The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-10-31
How Ii Has Prevailed Over
FeudaliSm
EDUCATION IS A FACTOR
A Japanese Writer Tells How the Hei-
min, OF Commons, Are Beat
ing the Knightly Samurai
in Peace and War


Ii is curious to note how the demo
cratic people Of America admire the
aristocratic element Of the Japanese
people. While they detest aristocracy
tbey seem 60 admire the samurai, Or
knights Of Japan, excessively at the ex-
pense Of the heimin (the eommonersl,
says Jihei Hashiguehi ia the New
York World
Il is not unreasonable that they
should form their ready made opinion
Of tile Japanese from the Information
the globe trotters give them The sa-
mural are deliberately painted by these
globe trotters in books and magazine
articles. while seldom il ever, are the
heimin even mentioned
The samurai were privileged 70 be
representative Of tie Japanese in times
past, vet even then the economic ia.
pan. the mainstay Of the nation was
dependent upon the helnin. There are
many cases in which the samurli Dor
rowed money from the heimin and
never returned it on the ground that i
was used for the country.
/ used 10 see the ledgers OF heimin
merchants In which are old accounts
Of loans made to the samuFai more
than fifty years ago which have never
been paid.
Since the mikado proclaimed IN 1870
the edict Of five articles, one Of which
states TINT the country shall be gov
erned hy the popular VIII, the heimin
awoke to see the light Of day. They
could not at first realize the benefit Of
suffrage and social equality Il was
only after men like Itagaki Taisuke
who organized the Liberal party Of Jaf
pan about thirty years ago in spite Of
the fact that lie was Of the samural
class. advocated democracy that the
heimin began to rise to the situation.
Popular education under a public
school system modelled on that Of Mas
sachusetts was introduced more thar
twenty years ago by that martyr, Nor
Arinori. then minister Of education
who had been ia this country as tn
first envoy ana who Is said TO hay
been converted to Christianity lie wa
assassinated by an anarchistic samr
raj because he lifted the curtain \
front or The Shinto temple at Use wit
his cane, which net was considered a
insult to the imperial ancestors
whom the temple was dedicated. Ed'
cation has promoted democracy an
made men out Of the heimin Since q
adoption Of constitutional governmer
the educated heimin have come to II
front in the national diet Today Il
majority OF members Of beth house
are heimin
Only in the executive department 3
we see a preponderanee Of the sam
raj. due to the fact that the samur
are By inherited characteristics III
be the officials upon fixed salary
But this preponderanee Of the sam
raj III the executive department WI
not last, for the rising generation
,, TIE heimin are fast acquiring =
, knowledge OF official duties. The be
min young men are far superior TO Il
samnrai in mathematics and eeonom
sciences. Mathematics, the essenti
part Of the studies OF mechanical, civ
and electrical engineering, Is in fav'
Of the heimin SO when civil servi'
examinations are instituted the heiml
have the advantage,
IN the army the most important fa
tors are the heimin. We need not 4
back to the Chinese war to hunt 4
evidence. The present war with Ru