Page:The National Geographic Magazine Vol 16 1905.djvu/128

Rh 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. Our pres- ent welfare and happiness is nothing to us when compared with an illustrious past and a great future for our family and our nation.

Thus looking forward to our future, we constantly strive to mark out "the grand policy for a century to come." This is a rather high-sounding word, but when we examine our history we always find it underlying in our national movements — social, religious, and polit- ical — because the Japanese from time immemorial have shown their peculiar characteristic to mark out what they will do for the future. 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. This policy was clearly and positively marked out by our Em- peror on his ascension to the throne, in 1868. Upon that memorable day he swore before the nation in his ' ' Five Ar- ticles of the Imperial Oaths": "Seek knowledge in the civilized world, and discriminate the good from the bad and adopt the best ; and finally establish the national assembly where all the im- portant affairs of nation shall be decided by public voice." This is the funda- mental principle of our national aspira- tion, closely followed by the Emperor himself and down to the meanest peas- ant. In order to carry out this policy we must first bear in mind and maintain the past traditions of our country and then engraft upon them the western culture and science.

With this view we began to reorganize our country in 1868. Since the imperial restoration we have studied the systems of government of the United States and European countries. As you have divided your government into different departments, we divided our government into similar departments. 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. By teaching the Chinese and English languages besides our own we bring up a new generation prepared to seek knowledge in the outer world, as commanded by the Emperor.

In the organization of our army we copied the German system, and in our navy the English and American. In our code of laws we imitated La Code Napoleon, and afterward the German principle and method. In finance we copied your system by adopting your gold, silver, nickel, and copper money, and we went so far as to copy the greenbacks from you. 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.