Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-23
STUDENT LIFE IN JAPAN
Scholars Not Serious, Because They Are Not
Required to Be so.
An Interesting Description by jap
nnc>e student at LeIand STAN
ford Junior University.



Japanese students not serious be-
cause they are not required to be so: they
are happy. because they have hope in the
future. hope in their studies. hope In the
blue Sky hope in the cherry blossoms
hope in everything. For has the Japanese
nation not made. and Is she not now max
ing progress such as the history OF the
past speaks nowhere of? Were not MANY
Of the ministers and high officers of the
government. many of the men in the great
Industries. and of the party leaders in ana
out Of parliament. of humble stock, once
poor students9 In the democratic Japan
OF today the man with wider knowledge
and better ability has always the chance
10 make himself prominent. and this the
student knows. The ambitious student in
Europe or America Is not more ambitious
than the Japanese student. The student
In Japan Is born with ambition and dies
with ambition. He Ia usually hard work
er and studies in perfect faith and with
Dido-ltke sincerity. Read an hundred
times over. and meaning will be itself
clear Is a popular proverb among the stu
dents. and 1t simply teaches patience and
study.
IL You Will go to Kanda or Hougo. the
students districts of Tokyo, at evening and
look up at the paper windows of the board
Ing houses. you Will see on the paper black
shadows, now STOPPING and now lifting.
This means that the owners OF these
j SHADOWS are SlUuylHk LOT tOihOilON
sons Know the existence of today, but
never think of tomorrow their proverb
SAYS This means that they must finish
up their studies today, not let them go
until tomorrow Progress is the idea of
every student, and nothing Is allowed 10
hinder that progress
The teacher Is regarded by the Japanese
student as a second parent, and the rela-
zion between them is very close and warm
Besides the class room work, the teacher
Is often consulted by the student about his
personal matters. To the question OF i'm
portance he answers with sympathy, and
10 the question of lighter nature with
smile The student goes to him without
scrupIe. and with all manner of questions.
Harmony in every way exists between
them
The student is generally well treated
, throughout the country-is even regarded
as belonging to privileged class. Every
government official, professor, man of in
dustry. and. in truth, every man belonging
TO the better class of society thinks 1t
an honorable thing to have two or three
students In his house, and to help them In
their education; very often he buys their
books pays their tuition, and gives them
board and room, not treating them as help
ers. but as his 'Shosei,' or students. l
know lawyer in Tokyo who has fourteen
students IN his house. helping each OF them
in every possible way. His house 1tself IS
very much like a boarding school, The
Students in Germany are much respected
and II IL said well treated, but surely not
50 well as in the flower land. In the
houses before the shops, the streets,
even IN the chop houses, the student gets
the best. This Is because the people are
Interested IN the makers Of the next gen.
Grafton. anxious to have the coming Japan
greater and brighter than the Japan of to-
day,
The German student uses a peculiar
lamp. called in this country the Student
lamp In Japan, not the lamp only, but
clothing SHOES: hats, pipes, almost every
thing used by the student. is different from
that used by other classes. One thing
which attracts attention of foreigners IS
the badge worn on the hat, each school
having its distinctive one. The students Of
the government schools are in uniform,
and The uniforms again differ among the
different schools
Curious things with the japanese stu
dents are the Ginshi. the recital of poems,
aud the Kenbu, the sword dance The
poems sung are usually the patriotic ones,
The dances performed the enthusiastic
ones In the Hobbies OF the schools very
often. while the students are waiting for
the next recitation. one Will chance TO sing
an excitable poem; whereupon the whole
mass joins in at the chorus, while others
OF them leap upon the benches and daf'ce
the Kenbu. They lean much toward IN
ieIlectual contests, and the annual debate
between the six great law schools of Tokyo
is most exciting thing in student circles.
In the hall Of one Of the law schools, amid
the applause of thousands, young CicerOS
aud Demosthenes with black hair and al
mond eyes deliver senator-like orations.
Usually these contests are presided ovei
by one of the prominent speakers of par
lament.
'.Th,. Japanese students are athletic; they
Understand what Juvenal meant by saying
Mems sana In corpore sano.' Their most
popular sports are wres ting, fencing, track
games and base ball; swimming is one of
the best of summer, and there are num-
Der Of swimming schools the bank Of
Ottawa But most popular of all Japanese
Student sports Is boat racing. Each col
iege academy has It's boat club. and IS
most enthusiastic in its hope for victory"