Now, let us look at the industrial plants: was sent to this country by the Mikado with Baldwin locomotives, telephones, electric appa- a certain important mission. "During the ratus, street-cars, and practically all the machines

in small shops are imported from the United eighteen months of my recent sojourn in States. These imports are increasing year by America," says this statesman," I found out year, while at the same time our exports to the that religious prejudice against our country United States are increasing with equal rapidi- was not so strong among the Americans as ty. Since the United States Government has I had feared. On the contrary, they did not taken up its policy of expansion toward the hesitate to show sympathy toward us from

west the trade of the two nations, far from con

flicting, is growing without any collision or disadvantage to either party. Politicians and busi

men are aware, through their daily reports and commercial information, of the facts I have cited. Therefore it is that the people of Japan feel that under these circumstances the two nations are destined to play an important rôle in extending their trade into the continent of Asia, and that it is their natural function to open up China to international trade.

Japan sends raw material to the United States and the United States sends manufactured goods to Japan. If we sever our relations and fight each other, the commercial ties between the two nations would be shattered, and the Chinese market would fall into the hands of England. Germany and France. Thus the United States and

motives of justice and humanity. At the same time, I was led to believe that western antipathy toward Japan, springing from the difference of race, was growing keener instead of lessening." According to Baron Kaneko, this tendency is recognizable not only between the east and the west, but among the western races themselves.

BARON KENTARO KANEKO.

Japan, no matter how favored by their geographical advantages on the Pacific Ocean and by their means of quick communication by the submarine cable, would lose all the benefit of the Asiatic trade. I need not stop to point out how very necessary that market is to both countries. Would that be a wise diplomatic policy which should sever our united nations? Can the people stand a policy so detrimental to international comity? I repeat that in the twentieth century it is the increase and expansion of international commerce that guides the policy of the nations. Why Not an "Intellectual Alliance"

As an illustration, he says that in the United States peoples belonging to the Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic races become easily assimilated one with another, while their attitude toward the Latin race is no friendlier than it was formerly. Continuing, he says:

In the colonial policies of the western powers we also notice a remarkable change. In the past, religion was the chief instrument employed by the powers in their efforts to befriend backward races; now the sword and gold have taken the place of the Bible and missionaries. The United States, for example, has adopted this policy in the administration of the Philippines. It is military prowess and financial strength which form the foundation of the American policy in their new possessions in the Far East. Along with the western expansion in the Orient, Europe and America have been seriously contemplating whether they are capable of governing Oriental gions, permanently. While the western powers races, and especially those in the tropical re

were becoming more and more apprehensive of the future of their eastern colonies, Japan, the victor in one of the greatest wars of history, politics, thus adding a new anxiety to the fear loomed up in the horizon of the far-eastern of the Occidental statesmen. To-day, it is the apprehension of both Europe and America that

Baron Kaneko finds encouragement in the fact that England has recently invited Professor Kikuchi to deliver, in London, lectures encouraging such intercourse is found in the on the educational system of Japan. He suginauguration of the Kaiser Wilhelm lectures in gests that the Tokio Imperial University Columbia University and of the President promptly reciprocate England's courtesy. Roosevelt lectures in the University of Berlin. The Baron also pays compliment to ProfesSuch an arrangement will no doubt go a long

way toward the obliteration of the ill-feeling sor Ladd, of Yale University, who is now that has existed between Germany and America. lecturing at various institutions in Japan.

NEW PHASES OF THE ETERNAL POLISH PROBLEM.

tural associations; and these associations are made possible for the Poles a public educaestablishing all over the country schools for tional organization and the organization of children and adults, people's universities, their own Polish schools, the Polska Macierz seminaries for teachers for illiterates, school Szkolna began its work by elaborating edumuseums, permanent and circulating libraries, cational manuals and seeking teachers for the and are disseminating educational publica- schools. At the same time, it carried on netions. Besides innumerable local societies gotiations with the government for the Powhich have sprung up all over Russian-Po- lonization of the government schools. These land for the "diffusion of knowledge," so- negotiations hd already reached a good cieties of "friends of learning," "students' stage; the Ministry of Education had agreed aid" societies, societies of "lovers of art," to many things, even to the formation of a "historical" societies, "geographical" socie- miniature school board for the Kingdom of ties, societies for the care of children," Poland, and it intimated that the government aeries" of the gymnastic union, Falcon would set no obstacles to Sienkiewicz's stand(Sokol), etc., there are the associations of a ing at the head of that board. All these nemore general character in education, the gotiations in the matter of the Polonization Union of Teachers, the Association of of the schools were broken off, however, by Courses for Adult Illiterates, the Unity, the the "revolution." The Polish language has Circle of Polish Women in Lithuania, the been introduced only in the primary schools. Society of Polish Culture, and, most impor- The Poles, therefore, set about the establishtant and efficient of all, the Polish Mother of ment of their own private-schools system. Schools (Polska Macierz Szkolna). Since the first public convention (on July 8, 1906) of the Macierz, the institution. which was to become the center of a highly cultural and social work, its membership has grown by the rise of circles all over the country, until now it numbers more than 200,000 members.

THE MODERN SCHOOL OF POLAND.

A German-Polish Apology.

