EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND RELIGIONS.
Back of Japan's astonishing progress along material lines lies her
amazing educational development. Fifty years ago but few of her
people could read or write; now considerably less than ten per
cent would be classed as illiterate. It is difficult to conceive
of such a transformation taking place almost within a generation.
The prompt adoption of western methods and the rapid assimilation
of western ideas give indubitable proof of the pre-existence of a
vital national germ. A pebble dropped into soil, however rich, and
cultivated, no matter how carefully, gives back no response to the
rays of the springtime sun. Only the seed which has life within can
be awakened and developed by light and warmth and care. Japan had
within her the vital spark, and when the winter of her isolation
was passed, her latent energies burst forth into strong and sturdy
growth.
Her sons, ambitious to know the world, scattered themselves
throughout Europe and America, and having laden themselves with new
ideas, returned to apply them at home. In this way Japan constantly
gained from every quarter and her educational system is modeled
after the best that the ages have produced. She has her primary
schools for boys and girls, attendance being compulsory, and below
these in many places there are kindergarten schools. The middle
schools, in which the boys and girls are separated, take up the
course of instruction where the primary schools leave off.
Then follow the universities, of which there are seven under the
control of the government. Besides these there are in the cities
institutions known as higher commercial schools, which combine
general instruction with such special studies as are taught in our
commercial colleges. There are also a number of normal schools for
the training of teachers. In addition to the schools and colleges
established and conducted by the government, there are a number
founded by individuals and societies. The largest of these is Waseda
College, founded and still maintained by Count Okuma, the leader of
the progressive party. It is adjoining the home of the count and is
built upon land which he donated. Dr. Hatoyama, at one time speaker
of the national house of representatives, who holds a degree from
Yale College, is the official head of this institution; in all of
its departments it has some five thousand students.
[Illustration: A VISIT TO COUNT OKUMA'S SCHOOL NEAR TOKYO]
I have referred in a former article to the Keio Gijuku, the college
founded by Mr. Fukuzawa. The attendance here is not so large as
at Waseda, but the institution has had an illustrious career
and exerts a wide influence upon the country. I visited both of
these colleges and never addressed more attentive or responsive
audiences. As English is taught in all the middle schools, colleges
and universities, the students are able to follow a speech in that
language without an interpreter.
The state university at Tokyo includes six departments--law,
medicine and engineering courses being provided, as well as courses
in literature, science and agriculture. The total number of students
enrolled at this university is about thirty-five hundred. The
national university at Kyoto has three faculties--law, medicine and
science--the last named including engineering; the attendance at
this university is between six and seven hundred. In the states of
Choshu and Satsuma there are higher schools supported by funds given
by former feudal lords of those states.
The education of girls is not neglected, although as a rule the
girls do not go as far in their studies as the boys. There are a
number of normal schools and seventy-nine high schools for girls,
besides the Peeresses' school and several private institutions.
The Woman's University of Tokyo, situated near Waseda College and
under the patronage of Count Okuma, has had a phenomenal career.
Established only five years ago, it has now an enrollment of some
seven hundred, and is putting up several new buildings.
There are also a number of missionary schools and colleges. The
Presbyterians support three boarding schools for boys and eleven
for girls, besides ten day schools; the total attendance at these
schools is nearly twenty-three hundred.
The Congregationalists have a number of schools, the largest,
Doshisha College at Kyoto, being the most influential Christian
institution in Japan. I had the pleasure of visiting both this
college and Kyoto University.
The Methodists have eighteen boarding schools and nineteen day
schools with a total attendance of nearly five thousand. Their
college at Kobe is a very promising institution.
The Baptists have a theological seminary, an academy, five boarding
schools for girls and eight day schools, with a total attendance of
nearly a thousand. The Episcopal Church has also taken an important
part in educational work, while the Catholics (who were first on the
ground) have over sixty seminaries, schools and orphanages, with an
attendance of some six thousand.
The Japanese government supports more than twenty-five thousand
primary schools, attended by over five million boys and girls; it
supports more than two hundred and fifty middle schools, with an
attendance of nearly one hundred thousand. While less than two per
cent of the primary students enter the middle schools, more than ten
per cent of the middle school students enter the higher colleges.
