Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-13

AMONG our callers the other day were.
"A Mr.. *. Shimada and Mr.. T. Ueda, of
Japan. Mr.. Shimada Is q graduate Of
Waseda University, Toxic, and Mr.. Ueda
Of Toxic University. They were sent to
this country by their Government to study
for three years in the United States and
are enrolled at the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania. They are
going to spend the vacation studying at
the summer school Of Columbia University.
TT HAS always interested us immensely
L to observe how Japan, with quiet per.
sistence and foresight, Is building up a
governing class which will be familiar with
the languages and customs of other ma
tons. There are usually at least twenty
Japanese students at the University of
Pennsylvania, and similar groups at al
most every college and university in this
country. We were interested to learn that
nese universities.
MIR. sHIMADA, who is the son of the
A'A Speaker of the Japanese House of
Representatives, told us that he is going
to Mortified this week to attend the an
nual student conference held there by the
Y. NJ. C. A. The Y. NJ. c, A. has done a
| remarkable work in bringing together the
| students of all nations and making them
| acquainted with each other. But how
much we have to learn in the way OF send
ing our own students abroad to study at
foreign universities. 1t may be well to re-
member that the great Rhodes trust,
which sends hundreds of young Americans
to study at oxford, was the initiative of
an IInglishman. The Kahn travelling fel.
lowship, which has enabled many American
| teachers to travel and study abroad, is
due to the generosity of a Frenchman. We
in this country have done comparatively
little to send our students abroad.
Nov that this nation has definitely
~ thrown aside its old aloofness from
the world at large, and now that We are
embarked upon the complex problems of
international politics and ethics, it is surely
Of the gravest Importance that We should
endeavor, Systematically, to rear a genera
ton Of statesmen who have some personal
acquaintance with other nations, who UNI
derstand their history, their prejudices,
| their sentiments and their language. One
| of the causes of our present puzzlement as
to Russia is that hardly anywhere in this
country can we point to a man in high
position who knows anything at all about
Russia. sympathy, friendly feeling, desire
to aid, all these We have in large measure;
but where is the man who can really tell
us, with authority and accuracy. just what
we can best do to help?
| COMETIMES we think it might be good
~ propaganda for our Government to send
to all foreign countries a few Americans
who would lose money, just TO show our
foreign friends that Americans don't al
ways prosper SO grossly!
OUR days OF shirtsleeve diplomacy and
" amateur craftsmanship are on the
wane. We have come to see 1--WE hope) that
to deal understandingly with the other ma
tions We need the help of men who have
studied those nations, who have lived in
them, who know their history, their habits
of thought and ambition. We hope that
we may less often have to send to foreign
countries ambassadors who cannot even
speak the language Of the 0overnmsnt to