| NOTA |
(★)(´The Life of Marquis Okuma´ tells the story of a Japanese statesman who was a boy of 15 at the time of Commodore Perry´s first surprise visit to the Mikado´s Empire, and who was destined to play important parts in various fields of public life. In his twenties Okuma began to show extraordinary powers of his quality for the public service in local politics. When in 1868 a New Government was formed on the fall of the old Tokugawa regime he was admitted to the Foreign Office as one of the Under-Secretaries. And thus at the age of 30 Okuma embarked upon a public career that led to a long, brilliant record of achievements. Twice Prime Minister, he occupied many posts in the Cabinet. An ardent advocate of Government for and with the people, his most valuable, lasting work was to have formed a political party in 1882, corresponding in origin and effect to Thomas Jefferson´s Democratic Party ; and to have founded Waseda University in the same year, an institution of higher learning entirely independent of Government aid. Prof. Edmund Blunden in a letter [July 14, 1948, British Embassy, Tokyo] to the author, writes : ´I have been enjoying and admiring your biography of Marquis Okuma ; I am sorry that I did not know it already, but books published here in 1940 hadly got to Oxford where I then was. It is a distinguished performance, and not only in its direct treatment of Okuma but in all that you give us about the earlier history of Japan ; besides, you filled in the interstices with so good things, comparisons and anecdotes [the General Booth story is very neat]. I was not surprised to find our friend Gibbon looking in ; ...´ ) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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