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The Review of Reviews. 



school curriculum, and sonic hours each week ;ire 

 devoted solely to this purpose for eit.h class. " The 

 essential point of moral teaching should be to nourish 

 and develop the virtuous instincts of the children, and 

 to lead them to the actual practice of morality/' runs 

 an ordinance relating to education. 



CITIZENS OBLIGED TO BE OFFICIALS. 



In the local government of the country, also, 

 patriotism is taught and the duties of citizenship 

 encouraged. 



The citizens of Japanese cities, towns, or villages are 

 obliged to fill any honorary ofiRce to which they may 

 be elected or appointed. In this way there is no possi- 

 biHty of the best citizens keeping out of politics, a 

 state of things which is so very prejudicial in America. 

 The punishment of declining public or official service 

 is not a mere fine, such as, for instance, that imposed 

 under certain conditions at the election of sheriffs in 

 the City of London— it is a very serious matter indeed. 

 Those who decline to serve are " subjected to suspen- 

 sion of citizenship for from three to six years, together 

 with an additional levy, during the same period, of 

 ' from one-eighth to one-fourth more of their ordinary 

 shire of contribution to the city expenditure.'' 



The Vvar with Russia naturally atTorded many 

 c\ imples of the practical patriotism of Japan. The 

 ca'ls for the reserve were responded to without any 

 defection, the men left their work cheerfully and went 

 to the depots, encouraged by the approval of their 

 families. The spirit of self-sacrifice was universal, the 

 highest and lowest classes alike shouldered their 

 national responsibilities, imperial princes fought in the 

 fieid with their countrymen of all classes. When a 

 soldier or sailor was sent to the front, his family was 

 taken care of by his neighbours or by his village com- 

 munity. Landlords made it a rule not to collect the 

 real from his family, and doctors volunteered to treat 

 the sick in his family without charge. 



SKLF-SACRIFICE NOT SELF-ADVANCEMENT. 



The soldiers and sailors of Japan have given example 

 after example of patriotism and de\otion to their 

 country. That there is no thoughtless determination 

 to die, however, such as is demonstrated by uneducated 

 fanatics, is shown by the address given by Lieutenant- 

 Commander Yuasa to his men before leading an attack. 

 It contains the essence of the practical devotion and 

 patriotism of the Japanese soldiers and sailors. He 

 said : " Let every man set aside all thought of making 

 a name for himself, but let us all work together for 

 the attainment of our object. ... It is a mistaken 

 idea of valour to court death unnecessarily. Death 

 is not our object, but sucrcss. and we die in \ain if we 

 do not attain success." 



Self-sacrifice for the good of the Stale, not hope 

 for sclf-advanccmcnt, is the dominant note of the 

 nation. This sentiment has been fostered by every 

 fliical conviction of the race, especially by Bushidn 

 .i.iil ancestor worship. Biisliido. besides establishing 

 a (Jclicatc code of honour, had one point in its teaching 



for which no sacrifice was held too dear, no life too 

 precious. This was the duty of loyalty, which was the 

 keystone of the arch of feudal virtues. As Bushidu 

 holds that the interests of the family and of its members 

 are one and the same, so it should be with the entire 

 nation. There should be no interests separately for 

 the subjects or the rulers; all should work for the 

 whole, and merge his or her personal interests in those 

 of the whole nation. Thus has Bushido made of the 

 Japanese the most patriotic race in the world. 



ANCESTOR WORSHIP. 



Ancestor worship accentuates this point of loyalty, 

 and is an influence still more far-reaching and funda- 

 mental. 



It may be said without exaggeration that every 

 Japanese man, every Japanese woman, and every 

 Japanese child is an ancestor worshipper. This applies 

 to the Christian convert equally with the Buddhist 

 devotee. 



The effect upon the living of their duties to the 

 dead .and of their duties to future generations is 

 enormous. All through their life the Japanese have 

 the responsibility not only of living up to the reputation 

 of their own ancestors, but of being good ancestors 

 in their turn. In Japan death begins responsibilities 

 on this earth rather than diminishing and ending them. 

 The action of the Japanese Emperor in ennobling 

 worthy subjects or granting them other murks of 

 honour on their death-bed or after death intensifies 

 this idea. 



RELIGIOI'S TOLERANCE. 



With all this intensitv of belief in worship of 

 ancestors, one of the striking features of Japan is the 

 fact that there exists absolute religious freedom and 

 the fullest tolerance among religions. Not only is 

 there no State Church, but from the national stand- 

 point there is an absolute equality where the various 

 religions are concerned. The Japanese consider that 

 a State Church does not tend towards the advancement 

 or the well-being of the nation. The idea is too 

 narrow for a people which finds in every religion, in 

 every creed, some elements of the same fundamental 

 truth. From each they draw something which helps 

 them towards that right living which they regard 

 as one of the essential duties of the patriotic inili\idual, 

 of the community, and of the nation. 



To sum up, then, in religious matters generally, 

 the Western World may learn from Japan the dangers 

 of a Slate Church, the elimination of politics from 

 religion, tolerance, and a desire to seek out and help 

 on the best in all creeds, and an insistence on practical 

 and philosophical religion. 



THE INSPIRATION OF NATIRE. 



\\'ithout doubt, however, the inspiration of nature 

 has had as gre.'t an effect upon this national develop- 

 ment of patriotism as any system of beliefs handed 

 down by tradition and studied in books. For it would 

 1h' difficult to exaggerate the infiucnce of climate and 



