Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-10-30
TALKED ABOUT JAPAN.
Former OAC President Did-Hon.
III. B. Miller.

Hon. H. B. Miller, formerly
president of the Oregon Agricul-
tural College and known
throughout the state of Oregon,
spoke at the U. of o. few days
ago on the political conditions OF
Japan at the present time. He
said in part:
The atmosphere of Japan and
their civilization is entirely diff
ferent from our usual conception
and from our own civilization.
In our country we have extreme
individualism and the difference
between our civilization and the
Japanese is in the individual sys-
tenn and the group organization
of thought. In Japan there is
no suggestion of individualism.
There is there only one individ-
ual, the emperor, and the jap
anese subject places all his life on
this standpoint, He is not a
single person, but part of his
family, never thinking ofpersonal
obligations, but always of his
family. Sometimes an Ameri-
can thinks he has a strong friend
among the Japanese aud then
without word he withdraws be-
cause some of the community
has dislike for the foreigner.
SIT is very hard for US to un-
derstand this group idea, and the
Japanese do not understand our
individualistic one at all.' Every
thing, every action that origi-
mates in the head of the family,
is for the welfare of his house
hold, for his village, for his
country, but not for himself.
"If you ask japanese today
what his desires are he will an
swer: sIt is to serve my coun-
try" Suppose every man In
this country thought this way of
his family and not. for the welfare
of himself. Suppose everv man
thought this way of his town
suppose every man had a similar
permeating thought for his coun-
try, what a field would be open
ed for the improvement of the
welfare OF the country!
'When a young man becomes
of a manageable age the family
takes the matter up and looks
over the village for a suitable
maid. The more definite ar
rangements are made through
third person, the Young people
not knowing anything about it,
believing it to be for the good OF
the village. In the village the
family is the unit, all its inhabi-
tants making the village the
basic group, so that the individ-
ual's conduct is ruled by the
community. Though today the
government has introduced many
new things, the basic machinery
is laid upon clan organization.
81 myself have the greatest
respect for this organiz alton. l
believe in that organization
lies the best power of the
welfare Of civilization, for our
own nation that will preserve our
integrity in the future.
"When any man becomes out
of harmony with the group-iu-
habitants of the village-he COM
mits suicide. Thus many stud
ents jumped into the volcanoes
this summer. In these cases
perhaps some of the villages had
sent them to one of the univer-
sites or some private person had
done so for the good of the viii
lage. The student failed to pass
the examination, thus in his own
eyes making himself a disgrace
not worthy of lite. Many such
results of the group system are
absolutely vicious, but there are
many of great virtue.
"The great industries of Japan
are controlled by the government
SO that when any need is seen it
is at once supplied. Thus we
see the greatest of concentration
of her railroads and banking sys-