not yet come into existence1 and their retainers lived here and there on their domains4 ,from the middle of the sixteenth century1 the custom of constructing large castles came into existence4 ,the lords resided in the castles and the retainers lived in houses around them4 ,this became more markedly the case when the re-shuffling of the lords was made and the lords removed1 together with their retainers1 from one place to another like swarms of bees4 ,it was also at that time that the separation of the ,samurai1 that is1 the retainers1 from the ordinary avocations of the people became more thoroughly distinct4 ,the ,samurai received their annual allowance from their lords1 and did not carry on any commercial business nor trouble themselves about agricultural pursuits4 ,there was great difference of grandeur between the different feudal lords4 ,our usual way of estimating their relative grandeur was by measuring the reputed quantity of rice produced on their land4 ,according to that method1 the degree varied from ten thousand to one million koku4 ,there were some two hundred and seventy lords1 and their grandeur varied between those quantities4 ,there were also many petty lords1 whose produce of rice from their lands did not amount to ten thousand koku4 ,they were called quasi-lords4 ,such being the variety of grandeur of the lords1 large retainers of great lords often exceeded in grandeur the smaller lords4' --',you said ,satsuma was an exception4 ,will you explain how it was8' --',well1 ,prince ,shimazu was the lord of ,satsuma4 ,the greater parts of the provinces ,hiuga and ,osumi were also included in his dominion4 ,his family had been great lords in that part of the country for some seven hundred years4 ,when the famous ,hideyoshi invaded ,kiusiu1 and reached ,satsuma1 the prince1 namely1 the lord of ,satsuma1 surrendered to that great hero after several battles4 ,hideyoshi did not consider it politic to push the matter to extremes1 so the prince retained his former position4 ,when ,tokugawa assumed the ,shogunate1 the prince was left undisturbed in spite of his having once taken up cudgels against ,tokugawa at the famous battle of ,sekigahara4 ,his seat of government was ,kagoshima1 but there was scarcely any establishment worth calling a castle4 ,a certain number of his retainers lived around his residence1 but a large number of them lived in different parts of his territory1 their lives being partly devoted to agriculture4 ,satsuma was one of the few strong clans1 and its combination with ,chosiu resulted1 as ,i said before1 in the restoration of the ,imperial rgime4' --',will you please explain in outline the financial system of the ,shogunate1 and how it was transferred to the ,imperial government8' asked one4 ',the ,shogunate had under its immediate control territorial possessions which were roughly reckoned1 in the terms of rice1 eight million koku4 ,the ,shogunate was clever enough to have the lions share of the landed possessions1 which included the best parts of the country1 generally comprising prosperous towns1 as1 for instance1 the city of ,osaka4 ,the expenditure of the ,shogunate was maintained by the income from those territories4 ,no feudal lord had to contribute anything to the exchequer of the ,shogunate1 except that they were at times ordered to undertake some public works allotted to them2 for example1 the reparation of some river banks or damage done to the ,shogun's castle4 ,the revenue of the ,shogunate was scarcely sufficient for maintaining the ,shogunate in its normal state1 and towards its latter days1 when the external relations and internal disturbances began to press heavily1 the financial difficulty was much felt4 ,as to the ,imperial court1 it had no regular revenue at all1 except a comparatively trifling sum contributed by the ,shogunate1 which was supposed to be the equivalent to the taxes collected by the ,shogun's officials in the provinces in the immediate vicinity of the ,imperial seat4 ,there was no land under the direct control of the court2 even the city of ,kioto itself was under the administration of the officials of the ,shogunate4 ,consequently the ,imperial court was always in a needy condition4 ,it follows1 also1 that the court nobles were also in an extremely needy condition1 though high in personal rank4 ,they only received paltry annual allowances out of the ,shogun's contribution1 though a very few high court nobles had small landed possessions4 ,such being the case1 it was natural that the ,imperial government1 when it first came into a renewed existence1 should have met with much financial difficulty4' --' ,but how did you manage to tide over the transitory period8' asked one4 --',the troops1' ,i answered1 'which fought for the ,imperial cause were generally supported at the expense of their own feudal clan-governments4 ,for the current expenses1 some rich merchants either contributed or advanced the necessary sum of money1 and also new paper money was issued4 ,by such means as these the government managed to carry on its affairs1 and in the course of time some revenue began to accrue to the ,imperial treasury from the regions which had been under the control of the ,shogunate1 but the sum was insignificant4 ,it follows1 therefore1 that for financial reasons only some great change was necessary1 and thus a double impetus was given to the idea of such men as ,kido and ,okubo for the abolition of the feudal system4' --',let us assume that the feudal system had already been abolished1' said another1 'the winding-up of the affairs of the different feudal governments1 and the consolidation under a uniform system of central government must have been a very difficult and delicate matter4' --',yes1 it was so1' ,i answered4 ',to begin with1 most of those governments had debts of all kinds which had to be liquidated1 above all1 their obligations for paper money floated by them4 ,the coinage of gold and silver was the monopoly of the central government1 but all the feudal lords had the privilege of circulating paper money under different forms in different clans4 ,the actual value of this paper money in gold and silver varied according to the financial condition of the feudal government by whom it was issued1 and that money was legal only in the districts which were under the jurisdiction of the lords by whose governments they were issued4 ,you can therefore easily imagine how troublesome and inconvenient the matter must have been to travellers and traders in localities where those feudal governments stood in close proximity to each other4 ,then again1 the lords and their retainers could not be made penniless immediately on the abolition of the feudal system4 ,to them1 therefore1 certain means of support were given1 in proportion to their former rank and income2 that support was ultimately converted into the form of government bonds4 ,the income thus given was not enough for many of the ,samurai to support themselves and their families1 and they1 therefore1 had to seek some new occupation to which they were not accustomed4 ,a large number of them even lost the bonds thus given1 through their incautious or incompetent management4 ,the government had to prevent things getting into a worse condition1 and to make the transition state a smooth one1 if possible4 ,for that purpose the government often had to organise for them some kind of common work1 for which sometimes some special funds were given4 ,somehow or other1 we have got through those trying times4 ,the credit of winding-up the affairs of the feudal governments is chiefly due to ,count ,inouy1 who was the acting ,minister of ,finance at the time4 --',how did matters stand at the time with regard to the system of taxation8' asked one4 --',it was also one of the most difficult problems which the ,imperial government had to solve1' ,i answered4 ',perhaps you know that the economical theory of the ,far ,east had always been essentially physiocratic4 ,agriculture was the foundation of national existence4 ,commerce and industry were very little considered4 ,curiously enough1 on that account the land had to bear public expenses almost entirely1 and commerce and industry contributed almost nothing2 in other words1 taxes on land were the main source of public revenue4 ,people engaged in industry and commerce paid no tax1 except perhaps some trifling amount in the form of licences occasionally1 and except that they were often ordered by their lords to contribute irregular sums of money to relieve their financial difficulty4 ,the land taxes were paid1 as a rule1 in kind1 namely1 rice1 but the burden of the tax-payers was by no means uniform throughout the country4 ,there was a vague measurement expressed by the words four public1 six private1 that is to say1 four tenth parts of the produce was to go to the government1 and the remaining six1 together with any supplementary produce1 was to remain in the hands of the producers4 ,but this was by no means uniformly practised4 ,roughly speaking1 the burden of the lands under the direct control of the ,shogunate was lighter than that on the lands under the different lords4 ,but there was much difference in the burden on the lands held by the different lords4 ,as a matter of fact1 all sorts of additional burdens1 besides the pure land taxes1 were instituted and levied on most lands4 ,it was necessary for the ,imperial government to unify these burdens and equalise them1 as much as possible1 throughout the whole country4 ,it was also desirable to change the whole system of paying taxes in kind into a uniform system of money payment1 because1 in the case of the former1 revenue is subject to variation on account of the condition of the harvest and the market price1 besides1 that system is more liable to abuse4 ,the ,imperial government undertook this tremendous work of reform4 ,the valuation of all lands was carried out1 and the system of payment in money was effected4 ,i may here mention that1 under the ancient ,imperial rgime1 no proprietary rights were recognised in lands4 ,the tillers of land obtained the allotments of them for life1 and new allotments were made from time to time4 ,that system1 however1 was not strictly enforced in the case of newly reclaimed lands1 especially so in the far-off provinces4 ,as time went on1 the system entirely fell through1 and hereditary proprietorship of the tillers came tacitly into existence4 ,nevertheless1 the idea of the supreme domain of the sovereign from the points of public law and proprietary rights of the possessors from points of private law had not been brought into a very distinct light1 and the vague notion had still remained that the possessors held the lands only by favour of the sovereign4 ,as a matter of fact1 in most parts of the country no rights of sale of lands were legally recognised1 though the matter was widely affected by some fictitious means1 such as long mortgages or long leases4 ,this state of things was entirely changed by the reform made when the nature of the land tax was changed1 as ,i have just described1 because by that reform the full proprietary rights from the point of private law were completely recognised4 ,i said that industrial and commercial people contributed almost nothing to the public expenses1 and yet the denominations under which they had to pay something were various4 ,add to this numerous other miscellaneous contributions2 there were several hundred different kinds of contributions1 but each of these separately amounted to a very small sum1 and was not worth the trouble it involved4 ,these1 therefore1 were altogether abolished4 ,of course the government had1 as time went on1 to introduce some new taxes1 such as the business tax1 the income tax1 etc41 but these are the results of the progress made in our economical and financial conditions1 and based on broader and more universal lines1 so as to fit the altered state of the country4 ,the annual budget1 which amounted to seventy or eighty million yen before the ,sino-,japanese war1 amounted to some five or six hundred million yen before the ,russo-,japanese war3 that will perhaps show the expansion of the financial system of the country4' --',it is very interesting1' said one2 'but let us have a cup of tea1 and then continue the discussion4' ,,viii ,commerce and industry--,old methods of communication--,roads and ships--,how they have been improved--,railways1 post1 telegraphs1 and telephones--,progress of the financial system--,the ,satsuma war--,the ,bank of ,japan--,the ,national banks--,the monetary system one of the causes of ,japan's success--,further remarks on the military reforms--,evolution of the mode of fighting--,all reforms at much cost of blood and money--,the cause of the ,satsuma war--,saigo the ,elder--,social condition of ,japan to-day--,evolution of legislation--,chinese jurisprudence--,the ,japanese are not good correspondents--,my future--,an operatic singer--,japanese stages--,danjiuro and ,irving--,the old school and the new one--,kawakami and ,sada ,yakko--,the opera ,maritana--,the end of the dream ,i was still in the same incongruous group of people1 and carrying on a conversation on the same lines4 ,though the subjects were rather technical1 they seemed to have interested the people who took part in the discussion1 because they relate to the important part of our history1 wherein the foundation-stone1 so to say1 of ,modern ,japan was laid4 --',i suppose1 'said one of the group1 'your country had to take much pains in encouraging commerce and industry to attain the stage you have reached4' ',well1' ,i replied1 'we could not do anything which resembled a protective system if we wished1 because we were bound by the treaties forced upon us1 whereby our custom-house duties1 all prefixed1 could not exceed five per cent4 ad valorem2 but as far as it lay in the competence of our ,government and people1 we did all in our power4 ,you cannot imagine what money1 what time1 and what labour we have had to waste in many ways1 because there were many things which we tried and in which we failed4 ,what we have achieved is insignificant1 but it is the result of all those exertions4 ,by the bye1 the question of the revision of the old treaties was a long protracted subject of our diplomacy and politics through which we had to struggle4 ,it wrecked several ministries4 ,one minister for foreign affairs1 ,count ,okuma1 lost one of his legs and only miraculously escaped death1 in consequence of having been inclined to accept terms of revision which the people considered insufficient and irreconcilable with national dignity4 ,the aim of the revision was to regain the tariff as well as judicial autonomy4 ,america had shown very early its inclination to accede to our demand4 ,italy also showed a similar inclination4 ,but on the whole the matter proved very difficult4 ,about ten years ago ,great ,britain took the lead in recognising the justice of our demand1 other powers followed ,england's example1 and thus the revision was at last effected4 ,that revision restored to us our judicial autonomy completely4 ,you must1 however1 remember that the tariff autonomy has not yet been entirely restored to us1 for we are still bound by one-sided conventional tariffs4 ,but ,i must now return to the original thread of my discourse4 ,you have already seen that we were hampered by the treaties1 but in spite of that we have taken every pains to promote our commerce and industry1 without falling into the error of over-interfering or being officious4' --',and you have made wonderful progress in your commerce in a comparatively short time1' said another4 --',well1 not wonderful1' ,i answered2 'but it is a fact that our commerce has increased from a few million yen to some six hundred million yen4 ,that is something4 ,i will add a word more4 ,it is a mistake to suppose that the stage we have attained is the mere result of natural growth4 ,we must venture to ask for sympathetic appreciation of our endeavour4 ,some ,western people appear to entertain a sort of apprehension in regard to the growth of our commerce and industry1 and even show a desire to check our progress4 ,it would be very hard lines for us1 for our conviction is that the growth of our commerce and industry can only be beneficial reciprocally to others as well as to ourselves2 and1 moreover1 what is after all our commerce and industry when compared with that of the ,western peoples8' --',i quite sympathise with you on that point1' said one4 --',thank you6' ,i said1 and continued4 ',some foreigners speak of our commercial probity very disparagingly4 ,i admit there were some shortcomings1 but ,i deny that the faults were wholly ours4 ,you know that the greater bulk of our ,japanese commerce is done in ,japan itself by the ,western merchants who come out there4 ,if we were always cheating them1 and they were always blameless1 why should they continue to trade with us and make such great increase of commerce in a comparatively short space of time8 ,it is my opinion that the blame attached to the commercial probity of the ,japanese merchant has far less foundation than the reality warrants4 ,a good deal of the blame1 ,i think1 is a hearsay1 originally circulated by interested persons and innocently magnified by others4 ,time was when our merchants wellnigh revolted against oppressive dealings of foreign merchants out there1 and tried to export direct to foreign countries1 but then want of capital and experience stood in their way as a barrier4 ,on the whole1 ,i am satisfied with the progress our commerce has made1 as well as with the fact that its volume has increased in spite of the war1 though we must endeavour to still further it4' --',that your country will have to do1' said another2 'but will you tell me the condition of the communications of the country at the time of the abolition of the feudal system1 and the improvements you have made since then8' --',the means of communication1' ,i replied1 'were not good in those days4 ,we are surrounded by seas on all sides1 but we were unable to make the fullest use of the water1 because the building of large ships was prohibited for centuries1 and therefore our ships had much difficulty in navigating the eastern coasts1 as well as the ,japan ,sea1 especially in winter4 ,they often had to remain several months in some port on their route4 ,on the land1 roads were not good1 they were often badly made on purpose by the different lords for the defence of their territories4 ,thus1 even where a straight road could be made on flat land1 it was purposely made high up on the hills in a winding way4 ,rivers were often left bridgeless where bridges could easily have been constructed4 ,foreign visitors may think our roads even now bad when compared with those of the ,western civilised countries2 but in our eyes our present roads are beyond any comparison with those of some thirty or forty years ago4 ,this also means that our central ,government1 as well as our local governments1 had to take much pains and spend much money in the matter4 ,we had also to encourage the building of large ships1 both steam and sailing vessels4 ,we have built many lighthouses round the country for the benefit of the navigation of foreign ships as well as for our own4' --',what of the railways1 telegraph1 and telephone lines8' asked one4 ',not many years after the restoration we began the construction of the railways4 ,the line between ,yokohama and ,tokio was the first and most expensive of any of the railways constructed in ,japan1 for1 owing to the lack of experience1 we had to pay whatever price we were asked by foreigners for the materials4 ,the next line was one between ,kobe and ,osaka1 and the system has been gradually extended as the finances of the ,government have allowed4 ,but finding that the rapid extension to every part of the country was beyond the financial expediency of the ,government1 private enterprises were encouraged1 and many private railway companies were established one after another4 ,thus we have two kinds of railways1 one belonging to the ,government1 the other belonging to private companies4 ,when ,i was ,minister of ,communications eight years ago1 the whole length of the railways1 state and private1 reached three thousand miles4 ,there was some talk of celebrating the occasion1 but both ,matsumoto1 ,director of the ,board of ,railways1 and ,i discountenanced the idea1 because three thousand miles of railway were nothing compared with other advanced countries4 ,the extension at present is between four and five thousand miles1 ,i think4 ,the length is not much1 but because the country is narrow1 every part of it is within easy reach of the train4 ,the telegraph lines belong to the ,government entirely1 and are managed in conjunction with the general postal system4 ,soon after the inauguration of the ,imperial ,government1 we began to remodel the postal system which had existed previously1 and it has been gradually expanded and improved on the ,european method4 ,i can say without much diffidence that our postal and telegraph systems may be compared in efficiency with any country1 even the most advanced in those matters4 ,the telephone system is comparatively new1 but most of the populous towns have it1 and large towns are connected by distant telephones4 ,needless to say that we have managed from the beginning to maintain the system in the hands of the ,government4' --',the ,imperial ,government seems to have required much money1' said one1 'for winding up the feudal ,governments1 and for introducing1 side by side1 many reforms4 ,you also mentioned that the ,government had to issue paper money4 ,i should like to know more about how you got through it all4' --',we had to undergo much financial difficulty4 ,before the ,imperial rgime gold and silver constituted practically double standards4 ,at the early stage of the new ,government gold was adopted as the standard in theory1 but it took a long time before it came into actual operation4 ,the ,government had to issue much paper money1 and that1 too1 inconvertible1 hence much depreciation of the paper4 ,the strenuous efforts of the ,government had been successful in improving the situation when the ,satsuma war broke out in #ahgg4 ,the expense of that war occasioned more issue of paper money1 which caused a further depreciation4 ,at one time the difference between silver1 which was practically the legal tender at the time1 and the paper rose to #ajj 3 #ahj4 ',there was another cause for the depreciation of paper money4 ,it was the issue of notes by the national banks1 which were established in all parts of the country after the abolition of the feudal system1 and which numbered at one time more than #aej4 ,the ,government had to meet with these difficulties1 and to place the financial and economical condition of the country on a firmer and more satisfactory basis4 ,this the ,government began to undertake a few years after the ,satsuma war1 without hindering the necessary works for the development of the national resources4 ,the ,government decided to apply strict economy in all branches of its administration4 ,the money thus saved was partly used for the redemption of the over-issued paper money1 and partly to accumulate reserve funds for making the paper currency convertible4 ,the ,bank of ,japan was established with the view of making it the sole central economical organ of the empire4 ,a scheme was provided for redeeming the notes issued by the so-called national banks1 and for converting those banks into strictly private banks in due time4 ',the process began in earnest in #ahha2 it made far quicker progress than was contemplated2 thus in #ahhe the difference between the silver and the paper money disappeared4 ,from ,january #ahhf the total redemption of the paper money was begun4 ,in #ahii the circulation of the ,government paper money and the notes of the national banks altogether ceased to exist1 the convertible notes of the ,bank of ,japan having taken their place4 ,in the same year all national banks ceased to exist1 most of them having become private banks1 and a few having wound up their business4 ,two years previously gold had been at last effectively adopted as the ,japanese national standard of currency1 which was the realisation of the idea cherished by the ,imperial ,government from the beginning4' --',what was the nature of the national banks8' asked one2 'and have they proved quite meaningless8' --',the law for the establishment of those banks was promulgated soon after the abolition of the feudal system4 ,it was modelled after the national banks of ,america4 ,in the course of time a large number of them came into existence in different parts of the ,empire4 ,they were private undertakings1 except that they enjoyed the privilege of issuing their own notes1 and were subject to ,government superintendence4 ,at first the notes were to be convertible into specie1 but a modification was introduced in the law by which they could issue notes with ,government bonds as security and convertible in ,government paper money4 ,therefore the notes were in reality incontrovertible ones from the point of view of hard money4 ,previous to that1 the ,government loan bonds1 amounting to one hundred and seventy million yen1 were issued for the capitalisation of the feudal lords and their retainers in consideration of their feudal incomes1 after the feudal system had been abolished4 ,these bonds were used widely for establishing the banks4 ,the banks enjoyed special privileges of issuing paper money1 but in lieu of it they did good service in encouraging and stimulating local industry and commerce1 so that we do not regret that those banks were once instituted4 ,besides1 they led to the foundation of the modern monetary system of ,japan4 ,you must have observed the efficiency of the monetary system of ,japan during the ,sino-,japanese war4 ,the success of ,japan in great wars is due a great deal to that system4 ,i mean to say that because we have that system1 the money possessed by the public could easily be made to serve public purposes in time of emergency4 ,look at ,china3 as far as individuals are concerned1 there is a far greater number of people who are richer than the ,japanese1 and yet they have no sound banking system in close connection with the state4 ,when the ,chinese deposit their money1 they prefer to do so with foreign banks4 ,the consequence is that the ,government cannot fall back upon the wealth of private individuals4 ,neither is there much likelihood of home loans being popular in ,china4 ,of course there may be some other reasons for this4 ,in ,japan nothing but regular taxes and dues regulated by law are levied4 ,no illegal exaction is or could be made4 ,in that respect there exists a perfect understanding between the ,government and the people1 who know that if they respond to the ,government call for loans their dues would be made good in future4 ,no such confidence and usage exist in ,china1 still less in any other part of the ,east4' --',you told us that in the beginning of the ,imperial ,government1 the ,imperial troops were supported at the expense of the clan governments1' said one4 ',will you tell us a little more about it8' --',under the ,shogunate1' ,i answered1 'the feudal lords had to support their own troops1 even when they were ordered to send them out somewhere4 ,this was the duty they had to render in return for the tenure of land4 ,just before the battle of ,fushimi1 ,satsuma and some other clans had their troops stationed in ,kioto4 ,chosiu1 which on all sides had come triumphantly out of the war against the attacking forces of the ,shogunate1 also sent some troops to ,kioto2 not indeed by order of the ,shogun1 but rather against it4 ,these troops were all supported by their clan governments4 ,after the battle of ,fushimi1 the troops of the ,satcho and other clans which had become ,imperialists1 were ordered to the front in the ,north-,eastern provinces4 ,they now fought as ,imperial troops under the brocade banners1 which was the emblematic banner used solely by the ,imperial forces1 and much reverenced by the ,japanese in general1 because with us those who fought against those banners had been1 and were at all times1 universally stigmatised as disloyal subjects4 ,the leaders of those troops were generally commissioned by the ,imperial ,government4 ,the cohesion of the troops of different clans in one direction was maintained by a generalissimo1 who was a high court noble1 assisted by a certain number of staff officers1 specially appointed by the ,imperial ,government4 ,in that manner1 troops of different clans fought for the cause of the ,imperial ,government4 ,after the war1 the troops of some of the clans were still used for the ,imperial purposes1 whilst others of them were all sent home4 ,the future of the military system was1 however1 a great problem4 ,immediately after the war1 the present ,marshal1 ,marquis ,yamagata1 who was the leader of the ,chosiu troops in the province of ,echigo1 visited ,europe1 together with ,saigo the younger4 ,on his return to ,japan1 he advocated the adoption of the ,european system of universal service4 ,he succeeded in his advocacy1 and in #ahgj regulations were promulgated relating to the subject1 by which the system was experimentally put in force in five provinces in the vicinity of ,kioto2 and the system was made universal and more complete soon after the total abolition of the feudal system4 ,it has undergone further improvement from time to time1 until we have come into possession of the army which the world has come to see during the present war4 ,i may add1 that in the earlier parts of the new organisation1 many ,french officers were engaged to instruct our men and officers in different ways1 and afterwards some ,german officers were similarly engaged1 as you know4' ',can you roughly explain1' said one1 'the evolution of your modes of fighting before it reached the efficiency of the present day8' --',it has been pretty much the same as yours1' ,i answered4 ',putting aside the remote antiquity1 ,i will briefly tell you how it has been since the commencement of the chivalric period4 ,the sword was always our chief weapon of honour1 that you know very well4 ,then bows and arrows were also regarded as honourable weapons1 so much so1 that the families which made military affairs their constant occupation were called the houses of bows and arrows1 ,the phrase bow-handlers came to signify leaders4 ,thus when the famous ,takeda ,shingen1 towards the end of the sixteenth century1 spoke of ,iyeyasu1 his junior contemporary1 as the first bow-handler of the ,tokai provinces1 he meant by the phrase first bow-handler a general of great ability4 ,the spear which was used by the leaders was also held in high esteem4 ,thus distinction at the point of the spear was a phrase commonly used to denote distinguished deeds of warriors4 ,the seven spears of ,shizugatake is a phrase constantly used by people at large4 ,it refers to the gallant fighting of the seven famous captains of ,hideyoshi at the battle of ,shizugatake4 ,they all used spears4 ,the ,naginata was a weapon with a long curved blade1 with a handle a little shorter than that of a spear3 it was considered a proper weapon for women and monks1 and was not1 therefore1 looked upon as being so honourable as a spear for ordinary warriors to use4 ,the decisive battles were necessarily hand-to-hand combats4 ,there was even time-honoured heraldic etiquette1 that when two combatants were about to fight they announced their names and positions1 etc41 to each other4 ,i believe a somewhat similar custom existed in ,europe also4 ,warriors of position considered it a disgrace to be killed or captured by nameless common soldiers1 as they were called4 ,the hand-to-hand combat1 being the chief feature of battle1 it was natural that a person who had overcome an enemy of greater distinction or of higher rank was regarded as having done a correspondingly greater action2 hence the custom of bringing back the enemies' heads by the combatants1 and submitting them to the inspection of their leaders1 came into existence1 and in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries1 the modes of such inspections had become an elaborate part of the heraldic ceremonies4 ,the measure of the boxes in which the heads were put1 the manner in which to place them and how to take them out1 what attitude to be assumed by the one who submitted the heads for inspection1 and what composure the one who inspected should assume1 and what glance he should give to the head--all these matters had fine and minute rules1 though when taking place on the actual spot at a hasty hour1 much of the formality was necessarily simplified4' --',how was it with the firearms8' asked one4 --',the use of firearms in ,japan1' ,i answered1 'dates back only about three and a half centuries4 ,a ,portuguese trading-vessel which arrived in #aedc at the islands of ,tanegashima1 off the southern coasts of ,kiusiu1 is reputed to have brought a few firearms1 and it is said they were the first firearms introduced into ,japan1 and that they served as a model to us for making others4 ,hence the name ,tanegashima had come to signify sometimes firearms even down to our own time4 ,a few years afterwards more ,portuguese ships arrived at the province of ,bungo1 in ,kiusiu1 and brought with them more firearms4 ,at the time a great deal of foreign trade was