Although these figures give some idea of the interest taken in
education, they do not furnish an adequate conception of the
enthusiasm with which a large number of these students pursue their
studies. Nearly fifty young men called upon me or wrote to me asking
to be taken to America that they might continue their studies.
Many of the leading men in Japan to-day are graduates of American
or European colleges. The physicians have shown a preference for
German schools, while to engineers and politicians our universities
have been more attractive. A part of the friendliness felt toward
foreigners can be traced to the favors shown Japanese boys who left
home in search of knowledge. Marquis Ito, one of the first of these,
owes much to an elder of the Presbyterian Church in England in whose
home he lived as a student, and the marquis has ever since been
making returns in kindness to foreigners and Christians.
Marquis Ito's case is not exceptional; all over Japan are men who
hold in grateful remembrance Americans and Europeans to whom they
are indebted for assistance. I met a man, now the publisher of an
influential paper, who twenty years ago, at the age of sixteen, went
to sea and in a shipwreck was cast upon one of the islands in the
South Pacific. He became a retainer for the king of the islands and
as such wore the scanty native dress, consisting of a loin cloth.
He went with his king to Honolulu to pay a visit to the Hawaiian
queen, and finding a Japanese settlement there, remained for two or
three years. He then went to the United States and, making a friend
of a professor in one of the universities, attended school there for
several years. He now visits the United States every year or so on
business, and one seeing him wearing a silk hat and a Prince Albert
coat would hardly guess the experiences through which he has risen
to his present position. If Japan, beginning fifty years ago with
no educational system and scarcely any educated men or women, could
accomplish what she has accomplished in half a century, what will
she accomplish in the twentieth century, with the start which she
now has and with the educational advantages which her people now
enjoy?
Japan has several religions, although Shintoism has been, since
1868, the state religion. As a matter of fact, however, Shintoism
can hardly be called a religion for it has no creed, no priesthood
and no code of morals. It is really ancestor worship and comes
down from time immemorial. It implies a belief in immortality, for
the ancestral spirits are invoked and vows are paid to them at the
numberless shrines that dot the country. These shrines are not
usually in temples, although sometimes Shintoism and Buddhism have
been mixed together and one temple employed for both shrines; as a
rule, however, the Shinto shrine is in some secluded spot on the
top of a hill or on a mountain side where a bit of natural scenery
awakens a spirit of reverence. A gate of simple but beautiful design
is placed at the point where the pathway to the shrine departs
from the main road. We had read of these Shinto gates and had seen
pictures of them, but we first saw one at Honolulu, itself the
gateway to the Orient. No description can convey to the reader the
impression which this gate makes upon the traveler; its outlines are
so graceful and yet so strong that it seems an appropriate portal to
a holy place.
The moral code of Confucius has also influenced the thought of Japan.
About fourteen hundred years ago the Buddhist religion was
introduced into Japan by Chinese priests, and it spread rapidly
throughout the islands. Its temples were imposing, its ceremonies
impressive and the garb of its priests costly and elaborate. It
did not root out Shintoism, it simply overwhelmed and absorbed it.
The Buddhist temples, though not as popular as they once were, are
still visited by millions of believers and are objects of interest
to the tourist. Most of them are old, one at Nara having been built
about the year 700. It is in such an excellent state of preservation
that one can hardly believe that it has stood the storms of twelve
centuries.
In the center of the temple is an image of Buddha, and on either
side the figure of a huge warrior. There is also in this temple a
God of War to which the Japanese were wont to pay their vows before
going to battle. The devout Buddhist, approaching the image of the
founder of his religion, bows and mutters a prayer, half audibly,
and, throwing his mite in a box or on the floor before the shrine,
departs. There is usually a bell, or sometimes only a chain, hanging
above the place where prayers are said, and the suppliant swings
a rope against the bell or shakes the chain before his prayer and
claps his hands two or three times at its close. We inquired about
the bell and received two answers: One, that it was to attract
the attention of the god, and the other that it was to awaken the
conscience of the one about to present his petition.