On the quasi-constitutional manifesto of October 30, which (as the Chicago Zgoda recalls) granted various trivial benefits in order not to bestow the one great benefit,-a parliament with legislative power, the Polish community built its entire present system of national schools, which has excited the Destroy a man's language and you efface admiration of the world. Says the Zgoda: his nationality. This is the basic principle The Poles availed themselves of the liberty of upon which European nations invariably proprivate teaching; the Polish Mother of Schools ceed in their work of assimilation. It is the organized an entire school system, at the head of spring which actuated Russia in her relations which such men as Sienkiewicz, Osuchowski, with Poland; it is likewise back of the and Gadomski took their stand. Contributions were called for; one person gave 100,000 roubles ($50,000); thousands gave a kopeck each; and this has enabled the community to cover RussianPoland with a net of national schools. To crown the whole work there was opened last October a Polish university in Warsaw. This is not one of the so-called people's universities, where lectures are delivered for all and about everything, but is a real university of the grade and quality of European universities. All branches of knowledge (with the exception of medicine) are taught in a manner that will enable the student to obtain the degree of doctor in the University of Cracow, Austrian-Poland. Among the professors in the university are Mahrburg, one of the greatest authorities on philosophy; Korzon, the greatest living Polish historian; Krzywicki, a first-rate ethnographer; Dicksztein and Kramsztyk, in mathematics and natural history, natural philosophy, and chemistry; Wroblewski and Nalkowski, in geography; while literature is taught by a dozen men emi. nent in that branch of knowledge. In the first three weeks of the university 1496 students had qualified.

school question in the Prussian-Polish provinces. Prussia has spent vast sums of money in efforts to buy out the Poles and supplant them with German colonists; she has availed herself of every administrative measure which could hamper the spread of Polish influence. But all has been useless. The Prussian commission has not been able to compete with the Poles in land purchases; the German colonists, in face of the Polish boycott and open antipathy, have not settled on the land. Therefore the laws in reference to the use of Polish in public meetings. And latterly the supreme effort in the prohibition of Polish in the schools.

The Poles are keenly conscious of the menace to their nationality, and they are clinging to their language with a superb determination.

That the attitude of the Poles is justified and that only the exigencies of a harsh politi

When the development of events in Russia cal situation could have driven the govern

The very thought of such an eventuality

To do this would be to abandon our coun

ment to its present course, is the feeling Posen, and Silesia? Can we recreate the Polish more or less openly voiced in the German kingdom? press. Hugo Ratzloff, in frank confession of the faith in the Türmer (Stuttgart) leaves causes Herr Ratzloff to tremble. To the aside the comparatively unimportant question above question he cries a "No!" and "again of the rights of the Poles to their language no!" and approaches that broader consideration of the rights of the Poles to a nationality. In the end the two things meet on the same ground. The opposition of Russia and Prussia to the Polish tongue is based on precisely the same reasons as the opposition of these two dominant nations to the existence of an independent Polish state. But why should there be any objection to the Poles existing as a separate nation?

The Poles are a people of pure race and they have succeded in maintaining this racial purity even amid the vicissitudes of a triple division of their kingdom. Only a people of pure race has a history, and the history of Poland contains chapters which are not eclipsed by the records of any other nation. Therefore, how can we claim that they are unworthy to have their own house and their own state? In point of fact, they are much more worthy than many other nations. They are certainly more worthy than the modern Greeks, the Servians, and the miserable people that cover the surface of South America. But, notwithstanding this, can we in this imperfect world allow our idealistic dreams to carry us to their logical conclusion? Can we give the Poles the Slav portion of east Prussia,

try to the Oder, to jeopardize all territory 40,000,000 German souls, the destruction of our to the Elbe. This would be a crime against security, and, above all, disloyalty to our word. The Poles may be better than many other peoples, but what we have purchased with so much For politics is not a question of justice. Morally blood and tears that will we hold and keep. the division of Poland was a crime. Politically it was a necessity. A nation that is incapable of national existence but which is nevertheless a menace to the existence of neighboring states must be split up and absorbed by those neighboring states. This is the world procedure. It is manifested to us throughout the whole course of political history. In the battles of nations there is only one eternal, unchangeable law: the right of the nation to existence which is best fitted for existence. And woe to the people that ignores this law!

To expect the Poles to become loyal German citizens is to expect them to deny their nationality. But the less we expect them to do this, the less we hope for the banishment of their dreams of a new world power, the more it is our national duty to keep down the anti-German-Polish movement with an iron fist. We must either expel the splinter or we must absorb it.

FINLAND'S WOMEN TO THE FRONT.

of pure Finnish blood and the highly educated women of the Swedish-descended intellectual class sat side by side in rapt attention while the provisions of the law as well as the task awaiting them as voters and as possible lawgivers were explained to them fully and clearly by the leaders of the woman movement.

THE 'HE first election under the new Finnish constitution took place on March 15. The outcome of it is by this time known through the daily press. Its most remarkable feature, however, was wholly independent of what party carried off the victory or went down to defeat. For the first time in the history of the world European women exercised the full privilege of political suf- Miss Maikki Friberg, herself one of those frage, without any restriction not also ap- leaders and a candidate for the Landdag on plicable to the men. It is, perhaps, still more the ticket nominated by the Young Finnish remarkable that enfranchisement was con- party, writes, in Det Ny Aarhundrede ferred on them by the commission drafting (Copenhagen), of the events which logically the new election law after every party in resulted in the enfranchisement of her sex. the country had put on its program a de- She points out that the provision giving sufmand for woman suffrage. Between the frage to the women came as a surprise to promulgation of the law and the date set for the whole civilized world, and that, when the the first election under it the women de- first shock of surprise had passed, everybody veloped an activity which would in itself regarded it simply as an additional sign of have proved them worthy of the rights the general spread of democratic ideas. But granted them. Schools for women voters the action of the various parties, followed by were established everywhere, and for weeks that of the commission, had its origin, she