Ri view of Reviews, t/ll/lS. 



LEADING ARTICLES. 



889 



paring notes, ti-ying to ascertain tlie prin- 

 ciples tliat shall guide international inter- 

 0011 rso, while on all sides the material forces 

 force ahead, for the most part selfish and 

 morally captainless. Frictions arising out 

 of comnuM-cial and industrial rivalries, as 

 well as from problems of immigration and 

 colonisation, call pathetically for just and 

 peaceable solution, but the nations have not 

 jet made up their mindis what moral course 

 to pursue, and menacing armaments threaten 

 a resort to primitivf^ methods of redress by 

 means of tooth and fhuv. If nations, iii 

 making treaties, could but include agree- 

 ments as to what are the fundamental prin- 

 ciples of justice and morality, as well as 

 technical exactitudes in reference to material 

 interests, what hope the world would liave 

 of a more peaceful and noble future! 



So long as the habit of permitting one 

 kind of morality for one people and 

 another for another is continued, there 

 will be trouble, even unto consequences 

 most serious. This is the secret of all 

 important international problems to- 

 day. 



Until nations agree upon the fuadamentaLs 

 of moralitij and justice, there can be no 

 permanently harmonious intercorrse betwe; n 

 tliem. When the witnesses are called, the 

 questions asked always bear on these tw(^ 

 essentials, " How did they treat you when 

 they had you at their merc.v?" ■" Did the.v 

 treat you morally and justly y" if the 

 answer is " i/es," then there is welcome to 

 such a people. If the answer be " no," then 

 there is one more argument in favour ot 

 race-prejudice and fear. Once establish he- 

 tween nations a common idea} of iiiorulitfi 

 and justice, and enforce it upon each rising 

 generation, and the mistrust that makes 

 international harnrony impossible will disaj)- 

 pear. 



j.APANESE FOR BIUZIL. 



Count Okuma writes in the Jtipiiiicsr 

 Magazine on the ve.xecl question of im- 

 migration. Dealnig with the " )-el low- 

 peril boge}'," he says : — 



All we can say is that we are a peaceful 

 pe(jple, desiring to offend none, and that the 

 one thing we detest motst is race-prejudice. 

 .Japan holds only the most honourable ideals, 

 and her main purpose is to live and act 

 Avorth.v of them. AVe would have all nations 

 belieA-e this of us, and are ready to have 

 it iiointed on.t when we fail. Japan is earn- 

 estlj' desirous that her immigrants shall be a 

 benefit to the eountr.v receivin.g them. I 

 think it cannot be denied that the Japanese 

 have done much for the countries wlierc' they 

 have gone. No one who has visited Califor- 

 nia and seen what the Japanese have done 

 for the agricultural development of that 

 State but will be ready to admit the gr«'at 

 benefit thev have been there. But if, afti r 



inviting us and receiving the benefit of our 

 labour, the people of the Pacific coast now 

 want to get rid of us, there is nothing to be 

 done but to find new friends elsewhere. 

 Happily in South America there is not that 

 spirit of race-prejudice that now unfortun- 

 atel.v disturbs the people of the Pacific coast 

 of North America, and con.sequently it is 

 but wise for Japan to turn her face toward 

 the Srouth. There the land is spacious, 

 sparsely settled, and there is plenty of room 

 for an industrious people like the Japanese. 

 In Brazil alone we have a greater field than 

 any country of Europe except Russia, and 

 almost as large as the United States. 



Brazil is actually 244,000 square miles 

 larger than Australia, is well watered, 

 has immense forests and mineral de- 

 l>osits. Count Okuma goes on to say : 



Ali'<'ady our inunigration companies in 

 Japan are making preparations for sending 

 large contingenta into Brazil, and we are 

 a.s.sured that in that oountxy our people will 

 find an) pie opportunity to make themselves 

 useful and to earn a comfortable competence. 

 The Government of Brazil has shown Japan 

 every respect, and provided every facility 

 for giving our immigrants a chance to see 

 what they can do. Large districts of land 

 have been lea.sed to us for colonisation in one 

 of the most fertile regions of the country ; 

 and our people can .settle and make homes 

 without fear of molestation. 



.ABOLISHING THE DRAGON IN CHINA. 



In the open Court there is an article 

 on the Dragon of China, in which the 

 writer, Mr. Churchill Ripley, says that 

 nothing could be more indicative of the 

 genuine intention of the revolutionists in 

 China to bring about new conditions 

 than the fact that they have abolished 

 the dragon from their flag. The dragon 

 has adorned the standards and banners 

 of the Chinese from the earliest times. 

 It represents not only the present 

 dynasty, but the throne of China, and 

 that from the most remote period. Now 

 the revolutionists are evidently deter- 

 mined to create a new China by subdu- 

 ing the "dragon force," or imperialism 

 itself. How significant has been the 

 dragon as an emblem is easily realised 

 by anyone acquainted with the arts of 

 China. But the dragons that adorn art 

 objects differ. .Scune have three claws, 

 some four, and others five on each of 

 their fore feet. The dragon wnth five 

 claws is used only for the Emperor and 

 those to wjiom he gives the right to use 

 it. 