Near the temple at Nara stands an ugly image which never fails to
attract the attention of the visitor. It is literally covered with
paper wads which have been thrown against it by worshipers at the
temple in the belief that their prayers would be answered if the
wads adhered to the image. There is also at Nara a huge bell, almost
as old as the temple. This bell is about thirteen feet high, nine
feet in diameter and eight inches thick. It hangs in a pagoda quite
near the ground, and when struck upon the side by a swinging log
gives forth a sound of wonderful depth and richness. It was rung for
us, and as its mellow tones reverberated along the hills we were
awed by the thought that a thousand years before our Declaration of
Independence was written, eight hundred years before the Pilgrims
landed at Plymouth Rock, yes, even seven hundred years before
America was discovered, this old bell was calling people to worship.
[Illustration: JAPANESE STONE LANTERN.]
There is at Nara an immense bronze image of Buddha, even larger
than the famous one at Kamokura, though not so finely proportioned.
The smaller one is forty-nine feet in height and nearly one hundred
feet in circumference (both represent Buddha, seated tailor-fashion,
on a lotus flower) and the larger one is almost twice as large as
the smaller one. The lantern of stone or bronze seems to be as
necessary an adjunct to a Buddhist temple as the Shinto gate is to
that form of religion. At Nara there are twenty-nine hundred stone
lanterns of various sizes along the walks that lead from one temple
to another, and they are found in abundance in other cities. The
Korean lions are also identified with Buddhistic worship, these
animals wrought in bronze or carved in stone guarding all temple
doors. They are not as ferocious in appearance as the Numidian
lion, and they illustrate an idea. One has his mouth open and the
other has his mouth tightly shut, and they together represent the
affirmative and the negative, or, in other words, the eternal
conflict between the positive and the negative--one says yes, the
other no.
[Illustration: KOREAN LION--YES.]
[Illustration: KOREAN LION--NO.]
Nara has an additional attraction in the form of a beautiful park
containing some seven hundred deer, which are here regarded as
sacred animals. They are so gentle that they will come, old and
young, and eat from the hand.
[Illustration: IN FRONT OF NIKKO TEMPLE--JAPAN]
Next to Nara, in our opinion, and in the opinion of many even before
Nara, comes Nikko in beauty and interest. The spot was wisely chosen
for a temple, a foaming stream, rugged mountains and stately trees
adding to the attractiveness of the place. There is a shaded avenue
twenty-five miles long leading from the lowlands to the temple,
and it is said that when other feudal lords were bringing stone
lanterns, one poor daimio, unable to make so large a gift, offered
to plant little trees along the way; these, now three hundred years
old, furnish a grateful shade for the pilgrims who visit this Mecca,
and the poor tree planter is now known as "The Wise Daimio who went
into partnership with Nature."
The temple at Nikko is only about three centuries old and its
decorations are the richest and most costly to be found in Japan.
As the Buddhists and Shintoists worship together here, the temple
is kept in repair by the government and one can see the best in
architecture and ornamentation that the temples exhibit. So famous
are this temple and its environment that the Japanese have a phrase
which when translated means, "You cannot say beautiful (kekko) until
you have seen Nikko."
The most modern of the large temples is that at Kyoto. It was
erected about thirty years ago on the site of one which had burned.
It is not so large as the original, but is a reproduction in other
respects and is one of the thirty-three temples to which pilgrimages
are made. Some estimate can be formed of the ardor of those who
worship here when it is known that the immense timbers used in
the construction of the building were dragged through the streets
and lifted into place by cables made of human hair contributed by
Japanese women for that purpose. One of these cables, nearly three
inches in diameter and several hundred feet long, is still kept in
a room adjacent to the temple, the others having been destroyed by
fire. Japanese women pride themselves upon their hair and arrange it
with great care. What a poem of piety--what a strong sacrifice in
these myriad strands of mingled black and grey!