carried on in that province by ,chinese and ,portuguese trading-ships4 ,otomo1 the prince of the province1 even became a ,christian convert1 and it is said that he was one of the converted feudal lords who sent missions to ,rome4 ,repute gives it that those firearms were brought by the missionaries1 and the prince took his first fancy to them on account of their bringing such useful weapons4 ,in no time the manufacture and use of firearms made their way into many parts of the country4 ,it is said that at the war of ,nagasino1 which was fought in #aege between ,takeda on one side and ,oda and ,tokugawa on the other1 there were three thousand firearms on the latter side1 which seems to have been the war in which the largest number of firearms was used4 ,of course1 the firearms of those days were all matchlocks1 and1 moreover1 they were not considered arms of honour4 ,firearm companies were formed of the commonest soldiers1 and generally used for skirmishes before the commencement of regular fighting4 ,cannon were also known soon after the introduction of ordinary firearms1 but they do not seem to have been much in use4 ,as a matter of fact1 before much improvement had been made in the use of firearms1 peace returned1 and lasted over two hundred years1 so that we had little more than matchlocks1 which were chiefly used for shooting game4 ,since the latter part of the eighteenth century1 when the ,western ships began to appear on the ,far ,eastern seas1 the coast defence question had aroused public attention1 and the necessity for having strong firearms presented itself4 ,cannon began to be cast and ordinary guns also1 by the different feudal lords4 ,it was then that the bells in most of the temples in most provinces were confiscated1 to be thrown into the furnace and recast as1 cannon4 ,perhaps you know that the ,japanese temple bells are many times bigger than those ordinarily used in the ,western churches and temples4 ,they have no tongues1 but are sounded by a large wooden pendulum suspended close to them4 ,the sound1 therefore1 is deep and sonorous1 quite different from the tinkling noise of the ,western bells4 ,those bells used to report certain hours of the day1 and it was a charm1 especially in country parts1 in the midst of nature1 to listen to their soft clang4 ,those chimes were favourite themes in poetry1 but most localities are now deprived of that charm for the reason ,i have just given4 ,as time went on1 the ,western guns of modern type began to make their way into the country4 ,they were commonly known as the bayoneted guns4 ,they were a rude kind of gun compared with the modern ones1 and1 of course1 not breach-loaders4 ,in those days the making of guns was not much advanced1 even in ,europe itself4 ,when the ,english squadron bombarded ,kagoshima1 the ,english ships fared rather badly4 ,they had anchored too near the fortress1 in defiance of our cannon1 and one ship left behind her anchor in trying to escape the firing from the land4 ,our skill in casting guns and cannon was not much advanced then1 and yet1 as one may perceive1 we were on the road to success4 ,looking back in general at the changes in the mode of fighting1 the latter days of the ,tokugawa rgime was the great epoch4 ,it was then that war recommenced1 after more than two centuries of peace1 and its mode had entirely changed from that of times gone by1 and the notion of single combat was totally discarded4 ,at present no one remembers bows and arrows1 except perhaps for sporty and still less spears4 ,swords1 indeed1 we still value1 but rather as a reminiscence of old times1 and not as an effective weapon4 ,we have made many new guns and cannon1 improved on the ,western models1 and they are our weapons of to-day4' --',and all those reforms1' said one1 'in polity1 in finance1 in the army and navy1 were effected with the perfect concord of the whole nation1 without a hitch8' ',not exactly4 ,on broad lines the bulk of the people was with the ,government and followed its lead4 ,but we reaped all these fruits at much expense of blood and money4 ,you could not but expect to see among the people at large some who did not exactly approve the methods pursued by the ,government4 ,to them the policy of the ,government sometimes appeared too radical and hazardous1 and thus one group or another showed from time to time their dissent4 ,in those days when people were determined to assume a dissenting attitude1 it generally took the shape of physical force1 in other word1 revolt4 ,chosiu itself had had two such revolts1 but they had been easily crushed4 ,chosiu had had a civil strife before the restoration1 and in consequence the elements of political differences within the clan had been almost thoroughly unified4 ,most of its able men devoted their services to the ,imperial ,government4 ,the old territory of the clan was one of the prefectures which thoroughly submitted to the ,imperial administration with perfect confidence1 from the very moment when the feudal system was abolished1 so much so1 that the first governor despatched there by the ,imperial ,government was originally a retainer of the ,shogunate and had fought against the ,imperialists4 ,the revolters had therefore not much sympathy from the people1 nor had they any means1 guns1 or ammunition1 to turn to their advantage against the ,imperialists1 and yet it shows that even the ,chosiu men themselves were unable to get on altogether harmoniously4 ,the saddest and the gravest case1 however1 was that of the ,satsuma war1 which took place in #ahgg4 ,it was only after that war that the progressive administration of the new ,government was placed on a firm and solid basis1 and the surviving influence of the old feudal time disappeared altogether4' --',since your explanation has reached as far as that stage1' said one1 ',i am anxious to know something about the real cause and circumstances which occasioned that war4' --',it requires some explanation1' ,i replied4 ',you already know that ,satsuma was one of the few most powerful clans4 ,its history and organisation were different from other clans4 ,and also1 unlike ,chosiu1 it had not had an outbreak of civil strife within the clan before the ,restoration period4 ,its clansmen fought many battles1 but it never had any occasion to form voluntary bands as did ,chosiu1 and therefore it had had no opportunity of observing that the troops recruited from all classes were equal1 if not superior1 to the ,samurai troops4 ,the two greatest statesmen of the clan were ,saigo the elder1 and ,okubo1 but as ,i have indicated already1 they differed in the course of their career1 as well as in their natural propensity4 ,saigo had been a devout ,imperialist from the beginning1 and there were several romantic episodes about his life4 ,once1 in despair1 he1 together with an ,imperialist monk1 jumped into the sea4 ,he was rescued1 and had to spend years on an island in banishment4 ,okubo always played the part of a politician4 ,his imperialism had not become quite marked and decisive until almost within the last few years preceding the ,restoration4 ,naturally1 therefore1 there were in ,satsuma some men who were more partial to ,saigo and others more inclined to ,okubo4 ,there was another group of men1 differing from both1 namely1 the partisans of the real father of the ,prince of ,satsuma4 ,the late ,prince of ,satsuma1 the predecessor and uncle of the prince in question1 had been an able and enlightened man1 almost unparalleled by any of the contemporary feudal lords4 ,he had had much leaning towards ,western enlightenment4 ,an incident is told of his strength of character in regard to the visit of a ,dutchman whom he had invited to ,kagoshima1 the capital of ,satsuma4 ,he went to the port and rode with him side by side back to his residence4 ,at the time an anti-foreign spirit was still strong among the ,samurai1 and by his riding side by side with the ,dutchman he intimated that if the ,satsuma ,samurai were determined to attack the foreigner1 they must also at the same time attack him4' --',but stop1' said one1 'was not the time you are speaking of before the bombardment of ,kagoshima and ,simonoseki8 ,i have always understood that ,satsuma and ,chosiu were fierce anti-foreign clans4' --',yes1 it was before those bombardments4 ,the ,prince of ,satsuma1 whom ,i have just spoken of1 died somewhere about #ahfj4 ,i do not remember the exact date4 ,it is true those two clans were anti-foreign towards the latter days of the ,tokugawa rgime1 but it does not follow that they had always been the same4 ,the acceleration of the idea was much due to the circumstances of the time1 which require explanation4 ,at the time of that prince1 he and his government had shown much inclination towards ,western intercourse4 ,as a matter of fact1 it is even said some trade was secretly carried on between ,satsuma and the ,dutchmen at an island in the ,southern ,sea4 ,the old bottles marked ,soy1 which one sometimes finds in ,holland1 are said to have been the bottles which contained our ,shoyu and to have been imported into ,holland at that time4 ,even ,chosiu was not at first so fierce an anti-foreign clan as it became later on4 ,the ,prince of ,chosiu had a few medical retainers who were well versed in the ,dutch language4 ,he used to collect information about ,europe from them4 ,they even translated for him some ,european extracts1 and compiled them into the form of a periodical pamphlet1 which may be said to have been the very beginning of the ,japanese newspapers4 ,he was one of the few feudal lords who first introduced the system of vaccination in their territory4 ,he established a glass factory in his province4 ,he also made experiments in the art of photography4 ,all this took place before the bombardment of ,simonoseki4 ,it is1 therefore1 wrong to suppose that either ,satsuma or ,chosiu knew nothing of the ,west before they were bombarded4 ,besides1 the fault which had originated the bombardment of ,kagoshima lay in reality in the miscalculation which had been shown by an ,anglo-,saxon4 ,nevertheless1 we had to pay the indemnity all the same1 in addition to having been bombarded4 ,but to return to my subject4 ,the ,prince of ,satsuma1 who died somewhere about #ahfj1 as ,i have just told you1 had no heir of his own1 and was succeeded by the young son of his brother1 whom he had adopted4 ,that brother was the famous ,shimazu-,saburo1 who acted as regent for the young prince4 ,for that reason1 he also exercised much influence in the clan1 and at one time played the part of the real ruler of ,satsuma4 ,his character1 however1 differed very much from that of his deceased brother4 ,he was also a man of ability1 but rather conservative1 and his sympathy was not much with the sweeping reforms of ,japan on ,european lines4 ,he sometimes held office in the new ,imperial ,government1 but spent more of his time in retirement in ,satsuma4 ,saigo the elder1 also was not a man who cared to toil in ordinary administrative affairs1 and after the cabinet crisis in #ahgc on the ,corean question1 he retired to ,kagoshima4 ,from all this you can see that there remained in ,satsuma strong conservative element1 which could not be looked upon as a negligible quantity4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,satsuma was the only locality where the ,imperial ,government found it not expedient to enforce rigorously all the new progressive measures1 which it did in all other localities4 ,unlike ,chosiu1 the governor and his subordinates1 though officially nominated by the central ,government1 were men belonging to the province and sharing those conservative sentiments1 and therefore at heart not the faithful executors of the will of the central ,government4 ,at last the province rose in revolt against the central ,government in #ahgg4 --',to detail the matter a little further1' ,i continued1 'when ,saigo retired to ,kagoshima in #ahgc1 many of his admirers and followers1 especially those in the army1 also resigned their offices1 and retired to ,satsuma1 whilst many others1 including ,saigo the younger1 namely the brother of the elder ,saigo1 remained in the service of the ,government with ,okubo4 ,thus ,satsuma men were practically divided into two parties1 many near relatives and friends having taken different sides4 ,as time went on the distance between them became greater and greater4 ,in ,satsuma the so-called private schools were organised in different parts of the province by the chief followers of ,saigo the elder1 though he himself mostly indulged in hunting4 ,those schools in reality were utilised for gathering together young men to serve latent designs of the organisers4 ,it is a doubtful point of history how far ,saigo himself was cognisant of those matters1 but one thing is certain1 that he did not exactly discourage them4 ,when some time back ,yamagata mooted the proposal for the universal service system1 ,saigo1 who was then fulfilling an important position in the army1 was persuaded to agree4 ,again1 when the final abolition of the feudal system was decided upon1 he joined the cabinet almost for that special purpose1 and his weight went a long way in achieving that aim4 ,it has always remained doubtful whether ,shimazu ,saburo was in accord with the scheme1 but the matter was carried out by ,okubo and ,saigo in conjunction with influential statesmen of other clans4 ,hence we can see that ,saigo was also in the main on the lines of progressive policy4 ,it may1 however1 be presumed that1 intelligent and well educated as he was in the ,oriental sense1 he had not any deep insight into the ,european civilisation4 ,besides1 his personal character and proclivity were not exactly fit to appreciate radical changes1 which to him must have appeared somewhat frivolous4 ,then1 too1 after his retirement to ,kagoshima1 many governmental measures were often misrepresented to him as the result of thoughtless actions of ,okubo and others1 and it was also possible that many personal scandalous misrepresentations were made about those in power4 ,hence it is to be presumed that ,saigo also felt some desirability of modifying the trend of the national policy4 ,when1 therefore1 his followers committed an act which was irreconcilable with the peaceful observation of the laws of the land and which soon assumed attitudes of revolt1 ,saigo became their head without any overt action and almost as a result of the natural course of events4 ,the revolters numbered forty-five thousand4 ,individually1 ,saigo was the most popular man in the whole empire4 ,the ,imperial army at the time did not number much more than the revolters4 ,it was a most critical time for the ,government1 which only succeeded in suppressing the rebels after many sanguinary battles4 ,it is well worth remembering that in the case of the ,satsuma men1 many near relatives and close friends had to fight one against the other1 because a large number of them was on the side of the ,government as well4 ,casual observers of the outside world may say it was barbarous that such people should fight one against the other1 but such is often the case when a nation undergoes a great change4 ,i may reiterate that it was a very critical time for ,japan1 for if the rebels had been victorious1 there was a grave fear that the progressive policy would have been seriously hindered and a military despotism would have reigned in the country4 ,it was absolutely necessary to crush the rebels at the point of the bayonet1 however great and popular ,saigo might have been and however meritorious his antecedents4 ,i for one have some consolation in saying that ,i have done some little service to my country by being the first to formulate and publish the views of the situation ,i have just spoken of1 and to lead the public opinion in that direction1 before any other dared to do so4 ,i received several threatening letters at the time1 but suffered no actual attack4 ,towards the latter part of that war ,i was on the battlefield1 and was one of the few who assisted at the last hour in washing ,saigo's head1 which had been found and dug up4 ,the head had been buried hastily in a small ditch by one of his captains1 who1 when ,saigo had been fatally wounded in the last battle1 cut it off at his own request1 while the fray was still raging1 to prevent it falling into the hands of the enemy4 ,i remember there were present ,marshal ,yamagata1 ,marshal ,oyama1 and ,general ,nozu4' --',what had become of ,shimazu ,saburo at the time of the war8' asked another4 --',he was in ,kagoshima1' ,i answered1 'but he kept aloof together with some devoted followers3 the rebels also seem to have preferred to leave him alone4 ,in the course of years he died a natural and honourable death1 to the great regret of the emperor and the nation4 ,okubo was assassinated a few years after the war by a small group of young men who had been zealous supporters of ,saigo4 ,taking into consideration all that ,i have related1 you will clearly see that the present-day ,japan has by no means been built upon a bed of roses4' --',how does the social condition of ,japan stand at present8' asked another2 'from the political point of view1 for instance1 who is the ruling class8' --',the social condition of ,japan1' ,i answered1 'is satisfactory4 ,we have aristocracy and commons1 as you know1 but no class animosity4 ,the distance between them is not great4 ,the commercial class also is making its influence felt3 many people who formerly belonged to a class which despised business occupation are now engaged in business4 ,the official positions are occupied almost all by men of ability belonging mostly to the middle class4 ,almost none of the old nobles occupy any official positions4 ,you must have heard many statesmen and generals called by some titles of nobility1 but they are only new nobility1 given by the emperor for meritorious services rendered to the new ,imperial ,government1 and therefore their modes of thought and their inclinations are not far different from that of the ordinary people at large4 ,all the ,government officials and officers of the army and navy are taken by examination without any distinction of class or locality1 and therefore young men belonging to any class of society or to any province have equal chance4 ,it is true that immediately after the restoration some powerful clans1 especially that of ,satcho1 exercised more influence in political circles1 but it was only natural as the results of the great change4 ,even at this moment there are several statesmen1 who originally belonged to those clans1 who exercise great influence3 it is because their services to the country have been great1 and consequently they enjoy greater prestige4 ,in the army and navy1 also1 the majority of the generals of the higher class are in a similar manner men who have risen from those clans4 ,with the rest1 the clannish landmarks are already almost indistinguishable2 even amongst those of the highest positions the disappearance of the clannish traces must be only a question of time1 for most of the personages occupying those positions are already far advanced in age4 ,it is not1 therefore1 fair for some foreigners to say that the ,satcho men placed themselves in the place of the ,shogunate4 ,as a matter of fact1 the ,satcho statesmen themselves have introduced many important regulations for giving equal chances to every class and province4 ,then1 again1 what is most worth noticing is perhaps the fact that all public affairs are governed by laws and regulations1 and not by any arbitrary will2 so much so1 that in some instances people think that there are too many laws and regulations4 ,on the whole1 ,i approve the present system1 as every one must1 because it leaves no room for class or bureaucratic oppression4' --',can you explain1' said one1 'how all those psychological changes have been brought about8 ,people in the ,west have always thought that the ,orientals little cared for laws and regulations1 their modes of government being based upon customs and traditions4' --',you may think so1' ,i answered2 'if you take the generality of the ,orientals1 but it is not the case with ,modern ,japan4 ,even in ,china the matter was never exactly as you have just said4 ,china has always been wanting in the matter of civil law4 ,but there is one particular feature worth noticing4 ,in the same way as the ,romans were rich in the notions of civil law1 the ,chinese were rich in the ideas of criminal law4 ,i do not1 of course1 say their system was good from the ,western point of view1 but in its way it had very good jurisprudence and codes1 which were handed down with some necessary modifications from dynasty to dynasty4 ,they knew the importance of separating ethics from jurisprudence for more than a dozen centuries1 namely1 from the ,tang dynasty1 when a very good criminal code1 which was an improvement and enlargement upon that o the preceding dynasty1 was enacted4 ,thus1 for instance1 torture is looked upon by the ,occidentals simply as barbarous1 but it has its raison d'tre in the ,chinese jurisprudence4 ,according to that jurisprudence1 no person is to be punished on mere circumstantial evidence1 or on the words of witnesses1 unless the prisoner himself makes confession of his guilt4 ,the act of confession is technically called the completion of self-acknowledgment4 ,the object of this is to make sure that no innocent person shall ever be punished4 ,in some cases1 if punishments be inflicted1 despite the prisoner's strong protest of innocence1 on mere circumstantial evidence1 or on the evidence of witnesses1 great injustice may be done1 as was well illustrated in the ,beck incident1 which recently created so great a sensation in ,england4 ,torture is resorted to only in the case where1 although the evidence is conclusive1 yet the prisoner obstinately refuses to acknowledge his guilt4 ,in other words1 the application of torture is only to be resorted to in order that a prisoner whose guilt is quite evident might not be allowed to escape unpunished merely because he obstinately refuses to confess4 ,the raison d'tre of the torture1 therefore1 is not so bad as casual observers imagine4 ,the blame of the method lies in its abuse4 ,we ,japanese once followed that jurisprudence1 but have given it up because it is liable to misapplication1 and we have adopted the ,european system of judgment by evidence1 not because we believed in the infallibility of that system1 but because we believed that less injustice would be committed by that system than the other4 ,china has also been very rich in codes of governmental organisation1 not indeed in the ,western style of constitutional laws2 but still1 from a literary point of view1 they are all very good4 ,now to return to our subject4 ,if ,japan were a country which had not known the usefulness of laws and regulations1 and yet had begun to imitate the methods of ,european legislation with success as she has done1 such a result might indeed be a matter of some amazement4 ,she had1 however1 had much experience in making laws and regulations during the ancient ,imperial rgime when we had frequent intercourse with the ,tang dynasty of ,china1 and therefore1 when we began to formulate new legislation on ,western lines1 it was only necessary to grasp the spirit as to the method1 and to make some modification in form of what we had done previously4 ,and besides1 scholars well acquainted with the ,chinese codes were not wanting1 and their ability was ready to be utilised for new legislation4' --',it would be very interesting1' said one1 'if we could obtain a new book which would scientifically treat of the history of the evolution of all those great changes which have taken place4 ,really1 we know little concerning ,japan4' --',that may be1' ,i answered1 'but there are several books1 especially in ,english1 from which one can gather a good deal of information on ,japan1 though they are not always correct to our eyes4 ,the ,french are the people who interest themselves the least in such matters1 and yet complain that they are without any information4' --',i do not care1' he replied1 'for those unscientific books4 ,i am anxious that a good1 scientific1 and authentic book on those points should be written at first hand by some competent ,japanese4' ,here a compatriot of mine turned to me1 and said privately that the gentleman who had just made the above remark was one who could not be persuaded to believe that ,western civilisation had taken root in ,japan1 and who did not until recently believe that ,japan could cope with the ,russians4 ,his reason was not on account of any bias against ,japan1 but because he could not believe ,western civilisation could be transplanted to an exotic soil in so short a time1 as in the case of ,japan4 ,he had only recently begun to think otherwise1 after close observation of the progress of the war1 and therefore wished to know the true history of the evolution of all the important changes which had taken place in our country4 --',now you gentlemen have had enough time1' said a lady4 ',it is our turn now4 ,i suppose1 baron1 you will be going home before long1 when the war comes to an end4 ,shall you also be like some of the ,japanese ,i have had the pleasure of knowing8 ,i mean to say that the ,japanese are1 as a rule1 pleasant enough and friendly enough while with us1 but after they have gone back to their country we seldom hear from them4 ,but when they happen to revisit this part of the world1 they return to us and are as pleasant and friendly as before1 as though nothing had happened in the interval4' --',ah6 ,i understand4 ,i am afraid ,i shall be like them4 ,we ,japanese are not good correspondents4 ,in that respect ,i think the ,english are the best4 ,it seems writing letters is a part of their pleasure4 ,they write so many letters even in the midst of hasty travelling4 ,our heads somehow seem heavy when it comes to the task of letter-writing4 ,when we go back to ,japan1 unless we are engaged in some offices where foreign languages are needed1 we have no occasion to think or to write in them1 and we soon forget the thread of the foreign style of thought and tongue1 and1 therefore1 it is difficult even to find good dicta for writing a simple letter4 ,remember1 moreover1 there is nothing so difficult as writing simple letters2 especially is it so with us ,japanese4 ,then1 again1 the paper1 ink1 and pens which we use for our own writing are totally different from yours1 and they are useless for writing ,occidental characters4 ,therefore1 when we think of writing a letter to an ,occidental friend1 we might find the ink-bottle quite dry1 nibs quite rotten1 and the sheets of writing paper may be wanting1 and perhaps we should have to send for them all anew4 ,the spelling of quite common words may not be at our command1 and if we just wished to refer to a dictionary1 we should perhaps find that it had been mislaid somewhere among the heaps of ,japanese books1 or perhaps had been taken away altogether by a young student4 ,such being the case1 you can well imagine that the ,japanese cannot be very good correspondents if they wished4 ,the fact that they do not write letters does not show that they do not remember old friendships1 and therefore1 if they happen to revisit the ,west1 they would be1 as you say1 as friendly and pleasant as though nothing had happened in the interval4' --',that explains the matter very well1' said she4 ',i am sure you will be like one of those1 especially as you will have so much to do for your country1 perhaps in some busy office in the ,government4' --',you are quite right in the first part of your observation4 ,i have no reputation for being a good correspondent4 ,perhaps you know that the great ,marlborough always felt much difficulty in writing letters4 ,he used to say that he would sooner fight a great battle1 and with more ease1 than write a letter of fifteen lines to his wife1 so you will see ,i have some consolation1 because even amongst the ,english there are those who are not particularly fond of writing letters4 ,as to the second part of your observation1 you are wrong4 ,i have no desire to seek office4 ,i do not care for the hustle and bustle of the world4 ,i prefer to spend my time calmly and quietly in the midst of nature1 and therefore1 after my return to ,japan1 you will hear of me no more4 ,if you ever happen to hear of me1 it will only be when some grave and exceptional circumstance of my country requires my service1 whereby ,i may be obliged to sacrifice my own inclination4 ,but ,i must now say exit4' ,so saying1 ,i left the group4 ,on my way back home1 ,i dropped into the coffee-room of an hotel and met there accidentally a rich young ,scandinavian artist1 whom ,i had met before1 when once staying at that hotel4 ,he was with two ladies1 an operatic singer and her mother1 both of whom were ,american by birth4 ,from their appearance1 and from what ,i have since heard1 they belonged to a well-to-do family4 ,she had taken to her present profession rather on account of a natural gift for singing than from any necessity4 ,her mother had come over to ,paris for a short time to visit her daughter and was staying at the hotel4 ,through the ,scandinavian we soon came to know each other1 and as we took coffee together we had some conversation1 which naturally turned on the ,japanese stage4 ,in the course of the conversation1 ,i furnished them with a number of details in connection with the subject in answer to their questions3 ',on our stage some actors act female parts1 as was the case with the ,european stage from the ,greeks down to recent centuries in ,modern ,europe4 ,with us1 however1 unlike your ancient stage1 grown-up actors1 not necessarily youths1 act all important female parts1 and yet they imitate real females so well1 that it is regarded as almost a marvel4 ,they have a peculiar method of making use of certain muscles and bones which make their movements resemble those of women4 ,it requires much training from boyhood1 and that is the reason why the female characters of the new school1 of which ,i shall speak presently1 are not so realistic as those of the old school4 ,our best actors are those who can act well both male and female characters1 but naturally there are some who are more fitted than others for acting female parts4 ,shikwan is one of the best actors at this moment4 ,i read recently a letter written by a ,new ,york lady1 while on a visit to ,japan1 who is reputed a great patron of the stage4 ,it was addressed to ,shikwan1 and sent1 together with a bouquet4 ,in it she says that it was almost amazing to her to have seen him acting the part of a great warrior and soon after the part of a delicate and noble lady1 and that she considered him the first actor in the world4 ,i think there is a great deal of truth in her remarks4 ,most foreigners who first visit our theatre can hardly be made to believe that the female characters are actually acted by males4 ,the architectural peculiarities of our stage are3--,first1 the greater part of it is a large1 round1 movable platform on pivots1 and is used to great advantage for decorative properties as well as for the acting4 ,secondly1 we have the so-called flower ways on both sides of the stalls4 ,they can also be used with great effectiveness for some kinds of acting1 though it would be rather difficult to have them in the ,european style of stage building4 ,it is1 however1 a very common mistake of most ,europeans to think we have no actresses4 ,we have actresses as well as actors1 only they form different and separate companies1 and it is only seldom and of recent date that they act together4 ,danjiuro was the greatest actor we have had in recent centuries4 ,kikugoro and then ,sadanji came next ,they were regarded as the trio1 but all three have died within the last few years4 ,we do not think we shall have the same talent again for many years to come4 ,a ,garrick1 a ,henry ,irving1 or a ,sarah ,bernhardt is not a production of every generation4 ,danjiuro in particular was accounted1 even by ,occidental visitors1 among the few of the greatest actors of the world4 ,curiously enough there was much resemblance between the personal character and style of acting of ,danjiuro and ,sir ,henry ,irving4 ,the forte of ,danjiuro was historical representations1 and so it was with ,irving4 ,danjiuro acted more in spirit1 that is to say1 with as little action and rhetoric as possible1 but with more suppressed but visible emotion4 ,when he began this style of acting in his younger days1 he was not popular at first3 people thought he lacked theatrical display1 but he soon succeeded in manifesting his great ability4 ,not only did he work out his own way1 but he elevated the public taste4 ,he also much improved the social and moral tone of his profession by the force of his character4 ,in all these respects1 ,i think there was much resemblance between him and ,sir ,henry ,irving4 ,the old stage1 however1 is hampered by much conventionality which is not entirely suited to modern taste4 ,this has brought forward the new school4 ,oto ,kawakami1 the husband of ,sada-,yakko1 was the pioneer of that school4 ,sada-,yakko1 who is known very well to the ,occidentals1 and is highly appreciated by them1 is no more than a gifted amateur1 who joined her husband's company through his influence4 ,in ,japan it is called the student plays1 because actors belonging to that school are mostly