The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-18

Back of Japan's astonishing progress
along material lines lies her amazing
educational development Fifty years
ago but few Of her people could read
or write; now considerably less than 10
per cent would be cIassed as illiterate.
1t is difficult to conceive o.. such a
transformation taking place almost
within a generation. The prompt adop-.
ton of western methods and the rapid
assimilation Of western ideas gives in
dubitable proof Of the pre-existence Of
a vital national germ. a pebble dropped
into soil. however rich, and cultivated
no matter how carefully, gives back no
response to the rays of the gpringtime
sun. Only the seed which has life
within can be awakened and developed
by light and warmth and care. japan
had within her the vital spark, and
when the winter of her isolation was
passed, her latent energies burst forth
into strong and sturdy growth
Her sons. ambitious to know the
world, scattered themselves throughout
Europe and America, and, having. laden
themselves with new ideas, returned
like bees to the hive. In this way Japan
constantly gained from every quarter
and her educational system is modelled
after the best that the ages have pro-
duced. She has her primary schools for
boys aud girls, attendance being com
pulsory, and below. these in many
places there are kindergarten schools.
The middle schools in which the boys
and girls are separated take UP the
course of instruction where the primary
schools leave off.
Then follow the universities. of
a~F,
troll of the government. Besides these
there are in the cities institutions
known as higher. commercial schools,
which combine general instruction with
such special studies as are taught in
our commercial colleges. There are
also a number of normal schools for the
training of teachers. In addition to the
schools and colleges established and
conducted by the government, there are
a number founded by individuals and
societies. The largest of these is Wa
soda college, founded and still main
tanned by Count Okuma, the leader of
the progressive party. 1t Is adjoining
the home of the count and is built upon
lana which ne donated. Dr. HatOyama,
at one time speaker of the national
house of representatives, who holds a
degree from Yale college, is the official
heal of this institution; in all Of its
departments 1t has some 5000 students
1 have already referred in former
article to the keio Gijuku, the college
founded by Mr.. FukuZawa. The attend
ance here is not so large as at Waseda,
but the institution has had an illus
trious career and exerts a wide influ-
ence upon the country. I visited both
of these colleges and never addressed
more attentive or responsive audiences
As English is taught in all the middle
schools, colleges and universities, the
students are able to follow a speech in
that language without an interpreter.
The state university at Toxic includes
six departments, law. medicine and en-
gfnsering courses being provided. as
well as courses in literature, science
and agriculture. The total number of
students enrolled at this university is
about $500. The National university at
Kyoto has three faculties-law, medi-
cine and scien> e-the last named in
GLIDING engineering; the attendance at
this university is between 600 and ZOO
In the states OF Choshu and Satsuma
there are higher schools supported by
funds given by former feudaI lords Of
those states.
The education Of girls is not neglect
ed although as a rule the girls do not
go as lar in their studies as the boys
There are a number of normal schools
and seventy-nine high schools for girls
besides the Peel esses' school and sew
eral private institutions. The Woman's
university OF Toxic. situated near Wa
seda college and under the patronage of
Count Okuma, has had phenomenal
career. EstsbS ned only five years ago,
X les 9GB az enrolment of some 200,