The Days of a Man 1900 



upward by sheer energy and persistence. They were 

 students _ older than most of their fellow-students older in- 



in America . . . . i i T 



deed sometimes than appearance would indicate 

 and they were often disposed to look down on the 

 rather careless American lads who took their oppor- 

 tunities more lightly. Probably most of them had 

 been directed to the United States by missionaries. 

 Returning to Japan, they often acquired large influ- 

 ence as teachers or officials in provincial towns. 

 Political posts in Tokyo, however, were rarely offered 

 to any educated in America or England, for such 

 were almost sure to.be infected by "dangerous ideas"; 

 and graduates of the excellent Imperial University 

 were always preferred by the Genro or "Elder States- 

 men," representatives for the most part of the 

 "fighting clans," Satsuma and Choshu, 1 who led 

 in public affairs. This condition American graduates 

 were disposed to resent, although ineffectively. 

 There can be no doubt, however, that their atti- 

 tude has been a large factor in quieting the war 

 spirit so easily aroused against America by water- 

 front agitators or unscrupulous militarists. 

 Effect of Since the Root-Takahira pact of 1907, first called 



me n n's~ b Y Wil1 Irwin " the Gentlemen's Agreement," the 

 Agree- character of the Japanese student body in America 

 has considerably changed. For no one of them is 

 allowed to leave Japan without evidence of means to 

 pay all his expenses for four years. Thus many who 

 would like to enter American institutions are held 

 back, and while the Stanford group still runs from 

 twenty-five to thirty, its members now belong mainly 

 to the well-to-do classes, and they have in general 

 better preparation than their predecessors. As a rule, 



1 Satsuma is the center of naval influence; Choshu stands for the army. 





