THE WONDERFUL JAPANESE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9024, 3 September 1907, Page 2

THE WONDERFUL JAPANESE.

GENERAL BOOTH'S PREDICTIONS. (By F. A. M'KENZIE, in the ''Daily Mail.") General Booth, is back again in England after a reception in the Far East 6uch as no religious leader has had sine© the days when Francis Xavier made his triumphant progress. Received by the Emperor and honoured by men like Togo and Oyama and Okuma, he arrested aud dazzled the imagination of the Far Eastern peoples. He returns profoundly impressed with, the future before the yellow races. "They are like a rising, mighty, flowing tide," he said in conversation at his horns at Hadley Wood. " The West; is so busy that it has no time or inclination to consider what their new purpose means. China, now reasserting herself, hopes to see every yard of her territory taken by foreigners regained. All foreigners may yet be given notice to quit from there. "The Western world must look to Japan as a new and powerful competitor in trade and commerce. She is no longer trammelled by old ideas as to the degrading character of trade. It is only a question of time when her industries will be tutored with the most expert direction and packed with the finest machinery taken from all the nations of the world. I do not see what can prevent her from producing the finest articles at the cheapest possible price. ' " Take by way of illustration some of the machinery they are producing. A great industrial exhibition is now being held at Tokio. One of my staff saw there certain printing machinery, and he brought me word that the Japanese were displaying a rapid multi-colour rotary machine which was not only an improvement in speed on anything of this sort in the United States, but was produced at half the cost. "The progress of Japan will be obtained by peaceful methods," he continued. " The Japanese have not the meet distant desire for conflict. Many of their people died of a broken heart at the amount of blood and money spent in the war for snch small results as were obtained. They intend to retain what they have got, and to retain it bv fighting, if fighting is the only way!" A little later the general reverted to the same subject. " The Chinese and tlie Japanese will come in competition and take the Eastern markets right away," ho said. " Their notions are different from ours. The Englishman knows nothing about thrift. CHEAP LABOUR. The Japanese lives, and lives in more comfort than you might think, oa very little. A shilling a day is still good waees for the labourer. On first going through the streets you are impressed by 6igns of poverty, but when you inquire you find that none of the children start school in the morning without a good meal first, that there are no shoeless children in the schools, and that even the women of the poor have decent clothing. " ! General Booth insisted very emphatically on the point that the time for final judgment upo-n Japan has not yet come. " Here is a country in process of social and political transformation,' he said. "In every direction I saw evidences of this change. To judge Japan correctly you must bear this evolution process always in mind. They say that you must not show anything to fools and children until it is finished ; and fools and children will be lively to err in forming a judgment of the present condition of Japan, so they had better refrain from attempting the task. ■ " There are, "however, a great many things that I think are unsatisfactory. These, however, are many of them beinc* changed, and will be changed. Drink and gambling are the two demons waiting to pounce down upon this interesting nation. Already in the back streets the drink shops are spreading, although the habit has, 60 far, not touched the women. " I greatly admire the Japanese woman. She will be emancipated; we will have her saved; a great deal has been done to help ber, and a great deal more is going to be done. And yet her lot may not be so lacking as outsiders think. The woman who is a good housewife, the manager of her children, a cheering: companion to her husband, finds "a very large part of her life occupied. It does not follow that it ifi .so very preferable that she- should be a public character. It isn't so important tKrt she should be the front horse, or rather the front mare. The man must come first. He must go first to do the ficrhtiiiK;. But that is not what we are dealing with now. There are splendid women in Japan." To China General Booth looks with longing eyes. He addressed a party of OMne<=^ «tnderits in Tallin, and was delighted wi+h them. One Clrnese student open-d a vein and ex^rac+ed romp blood to write a letter to the General telling: him how he ba4 found in him a master and a tencner. The old leader's heart goes out for Japan. As our interview cnpiA to a c!o<se. he st*v>d close to me, telling: me O-f W WPRSllvTtiPfi. "OK J"r.nnt» lio exclaimed hand in air. T looked at +Tie white-haired, white-bearoVd. uniformed veteran. There wps a look in his eves of prayer, of entreaty, of leering. O^e realised in that glance something of the causes for his success.