THE JAPANESE NATION. 671 



Their financial and educational .systems were modeled on those of 

 the United States, Germany, and England; their judicial system was 

 borrowed from the codes of half the nations of Europe: their navy 

 upon the English: their army upon the German system. 



In 1871, the Mikado became convinced that the overthrow of the 

 feudal system was necessary, because opposed to modern life. He 

 therefore issued an edict requiring the Daimios to surrender their 

 territorial rights and revenues, to disband their retainers and depend- 

 ents, and to retire to private life. They generally obeyed, removing from 

 their castles to the large cities. For the privileges they surrendered 

 they received an annuity equal to one-tenth of their old revenues, with 

 relief from the maintenance of their dependents. An annuity was 

 given to the Samauri, and freedom to the serfs. 



Russia, Japan, and the United States each emancipated their slaves 

 or serfs between 1861 and 1871. Russia emancipated about 49,000,000 

 serfs and sold to them the lands they had cultivated for their masters, 

 for a fixed price, payable in annual installments, running through fifty 

 years. Japan emancipated about 20,000,000 serfs and gave to them 

 the land they had cultivated, subject only to the usual tax on real 

 estate. The United States emancipated about 3,000,000 slaves without 

 any provision for their benefit, save the enactment of laws — sometimes 

 enforced. The former serfs of Japan are now its peasants and farmers. 



In old Japan education was not common, though a considerable por- 

 tion of the people could read and write. In 1872, the following edict 

 was passed : "It is intended that education shall be diffused, and there 

 shall not be a village with an ignorant family, nor a family with an 

 ignorant member." Education is now compulsory. The chairs in many 

 of the universities were at first filled by Americans and Englishmen; 

 but as soon as the Japanese realized that they had secured from for- 

 eigners all that they could give, and that they could help themselves, 

 without being dependent on foreigners, they dismissed them — not all at 

 once, but gradually. This was carried so far that when the Japan-China 

 war began there was not a single foreign officer in either army or navy. 



Quite recently the Japanese converts have dismissed the professors 

 in their theological seminary, asserting that the missionaries are unduly 

 conservative, and not abreast of the best scholarship of America and 

 Germany; while the Japanese scholars possess advantages in the study 

 of theology, from their freedom from prejudices growing out of Christian 

 tradition. 



In 1876, Sunday was adopted as an official holiday, and all acts 

 against Christians were repealed. 



In 1877, an edict was issued forbidding the Samauri to wear tbe long 

 and short swords which they had carried for generations — the first for 

 combat, the second for "hara-kari." In no country has the sword been 

 an object of such honor as in Japan, for it was a divine symbol, a 

 knightly weapon, and a certificate of noble birth. It was the life 