students4 ,in the early days of that school1 plays acted by its actors were little else than mere charades1 of the most comical nature1 even when the meaning was grave4 ,as time went on1 they have become more and more skilful1 so that eventually something has been produced worth seeing1 more especially because they are not hampered by any old conventionality or tradition4 ,they can produce on the stage any incident which they deem worth showing1 and they can introduce any innovation which the old school would not dare to do4 ,besides1 these actors being students themselves1 they have one advantage of having more educational intelligence than the greater number of the actors belonging to the old school4 ,there is1 therefore1 much hope for the future in the new school1 and it is making rapid progress1 so much so1 that its influence is being reflected on the old school4' ,during the conversation1 ,i was asked by the gentleman to witness the young singer's performance1 in which request the ladies joined4 ,i had no other course than to accept4 ,time in ,dreamland flies fast1 and ,i soon found myself at one of the ,operas together with the ,scandinavian gentleman2 and there1 to my surprise1 ,i found the young singer was a prima donna4 ,the act was ,maritana2 she acted the male part of ,don ,csar4 ,the performance went on splendidly1 and ,act ,,ii4 was reached4 ,i happened to know the following declamation by ,don ,csar1 and when she sang it ,i was thrilled1 because each word sounded as though uttered by our own heroes of times gone by3 ',ah6 per piet1 signor1 non raddoppiate ,l'aspro mio duol6 ,almen mi fosse dato ,per grazia di morir come un soldato6 ,come sul campo il milite ,pugnando suol morir1 ,concedi a me da libero ,soldato i di finir6 ,tosto l'acciar fulmineo ,decida omai di me6 ,dir ciascuno1 il misero ,da prode morto egli 1 ,dir ciascuno1 il misero ,da prode morto egli ,da prode morto egli 4 ,se di mia stirpe l'ultimo1 ,rampollo in me sen'va1 ,degli avi degno il povero ,don ,cesare morr4 ,se freddo avel marmoreo ,non si concede a me1 ,mi basta sol che dicano3 ,da prode morto egli 4' ',ah6 spare1 oh spare my ancient name ,from such foul disgrace--one boon1 ,it is the last ,i shall ask thee1 ',tis to die1 e'en like a soldier4 ,yes6 let me like a soldier fall1 ,upon some open plain1 ,this breast expanding for the ball ,to blot out ev'ry stain4 ,brave manly hearts confer my doom1 ,that gentler ones may tell1 ,howe'er forgot1 unknown my tomb1 ,i like a soldier fell1 ,howe'er forgot1 unknown my tomb1 ,i like a soldier fell1 ,i like a soldier fell4 ,i only ask of that proud race1 ,which ends its blaze in me1 ,to die the last1 and not disgrace ,its ancient chivalry4 ,tho' o'er my clay no banner wave1 ,nor trumpet requiem swell1 ,enough1 they murmur o'er my grave1 ,he like a soldier fell4' ,the curtain fell3 my companion asked me if ,i would like to see the stage room of the singer4 ,i assented1 we passed through the ,green ,room1 and entered her room1 where she was sitting on a chair1 her mother with her4 ,after an exchange of a few words1 she plucked a few blossoms from a branch of orchids in a vase on the table near her1 and put them into my button-hole1 saying1 ',allow me1' and then1 plucking some more1 similarly favoured my companion4 ,at that moment the stage-bell rang1 and as ,i thought we were dashing out of the room and down the stairs1 ,i awoke1 and saw my young secretary standing before me4 ,he said3 ',the dinner-bell has rung2 you have slept very long4' ,,finis blank page ,,appendix ,i ,,political ,,organism ,,of ,,japan ,this article is intended to explain the salient points of the political organism of the ,japanese ,empire1 a subject on which many people have expressed to me their wishes to be informed4 ,the chief sources of my authority are1 of course1 the ,imperial ,constitution and the ,imperial ,house ,law promulgated ,february #aa1 #ahhi1 but ,i have also made use of several other important laws and known facts bearing on the subject4 ,,the ,,emperor ,the emperor is sacred and inviolable according to the constitution4 ,his majesty is the sole depository of sovereignty4 ,legislative power is given to the ,imperial ,diet1 but the theory of our constitution is that the emperor himself exercises that power with the concurrence of the ,diet4 ,other attributes of the emperor1 such as the authority for convoking or dissolving the ,diet1 sanctioning or vetoing laws1 promulgating the same1 declaring war or making peace1 ordering amnesty or pardon1 or conferring honours1 such as titles of nobility1 etc41 are much the same as those of the most of the ,western monarchical countries4 ,one important feature which is without a parallel in the constitution of almost all other countries 7except perhaps some resemblance in the ,austrian constitution7 is that in ,japan the emperor has the power to issue ',urgency ,ordinances' which have the same force as the law when urgency requires such enactments in order to maintain public safety or to avert public calamity1 and it happens that the ,diet is not sitting1 though such ordinances have to be submitted to the ,diet and its ex-post-facto consent obtained in the next session1 and they lose their force in case such consent is withheld by the ,diet4 ,another important feature is that in ,japan1 unlike several constitutional countries1 all matters relating to the organisation of the army or navy or the determination of the number of the standing army are entirely within the sphere of the ,imperial prerogative and beyond interference by the diet though the latter has an indirect voice by reason of its participation in matters of 'supply4' ,,the ,,imperial ,,succession ,the established usage in respect of the ,imperial succession of ,japan has always been in the main that of primogeniture on male lines4 ,there had been1 however1 no hard-and-fast restriction similar to the ,salic ,law before the promulgation of the ,imperial ,house ,law of #ahhi1 and1 accordingly1 we have had several empresses on the throne of ,japan1 though there was never an instance of a reigning empress having a consort4 ,the ,imperial ,house ,law has prevented for ever any female succeeding to the throne4 ,we can therefore sum up the order of succession to the ,japanese throne as that of the male primogeniture1 viz41 from the father to the eldest son1 then to the eldest grandson and so on1 in the direct line1 in default of which1 to the collateral line4 ,the order of all these is similar to that which appertains to ,european primogeniture4 ,the ceremony of coronation is always to take place at ,kioto1 the old capital1 so also is the ,daijo-,sai1 the grand festivity1 which is celebrated but once in a reign4 ,the full age of the emperor1 the crown prince1 and the eldest son of the crown prince1 who has become direct heir to the throne owing to the early death of the crown prince1 is fixed at full eighteen years1 whilst with all the other members of the ,imperial family it is full twenty years1 like ordinary subjects of the emperor4 ,when the emperor is a minor1 a regency is to be instituted4 ,when the emperor is incapacitated by grave causes from discharging his functions1 the same thing also takes place4 ,the order in which the regency may devolve upon members of the ,imperial family is as under3 7#a7 ,the crown prince4 7#b7 ,the ,imperial grandson1 being already direct heir-apparent4 7#c7 ,other princes4 7#d7 ,the empress4 7#e7 ,the empress-dowager4 7#f7 ,the grand empress-dowager4 7#g7 ,princesses who have actually no consorts4 ,precedence amongst the princes is determined by the order in which they stand for succession to the throne1 and that of princesses is determined in a similar way4 ,during the minority of the emperor1 a grand guardian 7,taifu7 is appointed4 ,in case no person for that office be named by the will of the departed emperor1 he is to be appointed by the regent after having consulted the ,imperial family council and the ,privy ,council4 ,he cannot be removed unless the matter first be submitted to the consideration of the above-named councils4 ,when a prince or princess is appointed regent1 he or she shall not1 during the tenure1 abdicate in favour of any one except in the case where the crown prince or his eldest son1 who had already become direct heir to the throne1 has become qualified for the function on account of his attaining full age4 ,,the ,,government ,the administrative affairs of the empire are discharged by a minister-president of state1 and a number of the ministers of state4 ,the ministers of state as they stand at present are3 7#a7 ,the ,interior4 7#b7 ,the ,foreign4 7#c7 ,finance4 7#d7 ,war4 7#e7 ,navy4 7#f7 ,justice4 7#g7 ,communications4 7#h7 ,education4 7#i7 ,commerce and ,agriculture4 ,the chiefs of these ministries1 viz41 the ministers of state1 form the cabinet under the presidency of the minister-president4 ,the system and actual working of the cabinet is similar to those of the advanced ,western nations4 ,a cabinet meeting is held usually once a week1 and important affairs of state are discussed therein4 ,the cabinet as a body is responsible to the emperor for those affairs1 though each minister has great latitude of action in matters which fall exclusively within the sphere of his ministry4 ,there are many matters which do not require personal discussion4 ,these are circulated among the ministers in the form of documents for their signature4 ,matters discussed or considered in document by the ministers1 and which require ,imperial sanction are submitted to the emperor by documents1 or personally explained to his majesty by the minister-president or other ministers as the case may be2 but when very important matters are discussed in the cabinet1 it is always in the actual presence of the emperor4 ,there is a minister for the ,imperial household1 but neither he nor his ministry have anything to do with state affairs1 i4e4 politics2 consequently1 the minister of the ,imperial household is not a member of the cabinet4 ,there is a ,privy ,council1 which consists of a president1 vice-president1 and about two dozen councillors1 and these form the supreme consultative council of the emperor4 ,it discusses and considers important state affairs when it is commanded by the emperor to present its views on any given matter4 ,the ,ministry of ,justice has control of the administrative sections of judicial affairs1 but law courts have their distinctive organisation1 and the judges are quite independent of administrative interference4 ,they are appointed for life and can be dismissed only for grave causes indicated by law4 ,besides the ,war ,ministry1 there is a ,general ,staff ,office1 and in addition to the ,naval ,ministry there is the ,naval ,general ,staff ,office4 ,the demarcation of the spheres of their competency is that administrative affairs relating to the army and navy are controlled by the ministries1 and those relating to technical and strategic matters1 or such like1 are controlled by the staff office4 ,both staff offices have a chief and a vice-chief4 ,they are naturally not members of the cabinet4 ,in time of war a special ,imperial headquarters under the direct control of the emperor is constituted4 ,all officials in ,government service have before their appointments to undergo a requisite examination1 except when the appointment is for the position of the ,ministership of ,state4 ,,the ,,diet ,the ,imperial ,diet consists of two houses3 the ,house of ,peers and the ,house of ,representatives4 ,there is no difference of privilege between the two houses1 except that the annual budget is to be first submitted to the ,house of ,representatives1 and that the latter may be dissolved1 while no law exists for the dissolution of the former2 further1 that the president and vice-president of the ,upper ,house are appointed by the emperor from amongst the members1 whilst those of the ,lower ,house are appointed by the emperor out of three candidates for each elected by the ,house4 ,the ,representatives are elected by direct votes of electors4 ,until recent years the country was divided into many small electoral districts 7nearly three hundred1 in fact74 ,each district elected one representative1 and a few elected two representatives1 the difference having arisen from the difficulty of demarking the ,sphere uniformly1 on account of the local peculiarities and the number of the population4 ,the total number of the representatives amounted to just three hundred4 ,a great change was introduced in recent years in the system of election4 ,each prefecture now forms one large electoral district1 except that all the cities1 although they are all situated within the prefecture1 form separate districts1 each independently4 ,each district elects a certain number of representatives allotted to it by law1 based upon the number of the population of such district4 7,in cases of extremely small cities the allotment is only one representative47 ,each elector may vote for only one candidate whatever may be the number of representatives allotted to that district4 ,men who have polled the largest number of votes are picked out to the allotted number1 and they are regarded as elected1 but in all cases the elected must have polled one-fifth of the number obtained by dividing the whole number of the registered electors by the number of the representatives allotted to the district4 ,this mode of election is called the 'large-district single-vote-system4' ,it easily enables the minority of the district to have themselves represented in the ,diet4 ,when any vacancy occurs within a year from the election1 the one who has polled the largest number next to the elected takes his seat1 provided that he had also polled the requisite quorum of votes as above mentioned4 ,the voting is by ballot 7anonymous74 ,there are1 of course1 some disqualifications for being an elector or a candidate1 including the disability of titled noblemen for taking part in the matter4 ,the actual number of the representatives is three hundred and seventy-six4 ,the qualifications of the electors are that they shall be male subjects of twenty-five years old or above1 paying ten yen 7,m #bj7 of direct taxes and having a year's residence in the district4 ,the qualifications of the candidates are that they shall be male subjects thirty years old or above1 and their terms are four years4 ,the composition of the ,house of ,peers is somewhat complicated4 ,the ,japanese name for it is ',kizoku-in4' ',kizoku' is generally translated as peers1 and it certainly means noble or high families1 but not in the strict sense of titled people in the ,west4 ,for the strict equivalent of peers or nobility1 in the ,western sense1 we have another term ',kwazoku4' ,our ,house of ,peers consists of the following members1 who must always be males3 7#a7 ,male members of the ,imperial family who have attained their full age4 7#b7 ,princes 7dukes7 and marquises who have attained the age of twenty-five years4 ,both these classes 7one and two7 sit in the ,house by their inherent right4 7#c7 ,representatives elected by counts1 viscounts1 and barons from amongst themselves1 each grade separately4 ,the numbers of such representatives is previously determined1 always not exceeding one-fifth of the total number of each grade4 ,they must be twenty-five years old1 and their terms are seven years4 7#d7 ,life members appointed by the emperor by virtue of distinguished services rendered to the state1 or of intellectual distinction4 ,they all of them must be fully thirty years old2 nearly all of those who are thus nominated do not belong to the nobility in the strict sense of the term4 7#e7 ,members elected1 one for each prefecture1 by mutual election of fifteen highest direct-tax payers of each of the respective prefectures4 ,such tax payers must be thirty years old1 and their paying the taxes must be on account of the lands they hold or of industry or commerce4 ,therefore1 one who simply lives on an income derived from state-bonds would hardly be entitled to claim this privilege4 ,the terms of these members are also seven years4 ,the total number in classes four and five may not exceed the total number in classes two and three1 viz41 members belonging purely to the nobility4 ,the ,diet is to be convoked once a year for an ordinary session1 the length of which is three months1 and can be prolonged when necessary4 ,special sessions may be instituted when necessary4 ,all members of both ,houses1 except those belonging to classes number one and number two of the ,upper ,house1 or those who are in the government service1 receive two thousand yen 7,m #djjj7 a year1 whilst presidents and vice-presidents receive five thousand yen and three thousand yen respectively4 ,,army ,,and ,,navy ,the recruiting and organisation of the ,japanese army are very much like those of the ,european continental powers1 especially those of ,germany1 from whom we have learned much4 ,those of the ,japanese navy are like those of ,england1 except that our sailors are taken not only from volunteers1 but also by obligatory service2 in other words1 youths who have to serve as soldiers by the universal service system may be taken for sailors1 considerations of course being given to their personal inclination4 ,these latter1 i4e4 obligatory ones1 form about half the total number in the navy4 ,,local ,,administration ,the whole of ,japan proper is divided into forty-five prefectures4 ,the prefectures of ,tokio1 ,kioto1 and ,osaka are called ,fu1 whilst all others are called ,ken4 ,the difference is more a matter of sentiment than anything else1 for there is no difference whatever for any practical purposes4 ,the administrative systems of ,hokkaido1 ,okinawa1 and ,formosa each diverge from those of ,japan proper to some extent1 though they are gradually being made similar to those of the main islands4 ,i therefore put those three ,islands1 ,hokkaido1 ,okinawa1 and ,formosa1 outside the scope of the present paper for the sake of convenience4 ,each prefecture is presided over by a governor appointed by the central ,government4 ,it is partly an administrative district of the state and partly a communal district having its communal administration supported by local taxes4 ,for this latter aspect each prefecture has a local assembly1 members of which are elected by direct votes of electors of the prefecture4 ,each prefecture is divided into counties1 and the counties 7,kreis7 into rural and urban village communities 7,gemeinde74 ,larger urban communities are incorporated as cities and are made independent of counties4 ,counties are prefectures on a small scale4 ,each of them is presided over by a ,gun-cho1 whose office is very similar to that of a ,french sub-prefect4 ,but counties also have their communal sides like prefectures and have representative assemblages4 ,the communal side of counties1 however1 is not very important1 because communal affairs on a large scale are discharged by prefectures1 and ordinary communal affairs are mostly discharged by village communities4 ,cities and village communities are the real 'self-governments' of the people4 ,each of them has a representative assemblage1 and elects its own executive officials4 ,the composition of these officials differs in cities and village communities2 that in the cities is1 of course1 more complicated4 ,even amongst the cities there is a great difference in the degree of importance1 because there are many cities which are extremely small1 inasmuch as a town having a population over twenty-five thousand could as a rule be incorporated as a city4 ,the existing ordinances for the constitution of these local governments are very much like those of ,prussia--in fact1 the ordinances for those of the cities and village communities are in a great measure founded upon those of ,prussia4 ,the chief points of difference are that1 unlike ,prussia1 our prefectural governments subordinate direct to the central ,government1 with no intermediary which represents the latter and superintends the former1 and that1 unlike ,prussia1 there is in ,japan no ',gutsbezirk' 7signorial community7 side by side with ordinary communities4 ,,the ,,conclusion ,such is the political organism of ,japan4 ,my description1 however1 is only the merest skeleton of it4 ,that such a skeleton should be endowed with the proper spirit requires that the whole nation from the sovereign down to the lowest member of the community should be animated by sincerity and loyalty and supported by a liberal and tolerant rgime4 ,that ,japan is doing her best in those respects1 ,i can only ask my readers to infer from their own observation of the admitted progress that she has been fortunate enough to accomplish so far4 ,i may1 however1 explain some of the more important points bearing on the question4 ,the emperor is extremely popular amongst his people at large4 ,i may say that it is not mere popularity in the ordinary sense of the word1 but a popularity which is more of the nature of reverence4 ,this reverence for the emperor on the part of the people is manifested in their extreme loyalty4 ,on the other hand1 the emperor has not the least inclination to take advantage of it and abuse it for selfish purposes4 ,his majesty entertains the keenest sense of duty in regard to his position1 not as a person privileged to do whatever he may choose1 but rather as a person to whom is intrusted the great task of taking care of the people over whom he reigns4 ,thus there exist between the sovereign and his subjects mutual confidence and love1 which cannot fail to prove the greatest blessing to the country in any hour of national emergency4 ,as to the position of the ,diet versus the ,government1 party landmarks are not so strong in ,japan as among most of the ,western nations4 ,true it is that in ,japan also there are several political parties1 but the ,government is not 'a party government' as it is in ,england or ,america4 ,in that respect the ,government of ,japan most resembles that of ,germany4 ,according to the constitution1 the ,ministers of ,state are responsible only to the ,emperor1 but every practical statesman knows that no government can be satisfactorily carried on without concurrence of the ,diet so long as there is such a body1 and therefore in ,japan1 also1 every ,ministry has to do its best to count on such good relations with the parties as it can secure2 but1 nevertheless1 party feeling does not run so high1 and party struggles are not so severe as to make the formation of a ,cabinet depend on party issues4 ,the cause of all this is plain so far as we are concerned4 ,the emperor does not interfere with politics1 but when at the hour of supreme necessity he manifests his will1 his subjects1 one and all1 instantaneously obey it1 and rally around the throne1 forgetting for the time being any differences of personal opinion4 ,it was so at the time of the ,sino-,japanese war1 and again in the ,russo-,japanese war4 ,this state of things is due1 amongst others1 to the liberal administration of the ,imperial rgime4 ,the press1 speech1 and right of meeting are for all practical purposes entirely free4 ,personal freedom is guaranteed by the constitution4 ,taxes are levied1 but no abuse of authority is known4 ,the people at large have no real grounds of complaint or grievance against the ,government as such1 and have absolutely none against the ,emperor4 ,moreover1 ,japan knows no difficulty in matters of religion1 and consequently no party based upon religious notions exists to give trouble to ,government4 ,if this or that section of the people has any disputes with the ,government or between themselves1 those are essentially questions of some temporary and passing character4 ,hence in ,japan it is not a difficult matter for the people at large to unite themselves under a common national policy in a time of national emergency4 ,,ii ,,japanese ,,education#a ,in this paper ,i shall sketch something of the systems of education in ,japan1 especially that of elementary education4 ,my readers1 however1 must not think ,i have anything wonderful to show to them2 for1 as a matter of fact1 ,i have nothing to take them by surprise4 ,all that ,i can sum up is1 that we are doing those things with the utmost sincerity1 as we do other things which are already manifest to the ,western public ,in days gone by1 that is to say1 during the feudal period1 there was one college in the capital town of every feudal lord1 in which the children of the retainers of ,samurai were educated4 ,there were some hundreds of such lords1 some great and some petty4 ,their ranks and importance differed considerably1 and naturally the number of their retainers differed2 in consequence the scale and magnitude of such colleges also varied4 ,the most famous of them were those of ,mito1 ,chosiu1 ,kumamoto1 and others belonging to great lords4 ,above all1 there was one such belonging to the ,shogunate itself4 ,it may be here noted that institutions where the young ,samurai practised the use of swords1 or spears1 or firearms1 or the art of jiujitsu1 were established sometimes in connection with1 and sometimes independently of1 these colleges4 ,there were also many plebeian colleges in different parts of the empire4 ,these were mostly private institutions founded by savants4 ,the founders were generally of plebeian origin2 but there were among them many who were originally ,samurai1 and who betook themselves to such occupation from love of independence1 or some other causes4 ,but it must be remembered that1 though they did not belong officially to the cadre of ,samurai1 yet the social respect paid to them was great4 ,in such a private institution1 the founder himself was the master1 assisted by those of his pupils who were more advanced than others4 ,the master taught the advanced pupils1 or gave general lectures for the benefit of all2 and the advanced taught and gave lectures to the less advanced4 ,the pupils were generally youths of plebeian gentry1 but not exclusively so1 because many of the youthful ,samurai from all parts of the empire enlisted themselves as pupils1 especially when any such institution had become famous on account of the achievements of the master and of the general work of the institution4 ,the curricula of such colleges1 both of the official ones of feudal lords and of private ones1 were diverse1 but generally comprised elementary as well as higher education4 ,there was1 of course1 no uniform course of study to restrain the method of teaching2 and every inventive faculty was employed in each college1 so that many special characteristics were observable4 ,but one thing which is undeniable was1 that ethical training formed one of the most important branches everywhere4 ,the chief feature of the college institutions of those days1 especially of private institutions1 was enforced privation and hardship4 ,i can never forget the days when ,i1 in common with all others1 of course1 ate meals only twice a day1 and those1 too1 of the simplest diet4 ,the food often consisted of nothing else than a little rice with a very little salt1 or the like4 ,we ourselves were cooks in turn4 ,we swept and washed out1 not only our own rooms1 but those of the master also4 ,we often used cold water in the depth of severe winters for the purpose of washing1 and suchlike4 ,we heated the water in turn for the baths of our fellow pupils4 ,we sometimes sat up whole nights in winter with scarcely any fire to warm us1 in order to accustom ourselves to rigid discipline4 ,in those days no idea of sanitation in the modern sense entered the minds of the master or of ourselves2 neither did any outward show of appearance trouble us1 nay1 the more one was regardless of those things1 the more was one thought strong in character4 ,it is1 no doubt1 due to the training of those days that ,i1 personally1 for instance1 cannot bear the trouble of appearing like a grandee1 or a fashionable person4 ,thus1 for example1 ,i1 who never used gloves in my boyhood1 cannot endure the discomfort of wearing them1 even on winter days4 ,amongst the lower classes 7peasants or shopkeepers7 there was generally one or other private person1 in village or town1 who could teach elementary writing and reading1 and who taught the children in his neighbourhood by establishing a sort of private school4 ,this was very commonly done by a priest of the ,buddhist or ,shinto temple of the place4 ,it seems that at one time this was done almost universally by the priests of ,buddhist temples2 so much so1 that we have the term ,tera-ko-ya4 ,tera means a ,buddhist temple1 ,ko means children1 and ,ya means a house--,tera-,ko came generally to mean children who go to learn elementary writing and reading1 and ,tera-ko-ya to mean the place where such children were taught4 ,we have a famous tragedy1 one act of which is called ,the ,scene of ,terakoya4 ,there is a translation in ,german of that act by a ,german scholar4 ,it is a scene which represents a tragic incident taking place in the tenth century ,a4,d41 in a private school for children opened by an old retainer of a nobleman4 ,it has nothing to do with a temple2 and yet it is called ,the ,scene of ,terakoya4 ,it was1 however1 only after the inauguration of the ,meiji era that education became thorough and universal4 ,in the earliest days of this era there was an officer called ,daigaku-,betto 7,chancellor of the ,university71 who was a functionary of great dignity4 ,in the course of a few years a special ,ministry was instituted for education1 with a ,minister of ,state1 who1 of course1 had a chair in the ,cabinet2 and that system has ever remained the same4 ,the ,minister of ,education controls the educational affairs of the whole country4 ,at first the sphere of direct control of the central ,government was naturally limited to higher education2 but1 with the abolition of the feudal system and the gradual consolidation of local administration1 the sphere has extended step by step1 and has culminated in the present system of universal education4 ,for the system of education1 also1 we are indebted to ,europe and ,america2 for the method of its practical working is1 like many other new institutions1 borrowed from the ,occidental nations4 ,the only difference perceptible1 perhaps1 lies in the fact that in ,japan the moving force of the whole system is manipulated by the central ,government to a greater degree than it is in any other country--certainly far more so than it is in ,england4 ,the question of how far popular education should be interfered with by the state1 or rather what difference of advantage exists between the system whereby the state takes upon itself far-reaching responsibility and one whereby a great margin is left to an independent development of private institutions1 is a matter which admits many pros and cons4 ,it is not1 however1 my business to discuss this problem in this place4 ,the fact remains1 that with us the state exercises conspicuous influence in the matter4 ,almost all the educational institutions of ,japan are official or public2 for they belong either directly to the state or to the local administrations 7,prefectural or ,communal71 and they are all controlled1 directly or indirectly1 by the ,ministry of ,education4 ,there are some private institutions also1 it is true2 but their number is very small when compared with the others1 and even those must abide by the general direction of the state4 ,the reason of this is1 that private undertakings for elementary education have to be similar to the compulsory education imposed by the state1 and such similarity can only be acquired by following the general direction of the state4 ,in those of a higher standard1 it is because there are many things in which certain privileges are given to those persons who possess certain educational qualifications4 ,for instance1 in obtaining a postponement of actual enrolment for military service1 or in becoming a candidate for civil service examinations1 such educational qualifications are generally measured by the standard of certain public institutions2 so that private institutions of higher standard have to conform themselves to the direction of the state1 if they wish to avail themselves of the aforesaid privileges4 ,the chief reason why in ,japan the state takes upon itself so much responsibility in education is1 apart from the intrinsic merit per se of the system1 that the country1 under the circumstances of the period1 could not afford to wait patiently the natural growth of extensive private enterprises4 ,putting aside special and technical educational institutions1 as well as those of a private nature1 the grades of our educational institutions are3 7#a7 the ,universities2 7#b7 ,high ,colleges1 which may be regarded as preparatory ,alm ,matres for universities2 7#c7 ,middle ,schools2 7#d7 ,higher ,primary ,schools2 7#e7 ,common ,primary ,schools4 ,the first two belong to the state itself4 ,the last three belong to local administrations--in fine1 there is one or more of the ,middle ,schools in each ,prefecture1 supported by the prefectural taxes1 the number varying according to the requirement of the locality2 and one or more ,higher ,primary ,schools in each county1 and one or more ,common ,primary ,schools in each village-community1 all supported by local rates4 ,the case of cities is similar to that of a county and its village-communities put together4 ,the system is thoroughly carried out throughout the country2 