All of the Buddhist temples stand within a walled enclosure, entered
through a gorgeous gate which contrasts sharply with the simplicity
of the Shinto gate. The Buddhist gate has a roof resembling a temple
roof and is often ornamented with animals, birds and fantastic
figures carved in wood. As an illustration of the superstition to
be found among the ignorant, the following incident is given: An
American, Mr. Frederick W. Horne, who lives at Yokohama and who
has built up a large importing business in American machinery, has
a handsome new home modeled after a Buddhist temple. At one gable
he put a devil's head. The servants of the man living next door
threatened to leave because the devil looked over into that yard.
But they were quieted when the neighbor put two brass cannon on
his roof and pointed them at the devil's head. The story seems too
absurd to believe, but we were shown the cannons when we called at
Mr. Horne's.
But Buddhism is losing its hold upon the Japanese; its temples
are not crowded as they once were; its ceremonies do not interest
and its teachings do not satisfy the new generation. Christianity
will appeal more and more to the educated element of the Japanese
population. Already favor is taking the place of toleration, as
toleration thirty years ago supplanted persecution.
The Catholics, who have been the pioneers of the Cross in so many
lands, brought Christianity to Japan through their missionaries
about the middle of the sixteenth century. The success of the
Jesuits was so pronounced that in thirty years they estimated
their converts at one hundred and fifty thousand. In fact, the
adherents to Christianity became so numerous and so influential
that the Shogun, Hideyoshi, began to fear for his temporal power,
and, having absolute authority, he expelled the foreigners, closed
the ports and established the policy of non-intercourse with other
nations--a policy which was followed until 1853. When the country
was again opened to Christian missionaries it was found that some
ten thousand men and women were still worshiping according to the
forms of the Catholic Church, although for two and a half centuries
there had been no communication between them and the church outside.
Even after the opening of the country to foreign commerce there
was some persecution of Christians and several thousand were
imprisoned. But in 1873 the prisoners were set at liberty and the
exiles allowed to return; since that time there has been absolute
religious freedom and many men prominent in official life have
been devoted Christians. The most noted of these native Christians
was Mr. Kataoka, who was four times chosen speaker of the popular
branch of the Japanese congress, or diet. He was an elder in the
Presbyterian Church, and when it was suggested that it would advance
his political chances to resign his eldership, he replied that if
compelled to choose between them he would rather be an elder than
speaker.
The Catholic population of Japan numbered fifty-eight thousand
in 1903; at the last report the Protestant communicants numbered
nearly fifty-one thousand. There are among the natives four hundred
and forty-two ordained ministers, five hundred and fifty-nine
unordained ministers and helpers, and one hundred and eighty-six
theological students. I met a number of Japanese Christians and
was profoundly impressed by their earnestness and devotion. There
is a large Y. M. C. A. at Tokyo and a smaller one at Kyoto; at
Kagoshima I found a Women's Christian Association. While I have met
American missionaries everywhere, I have tried to gather information
from Japanese sources as well and have been gratified to find
such cordial co-operation between foreign and native Christians.
A physician in the navy introduced himself and volunteered the
information that one American woman had undertaken the establishment
of Christian clubs at the various naval stations, and within five
years had gathered together more than five hundred members. He said
that she met with opposition from the authorities at first, but now
has their hearty support. The war with Russia, while retarding the
work of the Greek Church among the Japanese, has been utilized by
other denominations to reach a large number of sailors with Bibles
and pamphlets.
Japan needs the Christian religion; a nation must have some religion
and she has outgrown Buddhism. The ideals presented by these two
systems are in many respects diametrically opposed to each other.
One looks forward, the other backward; one regards life as a
blessing to be enjoyed and an opportunity to be improved, the other
sees in it only evil from which escape should be sought; one crowns
this life with immortality, the other adds to a gloomy existence the
darker night of annihilation; one offers faith as the inspiration to
noble deeds, the other presents a plan for the perfecting of self
with no sense of responsibility to God to prompt it or promise of
reward to encourage it; one enlarges the sympathies and links each
individual with all other human beings, the other turns the thought
inward in search of perpetual calm.
Christianity dominates Europe and the western hemisphere, while
Buddhism still holds the Orient under its drowsy spell. On the
islands of Japan a struggle is now going on between these two great
religious systems, and the triumph of the Gospel of Love and of
consecrated activity in the Land of the Rising Sun will open the way
to a still larger triumph in Asia.