Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-28
OF WORLD DWIuDIE INTEREST
CATTON IN JAPAN
aY FREDERIC }. HAsklN

class last year, only $50 being admitted.
1t is partly from this school that the
Japanese bands are recruited, and,
judging by the programs played by
these bands, the most popular kind
of Occidental music is what Americans
call "ragtime." That there is an es,
sential difference between this institu-
ton and many American ''conserva-
tories" Is proved by tho fact that OF
class of 262, only fifteen passed the
examination and were graduated.
The intensely paterna! government
OF Japan Las attempted to supply every
seeker for education. general or special,
with the school to meet his needs.
That II has failed In this has been due
to the lack of money, for school build
ings cost money, and teachers sal
aries, even those in Japan, amount up.
Therefore, the imperial department of
education Is encouraging the estab-
lishment OF private schools. There are
already many private colleges for
teachin., special professional courses.
and a great number of theological
schools, Christian and Buddhist, Two
private Universities rank we'll up with
the imperial universities Of Toxic and
Kyoto. They are the Keigijuku uni
versity, founded by the late Fukuzava,
the "Gladstone OF Japan," and the Ka-
seda university, founded by Count
olsnma. the Jefferson OF Japan.SS
How thorough these various schools
,, may be in their work, and how nearly
| they approach western standards, Is
| not easy to determine. Much OF the
| elementary education is necessarily de-
voted to teaching the children to read
and write. for the first thing required
| of Japanese student Ia the ability to
store In his mind a mass OF some 5000
| IN mn (NhttA oh ofa FrI.aa tn
undertaking in itself which would
| staggar most Oecidentals. BY the time
! the stage corresponding to the Ameri-
can eighth grade Is reached the pupils
are required to begin the study of
English. From that time on the course
in school is quite like that of American
schools. except that English is substi-
tuted for Latin, and later on other
modern languages for Greek.
| The Japanese schools care for the
physical as well as the mental we'll
being OF their pupils. While the sys-
| tenn of gymnastic instruction and med
ical examination is not as thorough as
| in New York city or some other great
American cities, it must be remem-
bered that the Japanese system extends
| all over the empire and reaches the
most remote rural community. Thus
| the Japanese department of education
| is able to tell how many children are
in school In the empire, how many are
robust. medium or weak, how many
have defective eyesight, and what dis
eases are the most prevalent at differ
ent ages of school life. The department
can also tell how many children In
school at the age of Is years were $50
centimeters tall. how many weighed
forty kilograms, and how many had a
chest measurement of seventy-two
centimeters. 1t can also tell the aver
ages of all these statistics and the per-
centages OF robust boy. or fat girls.
The education of both boys and girls
is practical in essentials from the be-
ginning, the boys being taught busi-
ness methods and the girls housekeep-
ing from the lowest grades to the high
est. The higher education of girls is
something entirely foreign to the an
cient Japanese notion of the sphere
of woman, but under the fostering care
of American missionaries several large
schools have been built up. The gov
ernment recognized the good work done
by these institutions and established
Imperial schools on the same order
The visitor in q Japanese city like
Toxic is apt to think that all the people
are going to school. The smaller boys
in their sober uniform kimonos of blue
| AOtlot with WIilc dotS are HOfcE Jul
OF sight in the streets. Their elder
brothers, in the glory of their wide
trousers. are also ubiquitous These
wide trousers, really f. flowing bifur-
Gated skirt, are ceremonial and corre-
spond in the Japanese code of polite
, dressing with the frock coat of western
,4ccuntries. The respect paid to educa-
tion is indicated by the fact that all
, higher school students wear this cos
tune to school,
The Japanese school girl is the only
japanese woman who wears skirt
The skirt Is usually of red, although
sometimes of purple. cloth. II is tied
loosely about the waist and the strings
are on the outside. BY the sign of the
red or purple skirt one may know
. the Japanese school girl anywhere. She
is dainty little creature and Is al
ways happy, being, as someQne has
said, the twin sister of the fmAse of
: laughter.
Z education. 1t has accomplished much
! in the eighteen years since the emperor
| founded the present system by his Oft
, quoted rescript But now the leaders
in the work see the money of the peo-
pie going to buy guns and battleships
/ and, despite their intense loyalty. they
are sad in heart, for the schools are
} all too poor.
: Copyright, 1908, by Frederic ]. Haskin)
Tomorrow---Chinese Students in Toxic.
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