for ,i can say that there is no community where a ,primary ,school is not provided4 ,in populous towns there are ,kindergarten for the benefit of little boys and girls under school age1 though the number of such ,garten is still only a few hundreds in all4 ,elementary education is compulsory for both boys and girls3 the school age begins at six4 ,common ,primary ,schools are the places where compulsory education is given4 ,the course is four years4 ,excuses for absence are taken only in certain cases4 ,according to the official report of the school year of #aija-b1 the percentage of the boys receiving requisite elementary education was #ic4gh1 and that of the girls #ha4hj1 the average being #hh4je4 ,the present system of our writing1 which is more commonly used than another which consists of phonetic letters only1 is very cumbersome1 because it consists of a mixture of ,chinese ideographs and our phonetic letters4 ,it is a great drawback to our education1 nay to our national life4 ,boys and girls1 however1 have to learn it2 and1 therefore1 the poor children of ,japan have to take more pains than those of other countries1 which are blessed with the common use of a phonetic alphabet only4 ,boys and girls of all classes attend the same schools--children of rich merchants and county gentry side by side with those of coolies or humblest peasants4 ,our schools are essentially national institutions for all classes on an equal footing4 ,no class distinction is to be found in them4 ,this holds good with higher institutions4 ,there exist1 of course1 no longer any colleges like those of former days1 which belonged to feudal lords1 and were more or less exclusively used by the ,samurai class4 ,the emperor and empress have established1 out of special interest for the education of nobility1 a peers' school and a peers' girls' school in ,tokio4 ,but even these schools are not exclusively attended by boys and girls of the nobility2 for children of the commons who possess a satisfactory social standard are admitted to them4 ,on the other hand1 too1 children of the nobility do not necessarily join those schools only2 for many such children are sent to ordinary schools1 from convenience of locality or from some particular inclination of the parents4 ,the zeal for education has been carried to such an extent1 that primary education was made universally free1 by a recommendation of the ,diet4 ,without questioning the means of the family to which the children belong2 although1 under some special circumstances1 trifling fees1 almost nominal1 may be imposed by special permission of the proper authorities4 ,the method of teaching in ,primary ,schools has developed itself in the following manner4 ,a few years after the abolition of the feudal system1 namely in #ahgb1 the first ,normal ,school was established in ,tokio2 and some seventy young students were collected4 ,an ,american school teacher was engaged to train these youths for the purpose4 ,they were divided into two classes1 those who acquitted themselves with greater credit at the entrance examination having been given a place in the first class4 ,the ,american teacher taught the first of these two classes exactly in the same manner as he did in ,america1 the students having become as mere children4 ,one or other of the students belonging to the class so taught1 taught in turn the other class in a similar manner1 though somewhat modified to suit our requirements4 ,in conjunction with this practice1 charts and simple text-books were prepared by some officials of the ,ministry of ,education who were attached to the school4 ,this was soon followed by an establishment of five more ,government ,normal ,schools in different parts of the empire1 and a ,women's ,normal ,school in ,tokio4 ,in the course of a few years each ,prefecture came to establish its own ,normal ,school under subsidy of the ,government2 and the ,government ,normal ,schools were abolished1 except those established in ,tokio1 which were maintained as before1 as a model for the local ,normal ,schools4 ,in the development of this scheme the graduates of the first ,normal ,school inaugurated in ,tokio played an important part1 of course4 ,since then the system has remained the same in the main2 but the method of teaching has been gradually improved by our inventions to meet our own requirements1 supplemented by new intelligence brought back from the ,west by officials or students sent abroad for studying such matters4 ,the mode of making teachers at present is as follows4 ,there is a ,high ,normal ,school and a ,high ,women's ,normal ,school established in ,tokio by the state2 and another has been recently established in ,hiroshima1 also by the state4 ,their chief object is to train teachers for higher local institutions1 viz41 teachers of ,prefectural ,normal ,schools1 ,middle ,schools1 and suchlike4 ,in each ,prefecture one or more ,normal ,schools are established4 ,the maximum of accommodation of the ,prefectural ,normal ,schools1 together with the numbers of the students to be trained therein1 is determined by an ordinance of the central ,government1 and is made obligatory upon the ,prefectures4 ,the students who are trained in ,normal ,schools1 both ,high and ,prefectural1 are supported by the ,state or by the ,prefecture1 as the case may be1 on condition that they serve as teachers for a certain number of years4 ,teachers thus trained in ,prefectural ,normal ,schools become teachers of all elementary schools4 ,teachers of this kind are not1 of course1 quite sufficient in number to fill up all the positions in all schools2 so that the want1 for instance1 of assistants of minor importance is filled up by those to whom certificates are given on certain examination for qualification to take up such position4 ,and1 moreover1 teachers of some special subject1 for instance1 drawing1 or cutting and sewing1 are appointed from amongst those who hold special certificates from the proper authorities4 ,i may here add1 that a system of additional emolument for long services and pensions on retirement of teachers1 to the local funds of which the state contributes a certain quota1 was promulgated some fifteen years ago1 as an inducement for their devotion4 ,rigidity of physical training1 in the way of privation and hardship1 has become a thing of the past4 ,but in its place physical training of a sportive and gymnastic character1 after the ,western style1 is much practised4 ,to this1 in the case of boys1 training of a military character 7jiujitsu1 fencing1 and military drill and manuvre7 has been added in the case of higher grades4 ,this begins from ,higher ,primary ,schools1 varying according to age4 ,the credit of the introduction of military drill and manuvres into our schools and colleges is due to the late ,viscount ,mori1 who was at one time ,japanese ,minister in ,london4 ,moreover1 school children are often taken out by their teachers for so-called 'distant excursions'2 and1 in the case of the higher grades1 this often takes place during summer vacation for many days or weeks1 in the shape of camping out and manuvring1 or of round trips to places of historic interest1 something like a pilgrimage4 ,such trips of ,large numbers of students1 which are called 'educational excursions1' are personally conducted by the masters4 ,i do not propose here to describe in detail the curriculum of the ,primary ,schools1 still less those of all institutions of higher grades1 as this would only weary my readers4 ,all these curricula are in the main similar to those of the ,western nations4 ,there is1 however1 one branch of which they would like me to say something3 it is the teaching of morality4 ,in former days in ,japan1 moral teaching meant more than half of education4 ,even under the altered circumstances of recent time1 this notion is still kept very vividly4 ,especial stress in this respect1 however1 is laid in ,primary ,schools4 ,one thing noticeable is1 that with us the morality taught in the public schools is entirely secular4 ,some vague notion of heaven or of a supreme being or gods1 in a vague sense1 might occur here and there in the course of it2 but morality never has any colour of a religious1 still less of a denominational character4 ,the main principle of morality is laid down in an ,imperial injunction commonly called the ',imperial ,educational ,rescript1' which is reverenced by teacher and student alike2 but1 besides this1 there are several text-books1 based upon the principles laid down in the ,rescript1 and written in a style to suit the requirements of the grades1 indeed1 of each class1 on a progressive method4 ,the entity of the ,rescript and the text-books form an embodiment of practical ethics illustrated by practical examples4 ,they teach how to be honest1 how to be straightforward1 how to be loyal1 how to be patriotic1 to honour one's parents1 to be truthful to friends1 and suchlike4 ,on this point1 however1 ,i must refer my readers to my article entitled ',moral ,teaching of ,japan1' in which ,i have given a detailed account of the subject4#b ,nevertheless1 ,i may add a few words4 ,in ,japan all virtues are mainly viewed as a point of duty of those upon whom the conduct of those virtues is incumbent4 ,thus to be loyal to the emperor is the duty of a subject2 to be patriotic is the duty of a citizen to his country2 truthfulness is the duty of a friend2 and reverence is the duty of a child to its parents2 and so on4 ,in teaching morality to children1 the sense of duty is constantly kept in view4 ,then again1 in ,oriental ethics the term 'name' has an important bearing4 ,it may often be translated as 'fame'2 but it has in reality a wider and more pious signification4 ,we have a proverb3 ',tigers leave skins behind when dead1 and men leave 7or should leave7 names4' ,here the term 'name' may certainly be translated as 'fame'2 but we often say that 'we must not disgrace the name1' meaning that we must not disgrace ourselves or our family by committing any unworthy action4 ,in ,japan1 to acquire fame and not disgrace one's family name are concurrent thoughts4 ,fame does not mean a satisfaction of vanity4 ,the trend of thought is something like this ',do not commit any bad act1 for it will disgrace your name1 which is the greatest shame to one's self and to one's family4 ,if your name shines out1 so much the better1 as it is a sure sign that you have behaved well or have done something good1 something worthy of yourself1 your family1 or your ancestors2 but to seek notoriety out of mere vanity is despicable1 for it is not good conduct and does not deserve a good name1' ,this notion of 'name' permeates very widely in our idea of morality1 which fact will explain many cases wherein a ,japanese prefers death to life4 ,perhaps the word 'honour' may convey the nearer meaning of the word 'name'2 in fact1 the ,western word 'honour' is generally translated in ,japanese by a combination of the words name and fame1 as ',meiyo4' ,this notion of 'name' is impressed in one way or other upon the minds of our youths from childhood1 that is to say1 from their days of elementary education2 and it exercises a great influence in after life4 #a ,the ,independent ,review1 ,august #aije4 #b ,see ,the ,risen ,sun4 ,,iii ,,anglo-,,french ,,diplomacy ,,in ,,japan ,,forty ,,years ,,ago#a ,it is now some forty years ago since there took place in ,japan some very interesting episodes of ,english and ,french diplomacy1 which are little known to the ,western public4 ,it was during the last days of the ,shogunate and before the restoration of the ,imperial rgime4 ,the ,western powers with whom ,japan had treaty relations were still few in number at that time4 ,the principal of them were3 ,the ,united ,states of ,america1 ,england and ,france4 ,holland1 though secondary1 as she is1 had some semblance of equality with the others from the fact that she was a nation which had had commercial relations with us for a longer time than they4 ,russia and ,germany were already in treaty relations with us also1 but in the practical sphere of diplomacy they had not played much part4 ,it was ,england and ,france who displayed the greatest activity in that sphere4 ,they were both represented by very interesting characters3 ,england by ,sir ,harry ,parkes and ,france by ,lon ,roches4 ,it is needless to comment on what an interesting character ,sir ,harry ,parkes was1 as doubtless his biography is well known to my readers4 ,i will give here1 however1 a concise outline of his life4 ,at the early age of fourteen years he was attached to an ,english consulate in ,china4 ,he soon acquired the ,chinese tongue1 and his extraordinary activity and ability gave him good chances of advancing his position4 ,at the time of the ,anglo-,french expedition to ,peking he was attached to the ,english army1 and many adventurous and romantic incidents are told about him in connection with it4 ,after that expedition he was made ,english ,consul-,general at ,shanghai1 and soon afterwards transferred to ,japan as minister1 in succession to ,sir ,rudford ,alcock4 ,sir ,harry may be regarded as an adventurer4 ,lon ,roches was of a similar character2 he began his career in ,algeria in a most adventurous and romantic manner4 ,he was subsequently made ,french agent in ,tunis and thence was transferred to ,japan1 as minister1 by ,napoleon ,,iii4 ,it was through his influence that ,france succeeded in drawing the ,shogun's government into her confidence4 ,military instructors were sent from ,france1 the ,yokosuka dockyard was constructed with ,french materials1 a young brother of the ,shogun was sent a little later on to ,paris1 where he stayed for many years as the favourite of the court of ,napoleon4 ,in other words1 ,french influence was paramount in ,yedo1 the present ,tokio1 the site of the ,shogun's government4 ,parkes arrived in ,japan at that juncture4 ,in the ,crimean war1 ,england and ,france1 needless to say1 were allies2 so also were they in the ,chinese war4 ,at home the ,courts of ,st4 ,james' and that of the ,tuileries were on intimate terms4 ,besides1 in ,japan1 their interests1 broadly speaking1 were identical1 and1 therefore1 their policy did not diverge very much1 as far as their national interests were concerned1 and yet their views concerning the domestic politics of ,japan presented a marked difference4 ,it was the time when1 as every one knows1 ,japan was divided into two camps of public opinion4 ,on one side the ,shogunate partisans and on the other the ,imperialists1 amongst whom ,chosiu was the most prominent4 ,france sided with the ,shogunates1 whilst ,england gradually gave her sympathy to the ,imperialists4 ,several reasons seem to have existed in connection therewith4 ,at home1 though ,napoleon was apparently still at the height of his power1 he seems to have felt the necessity of making some pompous display of power abroad1 in order to appease the growing discontent among the people4 ,lon ,roches was just the sort of man who would have done things which would suit ,napoleon's secret designs1 and therefore1 when the conflict between the ,shogunate and the ,imperialists reached an acute state1 it is said that ,france offered to help the ,shogunate with her money and even with her military forces4 ,on the other hand ,england1 or rather ,harry ,parkes1 thought that the ,imperial cause was more just1 and1 therefore1 deserved more sympathy4 ,it is now pretty well known to ,western readers that1 though in the administrative authorities the ,shogunate appeared potent1 in the question of the legitimacy of the title1 that is to say1 the sovereignty1 the ,imperial court was viewed as the only lawful head by the ,japanese in general1 nay1 it was so in the point of fact4 ,but in those days1 foreigners used to say and to think that the emperor was only the spiritual head and the ,shogun was the temporal chief of ,japan1 and they were unable to see what turning movements were approaching1 the result of which would be the restoration of the ,imperial authority and the consolidation of the country under one single head in the person of the emperor1 as the sovereign de facto as well as de jure4 ,it was only natural for onlookers to fail to penetrate such matters1 and ,lon ,roches1 sagacious as he was1 was unable to differ from others4 ,with ,harry ,parkes the case was different4 ,he had grown up in the ,far ,east3 he was well acquainted with the ,chinese ideographs2 he understood ,oriental thought contained in books and documents1 written with those ideographs4 ,besides1 several of his countrymen already in ,japan had kept keen observation of the true situation and had intercourse with several ,imperialist patriots1 and their counsel could not fail to be valuable to ,sir ,harry4 ,he was soon able to realise the relative positions occupied in the organic composition of ,japan by the ,imperial court and the ,shogunate respectively4 ,thus the ,english policy1 that is ,parkes1 came to differ from that of ,france1 that is ,lon ,roches4 ,roches's sympathy continued to be on the side of the ,shogunate1 even after the latter had suffered defeats1 which may be shown by the fact that when ,admiral ,enomoto left the ,bay of ,yedo with his fleets after the submission of the ,shogun and went to ,hakodate1 several ,french military instructors went with him4 ,it is true they left the troops of ,enomoto before the latter was brought to submission1 but they would not have gone with him at all if the ,french representative had ceased to sympathise with the ,shogunate's cause4 ,roches's influence had been gradually eclipsed by that of ,parkes4 ,it is imaginable1 however1 that should the advisers of the ,shogunate have accepted ,roches's offer as to money and forces1 the course of the history of ,japan might have presented some difference1 although the ultimate end would have been just the same4 ,nevertheless1 thanks to the loyalty and patriotism1 before which there is no difference of sentiment and opinion amongst the ,japanese1 no countenance had been given to the policy of ,roches by the ,shogunate1 which preferred its own downfall rather than an acceptance of foreign assistance4 ,as to ,parkes1 although his sympathies were elsewhere than with the ,shogunate from the beginning1 officially speaking he was a minister accredited to the court of the ,shogunate4 ,nevertheless1 he had sufficient foresight how to protect ,english interests1 and1 moreover1 several other causes made him incline towards the ,imperial court4 ,a year or two before1 ,ito and ,inouy returned from ,england to ,chosiu4 ,they were thoroughly changed from fierce anti-foreign partisans to pro-foreign propagandists4 ,on account of this visit to and return from ,england1 they became acquainted with several ,englishmen who were then in ,japan1 such as ,lowder1 ,glover1 and ,satow4 ,when they1 together with ,takasugi and ,yamagata and others1 revolted against the then government of ,chosiu1 which temporarily had gained the power and favoured more conciliatory policy with the ,shogunate1 and established a new one in defiance of the ,shogunate1 ,takasugi held an opinion that the time would soon come when the question of ,chosiu versus the ,shogunate would become one of ,japan versus ,western nations1 and that it would be better for him to prepare himself for the future eventuality1 leaving domestic affairs in the hands of his friends4 ,he communicated this idea to his intimate friends1 ,ito and ,inouy1 who agreed with him4 ,he asked ,ito to accompany him4 ,together they left their homeland of ,chosiu and went to ,nagasaki with the full intention of going to ,europe1 which would be the second voyage for ,ito and the first for ,takasugi1 though the latter had once been abroad as far as ,shanghai a few years before4 ,this was just the time when ,parkes was appointed ,english minister and expected to arrive at ,japan from ,shanghai before long4 ,at ,nagasaki1 ,takasugi and ,ito met with ,glover and ,lowder4 ,they were told by them that ,parkes was a person of interesting character1 and that by effecting communication with him some great work might be done4 ,besides1 they were told1 it was not time for them to leave their home for ,europe4 ,time was important1 and it would be far more interesting if they were1 for instance1 to take up a plan for opening ,shimonoseki to foreign trade4 ,they agreed and returned to ,chosiu4 ,in no time the government of the ,shogun despatched the second expedition to ,chosiu1 and war commenced1 the result of which was a total repulse of the ,shogunate troops4 ,here ,i must say something about ,satsuma4 ,kagoshima1 the capital of ,satsuma1 had been bombarded by the ,english fleet a few years before4 ,when peace was made1 some kind of friendship began to be felt between the ,english and ,satsuma men4 ,several young and promising ,samurai of ,satsuma repeatedly visited ,nagasaki1 and in one way or another they were also acquainted with the ,englishmen whom ,ito knew4 ,before the war with the ,shogunate1 ,ito went to ,nagasaki several times1 chiefly for purchasing war materials1 but it may be presumed that a good deal of diplomatic conversation took place between him and the ,englishmen as well as ,satsuma men4 ,from these circumstances1 and also from the circumstances which brought ,sakamoto of ,tosa into close contact with ,ito and his friends1 an understanding soon began to grow between ,satsuma and ,chosiu1 which ultimately resulted in their secret alliance4 ,in the course of a few years the tide of events turned greatly in favour of the ,imperialists1 and the ,shogunate at last came to an end4 ,soon after the battle of ,fushimi no time was lost in intimating at the initiation of ,ito the restoration of the ,imperial ,government to foreign representatives1 who were at the time staying at ,osaka4 ,it may be presumed that an early acceptance of this situation was largely due to an understanding existing previously between the ,english representative and the ,chosiu and ,satsuma1 through such men as ,ito1 ,inouy of ,chosiu and ,godai and ,komatsu of ,satsuma who were also frequenters of ,nagasaki4 ,soon after that event the first audience was given at the ,imperial ,palace of ,kioto to ,english and ,french ministers4 ,at that time there were still many anti-foreign fanatics3 on the way taken by ,parkes from his quarters in a temple to the ,imperial ,palace1 he was attacked by a fanatic4 ,several of his mounted ,english escort were injured4 ,goto and ,nakai1 whose names are well known in ,japan1 were escorting ,parkes4 ,they did their utmost in defending him1 and killed the assassin on the spot1 in consequence of which ,nakai received severe injuries on his forehead4 ,parkes returned to his quarters2 it was a critical moment for the ,imperial cause4 ,ito was at the ,palace3 it was his duty to introduce the ministers to the emperor4 ,roches arrived at the ,palace1 but not ,parkes4 ,presently a note addressed to the ,french minister came from ,parkes1 and also the tidings of the occurrence4 ,ito put the note into his pocket for a moment and told ,roches to have his audience first1 because it was no use to wait for ,parkes4 ,the audience ended and the note was handed to ,roches1 but it was too late for him to say anything4 ,as to ,parkes1 ,ito and others found no great difficulty in pacifying him1 especially because the sincerity of the ,government was demonstrated by the action of ,goto and ,nakai4 ,parkes had an audience of the emperor next day2 and thus the foreign relations between the ,imperial court and those of the ,treaty ,powers were formally established4 ,thus we see that ,france once backed a wrong horse1 but it was not in any way due to her fault4 ,we have soon entirely forgiven and forgotten1 nay more1 good friendship soon began to be felt between the two nations4 ,military instructors1 as well as jurists1 were invited from ,france4 ,the army was organised and distributed after the ,french system4 ,the ,code ,napoleon was studied and translated into ,japanese4 ,the ,french language was studied in the schools4 ,even a special school was instituted by the ,government for studying the ,french language and law4 ,of recent years1 ,i am sorry to notice things have not gone so satisfactorily4 ,some sorts of coldness of feeling have entered between the two countries1 compared with the ,anglo-,saxon races4 ,it is natural enough that there should exist more sympathy between ,japan and ,england and ,america1 because the latter two have a far more extensive intercourse with us--the greatest number of foreign residents in ,japan being first ,english1 next ,american4 ,and yet ,i do not see why ,french and ,japanese friendship should not be restored to the warmth of former days1 or indeed be made warmer than in those days4 ,let us hope ,france does not repeat too often her errors of backing wrong horses--for on our part we have no thought of remembering long other people's errors which may be committed against us4 #a ,l',europen1 ,july #ae1 #aije4 ,,iv ,,sketches ,,of ,,some ,,chief ,,figures ,,of ,,actual ,,japan ,,ito1 ,,yamagata1 ,,inouy1 ,,matsukata1 ,,katsura1 ,,okuma1 ,,saionji ,it is impossible to give a comprehensive account of the lives of these personages1 because to do so would be to write a history of ,japan of the last half century4 ,i will1 however1 give you the chief points4 ,marquis ,ito is considered by common consent of the ,japanese as the greatest statesman of ,japan at this moment2 there is scarcely a single political institution of modern ,japan in which he has not shared the initiation4 ,many people in the ,west call him the ',maker of ,new ,japan1' and it is not far from fact4 ,in other words1 ,i may say that the greatest service which he has rendered to ,japan is her ,europeanisation1 for it has been done more by his efforts than by those of any other4 ,it is1 however1 a remarkable fact that he was in his youth one of the most ardent participators of the anti-foreign party4 ,not quite fifty years ago1 when but a young man of seventeen or eighteen1 ,japan was in a state of internal commotion2 the country was divided into two camps of opinion1 one pro-foreign1 and the other anti-foreign4 ,the ,prince of ,chosiu belonged to the latter4 ,there were many young men in ,chosiu who were ardent in the anti-foreign propaganda1 and young ,ito was one of them4 ,it was they who occasionally tried to attack foreigners1 and on one occasion actually set fire to the buildings just completed to be used as foreign legations4 ,most of these young men were pupils of ,yoshida ,shoin1 who was known as a pioneer of the new ,imperial rgime which resulted in the unification of ,japan under one single sovereign1 and therefore is sometimes compared with ,mazzini of ,italy4 ,shoin held anti-foreign sentiments and imbued the men of his day with his views4 ,but it must not be understood that ,shoin was an anti-foreign outrance1 because we can see from his writings that his views were not opposed to foreign intercourse altogether1 but he did not like the manner in which the ,europeans forced their way into the ,far ,east in those days4 ,in one of his essays he states 'let us first consolidate the empire and then let us send our ambassador1 say1 for example1 to ,san ,francisco1 and there conclude a treaty4' ,his primary object was to restore the ,imperial authority to its ancient condition1 and thus consolidate the empire4 ,however it may be1 the fact remains that ,chosiu was the foremost of the feudal clans who adopted the anti-foreign action4 ,even at that time1 however1 there were some even in ,chosiu who had the foresight to make some 'live machines1' as they called the young men of talent who were to meet future necessities when the empire might ultimately be opened to the ,west1 and some of the young men referred to above also saw the necessity of making of themselves such machines4 ,in consequence of this1 five young men of ,chosiu sailed to ,england contrary to the then existing prohibition of the ,shogun government ,two of these five were the present ,marquis ,ito and ,count ,inouy4 ,they got on board an ,english ship at ,yokohama1 with some difficulty and risk1 of course4 ,at ,shanghai they separated4 ,ito and ,inouy went on board one sailing vessel and the other three on board another4 ,they knew little ,english then4 ,one of the words they knew was navigation4 ,on board the ,english ship ,ito and ,inouy told the captain of the vessel that they wished to learn navigation1 and he set them to work as common sailors4 ,they all reached ,london after several months' voyage round the ,cape of ,good ,hope4 ,i may here mention that ,yoshida ,shoin1 when ,commodore ,perry came to the coast of ,uraga1 had tried to get on board one of his ships and be taken to ,america in order that he might personally see the ,western countries1 but was refused1 and in consequence he suffered imprisonment on account of his venturesome attempt4 ,it is1 however1 mentioned in ,perry's ,expedition1 commenting on ,shoin's attempt very favourably1 that 'a nation which produces such a youth had a great future before it4' ,of course1 ,yoshida's name was not then known to ,americans1 and they1 therefore1 knew nothing of his character4 ,regarding this incident1 we may say that the five youths who left ,japan in the above manner were in a measure fulfilling the cherished desire of ,shoin4 ,ito and ,inouy soon perceived what kind of people the ,western nations were and what kind of civilisation they possessed4 ,in the meantime the internal commotion of ,japan accelerated to a very acute degree4 ,the troops of ,chosiu bombarded several ,european merchantmen in the strait of ,shimonoseki from their fortifications1 and soon afterwards some troops were sent from ,chosiu to ,kioto1 where much political complication prevailed at the time1 between the partisans of the ,shogunate and ,chosiu4 ,when the news of the bombardment of ,shimonoseki reached ,england1 ,ito and ,inouy thought that anti-foreign policy would be futile1 and that it would be better to devote the national energy more to the internal consolidation of the empire4 ,to this end they determined to go back to ,japan in order to persuade their ,prince and government to their newly acquired views1 and on leaving the other three behind in ,england1 they told them to finish their education so that they might realise their hope of becoming 'live machines4' ,the history of what they did when they reached ,japan is recorded in the contemporary diplomatic documents of ,england and some other countries1 and also in some ,english books on ,japan1 so ,i need not dwell upon it here4 ,i may1 however1 state that they ultimately reached ,chosiu with much difficulty1 having been first conveyed to an island near ,chosiu by an ,english man-of-war4 ,just at that time the troops of ,chosiu1 which had been stationed in the neighbourhood of ,kioto for some months1 fought against the troops under the ,shogunate and were defeated4 ,in the meantime1 the combined fleets of ,england1 ,france1 the ,united ,states1 and ,holland1 made their entry into the straits of ,shimonoseki4 ,before the youthful ,ito and ,inouy had succeeded in persuading their ,prince and compatriots to adopt pro-foreign policy1 ,shimonoseki was bombarded4 ,peace was concluded1 which was greatly due to the endeavours of ,ito and ,inouy and their bosom friend ,takasugi4 ,soon after the ,shogun government decided on an invasion of ,chosiu1 and surrounded it on all sides with the troops of the ,shogunate under its immediate command1 and also those of the feudal lords who were partisans of the ,shogunate4 ,the government of ,chosiu underwent a crisis1 and a more moderate party1 which did not approve the daring policy of the previous government1 came into power4 ,many members and supporters of the previous government were ordered to put an end to their lives1 and submission was made to the ,shogunate4 ,inouy had been attacked by assassins shortly before1 and lay in a dying condition resulting from several wounds which he had received4 ,takasugi1 who was on the point of being arrested1 fled to ,chikuzen4 ,ito remained in ,shimonoseki1 where his services were indispensable to the government of the town on account of the constant calls of foreign vessels1 but he was daily in danger of assassination4 ,in the meantime there arose some difference amongst the partisans of the ,shogunate1 by reason of one section thinking that the terms imposed upon ,chosiu for its submission were too lenient1 and therefore would be injurious to the prestige of the ,shogunate1 and they insisted on recommencing war operations4 ,it was a critical time for ,chosiu4 ,it was then that ,takasugi returned from ,chikuzen and determined to revolt openly against the government of ,chosiu4 ,at that moment ,kawas had a group of voluntary soldiers under his command4 ,ito also had a certain number of like troops stationed in the neighbourhood of ,shimonoseki1 and these three with their troops uniting in one common cause1 took possession of ,shimonoseki in open defiance of the government4 ,almost simultaneously ,yamagata and others1 who had each a similar troop of soldiers under their command1 openly revolted against the government4 ,the leaders soon effected a junction and quickly defeated the partisans of the government1 and thus ,chosiu was made once more an open foe of the ,shogunate4 ,at that time ,inouy recovered from his wounds1 and he also1 putting himself at the head of a large band