The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-06-28
help. The latter with the Young
Women's Christian association, is
erecting self-slInnorting dormitories

l
rationalists declare that the students
must have some religious motive for
the desired morality.
Even the daily papers are wrestling
with the subject of student immorali-
ty-a contradiction of the statement
made by some leaders that the recent
shocking revelations have not caused
a ripple of interest in Japan. The
immortality has centered largely about
the dormitories and student boarding
houses, the latter especially. 1t has
been shown that hundreds, If not
thousands, of girl students purchase
their education at a price that would
seem incredible to western ears. For
instance, it is admitted that nearly all
of the 1,500 Chinese students here af-
ford homes to Japanese girl students,
or pseudo students. The Chinese stu
dents-most of whom, by the way,
have wives at home-are not neces-
sarily more immoral than the Japa-
nese, but they are possessed of more
money. The average expenses of a
Japanese college man, including tut
ton. board, books, clothes, etc., are
less than Is yen month, which is
seven dollars and half. The average
expenses of Chinese student in
| Toxic are estimated at a minimum
of 30 yen. The expenses of a girl stu
dent are less than those of a man.
The terrible situation here with re-
spect to school girls is not, as has
been carefully explained to me over
and over, because Japanese girls do
not prize virtue; but because they
prize other things, an education, and
fealty to parents far more. Girls are
sent into Toxic from the country to
get an education who have no idea
where they are going to board or to
attend school, and lack the money to
do either.
In all this it is to be remembered
| that the attitude of the Japanese
| toward the relation of the sexes is
very different from that of the occi-
| dent. The social evil is licensed,
l~(though by no means confined to
those holding licenses) and it is COM
mon for a parent to sell his daughter
into life of shame. Ninety-eight per
cent. of the prostitutes in the empire
are secured in this manner. "Sale" is
not the word employed here; the
keeper lends money to the father, to
be repaid out of the daughters earn
ings. The former takes good care
| that the debt is not wiped out until
he is ready to let the girl go. The lat
| "a, inl1 <~f
obedience is the first article of the
Japanese creed. Yet it is significant
| that no swords, knives or sharp
| weapons are allowed in the "Yoshi-
| wara," which is the name of the dis
trict set apart for this purpose, lest
the unhappy girls make away with
themselves. 1t is said that the aver
age number of visitors to this quarter
of Toxic is no less than quarter of a
| million month.
| can believe this, because of what
1 have seen. The night visited the
| Yoshiwara, in company with mis-
sionary, the streets were so crowded
the road, holding aloft lanterns to di-
vide the traffic. which is entirely
pedestrian.
Two inexpressibly shocking aspects
of that nights experience especially
| impressed me. One was the number
of boys and young men, thousands of
them in student dress, who openly fire.
quent the Yoshiwara. The crowd was
like that which lines the down town
streets of an American city on the
| night of a presidential election. Not
fonly we're there myriads of men on
| the streets, but women and children
also were out enjoying the ''life."
These would, unabashed. chat with
the girls in the cages, and the latter
seemed to have no feelings of dis
grace.
An Anglo-Saxon does not relish the
sight of human beings displayed in
cages. Yet hundreds of these line the
streets of the Yoshiwara, each con-
| tanning from dozen girls upward.
True, the cages are beautifully gilded
and lacquered, some of the rear panels
being real works of art; and the girls
are deliberately dressed in gaudy
gowns, each seated before toilet box
where she perfects her painting and
powdering in public. The cages are
cages, and the poor painted creatures
within are human beings. thus offered
| for public inspection and sale.
One hour in the Yoshfwara is suf-
| ficient to turn any white man forever
against the licensing of the social evil.
Adjoining the Yoshiwara and part
of it, is the hospital for derelicts.
Everything is infinitely regulated by a
special department. of the government.
The latest official statistics show more
than $4,000 licensed prostitutes in the
empire, with more than 10000 geisha
girls in addition. Taking all classes
OF prostitutes, there are said to be. ac-
cording to the latest publication on
the subject, How the Social Evil Is
Regulated in Japan" no less than q.
600, 900, or five per cent of the popula-
ton of Japan, or ten per cent. of the
female population of all ages!
In the light of the foregoing, it is