The word "Japan" means the "Land
of the Rising Sun," and it is certainly a good name for a country of the
Far East, the land of sunrise.
The flag of Japan, too, is painted with a rising sun which sheds its beams
on every hand, and this flag is now for ever famous, so great and wonderful
have been the victories in which it has been borne triumphant over Russian
arms.
In some ways the Japanese are fond of comparing themselves with their
English friends and allies. They point out that Japan is a cluster of
islands off the coast of Asia, as Britain is a cluster of islands off the
coast of Europe. They have proved themselves, like the English, brave and
clever on the sea, while their troops have fought as nobly as British
soldiers on the land. They are fond of calling themselves the "English of
the East," and say that their land is the "Britain of the Pacific."
The rise of Japan in becoming one of the Great Powers of the world has been
very sudden and wonderful. Fifty years ago Japan lay hidden from the world;
she forbade strangers to visit the country, and very little was known of
her people and her customs.
Her navy then consisted of a few wooden junks; to-day she has a fleet of
splendid ironclads, handled by men who know their duties as well as English
seamen. Her army consisted of troops armed with two swords and carrying
bows and arrows; to-day her troops are the admiration of the world, armed
with the most modern weapons, and, as foes, to be dreaded by the most
powerful nations.
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