Page:The National Geographic Magazine Vol 16 1905.djvu/255

Rh The conduct of the first American envoy to Japan, as well as those who followed him, was singularly marked with truth and kindness, and it is gratifying, indeed, to know that the annals of the five decades of international relations between Japan and the United States are clean records of friendliness and cordiality. In this connection it is pertinent to quote from the writer of a little volume called "Agitated Japan," who commenced his work with the following words:

"Without the least taint of flattery it may be safely asserted that Japan is indebted to no other country so much as to the United States. This indebtedness began on her first trial of that international intercourse which she has kept up ever since, and will doubtlessly continue as long as the world shall last. It is an undeniable fact that the honor of having opened the hitherto secluded Empire of Japan to foreign intercourse, commercial and otherwise, rests with the United States."

On July 14, 1901, a monument was erected in memory of our revered Commodore Perry at the spot where he held his first conference with the Japanese authorities. It bears an inscription composed by Marquis Ito, the most prominent of our living statesmen, recognizing in appropriate terms the services of that gallant sailor and shrewd diplomatist. On the occasion of the dedication of the monument the chairman of the committee in charge said in his address: "It was at this spot that the modern civilization of our Empire had its beginning. . . . When Commodore Perry set his foot on this shore the Japanese Empire was enshrouded in the fogs of a seclusion of nearly three hundred years. This monument is erected to preserve in stone our determination never to forget the friendship of the United States that sent Commodore Perry to induce us in a peaceful way to have intercourse with foreign powers."

Such is the memory that the Japanese of today cherish. Indeed, the more we study the magnitude of the transformation that Japan has undergone since the advent of Perry, the higher becomes our appreciation of his work and the part played by the United States in regard to Japan. If the country had been forced open by any means but peaceful, nobody knows where that little Empire would stand today. Were it not for the policy the United States patiently and firmly pursued toward the upbuild- ing of new Japan, it is impossible to realize what progress she would have made. I am happy to acknowledge frankly our sense of indebtedness to you, and I am proud to say that your kind assistance was not in vain. In fact, these remarks might not have been quite pertinent to the subject chosen for the speech of this evening, but this very day being the fiftieth anniversary of such a memorable event in the history of the international relations of the two countries, it would not have been proper had I not paid my feeble tribute to the noble deeds of your countrymen.

The subject of my speech for this evening is "A chapter from the Japanese history," and the chapter I refer to is the one which deals with the history of the restoration consummated in the year 1868. It is impossible, however, to treat the subject thoroughly and comprehensively within the limit of time which, in my judgment, would be endurable to my audience. I shall therefore confine what I have to say to the main course of events which resulted in the so-called "restoration."

The term "restoration" in the modern history of Japan means the reinstating of the political powers to the de jure