The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-15

and sixty-nine high class schools or semin- aries for girls and the number of pupils in | the latter has increased from 3.1ss to Ill., 2lS since 1898. The number of young wom- en in the normal schools has increased from SIP to 2,s74 and in the technical schools from 1928 to 3.s57 during the same time. which shows the growth of popularity of higher education among women.
 And there has been ., similar increase all around. The number of students in the professional schools in Japan has advanced from s.741 to 14.574 since 1898. and In the technical schools from 14.744 to 34.sss.
 No country in the world, not even France or Germany, is so we'll supplied with tech nical institutions For the education of the army. for example, there are altogether nine including one for training musicians: another for cavalry. another for artillery. and so on. The navy has six of different grades for different purposes. including school of naval construction.
 There are now two universities maintained by the government-one at Tokio ana the other at Kioto. The emperor was present at the graduation exercises at the former the other day and presented the degrees In Tokio university last gear there were 3.4s5 students, and the faculty consists or 254 professors. of whom seventeed are for eisners. The Tokio university is com parativeiy new institution. having been es- tablished in 1888, but 1t already has . fac- ulty of ninety-three and s4i students.
 The number of students in attendance up- on the colleges and universities of Japan this year exceeds 35.00o. an increase from 1e.761 since 1897. There are schools for every speciality. for agriculture. for teleg- raph, for commerce and music and art, all sustained by the government. The appro- priations by parliament for educational pur- poses last year amounted to 42.5s41s4 yen yen being fifty cents in our money.
 The post office is . good index of the in- telligence of the people. Last year the post office department of Japan handled 3i3.- s56,370 letters and 4ss. sso,744 post cards; a total of 7o2.s47,117, or an average of fif- teen for every man. woman and child in the empire. The department also handled l50.553,76 newspapers and 17,s74.0h9 tell egrams were sent over the government lines.
 The letters sent to foreign countries were 6,7s7, ,0s0 and those received from foreign countries T,024,173.
 Missionary schools are now recognized on an equality with government schools. at least as many of them conform to the laws. which require regular reports. financical an otherwise, to the minister of education and regular inspections by tho officials of that department. It is also required that tho students have q certain amount of mill itary training and devote a certain number of hours each week to certain studies Formerly the teaching of religion and relig- ious exercises were prohibited fin all schools under the care of the government and that law Is still on the statute books, but 1t is a dead letter. The department of educa- tion never inquires into the subject. As long as the teachers of a missionary school comply with other requirements, they may give as much sectarian instruction and have as many religious exercises as they like.