Kaneko Kentaro

“ For means to carry out this policy we come to Europe and America. We go to Germany to study the German system of exactness, for they are noted for thoroughness in everything, but their system was found by our experience to be too stiff and inflexible. As exact and thorough as their system is, it is much more liable to leave us handicapped; therefore we come to America, for the Americans are the most practical people in the world. They cannot mark out such an exact system as the Germans, but they always use their common sense and come out successfully whenever they encounter a difficulty. ”

“ Here I might refer to one fact, that the Japanese are a little different from the western people in regard to their respect for the past, for they adore the past and the history of their ancestors much more than occidental people do. As keenly and as profoundly as we look toward our future and our prosperity — the future of our family and our na- tion — we cling still more keenly and more delicately to our past — the tradi- tion of our forefathers and our nation. We always look ahead in search for something higher than our present con- dition for our descendants. ”

“ In order to es- tablish this grand policy they always study the problem with a far-reaching foresight. This trend of mind is the characteristic of our race. When they contemplate a great problem for national affairs they never think of themselves, but always look forward through the labyrinths of the future to find out the surest way to attain their ultimate aim and goal. According to Japanese notion, compared to this grand policy for the future the present welfare and happiness of ourselves dwindles into nothingness. ”

“ Our first paper money was made and printed in New York in 1870, and if you will take up those old Japanese greenbacks you will find them exactly the same as yours, and no difference except in the writing.
When we come into contact with a foreign civilization we at first blindly imitate it, because that is, according to our idea, the shortest cut to our ultimate goal ; but we are never satisfied to re- main forever in the stage of imitation. This is clearly shown by our progress during the last thirty-seven years since the introduction of the western culture and science. ”

“ We adopted a compulsory system of national education, exactly on the same plan as your common-school system, of eight years of compulsory education. A boy and girl must attend school as soon as they attain the age of six, and remain there until the age of fourteen. The first four years we teach them the Japanese and Chinese languages, and the latter four years we add English; therefore when a boy and girl graduate from our common schools they can read and speak English. ”

“ So you see that our women took a first rank in Japanese literature, and men (unfortunately for them) must be contented to occupy a second position, for men did not prove themselves capa- ble of such a literary work, and those ladies fully mastered the new language and wrote in a most beautiful style, which had never yet been excelled by any man or woman. This period is called the era of origination in our literature.
Next we come to the subject of religion. We have passed through three stages in our religion just as much as in our literature. ”

“ But this famous priest, seeing the popular mind already turned toward Buddhism, started anew doctrine that a priest, being human, is just as much susceptible as laymen, and abstinence from human wants is against the laws of nature ; moreover, a priest must live among the people so as to understand the real nature and feeling of man and woman ”

“ They adapted the theory of Monotheism as well as Polytheism by saying that there is only one Supreme Power, which is personified in the form of various gods and goddesses, according to the different countries and different institutions. ”

“ During the deliberation of a case, and the decision afterward between right and wrong, neither family con- nections, nor sympathy with or antipa- thy against, the party shall influence. Fear not a powerful family, or favor not a friend, but speak in accordance with the dictates of truth. ”

“ So, again, when prepared on the table it is called mutton — ' ' mouton, ' ' from the Norman- French; but when found in the field it is called a sheep. In Japan we went on exactly in the same way as the En- glish people. Among the upper classes, as well as at the court, we used entirely the Chinese hieroglyphics. Every doc- ument of the government was kept in Chinese hieroglyphics, and the Japanese language was only spoken among peas- ants and in a remote part of the coun- try, where the Chinese civilization did not reach. ”