The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-SupremacyStoddard, Lothrop
History
The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy
Stoddard, Lothrop
Caucasian race; Race relations
The longing to hack a path to greatness by the samurai sword lurks ever in
the back of Japanese minds. The library of Nippon's chauvinist literature
is large and increasing. A good example of the earlier productions is
Satori Kato's brochure entitled "Mastery of the Pacific," published in
1909. Herein the author announces confidently: "In the event of war Japan
could, as if aided by a magician's wand, overrun the Pacific with fleets
manned by men who have made Nelson their model and transported to the
armadas of the Far East the spirit that was victorious at Trafalgar.
Whether Japan avows it or not, her persistent aim is to gain the mastery
of the Pacific. Although peace seems to prevail over the world at present,
no one can tell how soon the nations may be engaged in war. It does not
need the English alliance to secure success for Japan. That alliance may
be dissolved at any moment, but Japan will suffer no defeat. Her victory
will be won by her men, not by armor-plates--things weak by
comparison."[31]
The late war has of course greatly stimulated these bellicose emotions.
Viewing their own increased power and the debilitation of the white world,
Japanese jingoes glimpse prospects of glorious fishing in troubled
waters. The "world-dominion" note is stressed more often than of yore. For
instance, in the summer of 1919 the Tokio _Hochi_, Count Okuma's organ,
prophesied exultantly: "That age in which the Anglo-Japanese alliance was
the pivot and American-Japanese co-operation an essential factor of
Japanese diplomacy is gone. In future we must not look eastward for
friendship but westward. Let the Bolsheviki of Russia be put down and the
more peaceful party established in power. In them Japan will find a strong
ally. By marching then westward to the Balkans, to Germany, to France, and
Italy, the greater part of the world may be brought under our sway. The
tyranny of the Anglo-Saxons at the Peace Conference is such that it has
angered both gods and men. Some may abjectly follow them in consideration
of their petty interests, but things will ultimately settle down as has
just been indicated."[32]
Still more striking are the following citations from a Japanese
imperialist pronouncement written in the autumn of 1916:
"Fifty millions of our race wherewith to conquer and possess the earth! It
is indeed a glorious problem!... To begin with, we now have China; China
is our steed! Far shall we ride upon her! Even as Rome rode Latium to
conquer Italy, and Italy to conquer the Mediterranean; even as Napoleon
rode Italy and the Rhenish States to conquer Germany, and Germany to
conquer Europe; even as England to-day rides her colonies and her
so-called 'allies' to conquer her robust rival, Germany--even so shall we
ride China. So becomes our 50,000,000 race 500,000,000 strong; so grow our
paltry hundreds of millions of gold into billions!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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