Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-18
KEEN FOR KNOWLEDGE
Japanese Persistent in Search
for Modern ideas.
IA NOTED OFFICIAL HERE
En- Route to London for Wireless Con-
ference.
NEPHEW STUDENT AT NORFOLK
Mastering Civil Engineering In .
Railway oface-Interviews Re-
garding Life at Home.
NEPHEW STUDENT Ar NORFOLK

tend the conference on wireless telegraphy
to be held In London. There is a large dele
cation from the japanese government-sev-
eral naval officers some civilian employees
of the navy department and representa-
tive of the ministry of foreign affairs. The
rest of the party went direct to New York.
| whence they win sail for London: but Mr.
Asano came to Washington partly to call
at the Japanese embassy and partly to see
| his nephew, Mr.. Kimmochi Okura. young
| man and graduate of the University Of
Toxic, who Is now q student Of practical
engineering in the shops of the Tidewater
railroad at Norfolk.
The japanese are among the most Inn
! portant delegates to the wireless confer
ence, having had great deal of practical
| experience with naval telegraphy during the
| Russo-Jap war. Their views on the SUBJ
| ject are awaited with great interest by the
other delegates to the convention, and they
viii have much to say in the settlement Of
| the International. questions involved In the
new method Of communication.
Japanese and the Wireless.
The Japanese constantly used the wire
| less method in communication between the
| vessels of the fleet, and it was found in a
combination of the wireless with code 1t was
perfectly safe from outside overlapping
! though it was possible for an outside sta
! up the message at times and render 1t un-
| Ineligible to friend and enemy alike.
There were some wireless stations among
4 the Russian shore posts, but they did not
Interfere much with the fleet, more trouble
being experienced with dispatch boat of
| the London Times under command of Capt.
/ Lionel James. which was fitted with wire
/ less apparatus and of which great things
| were expected IN the newspaper line. AS a
| matter of fact, the dispatch boat did not
/ do anything much except interfere with
| some of the Japanese messages. The cor
| respondents on the Lao Tung peninsula
had wireless stations for communicate
| ing with the ship. and the ship, after taking
| them off and getting their copy could run
| into Chinese port and deliver 1t easier
| than 1t could pick up wireless station to
| communicate with on the Chinese coast.
There were numerous conflicts, however.
| between the boats attempts at telegraphy
| and the messages between the vessels of
| the Japanese fleet.
| 1t Is with view to settling some of these
! questions that the wireless conference Is to
| be held in London. The same interference
! has been suffered in the transatlantic at
tempts of Marconi from .his big Pohldu
| station and the simultaneous workings of
| the stations on the continent 1t has been
! the dream of inventors ever since the wire
| less telegraph was practicable to tune
| the messages so that one station would not
interfere with the other. But this has never
| been accomplished. 1t is possible, however
| that there may be some suggestions of
value in this line develop at the conference
Students Studying Engineering.
Mr.. Okura was able to spend a little time
| in Washington with his uncle before going
back to the shops. He is only one Of two
Imperial University graduates who are
now working In the Norfolk shops The
other is Mr.. Keichi Kubota. Mr. Kubota
| is the son of Yuzurn Kubota, life member
| of the japanese house of peers by appoint
nf he and fnry
of the imperial department of education,
| corresponding to a cabinet portfolio in this
| country. Young Okura is the son of Brig.
Gen. HeZo Okura of Toxic who applied
! frequently for service at the front during
the Russo-Japanese war, but his valuable
services to the government at home caused
each request to be denied. young Kubota
Is twenty-five years old and young
Okura is twenty-four years of age. They
are acquainting themselves with technical
| railroad engineering with view TO return
ing to Japan-kubota a year hence and
Okura three years hence-for the purpose
| of entering into railroad construction with
| the opening up of such work in Korea
| Manchuria and other portions of the
Chinese empire where Japanese engineers
are finding large field demanding their
services.
Both English Scholars.
Messrs. Kubota and Okura are English
scholars They both graduated from the
| Imperial University after continuous edu-
canonal course OF eighteen years. and speak
pure English. Mr.. Okura has been in
| America since 1904 having worked before
| going to Norfolk in the engineering depart
! ments of the Missouri Pacific in the states
Of Illinois andr Arkansas. Mr.. kubota
| left Toxic nine months ago, on the very
| day of Miss Alice Roosevelt's arrival In
| that city with the Taft party. He worked
| with the Norfolk and Western railroad en-
| glreering corps in the state of West vir-
4 gil hQf Underwater
| road In Norfolk.
The two young students speak interest
ingly of the rapid Introduction Of occidental
ideas and customs throughout the Japanese
| empire, and say half seriously and half
jocularly that the western ideas of court
ship are also being introduced gradually in
| Japan. Up to this time and even now the
| young women and young men of Japan as
seciate but little together. They have sep
arate schools of all grades and separate col
leges and universities. When the young
i man arrives at the proper age for mar
| riage his parents select for him sweet
| heart A courtship of from two to three
years follows and then marriage occurs.
| The young man seldom has the opportunity
| of selecting his own bride, except by the
influence he may use upon his parents In
| their selection. Mr.. Kubota said: But
| your western ideas are being introduced;
! and the American manner of courtship is
being accepted to some extent
! MANY people wonder that we hear from
home SO often" said Mr.. Kubota. But 1t
only takes three weeks for letter to reach
| US from Toxic. and we receive on an aver
age of thirty letters month, though all
l of these ars not really letters. many being
post cards from our friends at home"
/ Japan's Educational System.
Mr.. Kubota explained the educational sys-
tenn in Japan by stating that 1t is divided
| into these classes-primary, middle. high
| school and university The primary course
is one of six years, and this Is compulsory
for the instiliing along with elementary
| branches the duty of the Japanese child to
the nation. Ninety-eight per cent OF the
children OF Japan take the primary course
OF six years. beginning school life at the
age OF seven. The middle schools In Japan
compare with the higher grammar and high
schools OF America, while the high schools
there compare with the colleges In America,
and tho universities there with the highest
/ institutions of learning In America and
England. Every Japanese boy, to fully COM
piete his education and become graduate
Of the Imperial University at Toxic. must
attend school continuously for eighteen
| years. This is, OF course impossible for
the masses, but 1t Ii the ambition OF every
Japanese parent to have his son and dau8n-
| fer Rrafa1afe frOu1 the higll6Y Institutions OF