of volunteer troops1 took part in the civil strife within the clan which has just been mentioned4 ,a little after this the forces of the ,shogunate once more surrounded ,chosiu1 but they were all defeated by the spirited troops of ,chosiu4 ,the ,shogunate now found its position very precarious4 ,before the war it had thought itself all-powerful1 and had been of the opinion that ,chosiu would simply be frightened at the sight of its troops1 or if any battle were to be fought1 one coup de main would be enough to crush the whole of ,chosiu4 ,but as events turned out1 it was quite the contrary4 ,there was much hesitation on the part of the ,shogunate whether to push on the war or to make peace4 ,it was powerless to continue fighting1 but at the same time thought they would lose prestige by asking for peace4 ,affairs were then allowed to drift1 which brewed discontent among its own partisans4 ,in the meantime many powerful feudal clans1 which the ,shogunate regarded as friends and supporters1 began to sympathise with ,chosiu on account of its singleness of purpose and fidelity to chivalry4 ,among others1 ,satsuma went so far as to conclude a secret understanding with ,chosiu against the ,shogunate4 ,in the course of a few years the ,shogunate came to an end1 after the battle of ,fushimi1 which was fought between the ,imperialists and the partisans of the ,shogunate4 ,in this engagement ,chosiu and ,satsuma took the most important parts on the ,imperial side4 ,war still continued in the eastern and northern parts of ,japan for some time1 the ,imperialists being always triumphant4 ,thus the ,imperial rgime of our days was inaugurated4 ,during this state of transition1 ,ito1 ,inouy1 and ,yamagata played their parts in different capacities1 the latter more as a soldier and the two former as politicians and diplomatists1 ,i may here add a few words4 ,takasugi died a little before the battle of ,fushimi1 without seeing the consummation of his cherished ideal1 being not quite thirty years of age4 ,yoshida ,shoin was the same age as his distinguished disciple when he was put to death some years before4 ,young men did wonderful things in those days4 ,at the very beginning of the new government ,ito was governor of ,hiogo 7,kobe71 which was then with ,yokohama the centre of foreign relations4 ,it was then that he formulated and presented to the ,imperial ,government his plan for the future policy of the empire1 the chief object of which was the unification of all systems1 namely military1 educational1 economical1 and suchlike4 ,his views were regarded as being too radical at the time1 but created some sensation and gave rise to the term ',hiogo opinion4' ,ito has continued practically ever since to occupy one or another1 or even several high positions simultaneously in the ,government4 ,he made several trips to ,europe and ,america4 ,it was in #ahga that he went to ,america chiefly to investigate the banking systems of ,america1 because it was thought that the economical system adopted by ,america after its civil war might be utilised by ,japan4 ,later on1 in the same year1 he visited ,america and ,europe as one of the ambassadors headed by ,iwakura4 ,on their return to ,japan the ,korean question was at a climax4 ,most of the statesmen who had remained at home were for war1 while those who had returned from ,europe were for peace4 ,as the result of this difference of opinion the formation of the cabinet was modified4 ,the great ,saigo and some others resigned1 while ,ito was appointed a cabinet minister with the portefeuille of public works4 ,it was the first great trial which the new ,government had to undergo1 but it managed to tide over the difficulties4 ,okubo was now the backbone of the new ,government1 and ,ito his chief collaborator4 ,the administration of the ,japanese ,government was now carried on more and more on the lines of ,western enlightenment4 ,in #ahge a ,japanese gunboat was fired at off the ,korean coast4 ,early next year an embassy1 with the late ,count ,kuroda as chief and ,count ,inouy as second1 was sent to ,korea to settle the matter4 ,it was then that ,i accepted for the first time governmental service1 and went to ,korea as a member of the staff4 ,we concluded a treaty of peace with ,korea and made her open the country to foreign trade3 we preferred peace to war4 ,in #ahgg the civil war of ,satsuma broke out1 in which the great ,saigo was made by the rebels their chief4 ,during the struggle ,okubo and ,ito were the strong supports of the ,government1 whilst the command of the ,imperial troops at the front was chiefly in the hands of ,yamagata4 ,i may perhaps mention that during the first half of the war ,i contributed my services to the ,government in a pure civil capacity1 and during the latter half of the war was attached to ,yamagata's staff4 ,the war lasted nearly nine months1 with the result that the rebellion was suppressed and the new rgime of the progressive administration was placed on a firmer basis4 ,in #ahgh ,okubo1 who was then ,minister of the ,interior1 was assassinated1 and ,ito succeeded to his place1 not only as ,minister of the ,interior1 but in his capacity of being the moving factor of the ,government4 ,in #ahhb ,ito was despatched to ,europe to study the constitutional systems of the various governments1 with a view to preparing a constitution for ,japan2 he returned home the next year4 ,in #ahhd another difficulty arose with regard to ,korea and ,china4 ,early in #ahhe ,count ,inouy was despatched to ,korea1 where he concluded a new treaty1 and soon after ,ito was despatched to ,china1 where he concluded the well-known ,tientsin treaty1 which had a very important bearing upon ,korea4 ,in the latter part of that year a great reform was made in the administrative system1 and ,ito was appointed ,minister ,president of the ,state4 ,in #ahhh ,privy ,council was instituted1 and ,ito was appointed its ,president and his former office was taken by ,count ,kuroda4 ,the first and most important task the council had before it was the elaboration of the ,imperial ,constitution4 ,the materials which it had to work upon was chiefly those which ,ito had brought back from ,europe1 and which he had been maturing ever since his return4 ,early next year the ,imperial ,constitution and the ,imperial ,house ,law1 together with several other laws in connection with the constitutional rgime then in contemplation1 were promulgated1 with all solemnity and to the great joy of the whole nation4 ,in #ahij the first session of the new ,diet instituted by the ,constitution met in ,tokio1 and ,ito was appointed the first ,president of the ,house of ,peers4 ,since then he has held the post of ,minister ,president of the ,state several times4 ,it was during his premiership that the ,sino-,japanese war took place ten years ago4 ,ito's present post is ,president of the ,privy ,council4 ,it may be said here that even when he is out of the cabinet1 his influence is felt and his services are rendered to the state4 ,there are a few persons who are called 'elder statesmen1' ,at present they are ,ito1 ,inouy1 ,yamagata1 ,oyama1 and ,matsukata4 ,elder statesmanship is not an institution recognised by a written law4 ,it is a unique position1 more of a personal nature1 and therefore it cannot be called a council or assembly1 but the members are collectively or individually taken into the emperor's confidence4 ,the privilege to this honour may only be looked for by those whose meritorious services to the state stand out above others1 and the fact of their occupying such a position is contentedly acquiesced in by the general public4 ,ito is the principal of these elder statesmen4 ,another of ,ito's great services1 was his constant endeavour during many years to keep harmony1 in other words1 prevent the oft-threatened conflict between men of different clans1 especially those of ,sutsuma and ,chosiu1 though few people are aware of that fact4 ,such1 as ,i have given it1 is a brief sketch of ,marquis ,ito's life1 which necessarily brings in some of the general history of the time4 ,particulars it would be impossible to give1 owing to the fact that that period of our history being so eventful1 they are far too numerous4 ,from what ,i have narrated above1 glimpses of ,yamagata and ,inouy may be gathered4 ,i would1 however1 add a little more4 ,yamagata is also a ,chosiu man1 and was at one time also a pupil of ,yoshida ,shoin4 ,he is more of a soldier1 though he ranks also very high as a statesman4 ,he fought the battle of ,shimonoseki at the head of a band of voluntary soldiers of ,chosiu1 when bombarded by the combined fleets of the four powers4 ,he took a very important part in the civil war in ,chosiu1 and in the war which took place when ,chosiu was surrounded by the ,shogun troops4 ,after the battle of ,fushimi1 when the ,imperialists made the expedition to the northern and eastern part of ,japan1 he commanded the troops of ,chosiu in the province of ,echigo4 ,after that war he visited ,europe1 and on his return initiated the adoption of the ,european system of universal service4 ,at first1 of course1 there was much difficulty in the matter1 but his energy and sagacity won the point ,since that time he has almost always occupied some position connected with the army1 with the exception of occasional intervals when he fulfilled some civil offices4 ,he has been ,minister of ,war1 ,chief of the ,general ,staff1 and suchlike4 ,roughly speaking1 we may say that the completion of the organisation of the ,japanese army is due to him4 ,at the time of the civil war of ,satsuma he held the chief direction of the campaign1 though the title of ,commander-in-,chief was intrusted to a prince of the ,imperial family4 ,in that war it was proved that the new troops formed on the system of universal service were more efficient with regard to discipline and cohesive power than the ,samurai force of one of the strongest feudal clans4 ,in the ,sino-,japanese war he commanded an army in the ,liaotung ,peninsula1 though he had in the middle of the war to return home on account of illness by a pressing order of the emperor4 ,at present he is once more the ,chief of the ,general ,staff4 ,his predecessor was ,marquis ,oyama1 but as the latter's presence as ,commander-in-,chief in ,manchuria became necessary1 ,yamagata took his place4 ,i may also add that ,yamagata was ,prime ,minister several times1 besides holding from time to time other ministerial portfolios4 ,count ,inouy is also a ,chosiu man1 but he was not a pupil of ,shoin1 as he was born in ,yamaguchi and not in ,hagi1 where ,shoin lived4 ,he was in his early age attached to the court of the ,prince of ,chosiu1 as a sort of companion to the heir of the ,prince4 ,when1 however1 the political atmosphere became heated1 he was one of the youths who formed the bands of the anti-foreign party1 and as such became a bosom friend of ,takasugi and ,ito4 ,he was one of those who set fire to the new buildings for the legation4 ,we have already seen how he visited ,england with ,ito and others1 and in what circumstances he went home4 ,their experience after returning to ,chosiu was of the most exciting and varied character4 ,it is often most thrilling to recount the incidents connected therewith4 ,but of course ,i cannot describe them in the space of this article4 ,i may1 however1 say that the political part of the affairs in connection with ,chosiu which resulted in turning the attitude of ,chosiu against the ,shogun and at last effecting an alliance with ,satsuma1 with the results of the overthrow of the ,shogunate1 are greatly due to ,takasugi1 ,ito1 and ,inouy1 who were eventually supported by ,kido1 the great ,chosiu statesman4 ,the decision which brought about the decisive battle of ,fushimi1 though the ,imperialists were inferior in number to the ,shogunate troops1 was chiefly due to the determined counsel which ,inouy offered at the ,imperial court on behalf of ,chosiu4 ,he held many high posts in the ,government1 but not so many as ,ito or ,yamagata1 which was perhaps due to his character being more impetuous than the others4 ,it was ,ito who initiated the abolition of the feudal system1 which idea was taken up first by ,kido and then by ,okubo1 both of whom were the principal statesmen in the new ,imperial rgime2 and it was ,inouy who1 when the system was finally abolished a few years afterwards1 carried out the measure and wound up the most complicated and difficult affairs of all the governments of feudal lords1 who numbered several hundreds1 thereby consolidating the new rgime4 ,inouy was then the acting ,minister of ,finance1 and the ,minister of ,finance of those days had a far wider sphere of action than at the present time1 as there had not been instituted as yet the ,ministry of the ,interior4 ,he still exercises great influence in the political and economical affairs of the empire1 as one may see from the fact that he is one of the few elder statesmen4 ,the life of ,matsukata is not so striking as those of the preceding figures1 but he is also one of ,japan's able statesmen4 ,he is a ,satsuma man4 ,he took up civil service from the early stage of the new ,imperial rgime1 and gradually advanced his position from a local governor to the rank of cabinet minister4 ,distinguishing himself as a financier1 he was ,minister of ,finance for a long time1 and it was he who succeeded in adopting the gold-standard system in ,japan4 ,he also occupied premiership several times1 and has also been ,minister of the ,interior4 ,he is now a privy councillor and president of the ,red ,cross ,society of ,japan1 and as elder statesman is still rendering valuable services to the state4 ,i may here interpose some words about the present premier1 ,count ,katsura1 who is a ,chosiu man4 ,he was a boy soldier at the time of the civil war in ,chosiu4 ,when the ,imperialists were sent to the north and east of ,japan to suppress the combinations of the feudal lords in those parts who had arisen against the new ,imperial rgime1 he1 though under age1 was placed at the head of a detachment of the ,chosiu troops which escorted an ,imperial envoy to persuade some of the lords to submit to the ,imperial summons4 ,the lords1 however1 did not obey the summons2 on the contrary1 they assumed an offensive attitude to the ,imperial messenger and harassed his escort4 ,katsura and his men1 as well as men of some other clans who were among the escort1 had a very hard time1 having been obliged to fight their way out4 ,at last reinforcements arrived1 and the fighting was turned in their favour4 ,during that time ,katsura distinguished himself and was an object of admiration4 ,after a few years he was made a military attach to our legation in ,berlin1 where he devoted his energy to the study of military science and organisation4 ,he stayed there during many years1 and therefore was absent during the ,satsuma war4 ,on his return he devoted his services to the organisation of the army1 chiefly under ,marquis ,yamagata in the ministry of war1 in which he was made vice-minister in course of time4 ,he was1 before the outbreak of the ,sino-,japanese war1 chief of the garrison at ,nagoya1 and in that war had the command of a division in ,liaotung1 where he distinguished himself as a practical and strategical general4 ,he was at one time ,governor-,general of ,formosa1 at another ,minister of ,war1 and on the resignation of the ,ito cabinet in #aija he was appointed ,minister ,president of ,state1 which office he now holds4 ,i will now give an account of ,count ,okuma4 ,he is a ,hizen man3 he talks well and is possessed of a good memory4 ,he is1 no doubt1 one of the ablest ,japanese in our day4 ,his life has not been so striking as that of ,ito1 ,inouy1 or ,yamagata in the pre-restoration period1 because the clan to which he belonged was a peaceful one in those days1 and did not offer any opportunities for adventurous youth4 ,a little before the restoration he was a student at ,nagasaki1 where he studied ,english to some extent4 ,there is no doubt1 however1 that he was considered clever among his fellow-clansmen4 ,it is to be remembered that the clans that did the greatest work for the restoration1 and produced most of the able men1 were ,chosiu and ,satsuma and then ,tosa4 ,therefore we often say ,satcho1 which is a term made by a combination of ,satsuma and ,chosiu1 and sometimes ,satchoto1 which is a term standing for ,satsuma--,chosiu--,tosa when ,tosa is added to them4 ,but we sometimes include ,hizen1 which is the province to which ,okuma belonged1 and say ,satchotohi4 ,it came about in this way4 ,saga in the province of ,hizen was also one of the great feudal clans4 ,soon after the restoration the ,imperialist party1 of which the ,satchoto were the important element1 enlisted on their side the support of ,saga1 which was only too glad to identify its cause with that of the ,imperialists4 ,besides1 the ,prince of ,saga was an able man and was not likely to let the chances slip4 ,hence ,saga soon became a force in the ,imperial politics of ,japan1 and able men coming therefrom found their way to the central political arena of ,japan4 ,it was thus that ,count ,okuma was brought on to the political stage4 ,his natural ability soon made him conspicuous among politicians1 and he rose to high positions4 ,the ,prince of ,saga had had a predilection for ,european civilisation even before then1 and ,european ideas had already been introduced in the clan previously4 ,thus1 for instance1 an iron factory1 though not successful1 was established in the province4 ,such surroundings1 as well as his stay at ,nagasaki1 had made young ,okuma familiar with ,european ideas4 ,he was a great gain to men like ,ito and ,inouy4 ,they soon formed a sort of combination among young statesmen of their own type1 and thus they began the work of introducing ,european ideas in ,japan4 ,the first railway between ,tokio and ,yokohama1 for instance1 was constructed chiefly through the efforts of ,ito and ,okuma1 despite many prejudicial objections which still existed4 ,okuma is a man of great energy1 and also a man who can stir up youth to do that which he wishes to be done1 thus qualifying himself as a good party leader4 ,he is also a good financier1 and has done much for the state for many years1 side by side with ,ito1 though for consummate ability and profound and constructive statesmanship greater credit is1 by common consent1 given to ,ito4 ,in #ahha serious differences of political opinions arose in the cabinet1 in consequence of which ,okuma resigned4 ,he then organised a political party called 'progressionists in opposition to the ,government on one hand1 and on the other hand to the ,liberal party which had been organised by ,count ,itagaki two years previously4 ,since then he has been out of office for many years1 but has kept his party together in a creditable manner4 ,in #ahhh he was appointed ,minister for ,foreign ,affairs in the ,kuroda cabinet4 ,in the next year1 on account of the revision of the treaties1 an attempt was made against his life1 and he lost one of his legs by the explosion of a bomb thrown at his carriage4 ,he resigned office2 his party remained and still remains faithful to him1 though he has never been a member of the ,diet4 ,since then he has once more occupied the position of ,minister for ,foreign ,affairs and also that of ,premier1 but the tenure of his office on both occasions was short1 and his official career not particularly brilliant4 ,he does not enjoy much popularity among other statesmen1 and his influence in the ,government circle is not great4 ,this was1 perhaps1 the chief cause of his failure in recent years4 ,he exercises1 however1 great influence among the people at large1 and his personal ability is undoubted4 ,his patriotism is also not to be questioned1 because on any occasion of emergency he gives up his personal prejudices and supports the ,government4 ,it was so during the ,sino-,japanese war1 and also since the beginning of the ,russo-,japanese war4 ,his memory is almost wonderful1 and his perception is very quick4 ,although he has never left ,japan1 he knows ,europe almost better than many who have made it their special study4 ,he can also remember figures very well4 ,regarded in the light of sonorous tone and weighty argument1 he is not a great orator1 but he is a very fluent speaker and an excellent conversationalist4 ,i will now give you a sketch of the life of ,marquis ,saionji1 the leader of the ,constitutional party1 which is the greatest political organisation in and out of the ,diet4 ,his name also appears in the ,western papers from time to time4 ,he succeeded ,marquis ,ito in the leadership of that party when the latter had accepted the ,presidency of ,privy ,council1 and was obliged to give up the leadership of the party which owes its creation to him4 ,marquis ,saionji was a companion in his boyhood to the present emperor4 ,at the time of the restoration1 when but fifteen years of age1 he was despatched to the northern provinces of ,japan1 at the head of an ,imperial army1 to subjugate those provinces4 ,he was afterwards a resident in ,paris for many years1 and1 therefore1 he must be remembered by many ,parisians4 ,he was for some years our ,minister in ,berlin1 and was also ,minister of ,education1 ,minister for ,foreign ,affairs1 and ,president of ,privy ,council at different times4 ,he was ,minister ,president of ,state ad interim at one time4 ,though a scion of a high court noble1 his sentiments contain a strong democratic element1 side by side with refinement and nobleness of aristocracy4 ,in the above sketches ,i have employed the titles of nobility while speaking of those celebrities1 but it may be observed that they were1 except ,saionji1 originally men of comparatively insignificant origin1 and their titles are the gift of the emperor in recognition of the services rendered to their ,imperial master and their beloved country4 #a ,the present ,viscount ,kawas1 who was ,japanese ,minister in ,london4 ,v ,,an ,,old ,,speech ,,by ,,the ,,marquis ,,ito ,in a recent number of the ,japan ,times ,i came across the following account of a speech made by the ,marquis ,ito in ,washington1 some thirty-four years ago1 when he was there on a mission4 ,the speech gives a very good outline of the great change which had then already been effected in ,japan and the broad forecast which was aimed at by her for her future4 ,one who reads that speech would at once perceive what ennobling aspirations ,japan had then on the lines of occidental civilisation1 and how far she has succeeded in that aspiration1 as has been shown by the war between her and ,russia4 ,i therefore incorporate the accounts of it1 borrowed verbatim from the ,japan ,times1 which may also be regarded in a measure as a supplement to the preceding article4--,k4,s4 ,,marquis ,,ito ,,in ,,washington ,,thirty-,,four ,,years ,,ago ,marquis ,ito recently received from ,mr4 ,hioki1 ,secretary of our legation at ,washington1 a package containing interesting reminders of his sojourn in the ,american capital thirty-four years ago1 when he spent a few months there for the study of the financial system of the ,republic4 ,in his work of investigation he received most valuable assistance from ,mr4 ,h4,j4 ,saville1 the ,chief ,clerk of the ,treasury1 and it was from this gentleman that these interesting relics of the distinguished statesman's visit were originally obtained by ,mr4 ,hioki4 ,mr4 ,saville is still living in ,washington1 and preserves a most vivid recollection of the ,marquis's visit4 ,the documents relate to a farewell dinner given by ,marquis ,ito at ,welcker's1 ,fifteenth ,street1 on ,april #bh1 #ahga4 ,among the guests on the occasion1 we find the names of ,president ,grant1 ,vice-,president ,schuyler1 ,speaker ,blaine1 ,secretary ,fish1 and other members of the cabinet1 and a number of senators and congressmen4 ,among the ,japanese present1 besides the host1 were the late ,count ,mutsu1 the late ,viscount ,mori 7then our ,minister at ,washington71 the late ,baron ,nakashima1 and ,mr4 ,genichiro ,fukuchi4 ,on that occasion the ,marquis delivered a speech in ,english1 which1 apart from the interest derived from the personality of the speaker1 deserves attention on account of the light it throws upon the liberal aspirations of the makers of ,new ,japan--aspirations which have since been so successfully realised4 ,we reproduce below the speech exactly as it stands in the copy before us3-- ',taking advantage of the opportunity afforded me by the assembling here of so many of the gentlemen who have assisted me to accomplish the object of my coming1 ,i desire to extend to them my sincere thanks for the many courtesies received at their hands1 and to assure them that ,i return fully satisfied with the result of my mission1 and with an abiding faith that all they have taught me will bear good fruit in due season4 ',it seems to me that an examination of the past as well as the present condition of the world will show that civilisation has not reached its highest development1 but that progress in that as in other things is possible in the future4 ,as an evidence of this ,i would instance the fact that this nation1 which less than one hundred years ago was unknown1 now ranks second to none in civilisation and in importance4 ,this fact tends strongly to encourage the oriental nations to efforts towards a higher civilisation than they now possess4 ',the inquiry naturally is3 ,what is the reason the oriental peoples have not reached the same degree of civilisation as the ,european8 ,are the material resources of the oriental countries insufficient8 ,is the native force of the people deficient8 ,no3 these questions we put aside1 and we find the explanation mainly in the character of the government4 ,you ask whence came this peculiar character8 ,i can only answer1 ,i think from education4 ,it seems to me that all the highest order in modern civilisation derives its strength from the development of the intellect1 and the improvement of the scientific knowledge and accomplishments of men4 ,it is further strengthened by development of the inherent principles of natural law1 the encouragement in the people of a high ideal of right and wrong1 and the strong political organisation made possible by such a foundation2 so that we may conclude that the highest degree of civilisation belongs to that nation which has most developed a high order of general education and broad principles of political liberty4 ',i doubt if the question of strength materially influences the destiny of nations4 ,as an illustration of this we know that the civilisation of ,egypt1 ,india1 ,greece1 and ,rome has not been lost1 but has been merely transferred from those countries to the ,west1 as the star of the empire travels4 ,the loss of civilisation in these nations sprang not from the fact that they were physically weak1 but from the more subtle one that within themselves they contain an inherent weakness4 ',a more modern instance is the late ,franco-,prussian war4 ,none of us doubt the strength of the ,french nation1 the skill of its generals and ability of its soldiers1 and yet how have our hearts been wrung with sympathy for poor ,france when brought in contact with the more superior force of ,prussia--superior not only in material strength1 but in skilful soldiers1 in able generals1 and in wise counsellors4 ,so ,i say strength has very little to do with the development of civilisation1 strength is merely relative2 civilisation is the quality which is never lost1 and never can be conquered4 ',i find very erroneous ideas prevail in ,america as well as in ,europe in relation to my country4 ,the ,empire of ,japan consists of numerous islands in the ,oriental ,sea1 along the coast of the ,asian continent4 ,i think the recorded existence of the nation extends over something more than two thousand five hundred years1 during which time its intercourse with foreign nations has been exceedingly limited4 ,in the seventeenth century intercourse began with the ,portuguese1 ,spanish1 and some other ,european nations1 but the decline of these led to its decay4 ,our people have not been ambitious4 ,they have been satisfied when they have reached that competency which gives support1 and as a result they have not sought foreign intercourse4 ',seventeen years ago the ,american ,government sent an envoy to our country1 with instructions to advise us to open our ports to foreign intercourse1 and this advice so kindly given was acted on4 ,since that time our intercourse with foreign nations has been growing1 until at present ,japan bids fair to be as well known as ,america4 ',with the commencement of this intercourse1 the ,japanese people began to realise that they had not reached the highest stage of civilisation1 and they began the investigation of what constituted ,european and ,american civilisation4 ,beginning by the introduction of some of the most useful of the foreign arts1 sciences1 and mechanical inventions into their country1 they have so far progressed as to have at this time reached the necessity for sending missions abroad to obtain a knowledge of the foreign systems of finances1 and we have come to ,america to study your financial system as well as to obtain additional knowledge in other branches of civilised government1 which will be of benefit to us in our efforts to reach that high estate which you have already attained4 ,and this we hold as strong evidence of the progress of ,japan in civilised ideas4 ,i wish ,i could express to you how great that advancement has been4 ',but to return to the history of my country4 ,about seven hundred years ago the power of the commanding general became so great that he was enabled to usurp the authority of the emperor proper2 and from that time1 descending through father and son1 this power became stronger1 until at last the government of ,japan had virtually fallen into their hands2 and instead of the ,government being spoken of as the ,mikado's government1 it came to be known as the government of the ,tycoon1 who was in reality the powerful ruler of the people4 ',but no one family enjoyed the power of the ,tycoonety in peace4 ,during the existence of what is known as the ,tycoon's government six of the principal ducal families of the empire contended for the position of ,tycoon1 and each in his turn came into possession of the reins of government4 ',out of the quarrels of these ducal families grew a system somewhat resembling the feudal system of ,europe4 ,the constant fighting of these antagonistic elements made this possible4 ,about three hundred years ago the ,tokugawa family came into possession of the power and dignity of the ,tycoon4 ,from this time the feudal system founded in the necessities and strengthened by the wars of the many as aspirants for power came to be a fixed institution1 and the reign of the ,tokugawa family proving to be a peaceful one1 its hold on the country became thoroughly well established4 ',before the usurpation of the ,tycoon the form of government was absolutely monarchical1 with no independent princes or powers4 ',as a result of the ,tycoon's rule1 not alone the ,tycoon's position became hereditary1 but also all the highest governmental positions--generals1 ministers1 and princes1 the latter being originally merely governors4 ,with the establishment of intercourse with foreign countries1 and the consequent development of the progressive people of ,japan1 they began to realise their unsatisfactory form of government under which they were living4 ,they became dissatisfied with the rule of an authority which did not encourage ability1 and whose strength lay in hereditary claims to power4 ,this sentiment growing stronger and stronger1 they at last resolved to abolish the power and office of the ,tycoon and return the real power to the hands of the emperor4 ,this resolution on their part has given rise to the stories of revolution in ,japan1 the revolution being in reality only the efforts of the better people to form a stable and reliable ,government with the proper and respected power at its head1 assisted in its control of affairs by ability1 integrity1 and faithfulness wherever found4 ',this came to be an accomplished fact four years ago1 and to-day1 as a result1 we have the former vassal and servant of the prince sitting in the high seats by his side1 and counselling with him in the affairs of the nation4 ',but the ,japanese people do not mean to stop here4 ,there is now a growing sentiment in ,japan which strongly favours constitutional monarchy1 a growing feeling against hereditary power1 hereditary rank1 and hereditary possessions4 ,it may be that the bright hopes of some of my people will not be realised at once1 but if the past is taken as an index of what is to come1 ,i am encouraged to say that the progress of the future will find ,japan1 in a very few years1 in the front rank of advanced and civilised nations1 with a ,government as liberal in form and generous to its citizens as that of any monarchy under the sun4 ',in ,japan1 as in other parts of the world1 there must necessarily be differences of opinion4 ,we have among our people radical and rapid progressists2 conservatives1 always making haste slowly1 always studying the situation1 always moving with great caution and circumspection1 often unwisely wasting their opportunities for advancement by too great caution or timid fear2 others timid