The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-28
EDUCATION I'M Japan

stiles OF Tokyo and Kyoto. They are
the Keiogijuku University. founded by
the late Fukuzawa. the Gladstone OF
Japan" and the Waseda University.
son OF Japan"
How thorough these various schools
may be In their work and how nearly
they approach Western standards is
elementary education is necessarily
devoted to teaching the children to
read and write. for the first thing re-
CURED OF a Japanese student Is the
ability to store In his mind a mass OF
some 5000 to 10000 Chinese charac-
which would stagger most Occldentala.
BY the time the stage corresponding
to the American eighth grade Is
reached, the pupils are required to be-
time on the course IN school is quite
like that OF American schools. except
that English is substituted for Latin.
and later on other modern languages
for Greek.
The Japanese schools care for the
physical as we'll as the mental WE'LL
being OF their pupils. While the sys-
tenn OF gymnastic instruction and med
lcai examination is not as thorough
as IN New York City or some other
membered that the Japanese system
extends all over the empire and reaches
the most remote rural communitv.
mus the Japanese Department OF Ed.
Gcation is able to tell how many chill
dren are in school In the empire. how
many are robust, medium or weak:
now many have defective eyesight. and
what diseases are the most prevalent
az dinerent ages Of school life. The
department. can also tell how many
children In school II the age of ffteei,
years were $50 centimetres tall how
many weighed forty Kilograms. and
now many had chest measurement
or seventy-two centimetres. 1t car
also tell the averages of all these sta
tistics and the percentages OF robtIs.
BOYS or fat girls.
me education of both boys and girls
is practical In essentials from the be-
ginning, the boys being taught bust
ness ness methods and the girls housekeep-
highest. The higher education OF girls
is something entirely foreign to the
ancient japanese notion OF the sphere
OF woman. but under the fostering care
schools have been built up. The gov
eminent recognized the good work
done by these institutions and estab-
'ished imperial schools on the same
order.
The visitor in Japanese city like
Tokyo Is apt to think that ali the
people are going to school. The small
err boys in their sober uniform kimo-
nos of blue cotton with white dots are
never out Of sight in the streets. Their
elder brothers in the glory OF their
wide trousers. are also ubiquitous
These wide trousers. really flowing
bifurcated shirt. are ceremonial ana
correspond in the Japanese code OF
polite dressing with the frock coat of
Western countries. The respect paid
to education is indicated by the fact
that all higher school students wear
this costume 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. 1t 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 some one has
said. the twin sister OF the muse OF
laughter.
AS has been said japan believes In
education. 1t has accomplished much
in the eighteen years since the EN-
peror founded the present system Of his
oft-quoted rescript. But now the
leaders in the work see the money OF
the people going to buy guns and bat
tleships. and, despite their intense 10y
atty, they are sad In heart, for the
schools are all too poor.
Copyright, 1908, by Frederic j. Has
kind
To-morrow-Chlnese Students in To-
kyo.