Japan -- Foreign relations -- Korea; Korea; Korea -- Foreign relations -- Japan
At Vladivostok the American Consul pressed upon Captain Yagi a sum of
money sufficient to provide a more suitable supply of food during his
journey by rail to Russia. This kindly offer was respectfully declined
on the sentimental ground that, as an officer of Japan, he could not
honorably receive from a stranger a loan which it was altogether likely
he would never be able to repay. But when still further urged, although
he continued to decline the money, he begged only the Consul’s card,
“lest he might himself forget the name or die,” and so his Government
would be unable to acknowledge the kindness shown to one of its officers.
The card was given, sent to Tokyo, and—as the Captain supposed—the Consul
was “thanked officially.” The first officer, an Englishman, who had
been in the service of Japan on the _Aki Maru_, while it was used for
transporting troops to Manchuria and prisoners on its return, told this
equally significant story. His ship had brought to Japan as prisoner
the Russian officer second in command at the battle of Nan-san. Having
been wounded in the foot, the Russian was, after his capture, carried
for a long distance by Japanese soldiers, to whom, when they reached
the hospital tent, he offered a $20 gold-piece. But they all refused to
receive money from a wounded foe. “If it had been Russian soldiers,” said
this officer of his own countrymen, “they would not only have taken this
money but would have gone through my pockets besides.”
Before leaving home only two official invitations had been received,
namely, to lecture on Education before the teachers in the Tokyo branch
of the Imperial Educational Society; and to give a course in the Imperial
University of Kyoto, on a topic which it was afterward decided should
be the “Philosophy of Religion.” This university was to open in the
following autumn a Department of Philosophy (such a forward movement
having been delayed by the war with Russia). Almost immediately on our
arrival, a multitude of requests for courses of lectures and public
addresses came to the committee in charge of the arrangements, with
the result that the six months from October 1, 1906, to April 1, 1907,
were crowded full of interesting and enjoyable work. In the intervals
of work, however, there was opportunity left for much valuable social
intercourse and for meeting with men like Togo, Oyama, Noghi, and others
in military and business, as well as educational circles, whose names
and deeds are well known all over the civilized world. But it is not the
narrative of these six months which is before us at the present time,
although doubtless they had a somewhat important influence in securing
the opportunity and providing the preparation for the subsequent visit to
Korea.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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