because of the fear that they will lose their property or position by any change2 others1 the selfish ,utopian1 who builds an impossible castle1 hoping that the foundation stones may be precious jewels1 resting in his land only2 and1 lastly1 there are yet a few who are opposed to foreign intercourse1 and who believe that its strength lies in closed ports and selfish sufficiency unto themselves4 ',to the outsider in ,japan all these differences may appear as elements of weakness1 when in fact they are elements of strength2 and1 perhaps1 in no country can this be so well appreciated as ,america1 where the strength and success of the ,government depends so much on the agitation of questions by the people4 ,the time is coming when ,japan will stand among the first in its civilisation and progress4 ,the question with us is3 ,how can we most rapidly reach this high state of development8 ,to my mind the best answer is by educating the people and developing the country4 ',we are grateful to realise that the ,american people understand our efforts1 and more especially that the distinguished company of gentlemen here assembled understand them4 ,the prevailing sentiment in ,america1 it seems to me1 is in favour of the brotherhood of nations2 and feeling this when we left ,japan1 we felt that we were coming among a people who would encourage and assist us in every way possible4 ,we have not been deceived4 ,every assistance has been rendered us2 every facility for study afforded us1 and we will return to our country freighted with knowledge1 and1 as we hope1 equal to the test1 which we confess is a great one1 of putting in motion such reforms and improvements as shall place us upon a footing equal to the best of nations4 ',in the years to come it is to be hoped that the intercourse between ,japan and ,america1 the sister nations on each side of the great ,pacific ,ocean1 may be founded upon that strong feeling of brotherly love which so unite distant peoples1 that through storm and sunshine they will ever be true friends and earnest assistants--co-workers in the great cause of humanity and the development of the world in its moral1 social1 intellectual1 and material aspects4 ',in conclusion1 ,i desire to extend to all of the gentlemen here present1 and to thousands who are unavoidably absent1 my sincere thanks for the great courtesy and kindness which ,i have received at their hands2 and if it shall ever be my pleasure to meet any of you in my country1 it will afford me the greatest happiness imaginable to extend to you the warm hand of fellowship1 and to give you such a reception as will prove how entirely and truly ,i appreciate all you have done for me4' ,,vi ,,the ,,commercial ,,morality ,,of ,,the ,,japanese#a ,in accordance with your request that ,i should write an answer to ,mr4 ,joseph ,h ,longford on the commercial morality' of the ,japanese1 which has appeared in the ,contemporary ,review1 ,i venture to write these lines for your perusal4 ,i do so rather hesitatingly1 as ,i have no desire to enter upon a dispute with that distinguished writer4 ,there is1 it seems to me1 a great deal of truth in what ,mr4 ,longford says2 but1 at the same time1 it is1 ,i think1 painted blacker on the side of the ,japanese and brighter on the side of the foreigners out there than the facts warrant4 ,to begin with1 it is true that in ,japan we had the classification of the people into four1 viz4 soldiers1 farmers1 artisans1 and traders1 and thus traders stood the last4 ,from this fact ordinary critics make a hasty conclusion that ,japanese traders--in which term big merchants are included--occupied in every respect a position which was inferior even to that of common peasants2 but this is not fair4 ,in social matters they often occupied very good positions2 in fact1 there were many to whom special considerations similar to ,samurai were accorded4 ,the above classification has much deeper meaning than a mere social caprice1 and it is derived from a theory of political economy of the classical ,china4 ,according to that theory1 agriculture is considered the foundation of a nation1 and commerce is a mere act of transportation of things already made1 and1 therefore1 comparatively of little value4 ,that such a theory should have existed in ,china is a matter of no surprise1 for even in the ,europe of a little more than one hundred years ago there flourished physiocracy1 the doctrine of which was almost identical with that of the ,chinese4 ,the ,japanese classification of the former days was considerably due to the influence of that theory1 and therefore the relative positions of the ,samurai1 farmers1 artisans1 and traders were more of theoretical notion than a social fact4 ,this is a distinction very important to be kept in view when one discusses things ,japanese4 ,that the ,samurai as a class despised dealings in matters of profit is an undoubted fact1 but a trader's position was not so degraded as ,mr4 ,longford represents4 ,he says3-- ',just as the training and social precedence of his ancestors for hundreds of years and of himself have made the ,japanese soldier a model without flaw of loyalty1 devotion1 and courage1 ready to sacrifice at any time life or property for his sovereign and his country1 so have oppression and social degradation combined to make the merchant a no less striking model of dishonesty and timidity1 unwilling and unable to make the smallest monetary sacrifice for his own or his country's fair fame4' ,surely this is sweeping assertion4 ,if we take individual cases into account1 striking characters in the ranks of merchants are abundant in records and in memory4 ,even in the movement which resulted in the restoration of the present ,imperial rgime1 countless men whose origin belonged to mercantile circles may lay their claim of participation to it4 ,true1 they were men who generally cast off their original occupation and enrolled themselves in the ranks of patriots1 so that they may be considered as exceptions4 ,but even as a class in the ordinary sense of merchants they scarcely deserve that kind of condemnation4 ,osaka in former days had some resemblance to free cities of the ,west1 and every one well acquainted with things ,japanese knows what a well-developed mercantile system it possessed4 ,so also the so-called ,omi merchants4 ,even with regard to merchants and tradesmen of all parts of the country there was little room for them to be so dishonest as the writer describes4 ,under the feudal system commercial occupations were almost hereditary4 ,they had almost no freedom of removal from their accustomed abode4 ,their customers were the children or grandchildren of those who were customers of their fathers or grandfathers4 ,if a merchant under such circumstances made dishonesty his customary trade1 and expected prosperity1 he would surely be totally disappointed1 and would suffer a deserving penalty4 ,besides1 in those days social sanction1 from the very nature of the conditions under which they found themselves situated1 was most severe4 ,yes6 ,merchants and traders of those days were honest1 far beyond one can imagine4 ,if any dishonesty or any shortcomings in respect to commercial probity have become observable1 it is necessary evil produced by the changed circumstances of the time1 chiefly on account of foreign intercourse4 ,mr4 ,longford speaks of the early ,japanese traders who flocked to the newly opened ports as being 'without exception adventurers with neither name nor money to lose1 with keen wits and the determination to exploit to the utmost4' ,this is1 in a measure1 undoubtedly true1 and accounts for the lamentable condition which for a long time existed in the trades at the open ports4 ,but this is not the only cause4 ,on the parts of foreign merchants who came out there to trade1 there was much to be criticised2 ,i mean to say1 they were also mostly adventurers in a measure2 they were also inconsiderate1 even arrogant4 ,a ,western merchant who1 leaving ,china1 was passing through ,japan1 violated intentionally time-honoured etiquette against one of the most powerful ',daimio1' saying1 ',i know how to manage these ,orientals1' and was murdered in consequence4 ,it is a good illustration of the kind of conduct of the ,europeans of those days towards us2 hence no sympathy existed between them and our traders--the dealings were viewed1 naturally1 very differently from those which they were wont to carry on with their native customers of several generations' standing4 ,business is business1 so the common saying goes1 but even in business mutual respect and friendly feeling go a long way4 ,how can a model trade be expected to be created under such circumstances8 ,then1 again1 in ,japan commercial goods were1 and are still1 to a great extent made by hand on small scales4 ,no big industrial factories existed where one could order a large number of articles identical in every respect as one could do in ,europe4 ,foreign traders1 not taking these conditions into their serious consideration1 often gave similar orders as they were used to do in ,europe1 and when articles delivered to them were found to be not perfectly identical1 they often took advantage of that fact1 and gave much trouble to the native contractors1 who did not expect to meet with so much severity4 ,there existed also very bad customs among foreign traders2 the essence of those customs was known by the name of ',haiken1' or ',kankan4' ,these terms1 literally meaning 'to see1' were used to veil the facts of detaining goods at their storehouses1 often for an unreasonable length of time2 in the meantime ascertaining the commercial conditions of their home1 and returning the goods when they found the transaction was not likely to be beneficial to them4 ,native traders had serious grounds of complaint against those customs4 ,as a matter of fact1 at one time the matter was brought to a very acute state1 and the native traders began to try to get rid of them by combination1 but with little success4 ,i imagine ,mr4 ,longford will remember the incidents which occurred in connection with that matter in ,yokohama years ago4 ,i can also state on good authority that there were even some cases wherein foreign traders themselves practised1 toward their compatriot at home1 some actions which appear not to have been in unison with ,western honesty1 and taking advantage of our unfortunate reputation attributed the fault to the ,japanese when matters were discovered4 ,the notorious case wherein a large foreign firm dealing in silk1 who took off the labels of native manufacturers and changed them into a single kind which he liked1 was boycotted by them when the matter came to broad daylight1 may also be recollected by him4 ,another thing which foreign traders were wont to do was that they often ordered things direct from small manufacturers at a cost far less than their real value4 ,japanese merchants often said that they could not compete with foreign traders1 inasmuch as foreign merchants often got things at less expense than they themselves could4 ,this is surely an extraordinary phenomenon4 ,but the fact was that those foreign traders often succeeded in making that kind of contract either by giving some tempting inducement at the beginning or canvassing several manufacturers one after another1 always showing the last most advantageous offer1 and bringing down the price by bargaining in a skilful and cunning manner4 ,under such circumstances it was not surprising if those contracts were often unfulfilled1 simply on account of the inability of fulfilment by the contractors4 ,there was also another circumstance which caused commotion and disorder in all commercial dealing in ,japan4 ,it is to be remembered that the new order under the new system of government1 especially the abolition of the feudal system1 widely changed the accustomed occupations of the ,japanese at large4 ,chances for making wealth and for entering upon various enterprises almost entirely changed their hand4 ,besides1 four hundred thousand families 7#b1jjj1jjj capita7 of ,samurai1 who gave up their hereditary allowances1 now had to make their earnings chiefly by becoming traders or sometimes agriculturists1 occupations to which they were entirely unaccustomed4 ,they naturally experienced failure after failure4 ,it was then that a new term1 ',trades of ,samurai1' meaning thereby an undertaking which is precarious or even doomed to failure1 came into existence4 ,in one sense it was sad to think about1 but the fact was so4 ,under such circumstances one can well imagine that dishonesty1 or rather failure of fulfilment of promise1 although against one's conscience1 it maybe presumed1 was often experienced even among our own community4 ,this also might have had some indirect effects upon foreign trade4 ,critics say that commercial probity in ,china is better than in ,japan4 ,it may be true2 ,i shall not dispute4 ,the ,chinese are excellent traders1 and besides1 as every one knows1 no such social revolution1 as was the case with us ,japanese1 has ever taken place4 ,that accounts for the difference between ,chinese and ,japanese traders in the first place1 but that is not all4 ,the ,chinese are1 individually speaking1 very docile2 they would not think of quarrelling with foreign traders1 under whatever humiliating circumstances they might find themselves placed1 so long as they could make some profit4 ,but this is very different with us ,japanese4 ,take1 for instance1 the case of a ',rikisha' man2 if he were a ,japanese1 and suppose a foreign rider whipped him1 as they often do1 because he did not run quick enough1 the probability is1 he would ask to be excused carrying the rider any further1 or turn round to the rider and ask for an explanation4 ,he would do so no matter whether or not he would get his fare2 but if it were a ,chinaman1 the probability is that he would calmly suffer the treatment1 and proceed just at the rate he could run1 his thoughts being concentrated on obtaining as good a fee as he could get1 and would be looked upon as an honest man in consequence4 ,this state of things exists in the matter of trade at large4 ,chinese tradesmen would suffer without anger1 any arrogance or unreasonableness of foreign traders1 and exert such wonderful patience in order ultimately to attain their objects1 whilst ,japanese merchants would sooner break the contract than suffer such treatment with such patience4 ,the consequence is that ,japanese merchants are viewed in rather a bad light4 ,the effects of the ,great ,change1 both political and social1 have been subsiding already for some time1 and the order of things at large has also begun to settle down4 ,the condition of our mercantile circle is1 in consequence1 much changed2 so also the attitude and characters of foreign traders have begun to alter considerably4 ,i am1 therefore1 most sanguine that all complaints of foreigners against our commercial probity will soon become a thing of the past4 ,i am sorry to speak about foreigners in this manner1 but ,i am sure impartial observers will admit that what ,i say is not far from fact4 ,at all events1 their conditions were not so bright as ,mr4 ,longford pleases to represent them to have been4 ,unfair criticisms are not calculated to promote the friendly feeling of nations1 and my statements1 which ,i believe no other than those of true fact1 are hereby made more for promoting in future the goodwill which has already begun to exist between us and the ,western traders of late years4#b ,,supplement ,there appeared an interesting letter1 written by the ,manager of the ,publication ,department of the ,times1 in the columns of that paper1 ,october #g1 #aije4 ,as it has important bearing on the preceding subject1 ,i take the liberty of subjoining it in full4--,k4,s4 ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,the ,,japanese ,,people ,,to ,,the ,,editor ,,of ,,the ,,times ,sir1--,in last ,monday's issue of the ,times there was a long letter from the ,right ,rev4 ,william ,awdry1 ,bishop of ,south ,tokio1 ,japan1 in which he says that 'in general a ,japanese would value the promise of an ,englishman more than the bond of a ,japanese'2 and that the ,japanese are deficient in a certain group of qualities1 including honesty in trade4 ,it seems to me that it would be unfair for the ,times to allow such a charge against ,japanese integrity1 endorsed by a bishop1 to go unchallenged1 when the ,times has1 in its own office1 records that prove a promise made by a ,japanese to be at least as trustworthy as a promise made by an ,englishman4 ,during the past eight years the ,times has sold1 in almost every country in the world1 sets of the ,encyclopdia ,britannica on the instalment plan1 giving credit for periods of two1 three1 and four years4 ,the regularity with which such payments are made is certainly a fair test of the average honesty of any nation1 and a much more severe test in the case of ,japan than in the case of ,england1 because it is more difficult there than here to enforce payment by legal proceedings4 ,ninety-five per cent4 of the encyclopdias sold in ,japan were sold to ,japanese1 not to foreign residents1 and the statements ,i am about to make refer exclusively to purchases made by the ,japanese themselves4 ,in ,japan1 as elsewhere1 each purchaser1 when he signs his 'order-form1' promises to pay1 on certain dates1 certain sums of money4 ,in ,japan the monthly payment was #aj yen1 equal to about a sovereign1 while in this country the amount was a guinea4 ,in ,great ,britain less than half the payments arrived on the day promised4 ,in ,japan less than #a per cent4 of the payments were even one day late1 and more than one-half of the payments were made the day before they were due1 because the ,japanese did not like to run the risk of any accidental delay that might make them even one day late4 ,the cost of collecting these instalment payments in ,japan is less than half as much as in ,england1 simply because the ,japanese are so punctilious that clerical labour and postage are not expended in reminding them that their payments are overdue4 ,they seem to look upon every debt as a debt of honour1 which must not be forgotten for even a day4 ,there is certainly no such delicacy of feeling in this country about commercial transactions4 ,i find it difficult to believe that the ,bishop of ,south ,tokio is right when he says that the ,japanese do not trust one another2 and ,i know that he is wrong if he in himself believes1 as he implies1 that the ,japanese are not 'honest in trade4' ,but ,i quite admit that ,englishmen who have long resided in ,japan did not believe that it would be prudent for the ,times to adopt in ,japan the instalment system of selling books1 previously unknown there4 ,when the representative of the ,times arrived in ,japan to sell the ,encyclopdia1 he naturally asked ,english residents there what they thought of the project4 ,with one exception the answer was3 ',you cannot sell the ,encyclopdia ,britannica here because almost every ,english and ,american resident has already obtained a copy from ,england1 and1 of course1 the ,japanese will not buy--fortunately for you1 because if they did they would not pay4' ,the only ,english resident who did not say this said3 ',of course you can sell any number of ,encyclopdias to the ,japanese1 but you will never be able to collect the payments when they have once got the books4 ,no ,japanese will pay for the ,encyclopdia when he finds he can get it without payment4' ,in the face of this advice1 the instalment plan of sale was adopted1 with the results above described4 ,i many add that the ,japanese bought five times as many ,encyclopdias as were sold in ,france and ,germany combined1 fifty times as many as in ,russia1 more than in any other country except ,india1 ,australia1 and the ,united ,states4 ,when ,i see a bishop of the ,church of ,england1 who has lived in ,japan since #ahih1 write with so little appreciation of the ,japanese1 ,i wonder whether some of our countrymen are not as blind as the ,russian statesmen who1 in the early days of the war1 described the ,japanese as 'yellow monkeys1' and as blind as the ,ambassador of the ,tsar who made the statement in ,tokio1 before the war1 that the mobilisation of one army corps in ,russia would frighten the ,japanese into immediate submission4 ,no one in the ,times office1 at any rate1 can doubt that the standard of integrity among the ,japanese is so high that when young men1 who have bought the ,encyclopdia1 abandoned their employment to go to the front1 their families promptly paid the instalments due1 under circumstances of the utmost difficulty4--,i am1 sir1 your obedient servant1 ,the ,manager of ,your ,publication ,department4 ,printing-house ,square1 ,e4,c41 ,october #e4 #a ,the ,magazine of ,commerce1 ,august #aije4 #b ,see the note at the end of the volume4 ,,vii ,,japan ,,and ,,foreign ,,capital#a ,japan1 far from becoming antagonistic to the occidental nations1 as it was prognosticated by some of the ,continental journalists1 has given another proof of her readiness for the identification of her economic interests with those of the occidental people4 ,hitherto in ,japan there has been no law which regulated the mortgaging of a railway1 or a mining enterprise1 or a factory1 together with its working system1 as a corporation1 that is to say1 mortgaging the whole system of a railway1 a mining enterprise1 or a factory as an economic whole1 comprising not only each particular material object but also all the organic components of its working system as the subject matter of mortgage4 ,a radical change has now been effected in the matter4 ,according to the ,japanese laws there are two methods for a commercial company in contracting a debt4 ,one is the ordinary borrowing of money from a creditor1 and the other is borrowing in the shape of debentures by public subscription4 ,now in ordinary borrowing of money the liability may be secured by mortgage1 but the debentures could not be secured by mortgage1 although of course the liability extends to the whole property of the company4 ,the first effect of the new change is the provision which enables companies to guarantee debentures by mortgage1 and the second effect is the provisions which relate to the creations of economic corporations of railways1 mining works1 or factories for the special purpose of instituting mortgages of their economic entity4 ,to make the matter easier to comprehend1 ,i will first explain it with regard to railways4 ,the permission of the ,government originally given to the company is in the nature of a licence or concession which is to be viewed more in the light of a personal matter of the original company1 and therefore it could not be a subject matter of a public auction1 and therefore according to the old law1 if a railway company becomes bankrupt1 all the material property1 either movable or immovable1 would go to new hands1 but the licence itself cannot but become extinct with the dissolution of the original company1 viz4 the original grantee4 ,this being so1 if a railway company fails to fulfil its liability for debenture and goes into bankruptcy1 the ultimate result would be that the railway system would be broken up1 and the creditors would get their satisfaction only from the sale of each piece of the material property sold by public auction4 ,even in the case of ordinary debt1 whereby all the material property can be mortgaged1 the result would be practically the same4 ,all these inconveniences have now been removed by a series of new laws passed by the last session of the ,imperial diet and promulgated on ,march #ac1 #aije1 by the ,imperial ,government4 ,the articles of the laws are very numerous and minute1 so that it would be unnecessary to dwell upon them here in detail1 but the more important parts may be summarised as follows3 7a7 ,the economic entity of a railway company may be constituted a special economic corporation for the purpose of mortgage4#b 7b7 ,in default of payment of the mortgage liability1 the whole1 i4e4 the corporation1 may be subjected to auction4 ,this provides the means for transferring1 together with the material properties1 the original permission of the ,government1 namely1 the licence1 to the purchaser1 viz4 a new company4 7c7 ,a company1 which in reality may be taken as a syndicate1 may be formed for advancing money by means of debentures4 ,such company may acquire legal recognition and may represent the creditors of debentures4 ,it forms a particular kind of commercial company1 and is called 'trust company4' 7d7 ,at the option of the creditors1 means of compulsory control of the railway in the interest of creditors are also provided for in the laws4 7e7 ,special provisions are made to meet the cases where the syndicate and investors are of foreign nationality3 namely1 the means of recognising foreign syndicates by the ,japanese ,government1 and also the means of affording convenience for foreign investors4 7f7 ,further provisions are made for facilitating the registration of constituting the said corporation1 and the registration of the mortgage thereof1 for these affairs1 as far as railways are concerned1 are now entrusted1 by the new laws1 to the ,minister of ,communications1 to whose control the railways belong1 and not to the local courts of law1 as is the case with all other kinds of mortgages4 ,this change of our laws gives very great facility to foreign investors who may be willing to lend money on railway securities4 ,the case of mining enterprises were similar because they are also based on licences4 ,for them also much the same changes have been effected by the new laws1 so that their economic entity may now be mortgaged in the interests of either an ordinary creditor or investors in debentures4 ,the cases of ordinary factories differ in origin from those of the railways or mines1 they not being based on a concession or licence like railway or mining enterprises4 ,but for them also the new laws have made provisions for the means of constituting corporations for the purpose of guaranteeing debenture by mortgage4 ,provisions have also been made for guaranteeing debenture by mortgaging ships1 any definite property either immovable or movable1 or any legal claims which are secured by written instruments4 #a ,the ,outlook4 #b ,the law also permits the companies constituting such a corporation of a part of the whole for a similar object4 ,but as its general purport does not materially differ1 ,i omit its account in order to avoid confusion4--,the ,author4 ,,viii ,,the ,,languages ,,of ,,china ,,and ,,japan ,people often ask me if there is any affinity between the ,chinese language and ours4 ,i can at once say there is no affinity whatever1 but this requires much explanation before ,i can clearly show it4 ,the written language of ,china1 viz4 ideographs1 is the same all over the extensive sphere of ,china proper1 but its pronunciation is different almost in every province4 ,the spoken language of the ,chinese is1 roughly speaking1 the same as the written language1 as is the case in the ,western nations4 ,therefore1 the ,chinese residing in different provinces do not understand each other colloquially1 except those educated in the ,mandarine ,chinese1 which is in fact the pronunciation used in ,peking amongst the ,mandarins and studied by all ,mandarins in provinces as well as those in ,peking4 ,the first difference between ,chinese and ,japanese is that the former is monosyllabic1 whilst the latter is polysyllabic4 ,the second difference1 which is a natural consequence of the first1 is that in ,chinese there is no declension of nouns or conjugation of verbs1 whilst in ,japanese there are conjugations of verbs and a method of the formation of the cases of nouns which is in purport similar to declensions4 ,the third difference is the position or order of words in sentences4 ,the fourth difference is the difference of pronunciation of the ,chinese ideographs1 viz4 characters1 even when they are used in our writing in their original shapes4 ,i will now explain in detail all these points in the succeeding pages4 ,to begin with1 ,chinese is monosyllabic1 as ,i said4 ,each word1 which always has one signification1 be it a noun or a verb1 has only one sound4 ,thus a harbour in ,chinese is kong1 whilst it is minato in ,japanese2 and a man in ,chinese is jen1 whilst it is hito in ,japanese4 ,it is the same with verbs4 ,the sound of each word of ,chinese never changes1 whatever position it may stand in relation to other words in the same sentence1 that is to say1 there is no declension and no conjugation4 ,each word is represented by a distinct ideograph1 and1 from what ,i have just said1 it follows that the form of the ideographs also never changes1 in the same way as the sounds do not change4 ,in ,chinese different shades of meaning as to the actions and agents are expressed by the position of the words1 by addition of some other words4 ,in simple sentences1 therefore1 it resembles ,english very much2 thus1 for instance1 when a ,chinese says3 ',john likes ,paul1' it is plain1 like ,english1 that he who likes ,paul is ,john1 and he who is liked is ,paul4 ,when a ,chinese wishes to express the same idea in the passive voice1 he would say1 ',paul by ,john is liked1' which is the same as ',paul is liked by ,john1' ,neither has ,chinese any preposition like ,english or ,french1 nor any post-position like ,japanese1 to designate the cases1 except a few which resemble prepositions meaning 'from1' 'to1' and 'by1' but even these are very sparingly employed and by no means with any regularity4 ,when a verb is used as a substantive the form is still identical2 thus one identical ideograph1 'like1' may represent a verb 'to like' or a substantive 'liking4' ,of course there are many terms designating one thing or one action consisting of more than one sound2 such are1 however1 combinations of two or three distinct words1 like the ,english word 'firearms' or 'seesaw1' and therefore none of them could properly be called one distinct polysyllabic word4 ,in ,japanese1 unlike ,greek1 ,latin1 or ,german1 there is no proper declension in nouns4 ,in this respect it is more like ,english or ,french1 but it has a method of forming the cases1 so that in this respect it differs from ,chinese4 ,our cases are formed by putting after them the so-called ga--no--ni--wo--thus3 ,hana ga saku 4 4 ,flowers blossom ,hana no ,kage 4 4 ,the shade of flowers ,hana ni chikazuku 4 4 ,approach the flowers ,hana wo ,miyo 4 4 ,see the flowers 7imperative74 ,ga is generally omitted in writing4 ,it is more like the ,greek ,ge1 which is often suffixed to the nominative substantives4 ,ni is equal to the ,english to and the ,french 2 but such ideas as the ,english by or in1 or the ,french en or par1 are generally expressed by it4 ,there is another particle wa for the nominative1 its position is the same4 ,made 7until1 jusqu'7 and yori or kara 7from1 de7 are also put after the substantives4 ,in fact1 all equivalents to ,english or ,french prepositions are put after the substantive1 and therefore they are more appropriate to be called the post-positions4 ,in ,chinese the idea of time is generally very vague1 it is mostly left to the conjecture of the hearers or readers1 as the case may be1 from the context of the whole sentence4 ,but when it is necessary to express it1 it is also done by addition of some words1 such as 'already' or 'once4' ,thus a ,chinese would say1 ',john once like ,paul1' meaning ',john once liked ,paul1' or ',john already come1' meaning ',john has already come4' ,but this is very different in our language4 ,we have regular declensions of verbs in both the active voice and the passive voice and their form is accordingly changed4 ,thus1 for instance3 ,kitaru - come ,kitaran - shall come ,kitarishi - has come ,kitare - come 7imperative74 ,i shall here develop my dissertation a little further1 and make some comparison between our language and some of the ,european languages4 ,in ,japanese there is no gender in nouns1 for grammatical purposes1 although some words from their very nature signify male or female2 thus1 for instance1 otoko man1 onna woman1 ondori cock1 and mendori hen4 ,to us it sounds very odd that the ,germans give feminine gender to the sun and masculine to the moon1 whilst the ,french do vice versa1 or that both the ,french and ,german give masculine gender to 'regiment' or 'battalion1' but feminine gender to 'company4' ,in this respect the ,english method of dividing into masculine1 feminine1 and neutral1 allowing only on rare occasions1 for poetical purpose1 personification of inanimate objects1 sounds more rational and comprehensible to our ears4 ,it follows1 therefore1 that our nouns do not modify their forms on account of the gender1 and that it is more like ,english in this respect4 ,we have1 moreover1 no number in the nouns4 ,whereas in ,european languages nouns which have no number are exceptions and very few1 all the nouns in ,japanese are without number without any exception4 ,when we wish to express any particular numerical idea1 we make use of a numerical adjective in a similar manner as the ,english would say 'a sheep1' 'ten sheep1' or 'numerous sheep4' ,here again we can see that our nouns never change their form on account of the number4 ,it is true1 we also put after the nouns ra1 tachi1 or domo to signify plural1 but it is rare1 and the style becomes rather clumsy