Volume II Part 16 (1/2)
”Yes”
”I think they were much better men than the japanese of to-day They seemed to me like the ideals of their own Gods realized They seeood and noble”
”And do you still think as well of the The eneration, the more I admire the ner, also observed their defects”
”What defects?”
”Such weaknesses or faults as foreigners would observe”
”No According as a man is more or less perfectly adapted to the society to which he belongs, so is he to be judged as a citizen and as a e a man by the standards of a society totally different to his oould not be just”
”That is true”
”Well, judged by that standard, the old-fashi+oned japanese were perfect men They represented fully all the virtues of their society And that society was morally better than ours”
”In what respect?”
”In kindness, in benevolence, in generosity, in courtesy, in heroism, in self-sacrifice, in simple faith, in loyalty, in self-control,--in the capacity to be contented with a little,--in filial piety”
”But would those qualities you admire in the old japanese suffice for success in Western life--practical success?”
”Why, no”
”The qualities required for practical success in a Western country are just those qualities which the old japanese did not possess, are they not?”
”I am sorry to say they are”
”And the old japanese society cultivated those qualities of unselfishness and courtesy and benevolence which you admire at the sacrifice of the individual But Western society cultivates the individual by a competition inand of acting?”
”Yes”
”But in order that japannations, she _must_ adopt the industrial and financial methods of the West Her future depends upon industry and commerce; and these cannot be developed if we continue to follow our ancient morals and manners”
”Why?”
”Not to be able to compete with the West means ruin; yet in order to compete with the West, we must follow the methods of the West,--and these are contrary to the old morality”
”Perhaps--”
”I do not think there is any 'perhaps' To do any business on a large scale, we must not be checked by the idea that we should never take any advantage if another be injured by it Those who are checked by e, where no check is placed upon competition, le for existence is that the strong and clever succeed, and the weak and foolish fail But the old morality condemned such competition”