CONSCIENCE AND COURAGE.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2910, 24 October 1916, Page 7

CONSCIENCE AND COURAGE.

A JAPANESE ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS.

After noting-that the Japanese have received the most terrible shook on the sad happening of tho Irish' rebellion, a, Japanese officer, in a letter from Tokio to tho Hong-Kong "DaiJjr Express," deals with the "conscientious objector" He writes:—

In my country Japanese can understand to some of the extents'.the rebellion of Irish, as the traitor-men have not tho brains education to know what is bettor. But the: objector to conscience, our thoughts cannot have comprehensions to understand him. To oaf England bread, to live upon the land-fat, protected by honourable English soldier and sailor, to sleep quiet' in-the bed; and ijthon to bo too much coward to fight the country battle! In old Japan no cowards were to live. If honourable fathers 1 had produce the coward eon, only is one thing to bo did. Both must die, the son_ by honourable father's hand, and father by honourable hara-skiri. Samurai prays to honourable wax gods Hachimau and Bishamoh, to die braTO and well; ho pray to honourable goddess Kwannon to mercies after death. Whon honourable father has killed himself and coward son, father come to heaven.* But coward son? It is.written for cowards: "None sliall speak upon them, touch them, nor listen to their souls in honourable torment. The gods look them out from' heaven, one thousand whole years." The Samurai of old Japan was never coward. Samurai lived and was deaded for honour of clan and clan ancestors. He was nover tho coward, nevor • the betrayer of honour. Forty years is flied away from thorn. Still are Samurai brave man just as before. AH honourable clan is now joined together to~one biggest clan called Japan.; but creeds remain same. Samurai, soldier policeman, sailors, and lawyer havo tho onlyone thought—'To live for Japan, and when time has arrive, to kill or be deaded for Japan/ j

"Many baddißh men make inhabitations upon, this world. . Kaiser has rank of tno most bad; but even Kaiser has no objection to conscience. People have say upon Kaiser that he is too nmoh, bad to haje conscience at all, but that is best than to have-the objecting conscience. Quite itrue, England is the most brave country, England Navy is talker to whole world, Kitchener Army is most wonderful but England has homes for the objectors to conscience. When honourable English nation have made soldier or deportation •upon, the objectors, theri ! dirt-stains upon English nation character are not any more. ' Men who bring to English, nation tho.dirt-stain are not only coward, but tho jnost untruthful liar."