unless it is done very carefully4 ,furthermore1 there is no gender or number in our verbs4 ,all conjugations are the same whatever gender or number they may relate to4 ,it goes without saying that in ,chinese also there is neither gender nor number in its nouns and verbs4 ,it also goes without saying that in ,japanese as well as ,chinese there is1 like ,english1 no gender or number in adjectives4 ,i may also add here that1 like ,latin1 there are no articles either in ,chinese or ,japanese4 ,as to the adverbs in ,chinese1 they are as a rule identical with adjectives1 the difference between them being only perceived by the context1 although there is a certain form which always gives adverbial signification1 and which is done by putting another word after an adjective 7there are three or four words which are used for the purpose of thus forming adverbial terms74 ,in ,japanese adverbs are formed by suffixing ni and to1 like the ,english ly and ,french ment4 ,as shizukani 7slowly7 yuku 7goes71 and shizushizu to 7slowly and slowly7 yuku 7goes74 ,to may be written toshite according to euphony4 ,the use of conjunctions in ,japanese and ,chinese is much similar to that of the ,western languages1 except that in both ,chinese and ,japanese it is very commonly understood4 ,thus where the ,europeans say1 ',east and ,west' or 'black and white1' we both1 ,chinese and ,japanese1 would simply say1 ',west ,east' or 'white black1' unless we have some particular reasons in giving emphasis to the distinction4 ,in ,chinese the pronouns also have no gender1 so also in ,japanese4 ,when we particularly wish to designate gender1 we say1 'that man' or 'this woman1' which in reality is no longer a pronoun4 ,as to the number of pronouns1 it is formed by adding another word after it2 but in ,chinese this is by no means uniformly done1 for in most cases where the meaning is plain enough1 the same person as that of the singular number is also used for the plural4 ,it is so especially with regard to the third person1 but even in the first person this occurs sometimes1 as for instance when two opposing objects1 one of which is on one's own side1 are collectively spoken of4 ,there is something similar in ,english as far as the third person is concerned1 but the ,chinese carry it even into the first person4 ,thus in ,english may be written1 ',when the enemy attacked us we have repulsed him1' but a ,chinese would go further and write1 ',when the enemy attacked me1 ,i have repulsed him1' without meaning that he1 the writer himself1 did it alone1 or did it at all1 but that the army on his side did it4 ,in ,japanese the number of the pronouns is far more precise than it is in ,chinese4 ,one thing which may be novel to the ,western readers is that in ,chinese there are many different ,i's and you's1 and still more in ,japanese4 ,they all signify1 when used1 a certain difference in degree of politeness4 ,it is one of the difficult points in our colloquial language4 ,i may here note that in the ,west it is almost impossible to carry on a conversation for a few minutes without making use of so many ,i's1 he's1 and you's1 but1 like ,latin1 pronouns are used very sparingly in ,chinese1 still less in ,japanese4 ,in ,latin the form of the verbs suggests very easily the person which is the substantive understood4 ,in ,chinese the context suggests it1 while in ,japanese the construction of sentences based upon conjugation does it4 ,relative pronouns1 who1 which1 qui1 que1 or dont1 do not exist both in ,chinese and ,japanese4 ,this is one of the great difficulties when we translate ,western books4 ,we must write the phrase governed by the relative pronouns as a distinct one or else must employ a clumsy method in rendering the whole sentence4 ,from what ,i have stated above1 it would appear that ,chinese is very simple as far as the analysis of the words is concerned1 for they have no declension and conjugation4 ,the difficulty of the students of ,chinese does not lie in remembering different forms of declensions and conjugations1 but first in remembering so many ideographs1 one by one1 and secondly to make head and tail of the agglomeration of ideographs1 for one can never tell from their form which is a noun and which is a verb1 or which is an objective or which is a possessive case4 ,definite meaning of ,chinese sentences could only be appreciated by those who have accustomed themselves by long experience4 ,but even such people often differ in their interpretation of some phrases1 by giving different attributive to one or other particular ideograph in a sentence1 not only in its meaning but in its position as regards the part of speech4 ,this often occurs in interpretation of classical books4 ,all this1 however1 does not signify that ,chinese is a poor language1 because its literal standard is really very highly developed4 ,the ,japanese language is also simple enough as far as the analysis of words is concerned4 ,nouns never change their forms under any circumstances1 except that their cases are made by the use of ga1 no1 ni1 or wo1 which is only an addition4 ,verbs are conjugated1 but it is done simply to denote time and voice1 and for no other reason4 ,in a word1 we may say that ,japanese grammar is very easy4 ,the real difficulty of ,japanese is in the proper construction of phrases1 for it is by it that many shades of meaning are suggested4 ,true it is that this is more or less so with all languages4 ,difference of the degree of politeness or gracefulness is manipulated by difference of construction everywhere1 but the variety of this difference is more complicated in ,japanese than in any other language1 and it can only be acquired by long practice and observation4 ,this is why all foreigners who study ,japanese think it is so easy at the commencement and so difficult after they have made a little progress4 ,nevertheless1 colloquial ,japanese is on the whole easy1 because one can learn it easily so long as he is not sensitive of nicety or grace4 ,there is in open ports even a new ,japanese spoken between foreigners and natives1 in which no ga--no--ni--wo is used1 or no conjugation of verbs employed1 and yet it is perfectly intelligible4 ,now as to the difference of the order of words between ,japanese and ,chinese4 ,where in ,english one says1 ',i cannot go1' in ,chinese one would say1 ',i not can go1' whilst in ,japanese it would be1 ',i go can not4' ,this order of ,japanese has a slight resemblance to ,german1 but the difference lies in that1 whilst in ,german it is chiefly so in subordinate sentences1 it is in ,japanese uniformly so under any circumstances4 ,in ,chinese a verb which governs an object directly or indirectly always precedes the object2 thus1 like ,english1 a ,chinese would say1 ',girls eat cakes1' or 'he goes to ,paris1' but in ,japanese the verb succeeds2 thus a ,japanese would say1 ',girls cakes eat1' or 'he ,paris to goes4' ,in this respect of order there is some resemblance between ,latin and ,japanese4 ,from all that ,i have said it is plain that there is no affinity between ,chinese and ,japanese so far as construction is concerned1 but ,i may go further4 ,there is no resemblance whatever suggestive of same origin between any ,chinese and ,japanese word1 except those whose introduction into ,japan at later ages is clearly known4 ,in speaking of the ,japanese language in the foregoing pages1 ,i have made no difference between the colloquial and the written one1 but in fact there is much difference between them which requires some notice here4 ,even in the ,west written phrases can be1 and are often1 much shortened than spoken ones2 but in ,japan this difference is carried almost to the extreme1 so much so1 that they assume almost entirely different shape1 the phrases of the spoken language being unsparingly curtailed in those of the written one4 ,of course1 there are some old books which were written like the colloquial1 and of late years much movement is made for an assimilation of the written and spoken languages1 making the written one approach the spoken one4 ,but as the matter stands at present the difference is still very great4 ,i am afraid my explanation is becoming too minute and consequently tedious1 but ,i presume ,i must complete it4 ,in the writings1 too1 there are in ,japan two systems1 one of which consists of our own phonetic letters1 and the other consists of a mixture of our phonetic letters and ,chinese ideographs4 ,unfortunately1 the latter system is in common use4 ,it is done in the following manner4 ,the order of the words is not changed1 but nouns and verbs1 for instance1 are written in the original ideographs with the significance of the cases or conjugations1 which are written in the phonetic letters succeeding these ideographs4 ,let me take an example in the ,english word 'telegraphed' or 'telegraphing1' and let us write 'telegraph' in the original ,greek letters1 writing 'ed' or 'ing1' which is the part of the pure ,english1 in the ordinary ,english letters4 ,this will give you an idea of our using ,chinese ideographs in our sentences4 ,but our method is still more complicated4 ,besides the above examples we read very often the ideographs thus used1 not according to their pronunciation but according to so-called 'kun' of the word1 which is in reality a translation4 ,in ,english books the term 'viz4' is used and is read as 'namely4' ,here 'namely' is not pronunciation but translation4 ,this is an example similar to our 'kun' of a word4 ,when to read by pronunciation and when to read by 'kun' entirely depends upon the construction of the phrases1 but one thing is certain1 and it is that in ,japan one has to know both the pronunciation and 'kun' of ,chinese ideographs4 ,the ,japanese pronunciation of ,chinese ideographs is not the same as any kind of the modern ,chinese pronunciation1 and therefore even one simple word expressed by an ideograph is unintelligible between a ,chinese and a ,japanese1 though they understand when it is written4 ,in ,china the pronunciation of ideographs underwent much change2 besides it has varied according to localities4 ,in ,japan the pronunciation of those ,chinese ideographs1 which is comparatively ancient1 has been preserved on account of our possessing phonetic letters1 by the use of which the preservation has been effected4 ,but then there are two kinds of pronunciation of those ideographs1 on account of its introduction into ,japan at different periods from the different localities4 ,this is an additional difficulty we have in reading ,chinese characters used in ,japan1 though the usual customs where to use one or where the other are usually plain to educated people4 ,japanese phonetics consist of fifty letters4#a ,five of them are vowels1 being equal to a1 e1 i1 o1 u1 and each of the rest represents the sound of two ,roman characters1 i4e4 a consonant and a vowel2 thus1 for instance1 the sound of ka or ke is represented by a single letter without spelling4 ,i said above that the modern ,chinese pronunciation is different from the ancient one4 ,it goes without saying that the style of phraseology is much changed1 even in a greater measure than the modern ,english writing is different from that of the ,elizabethan epoch4 ,the ,chinese1 which has been studied in ,japan indeed very commonly1 is the ancient one1 i4e4 classical ,chinese1 and we are familiar with classical ,chinese even more than the ,chinese themselves4 ,as a system of writing1 that of the pure ,japanese1 which consists of phonetic letters1 is in its quality far superior to the other one1 which is in our common use1 nay1 even superior to the proper ,chinese system itself4 ,our phonetic system1 however1 has not made sufficient progress on account of the introduction of the ,chinese system1 to which we had paid too high value and devoted too much attention1 the result being the mixture of ,chinese ideographs in our phonetic system1 that is to say1 the other system just mentioned4 ,even in the ,west there is some similarity to this4 ,take1 for instance1 some modern ,english books4 ,one would scarcely find a few lines in which a large number of words which are ,latin or sometimes ,greek in origin is not contained4 ,are there not even now names for new inventions coined from ,greek or at least from ,latin8 ,and is not all this due to the fact that such words sound more scholastic or else more concise or accurate8 ,if it were not so1 why does one call a horseless carriage 'automobile' instead of 'self-moving carriage'8 ,fortunately for the ,western nations1 however1 there is no difficulty in transcribing ,greek or ,latin words in their modern letters1 inasmuch as those letters are similar to1 in fact evolved from1 the ,greek and ,latin letters1 and therefore1 when once a ,greek or ,latin word is employed1 it is easy to get naturalised1 as it were4 ,but1 unfortunately for us1 the ,chinese method is ideographs1 and our own is phonetic1 and one cannot be directly transcribed from the other1 except that either it be translated or merely phonetically represented1 which in truth presents much ambiguity4 ,for this reason the original ideographs themselves have come to be interposed between the phonetic letters as ,i have illustrated above1 and the ideographs so interposed have never become thoroughly 'naturalised1' from the very nature of the case4 ,thus one would see that as far as the mechanical side is concerned1 the deep study of ,chinese has given much drawback to ,japan4 ,on the mental side1 however1 ,i may say that it has helped us in enriching our thoughts for many centuries1 inasmuch as there is rich treasure for ethical teaching in the classical ,chinese1 although this is not the place for me to dwell on that topic4 ,i may add a few words4 ,philological researches of different ,asiatic languages are still very incomplete1 but ,i understand from what is stated by experts that there is some resemblance between our language and those of ,korea1 ,manchuria1 and indeed ,mongolian tribes3 first1 in that all those languages are monosyllabic like ours2 second1 in the order of words in forming sentences4 ,moreover1 it is said that there were already discovered several words which are much similar to ours4 ,no satisfactory statement could be made as yet1 but it would be a matter of no common interest if further researches be made4 ,it goes without saying that there is much similarity1 so it is said1 between ours and the language of the ,inoes1 who are rapidly disappearing from the surface of the earth1 despite our taking care of them4 ,they once occupied the greater part of ,japan and were a brave race4 ,it is no wonder that there is that similarity in the tongues1 though it is a matter of question whether they left their words behind them or we gave them those words4 ,for example1 ,kami1 which in the colloquial ,japanese means god1 superior1 or upper part of anything1 is ,kamui in ,ino1 the meaning being the same4 ,this word1 then1 must surely belong to the same origin4 ,there are also many names of rivers and mountains in ,japan which1 beyond doubt1 are of ,ino origin4 #a ,these phonetic letters were invented in ,japan between the seventh and eighth centuries ,a4,d41 during which time they gradually became improved4 ,as to their form they are a simplification of some simple ,chinese ideographs1 and as to the principle of their formation1 it is based upon1 the ,sanscrit4 ,,ix ,,once ,,more ,,on ,,japan ,,and ,,france#a ,the ,french and the ,japanese have some sort of resemblance in their character1 and therefore they are not wholly antagonistic to each other by nature4 ,france once committed a great error1 it is true1 together with another country1 in backing ,russia against ,japan after the ,sino-,japanese war1 but ,japan has forgiven her for it1 and has even forgotten it long since4 ,it therefore mainly depends on ,france if the friendly relationship subsisting between her and ,japan shall be maintained4 ,there are two things which we have to examine in this connection3 first1 the question of ,indo-,china2 second1 the effect of the ,franco-,russian alliance upon ,far ,eastern affairs4 ,much has been talked about ,japan's having designs upon ,indo-,china4 ,it is1 in truth1 nothing more than a resuscitation in part of the old bogey of the ,yellow ,peril4 ,according to that bogey1 ,japan is to pick quarrels with every civilised nation1 and is ultimately to swallow up the whole world4 ,nothing can be more absurd than that2 but at times it has been made use of by the ,russians and ,russophiles with a certain amount of success4 ,to me it appears almost amazing that so great a psychological incongruity should exist simultaneously in the minds of some of the ,occidentals1 in that1 while they exhibit almost unreasonable contempt of the ,orientals on the one hand1 they give credit for almost superhuman potentiality to the same people on the other4 ,whatever this may be1 the question of ,indo-,china resolves itself into this3 ,the yellow peril alarmists began to talk about ,japan as being intent upon seizing ,indo-,china4 ,the ,colonial party of ,france has utilised this theme for the promotion of its own object1 and the ,russophiles have utilised it for inciting the public to hate and detest ,japan in favour of ,russia4 ,surely an act of gross injustice and cowardice6 ,for1 as a matter of fact1 on the part of ,japan there is no such intention whatever4 ,indo-,china is very different from ,korea and ,manchuria in respect of its relative position to ,japan4 ,there is nothing worth mentioning politically1 strategically1 historically1 or economically in the mutual relations between ,japan and ,indo-,china4 ,all this ,i have shown in the utmost detail in an article which ,i have contributed and published in a well-known ,french review4 ,sensible ,french people have now begun to see the truth of it1 so that they have almost ceased to pay serious attention to the false alarms of the yellow peril agitators4 ,indeed1 the ,france of to-day appears to be very different from the ,france of this time last year4 ,the lapse of one year has been sufficient to disclose many falsehoods by which the public was once taken in4 ,it has also disclosed the relative merit of ,russia and ,japan in many things4 ,which government--the ,russian or the ,japanese--is the more enlightened8 ,which troops--the ,russian or the ,japanese--are more humane and orderly8 ,which people--,russia or ,japan--is more compact as a nation8 ,which of them--,russia or ,japan--has better ethics and morality8 ,in which of them--,russia or ,japan--are laws better administered and more loyally adhered to8 ,in which of them--,russia or ,japan--are philanthropical works1 such as the ,red ,cross ,society1 better organised and more honestly carried out8 ,above all1 in which of them--,russia or ,japan--does the justice of its cause in the present war lie8 ,all these things have now become very widely known to the public1 hence the difference of their attitude4 ,i do not think ,france ever will be foolish enough to stretch forward her fists against ,japan on account of the yellow peril bogey concerning ,indo-,china4 ,i am rather in hope that the day will come when those ,russophiles will repent the mistake they made when they abused ,japan contrary to the dictates of justice and equity4 ,the second question1 namely1 the effect of the ,franco-,russian alliance upon ,far ,eastern affairs1 is rather a delicate one to discuss4 ,on the whole1 however1 ,i can say this3 ,considering the delicate position in which she is placed1 ,france has managed things well to the extent that we have not much to complain of 7except one important matter1 which ,i will elucidate presently74 ,true it is that she has made many unfair accusations against us with regard to the commencement of the war and also with regard to the yellow peril bogey1 but then the same1 if not a harsher thing1 has also been done or said in some other quarters where we might have expected more impartiality4 ,her general conduct as a neutral has not been very satisfactory4 ,but then we remember that in some other quarters also very bitter pills were given us to swallow1 altogether beyond our reasonable anticipation4 ,we put up with all this unfairness1 because we are quite confident that sooner or later the time will come when the world will clearly see how undeserving we are of such calumny4 ,the important exception ,i made above is the question of ,french neutrality concerning the treatment of the ,baltic ,fleet4 ,in this respect ,japan has grave reasons to complain of what ,france has been doing4 ,as the whole world knows1 the ,russian ,fleet has been obtaining abundant facilities from ,france all the way along from ,european waters to those of the ,far ,east4 ,it was abusing ,french hospitality in ,madagascar for a very long period4 ,japan repeated her protest1 or at least called ,french attention from time to time4 ,when ,france pleaded her innocence at ,madagascar on the pretext that the fleet was outside the territorial waters of ,france1 ,japan1 relying on incontestable proof to the contrary1 remonstrated4 ,france was very tardy in executing what she said she would do1 but ,japan showed much patience1 almost beyond common endurance4 ,the same thing began to be repeated in the waters of ,indo-,china1 the very door of the seat of the war4 ,however moderate and good-natured ,japan may be1 this was more than she could endure4 ,this was the real cause of the strain of an event which has been recently threatening the continuance of friendly relations between ,france and ,japan4 ,according to some ,french papers1 the view is held that ,france has not infringed her duty as a neutral1 but ,japan does not coincide4 ,the ,french contention is that1 according to the ,french law of neutrality1 there is no time limit for affording asylum to a belligerent ship1 and therefore1 whatever length of time ,russian ships may spend in ,french waters1 ,france is under no obligation to tell them to quit the place 7so long as they are not accompanied by prizes71 and also they may be supplied with victuals and even coals4 ,japan contends that this is not a just interpretation of the laws of nations4 ,japan's view may be formulated as follows3 #a4 ,the twenty-four hours rule may not be a condition universally accepted1 but justice and equity demand that in its spirit it should be followed by all nations4 ,it has already been adopted by many nations1 including ,russia herself2 as a matter of fact1 the world has come to view it as though it were already a rule universally accepted1 and it behoves every civilised nation to promote its adoption1 or at least a practice similar to it in spirit1 for the sake of consolidating international morality1 viz4 justice and equity4 ,at the time when ,russian ships1 after the sea-battle of ,august #ajth last year1 sought asylum in the waters of ,kiao-,chow and ,saigon1 both the ,german and ,french authorities respectively hastened to dismantle them1 because the ships would not leave the place indicated at the prescribed time2 this was done in exact accordance with the spirit of international law1 and in reality it amounted almost to the same thing as observing the twenty-four hours rule4 ,why should ,france now say that no time limit can be made in the case of the ,baltic ,fleet1 which requires all the more vigilance than would the case of a few solitary ships8 #b4 ,the so-called ,french law of neutrality is not in fact a law in the strict sense of the term4 ,it is a sort of an instruction issued in the beginning of the present war by the ,french ,minister of ,marine1 although based upon a similar document issued at the time of the ,spanish-,american war4 ,it is immaterial whether or not it is a law in the strict sense1 but we cannot deem it has a just rule if it were to be interpreted as has been done by some of the ,french papers4 ,true it is that in that document no time is mentioned1 but does it mean that ,france has to or must allow all belligerent ships to stay in her waters whatever length of time they like8 ,certainly not1 ,i should think4 ,if it is so1 why should ,france adhere to that sort of interpretation even when its adherence is obviously contrary to justice and equity8 #c4 ,even if we admit for a moment that the ,french rule as interpreted by those papers be applicable to the cases of some solitary ships seeking asylum2 it is certainly not applicable to cases like that which we now have in view1 because no such case as that of the ,baltic ,fleet has ever been within the contemplation of those who framed such a rule4 ,as a matter of fact1 however1 it would be inapplicable even to the cases of a few solitary ships if it were to be interpreted in the way that was done by those journals4 #d4 ,even admitting for a moment that the interpretation of those ,french journals is correct as far as the strict letter of the rule is concerned1 it does not give them the right to say that their doings are internationally correct4 ,it must be known that in the laws of nations the spirit of international morality1 namely1 justice and equity1 has greater weight than municipal laws1 lex loci4 ,if this were not so1 how was it that ,england had to apologise to ,russia a long time ago for an act--personal seizure of an ambassador--which had been done in a civil matter perfectly in accordance with her law8 ,therefore the mere fact that ,france has her own law of neutrality 7in fact no law in a strict sense7 is no defence for her doings unless its justice and equity can be maintained in the eyes of the law of nations4 ,i may further add that the above is the raison d'tre why prize courts of different countries make it their theory1 unlike ordinary civil or criminal courts1 that they administer prima facie the law of nations and not lex loci4 ,it is another raison d'tre why matters relating to neutrality1 prizes1 and cognate matters are generally dealt with in the shape of instructions 7in other words1 interpretations of the law of nations71 and not in the shape of a law of the land in the strict sense4 ,japan1 therefore1 cannot submit to the ruling of those ,french instructions as interpreted by those journals1 inasmuch as she does not think it internationally just and equitable4 #e4 ,and1 moreover1 that part of the ,french instruction which those journals so habitually quote is not the only part which has an important bearing on the question4 ,in the instruction it is also mentioned that no belligerent may use a ,french port for purposes of war 7dans un but de guerre72 and also that belligerents sojourning in such ports may not make use of them as the base of operations of any kind against the enemy4 ,japan's insistence is that ,france should adhere to that spirit4 ,my wonder is why those ,french papers which try to uphold one part of the instruction should totally ignore other parts of the same instruction4 #f4 ,the theory of asylum in the case of the ships is not so rigid as the case of an army4 ,i admit it4 ,japan does not demand that it should be made on the seas as rigid as it is on land4 ,but it must never be allowed to go beyond the limit which justice and equity allow4 ,i take the theory of asylum on the seas to be this3 ,no neutral is justified in helping either of the combatants1 but the nature of the seas is such that the neutral may give a certain grace of time to combatant vessels which seek shelter in its neutral waters1 before it proceeds to dismantle1--7no immediate internment as in the case of the land force71--and it may also give them certain victuals--even a certain amount of coals--as it would also be contrary to humanity if they were to hang about1 or to cause starvation of the men on board in mid-voyage on account of the mere lack of coal or food4 ,beyond this1 the spirit of the law of nations is that a neutral ought to allow nothing4 ,can any one boldly assert that the theory of asylum can be applied with fairness to a case like that of the ,baltic ,fleet1 which is far from seeking asylum1 but is deliberately endeavouring to administer coups to its adversary and proceeding to the very seat of war4 ,if he can do so1 where is the justice and equity of the so-called law of nations1 which the ,occidentals boast of1 not without just title1 and claim that it forms one of the essential parts of ,christian morality8 #g4 ,as to the talk about the three-mile limit of the territorial waters1 there is already much divergency of opinion even amongst the jurists4 ,to put it forth as a defence in a case like that of the ,baltic ,fleet affairs seems to me too puerile4 ,the matter1 however1 becomes all the more grave when even that limit is not observed1 and it has been constantly ignored by the ,baltic ,fleet4 ,such are the views which we ,japanese have taken in the matter4 ,some ,french journals 7erroneously basing their assertions on the views ,i have personally expressed7 say that ,japan has taken up ,english views of international law in opposition to the ,continental views1 so that ,france ought not to yield to ,japan's protest4 ,this contention is not correct4 ,we do not hold these views because they are ,english ones3 we do so because they are in our opinion the only views which are internationally just and equitable4 ,we are now fighting against a foe so formidable1 as the whole world knows1 that to us it is a matter of life and death4 ,we have sufficient patience and fortitude1 but we cannot run the risk of sacrificing our very existence without some protest when we think that we are not being treated with justice and equity4 ,i am glad to add that the views we hold seem to have come at last to be shared by the more responsible part of the ,french amongst the governmental circle1 as well as by the general public4 ,the newspapers which are still sticking to their old contention are very few in number1 and they seem to have some particular reasons of their own4 ,i can never think a nation like ,france could consciously and wilfully offend against justice and equity1 and the only thing we anxiously hope for is that the declaration of the ,french ,government may be honestly and effectually followed up4 ,whatever may be one's intention1 the drift of events often creates unlooked-for incidents1 and that too often against one's will1 when it is too late to avoid the consequences4 ,let all parties concerned be careful in this matter of vital importance4 #a ,the ,deutsche ,revue1 ,june #aije4 ,x ,,japan ,,and ,,europe#a ,you ask my opinion on the future of the ,yellow ,peril cry4 ,from an ethical point of view it is an unjust and unreasonable accusation4 ,from a practical point of view it is idle and useless talk4 ,i have spoken and written on these particular points so often that ,i do not feel inclined to reiterate any more4 ,i will1 however1 consider the matter from a different point of view and solicit any answer which may be advanced against my conviction4 ,i do not do this from any thought of vanity2 ,i should be very sorry if it were ever taken in that sense4 ,i would simply ask those who agitate and cry the ,yellow ,peril1 the means they would suggest for the adopting of their propaganda1 if their words are not to be empty ones4 ,suppose any country wanted to subjugate ,japan1 and should want to send an army to fight on the soil of ,japan1 what number of men do they think would suffice8 ,no general in the whole world would1 ,i am sure1 be bold enough to undertake the task with under one million men4 ,i have reason to believe even that number would not suffice1 but for a moment let it be that number4 ,what country in the world can send that number over the broad ocean8 ,germany1 ,france1 ,england1 or ,america8 ,russia seems to have the greatest chance1 being nearer to ,japan4 ,but her experience is already known4 ,suppose the idea of a land campaign be abandoned1 and only a fleet be sent to intimidate ,japan by sea battles1 or by harassing her commerce4 ,there would certainly be a better chance for any of the ,occidental fleets than for the armies1 in coping with the forces of ,japan4 ,above all1 ,i frankly admit that ,england would be the most formidable foe in that respect4 ,but excepting ,england1 is there any other country that can say with certainty that it can easily crush the ,japanese navy8 ,is it ,germany8 is it ,france8 or is it--,america8 ,but supposing our navy were crushed2 what next8 ,it would1 of course1 be a very ugly thing for us1 but it would not mean the subjection of ,japan4 ,our sea-coast towns may be bombarded1 our commerce may be harassed1 but ,japan will still subsist within her soil1 for she can live without depending on any other country for food4 ,and1 besides1 disturbance of commerce would not be a loss only to her4 ,moreover1 any country which should embark on such an enterprise would have need to think it over twice 7or1 indeed1 three or four times7 before undertaking it1 and to calculate the probable benefit it could get therefrom1 and the probable expenses it would incur2 not to speak of the result of any possible failure4 ,it may be presumed that ,japan would not tamely be intimidated by any action undertaken by any country which is not based on justice and equity1 and which1 therefore1 is not open to reason4 ,further1 is there any country which would willingly embark on such an enterprise single-handed8 ,i think not4 ,the reason is too obvious for me to elucidate4 ,putting aside altogether any question of justice and equity1 if such an enterprise is to be embarked upon