OUR EASTERN ALLY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2328, 9 December 1914, Page 5

OUR EASTERN ALLY

COMMISSIONER HODDER ON • ; JAPAN. ,• Having been.sis years in Japan,' Commissioner H. 0; Hodder, of the Salvation Army, may claim to speak with a certain amount of authority respecting the sentiments of our .Ally in the East. He states that the Japanese people are enthusiastic in their loyalty to the British, and place the highest value on the treaty which exists between Japan and England. Nothing, he thinks, would cause greater disappointment among the Japanese than the cancelation or termination of that treaty, and that from-' many standpoints, not necessarily' personal.; Japan believes that she has a great commercial future 1 , and naturally favours the English open-door policy in trade. They are very proud to be the Ally'of Great Britain as she believes, with some show of .reason, that she is the counterpart of Britain, in the' East. They have a great respect for the principles of the English,_ having found _ that the word of the Englishman is his bond. A feeling existed that there was no place for foreigners in Japan, but he did not think'that feeling was more accentu-: ated_ there than in any,'other country. For instance, if an Englishman brought Japanese here to teach .him. the lacquer trade, he_ would T not, having learned the business, wish the Japanese to stay here and work in competition with him.' Sri it is /with the Jap; anese. They had to turn to the West to learn Western trades, and having learned them there was no further use for the _ Westerner^—they could run along without him. Still Japan of today is an open field for industrial enterprise. There was a time when the industries'of western people were confined to their allotted settlements in the various I big centres, but now they can go'where they like and live where! they like.

My opinion, of the Japanese after living amongst, them for six years," said the Commissioner, "is favourable. I found them to be honest, truthful, and sincere. In the sphere of industry they excel many nations. Th&y toil from morning till night on Email money contentedly. Their content is a thing that must strike everyone." ■ ; The Army ; had been established eighteen years in Japan, and had been steadily growing. During the past six years the number of adherents had doubled and in some parts had trebled. The work performed had given such satisfaction that the Government now gave thejn an annual grant. The Army worked on much the same lines as it did elsewhere. The spiritual work was oonduoted hy English officers, who were ■ Bent out on a life's term and had to learn the language. That did not apply to the heads. He had been there sii years, and had not learned the language, which was an exceedingly difficult one. ; When he spoke it was through tlie medium of an interpreter. The Armyhad established homes for men, women, and childron, and prisonmate homes, much on the lines of those set up in other countries. The services were conducted in Japanese, and huse crowds always attended their open-air meetings. He had often seen from thirty to forty converts on their knees crying out to God to save them_ from 'tlieir sins, and these were quite sincere'converts. Buddhism was practically defunct in Japan. It only existod now amongst the old people. Tiro Army was soundly established 111 Kioto, ■ Nagoya, Yokohama, and even m the extreme north of the Islands.