Evening star., 1925-07-05
BY EDWARD PRICE BELL.

tn OKIO.-Baron Shidehara, for
eign minister of Japan, re-
ceived me with friendly
n dignity In his beautiful private
room at the Foreign Office In
Toxic. He advanced from his desk
to meet me and shook hands firmly.
81 am glad to meet you," said he,
smiling like an old friend as he in
clined both well set head and sturdy
body-a flash at one and the same
instant OF culture and of force.
This racial question between
America and Japan is always chang
ing" said the statesman, speaking in
pure English, after we had sat down
beneath wide, lofty window. TT is
in position now markedly different
from that which 1t occupied when
first gave serious thought to ii. Do
you chance to remember what were
called the Morris Shidehara CONVEX
sations' in Washington"
Very WELL" said ].
Those conversations were carried
on with earnestness. Both Mr.. Nor
ris and myself desired nothing else so
much as solution of the Americana
Japanese racial problem satisfactory
to both parties. Our discussions were
without any feeling except the feeling
of mutual respect and friendship. 1t
was said that the problem turned upon
the assimflability or unassimilability
of the Japanese as members of the
American social community.
Testing Japanese Assimilability.
Touching this question. Mr. Morris
and l agreed that there had not been
time enough to determine whether the
Japanese were or were not assimilable
in America, as the British and the
Scandinavians, for instance, have
proved to be in that country. 1t had
been scarcely more than a quarter of
a century-the Morris -Shidehara con-
versations' took place five or six years
ago-since the Japanese entered
America in appreciable numbers
There had not been time to tell
whether they would or would not turn
out good Americans.
How we asked ourselves, can
a reliable test be made?' We agreed
that practicable plan would be vir-
tually to stop further Japanese immi-
grafton in America until the Japanese
already there could be given a chance
to demonstrate their quality in respect
OF assimilation into the general Amer
lean social body. At this point I en-
phasized what I deemed a substantial
condition, namely. that while the test
was proceeding every encouragement
be given these Japanese in America to
adopt the American standpoint and
way OF life II they could.
Alien Element in Japan.
II pointed out to my American col
league grave mistake made by Japan
with reference to an alien element in
our population. This element presents
curious analogy in connection with
the problem of the Japanese immi-
grants in America. mean a special
class of people who are social out
casts. There are said to be 200, 900
scattered over Japan. Their origin
is uncertain and mixed Some are
descended from Chinese and Korean
immigrants and some from aborfgines.
Most of them were originally and for
generations engaged in training and
butchers work. considered by Bud
dhists to be unclean.
Il told Mr.. Morris about these peo-
pie, how we ostracized them in old
days, how we drove them into settle
ments apart. l had seen our people
doing it. I myself. as a boy, had had
my irresponsible part in 1t. Persons
of this class used to appear in front