at all1 it would have to be by common action of all the ,western ,powers1 somewhat similar to that when the combined forces of ,europe rose against ,france some hundred years ago4 ,but let me ask if such a thing is possible under the present circumstances8 ,the claims of ,japan to the kind consideration of humanity have already become so widely spread that she could no longer be trampled upon easily4 ,man is1 after all1 a rational being4 ,do the writers of the articles on the ,yellow ,peril 7articles which even now repeatedly make their appearance7 not know the fact that even in ,france there is a large number of people who have recently purchased ,japanese bonds1 not to speak of ,germany1 where those bonds have been openly floated by banks of high standing8 ,even if all the governments of the ,west should be willing to agree to such an enterprise1 ,i do not think the people at large would move with them4 ,japan is modest enough1 ,japan is honest enough4 ,why does she deserve a general ostracism8 ,she might become1 it is possible1 a ,power of the world4 ,she might become1 it is possible1 more civilised on the lines of occidental civilisation1 after which she strives so earnestly4 ,are these to be blamed as her sins8 ,to me the ,yellow ,peril cry1 which is so often revived in some quarters of the ,continent1 is either a sort of what we call 'guchi1' that is to say1 useless repetition of complaint of some unreasonable disappointment1 or a perpetuation of wicked instigation and selfish intention4 ,in either case1 it is not at all a laudable action2 indeed1 ,i may say it is wasteful calumny for no material good will come of it inasmuch as its object can never be achieved from the very condition of the world4 ,the people who entertain that idea would be doing far better service to their country1 to the progress of civilisation1 to the general cause of humanity1 if only they put aside such a silly notion1 and busy themselves in teaching their fellow country-folks to accustom themselves to the changed circumstances of the time4 ,it would be a far more manly and noble act if they revised their old notions1 which in a measure may be called prejudice4 ,as to ourselves1 the ,japanese1 we shall only be glad if we can enjoy a peaceful and harmonious life in the happy family of the world1 as we are determined to do1 in spite of all the obstacles which may be laid before us4 #a ,written for the ,potentia ,organisation1 ,july #aije4 ,,xi ,,the ,,indo-,,china ,,question#a ,,interview ,,with ,,the ,,baron ,,suyematsu ,the eminent statesman1 ,baron ,suyematsu1 kindly dictated in ,english to one of our editors answers relating to certain questions with regard to the relation between ,japan and ,europe1 especially ,france and ,germany4 ,with the disclosure of the alleged ,kodama report in view1 how far may one give credit to the alleged ,japanese plan of invasion of ,indo-,china8 ,i know all that has been written in ,france on the subject4 ,all those rumours appear to me to have come originally from ,russia1 and to have been put into circulation in order to excite ,french opinion against ,japan1 in other words1 it is nothing else than a mere repetition of the ,yellow ,peril cry4 ,japan does not covet ,indo-,china4 ,i have shown elsewhere that the ,french colonies in the ,far ,east have no perceptible influence upon the situation of ,japan1 either from a political or an economical point of view4 ,japan has sufficient to do at home1 she does not want to plunge into external adventures1 such as meddling with ,indo-,china or picking a quarrel with a country like ,france4 ,you may be sure that it would be more politic for ,france to cultivate amicable relations with ,japan than irritate her by such accusations4 ,even if those accusations honestly represent the true sentiment of the ,french1 the ,japanese would only take them for malicious manuvres directed to aid ,russia1 and they could not produce any good impression on the minds of the ,japanese4 ,is there any reason to believe that the so-called ,kodama report was forged in ,russia rather than in ,france8 ,i have demonstrated elsewhere that the document which was recently made public and attributed to ,kodama containing some military indications on the plan of an invasion of ,indo-,china is a perfect forgery4 ,i have exposed elsewhere several technical errors therein which would never appear in an authentic official document4 ,but whether it is authentic or not1 ,i do not attach any importance to the matter1 from a political point of view at least4 ,it is the duty of all the military and naval authorities to keep themselves ready for any emergency4 ,for example1 ,france ought to keep herself always prepared for any possible difficulties which may arise on her frontiers in the east1 and in the south1 and on the western coasts2 the same with ,germany1 with ,austria1 with ,italy1 even with the ,united ,states4 ,it appears to me that1 if the general staff-office of ,france or of ,germany1 or the military or naval authorities of any country whatever1 were to remain without the least knowledge as to what measure should be taken in case of a danger1 they would be neglecting their duty to their country4 ,i can then say that all the ,japanese officers1 both in the army and in the navy ought to study constantly the measures which ,japan should take in any emergency4 ,i believe it is the same in every country in ,europe4 ,this1 however1 does not belong to the sphere of practical politics4 ,it is the duty of statesmen and politicians to maintain a friendly relationship with all other countries as far as possible2 and1 consequently1 to keep absolute control over their armies and navies4 ,the army and navy ought to serve as instruments and machines in their hands1 and not they1 the civilians1 become the instruments of the army and navy4 ,you may be quite assured that in ,japan the army and navy are the machines of the statesmen1 and that the statesmen are not their machines4 ,can the fabrication of the so-called ,kodama report be demonstrated by a precise fact8 ,i shall not say whence the document emanated4 ,i believe it was composed by some one who does not lack a certain knowledge of ,japan1 but who has drawn false deductions from his knowledge of similar matters of other countries4 ,here is the best example4 ,the document speaks of the native contingents of ,formosa4 ,now there exist no such forces in ,formosa4 ,the garrisons of ,formosa are sent there from ,japan4 ,on the other hand1 in the colonies belonging to other countries there are generally troops formed of native contingents4 ,it is notably so in ,french colonies4 ,the author of the document in question1 reasoning from these facts1 thought that it ought to be the same with ,formosa4 ,has ,japan any fear of another alteration of the ,treaty of ,shimonoseki being imposed upon her8 ,the combined action of ,russia1 ,germany and ,france1 for imposing on ,japan an alteration of the ,treaty of ,shimonoseki appears to us to have been a great error on their parts4 ,i can positively say that there are many eminent persons in ,germany and in ,france who regret that action4 ,even in ,russia1 in certain quarters1 a belief seems to be entertained that1 but for the fault then committed1 the present misfortunes would not have happened4 ,as to ourselves1 we are not hypnotised by the errors then committed by those three powers4 ,we intend to remain friends of ,france1 of ,germany1 and even of ,russia1 in spite of the injustice we have suffered1 provided1 of course1 those powers wish to keep friendship4 ,we do not overlook the possibility of another combination which those powers may have an idea of forming against us1 and it behoves us to be watchful4 ,nevertheless1 to tell you my candid opinion1 it is scarcely possible that a similar intervention should be renewed4 ,i do not think ,france would push her docility so far as to follow ,germany a second time4 ,it would be necessary that ,germany should set the example1 aided by ,russia and ,france1 to come out to the ,far ,east1 especially because the ,russian fleets have ceased to exist4 ,i admit that the ,german fleet is strong1 but ,i do not believe it is powerful enough for one to say with certainty that it can easily crush ,japan4 ,at all events1 what pretext has ,germany to enter into war in the ,far ,east8 ,among other things also she would have to count on the opinion and sentiments of two countries at least1 ,i mean ,england and the ,united ,states4 ,i do not1 therefore1 consider a new combination possible4 ,japan cannot be intimidated by mere barking4 ,if1 however1 ,europe should choose to take such a course1 we should gravely reflect4 ,i do not believe your country for example would ever undertake an expedition against ,japan4 ,you have disapproved a small expedition to ,tonkin and we are a little more serious than the ,tonkinese4 ,france might no doubt1 if her honour demanded it1 judge it worth the pain to engage in a war with ,japan1 but under no other circumstance do ,i believe her disposed to take such a part4 ,japan will always continue to advance on the lines of occidental civilisation4 ,i do not see the reason which will prevent ,japan from acting in concert with ,france or ,germany1 provided of course these powers do not enter upon an action which may appear to her altogether unjust or iniquitous1 in which case she may not be able to march with them hand-in-hand4 ,would ,japan be offended by ,france introducing civilisation into ,indo-,china8 ,we are not at all opposed to your introducing ,western civilisation into your colonies4 ,on the contrary we shall be quite contented1 but in introducing your civilisation into your colonies you have to be prepared that it signifies an amelioration of the condition of the natives4 ,if it were so1 why should we make the least objection8 ,but in the hypothesis that the introduction of civilisation has in view neither amelioration of the condition of the natives nor progress of commerce and industry1 we might then conceive a sort of suspicion4 ,supposing that you augment the garrisons1 the fortifications1 the naval forces1 one would see in it nothing but an expansion of your military power and not an introduction of civilisation in the sense understood in ,france4 ,even in that case we would not raise objections1 unless it were done with a view to menace us2 but here ,i shall offer you a suggestion4 ,is it really worth your while to develop there incessantly your military and naval forces in order to oppose ,japan8 ,would not the enterprise be rather costly8 ,would it not be infinitely better to employ your energy in cultivating a good understanding between your country and ours instead of rivalling each other by crossing armaments8 #a ,l',europen1 ,august #e1 #aije4 ,,xii ,,the ,,australian ,,question#a ,,an ,,interview ,baron ,suyematsu gave a ,daily ,news representative his opinion of the ',spectre of ,japan' as conceived by many ,europeans4 ,the ,japanese ,baron1 a burly1 cheerful man1 laughed heartily as he dealt with the alarmist fears of the ',yellow ,peril4' ,our talk began over ,mr4 ,bruce ,smith's notice of motion in the ,australian ,parliament4 ',yes1 ,i have seen the proposal1' said ,baron ,suyematsu1 'and ,i am very glad an ,australian representative has taken up the question4 ,he proposes to amend the ,immigration ,restriction ,act so as to permit ,japanese to enter the ,commonwealth4 ,the reason given is that ,japan has placed herself in the front rank of nations1 has granted religious freedom1 has established consulates1 and become the honoured ally of ,great ,britain4 ,i understand that ,australian papers are saying there is no chance of the motion being carried4 ,i care not whether the motion is carried or not this time4 ,of one thing ,i am certain--it will be carried eventually4 ',what reason has ,australia for shutting out the ,japanese8' ',the dread of cheaper labour and of the ,yellow ,peril1 as it is called4 ,whatever there be in that1 it certainly does not apply to the ,japanese4 ,this is already being realised in ,australia1 as ,mr4 ,bruce ,smith's motion shows4 ,the ,japanese are making it clear that they have to be regarded by ,europeans in a different light from the rest of ,asiatics4 ,europeans consider themselves superior to all other races4 ,i do not blame them for thinking that1 for of modern civilisations theirs is certainly the best4 ,but with the exception of the ,british people1 ,europeans have not yet realised that modern ,japan is built up on ,european methods4 ,she has no more to do with the so-called ,yellow ,peril than ,america has4 ,she takes her place by the side of the other powers1 with very much the same civilisation as theirs4 ,england having been the first to recognise the new ,japan1 ,i am certain her colonies will soon follow4 ,that is why ,i feel it is only a question of time before ,australia excludes ,japan from its ,restriction ,act4' ,a ,,mistaken ,,idea ',yet ,australia has been talking freely enough about the ,japanese menace4' ',i know4 ,it is quite a mistaken idea of the ,australians that if ,japan triumphs in the present war she would be a menace to ,australia4 ,they say that if we win we shall be masters of the ,east and the paramount power in ,eastern waters4 ,what1 they ask1 is to become of ,australia1 if we take it into our heads to make a descent upon their shores8' ,baron ,suyematsu again laughed boisterously1 as one who can afford to make merry at an extravagant idea4 ',the whole thing is so utterly preposterous1' he went on1 'that it would not be worth considering were it not typical of what is being said all over ,europe4 ,our fight for national existence against ,russia has been misconstrued everywhere4 ,we seem to have filled the ,western world with all sorts of vague fears1 ,france is saying that we shall soon deprive her of ,indo-,china4 ,germany declares we have designs on ,kiao-chau4 ,the ,dutch say that ,java is no longer safe from our machinations4 ,never was such nonsense talked of a country which1 after all1 is but fighting to preserve its national existence4' ',and you say ,japan has no intention of arming the ,asiatics against the ,europeans8' ',the whole idea is absurd4 ,japan wishes to become one with the ,european nations4 ,i might even say she aspires to become a member of the ,european family4 ,it is a mistake to think that ,japan is going to form a ,pan-,asiatic ,association4 ,japan is the only country in the ,east that can rise on ,european lines4 ,her example could not be followed by other ,asiatic countries4 ,we are said to be the successors of the ,tartars1 at one time the disturbers of the world's peace4 ,nothing of the kind4 ,russia would be more fittingly the successor of the ,tartars4 ,the ,tartar races have been merged in the ,russian ,empire4 ',i am sure1' added ,baron ,suyematsu1 in a final word1 'that ,europe will soon find its fears about the spectre of ,japan are all ill-founded4 ,england1 ,i am glad to believe1 never had those fears1 and before long ,i hope to see her colonies in the same frame of mind4 ,i hope the ,commonwealth ,parliament will lead the way4' #a ,the ,daily ,news4 ,,xiii ,,the ,,anglo-,,japanese ,,alliance ,,and ,,america#a ,,an ,,interview ',our people1' said ,baron ,suyematsu1 'like the ,british people1 favour the renewal of the ,anglo-,japanese alliance4 ,they also favour its extension4 ,the nature of such extension demands careful thought1 of course4 ,i will not go into details1 but ,i will say that a more effectual alliance is desirable from the standpoints of both ,england and ,japan1 and ,i also think from the standpoint of ,america4 ,japan's interest is too obvious to require mention2 but ,england's interest1 in my opinion1 is equally real4 ,russia and ,england are in contact throughout ,asia and friction is constant4 ,england needs strengthening against ,russia and also against other powers active in the ,orient4 ,,monroe ,,doctrine ,,of ,,the ,,past ',america's relation to this problem is more difficult4 ,monroeism is thought to stand in the way4 ,i appreciate the delicacy of venturing to discuss the policy of a nation other than my own1 but ,i feel that ,americans are too sensible to resent an honest expression of opinion4 ,monroeism is not part of the constitution1 but the dictum of a statesman4 ,this dictum was made when our planet was very large1 before the development of steam and electricity4 ,the nations were isolated and insulated by distance and non-communication4 ',at that time ,american theory and practice relative to foreign affairs were in harmony4 ,america was actually self-contained1 but to-day the world is a tiny ball and ,america's flag and ,america's interests are on every sea4 ,america is sovereign in ,hawaii and the ,philippines1 and yet the ,american people cling to the idea of leaving distant matters alone4 ,nevertheless the state department is widely and intelligently active4 ,,american ,,interest ,,world-,,wide ',theoretically you do not participate1 actually your participation bears upon international events everywhere4 ,witness ,secretary ,hay's initiative respecting the ,jews1 as well as despatch after despatch aimed at ,russian aggression in ,manchuria4 ,the world's interests are becoming woven into a solid fabric4 ,great nations cannot escape the responsibility this involves4 ,american theory and practice1 in my judgment1 will go on diverging until the notion of non-participation will be merely an antiquated abstraction4 ',therefore ,i refuse to regard as hopeless the idea of an ,american-,anglo-,japanese alliance1 guaranteeing the peaceful development of the vast resources of the ,far ,east4 ,such an alliance exists essentially now--an alliance springing from cognate ideas1 wishes1 purposes and principles4 ,this is the best possible foundation for that formal compact which the evolution of industry and commerce seems to me unmistakably to foreshadow4' #a ,an extract from the ,chicago ,daily ,news4 ,,note ,,to ,,dialogue ,v4 ,since the bulk of the present work went to press1 ,i came across the following communication printed in the ,outlook4 ,i take the liberty of subjoining it herewith1 without any vain intention of flaunting the virtues of my countrymen4--,k4,s4 ,,japanese ,,character ,to the ,editor of the ,,outlook ,,sir1--,i have received during the last few weeks letters bearing such eloquent testimony to the nobility of ,japanese character that ,i am sending you some extracts in the hope of your publishing them4 ,the letters are from a friend of mine1 who with her husband has lived in ,yokohama for many years1 and can therefore speak with considerable authority4 ,the first extract is about the soldiers themselves-- ,mine you know is a busy life1 and ,i found work among the military hospitals and also among the brave wives of the soldiers so fascinating that from the ,new ,year till early ,june ,i let all social duties slip1 so much so that ,i had a nervous breakdown in ,june1 and since then have had to go very slow4 ,we had a splendid time at our seaside cottage at ,negishi this afternoon1 any amount of our dear brown soldiers round us4 ,there are five hundred quartered in that fishing village just now2 they were resting1 bathing1 boating1 washing their clothes or cooking their chow1 but never a rude word or an uncouth action2 no rowdyism1 but all as civil1 quiet1 good-tempered1 and alert as possible2 they are a marvel2 and my children go in and out among them and love them1 like ,i do6 ,i could kill white idiots when ,i hear them speak of those fine fellows as 'an inferior race4' ,ye gods6 'inferior' with never a camp follower to their name1 and rapine unknown even after the fiercest fight6 ,what ,european race can show a record like that8 ,i wish ,i could be home for six months and tell what the soldiers and their wives are--what miracles of cheerful patience and manly dignity the wounded men are as they lie hacked and maimed1 sometimes till almost all semblance of manhood is gone1 yet never a murmur does any one hear from their lips--no1 not if they are armless1 legless1 and even blind4 ,and you would not dare condole with them6 ,they say and believe they 'are greatly honoured4' ,when they embrace ,christianity1 they shame the brightest ,christian among us1 and ,i come away from visiting the hospitals feeling so small1 so humble1 yet at peace with all the world4 ,we have very1 very much to learn from this great people4 ,this second extract1 about a soldier's wife1 may come home to your readers even more3-- ,i allow two families a small sum of money every week4 ,one case is that of a young woman1 under twenty years of age1 who has a child and an aged parent to keep1 and her husband went to the war a few weeks ago1 leaving her penniless and on the verge of having another baby4 ,a few days ago1 when ,i went to take her weekly money1 she refused to take it1 saying she had got a little work to do and could now manage without any help1 as there were so many in much greater need of help than herself2 and she would not take the money1 though she was earning even less than ,i was allowing her4 ,that is what ,i call a real heroine4 ,how many at work amongst our poor last winter could give such evidence to character as that8--,i am1 sir1 yours1 etc4 ,,englishwoman4 ,,note ,,to ,,dialogue ,,viii4 ,before the preceding pages had been printed two events worth mentioning here took place4 ,one is the lamented death of ,sir ,henry ,irving4 ,the other is the public discussion which took place under the auspices of the ,london ,shakespeare ,league1 on the best method of presenting ,shakespeare's plays on the modern stage4 ,on the latter subject perhaps ,i may add a word4 ,while in ,japan the tendency is to introduce women-players into the company of male players1 and improvement of scenery is much sought after on ,european lines1 both of which are due to the occidental influence1 it is curious to notice that exactly reverse movements1 namely the dispensing with the female players and the returning back to the primitive simplicity of stage properties1 are advocated in ,england by competent persons with regard to the representation of ,shakespeare4 ,i extract below among others a passage of the speech of ,mr4 ,bernard ,shaw on the occasion of the discussion referred to above3-- ,when ,mr4 ,gilbert said that he would like to see the women's parts played by boys1 he was not uttering a jest4 ,in some of the performances at ,westminster ,school1 he had seen boys in women's parts much more effective than any professional actress4 ,if women players had been proposed to ,shakespeare1 he would not only have been scandalised1 but he would have pointed out that it was impossible to get the force from women that was obtained from boy actors4 ,,note ,,to ,,the ,,article ,,on ',,commercial ,,morality' ,in the ,october number of the ,anglo-,japanese ,gazette 7,london7 is published a criticism by ,mr4 ,curtis1 editor and proprietor of the ,kobe ,herald1 on 'the ridiculously sweeping assertions1' as he calls it1 made by ,mr4 ,longford in his article4 ,i subjoin herewith a passage which relates to ,mr4 ,longford's assertion that a 'cordon' is drawn by the ,japanese round the trading centres of ,yokohama and ,kobe1 and that foreign merchants are suffering under the 'thraldom'3-- ,well1 let me say that no sane1 fair-minded man who knows anything whatever of his subject would ever dream of accusing the whole ,japanese people of a lack of commercial morality4 ,all this talk about a cordon being drawn round the treaty ports is rubbish4 ,no such barrier exists1 save perhaps in the imagination of a few who cannot shake off the prejudices and disabilities of the past4 ,the idea sounds absurd to me1 knowing1 as ,i do know1 that all the go-ahead firms have been doing their utmost for some time past to open up connections in the principal cities4 ,mr4 ,longford seems to think that business is conducted in ,japan to-day just as it was twenty years ago4 ,he apparently does not know that some foreign houses have trusted clerks or travellers all over the country2 that some foreign business men run up to ,osaka and ,tokio daily2 and that business journeys to ,maidzuru--the great1 fortified naval base on the ,sea of ,japan--,nagoya ,sasebo1 ,hiroshima1 and other important centres1 are matters of everyday experience now4 ,in the same number of the same journal is also published an important article from the pen of ,sir ,tollemache ,sinclair1 ,bart41 concerning ,bishop ,awdry's letter published in the ,times4 ,sir ,tollemache strongly repudiates the accuracy of the bishop's charge of dishonesty and immorality against the ,japanese1 which ,sir ,tollemache calls the bishop's 'utterly erroneous accusations1' basing his contention upon an elaborate comparison of the statistical facts of ,japan and many other nations relating to several important subjects having bearing on the question4 ,among other things1 he writes3-- ,this clerical censor1 who endeavours to find a mote in his ,japanese brother's eye1 but does not see the beam in his ,english brother's eye1 cut the ground from under his own feet on the subject of the imaginary dishonesty of ,japanese traders1 for he tells us that a house was built for him by ,japanese tradesmen admirably without any contract1 and at a moderate expense2 and ,i should like to know1 if any ,englishman did the same thing in ,england1 whether he would not be unmercifully fleeced4 ,bishop ,awdry says he is a friend of the ,japanese1 but they will probably say to him1 after reading his letter1 ',save us from our friends1 as to our enemies we will take care of them ourselves4' ,and he winds up the article with these words3-- ,what excuse has he to offer for the gross and discreditable and unfounded insults which he has heaped on the heads of those under whose protection1 and in the enjoyment of whose hospitality1 he resides4444 ,in short1 it may justly be said of the letter written by this superfluous bishop1 'what is true is not new1 and what is new is not true4' ,,index ,adoption1 the custom of ,advance ,japan1 ,morris's ,age1 ways of counting ,ada1 the opera ,ainslie1 ,dr4 ,daniel1 his mission to ,nagasaki ,aizu1 ,lord of ,america's sympathy for ,japan ,american ,press1 views of war with ,russia given to the ,anglo-,french1 ,russo-,japanese entente ,anglo-,franco ,diplomacy in ,japan ,anglo-,japanese ,alliance and ,america1 an interview ,army1 the ,japanese -- state of1 after fighting ,army and ,navy1 organisation of ,arisugawa1 ,prince ,art1 ,japanese ,ashikaga ,aston1 ,dr4 ,australian ,question1 the ,bank of ,japan4 ',black ,room ,president1' ,books on ,japan ,bracken1 a talk about ,british ,east ,india ,company ,buddhist ,sects ,budha1 ,amida ,bukum ,bushido -- discourse on -- history of the term -- its literature ,bushiku ,bushi-,zoku ,calendar1 the ,japanese ,calumnies on ,japan ,card-playing ,cards1 description of ,character of the ,japanese ,chastity ,chauvinism1 fear of ,chess-playing in ,china -- in ,japan ,chiku-ba-sho ,china1 the difficulty of reform in -- the future of -- and ,russia1 secret treaty between ,chinese jurisprudence -- banking system ,chivalry1 ,japanese ,chokai1 ,gunboat ,chosiu -- troops ,christianity and ,japan ,chrysanthemums1 the culture of ,climate in ,japan ,code of honour1 the ,japanese ,commerce and industry of ,japan described ,commercial morality of the ,japanese described ,communication1 means of1 in ,japan ,corea ,currency1 ,japanese ,daidoji ,yiuzan ,daimio explained -- and ,samurai1 difference between ,danjiuro ,deaf and dumb1 the treatment of ,death1 the ,japanese conception of ,deutsche ,revue ,diet1 the ,difficulty of distinguishing ,r and ,l ,duels ,dwellings1 details of ,earrings1 remarks on ,eating fruit without peeling ,education in ,japan -- the system of -- common and military ,elementary ,lessons on ,budo ,england1 her political attitude4 ,england and ,america1 relations between1 with regard to ,japan ,english ,press views on ,japanese character -- sympathy for ,japan ,feeling and sentiment in ,japan ,feudal system in ,japan ,fiction1 ,japanese ,fighting1 modes of ,finance of the ,imperial ,government at the beginning of the ,great ,change ,financial and ,economical ,annual ,financial system1 progress of ,firearms1 the first use of1 in ,japan ,flowers1 art of arrangement of -- sale of ,food1 ,japanese ,forecast on the issue of the war ,france and her women -- relations with ,england ,french ,nationalists and ,socialists with regard to ,japan ,fushimi1 battle of ,garden1 a ,japanese1 described ,geishas1 their life ,german policy ',go1' the game of ,government1 the ,japanese -- described ',great ,change1' the ,greek and ,roman comedies -- customs ,greek inspiration ,griffis1 the ,rev4 ,w4,e4 ,hakodate ,hana-karuta ,hanawa ,hearn1 ,lafcadio -- life of -- remarks on ,hetaira ,hideyoshi ,hiros1 ,commandant -- ,mrs41 her letter to an ,english ,admiral ,hizen ,hogen ,monogatari ,house of ,representatives ,imperial ,army ,department -- ,government and military reform ,imperial ,japan ,imperial succession -- ,troops ,independent ,review ,indo-,china ,question ,inouy1 ,count -- a sketch of his life ,intermarriages1 ,japanese ,international ,conventions and ,japan ,irving1 ,sir ,henry1 and the ,japanese stage ,ito1 ,marquis -- an old speech by -- a sketch of his life ,izawa ,hanrioshi ,jane ,eyre and ,japan ,japan after the war -- ,emperor of1 his powers -- and ,america1 relations between -- and ,europe1 relations between -- and foreign capital -- and ,russia1 a priest's views on ,japan ,times ,japanese1 the age of -- as correspondents -- love tale1 a -- reform1 how brought about -- tariff -- ,vendetta ,jiujitsu1 discourse on -- and wrestling1 a comparison of -- the ,willow ,mind style ,kagoshima -- bombardment of ,kaibara ,yekken ,kataki-uchi ,katsura1 ,count ,kawakami ,kawas1 ,kido ,kikugoro ,kiusiu ,kioto ,kite flying ,kites ,koizumi ,yakumo ,kokkwa1 a monthly on ,art ,komura1 ,baron ,kumazawa ,banzan ,kuroda ,kuropatkin1 ,general ,kwanto1 plain of ,lady's opinion on ,japanese women1 ,a ,languages1 remarks on ,languages of ,china and ,japan ,lays of ,ancient ,rome ,le ,matin1 #ce4 ,lectures by ,yamaga ,soko ,legislation1 evolution of ,lines on hailstones ,little1 ,archibald ,local administration ,loti1 ,pierre ,macaulay ,maritana1 the opera ,marriage ceremonies1 description of ,massage ,matoni1 ,monsieur ,matrimony1 preliminary inquiries in respect to ,matsukata1 career of ,mikado's ,empire ,military organisation -- training -- for boys -- service1 hereditary1 abolished ,mongolian troops ,moon scenes ,morality of ,japan1 compared with other nations ,mothers and wives1 ,japanese ,music1 ,japanese ,nagasaki ,nakaodo1 a ,nakaye-toju ,names1 ,japanese ,napoleon ,national banks ,nationality1 abuse of ,japanese ,navigation in the ,japan ,sea ,navy1 the ,japanese -- its history ,nelson ,neutrality question1 the ',new ,commoners1' and the history of their emancipation ,night ftes in ,japan ,nobility1 the ,japanese -- methods of addressing ,nogi1 ,general1 and religion's meaning ,notions of pardon and forgiving ,nozu1 ,general ,occidental ,civilisation -- vulgarity ,okubo ,okuma1 ,count -- a sketch of the life of ,osaka ,oyama ,marshal ,paris -- a motor ride round -- by night ,peace prospects1 observations of ,physique1 the ,japanese ,political attitude of ,england ,political organism of ,japan ,port ,arthur ,press1 the1 and the war ,printing1 the art of ,pronunciation of ,japanese ,public baths ,questions and ,answers on ,bun and ,bu ,raffles1 ,sir ,stamford1 his appreciation of ,japan ,railways1 construction of ,red ,cross ,society ,religion in ,japan -- discussions on ,religion1 ,japanese meaning of ,restoration1 the ,japanese ,revenge1 ,japanese ,revolution1 discussion on the ,japanese ,risen ,sun1 the ,rodjestvensky1 ,admiral ,romance1 ,japanese ',ronin1' ,roosevelt1 ,president -- and jiujitsu -- his partiality towards ,japan ,russia1 ,emperor of -- and ,japan1 a priest's views on ,russian defeat1 the cause of ,russian views of the ,japanese ,russo-,japanese ,war1 outbreak of ,russophile papers ,sada-,yakko ,sadanji ,saga1 prince of ,saigo ,saionji1 a sketch of the life of ,samurai -- and ,daimio1 difference between -- and fighting -- explained -- discipline of the -- the soul of -- mother illustrated by a drama ,satcho ,satow1 ,sir ,e4 ,satsuma -- formation of the -- war -- the cause of ,scenery of ,japan ,sekigahara1 battle of ,self-,help1 ,smiles's ,semitic sympathy ,shido1 ,shikwan ,shimadai ,shimazu ,saburo ,shintoism1 its sensitiveness to pollution ,shipbuilding yards1 origin of ,shiwa ,yoshimasa ,shizoku1 the title ,shogun ,shogunate -- financial system of -- troops ,simonoseki1 treaty of ,singing insects ,sino-,japanese war ,sketches of some chief figures of actual ,japan ,snow scenes ,social morality1 discussion on ,social condition of ,japan ,socialism and ,japan1 discussion on ,sotsuibushi1 or ,police-master-general ,sports1 ,japanese ,stage1 the ,japanese ',standard of ,living1' an essay ,stoessel1 ,general ,summer resorts of foreigners ,sumoo ,superstition1 ,japanese4 ,swords ,taira ,takasago ,takasugi ,takeda ,shingen ,telegraphs in ,japan ,telephones in ,japan ,things ,japanese 7#ahih7 ,togo1 ,admiral ,tokio -- the history of -- the patois of ,tokugawa -- rgime -- ,feudatories under ,tolstoy1 ,count ,leo ,trans-,siberian ,railway ,trip to ,japan1 details concerning ,tsu-shima1 battle of ,uta-,karuta ,utamaro ,washington1 ,george ,weapons1 ,japanese