The Romaji Kai, or Roman Alphabet Association, aims to introduce the use of the Roman letters, instead of Chinese ideographs, in writing the Japanese language.

In 1879 the Department of Education organized the Tokio Academy, which had as object the grouping together of learned men to discuss subjects relating to arts and sciences especially as they appertain to educational matters, or to the advancement of civilization generally. The membership was limited to fifty, afterwards to forty. The approval of the Minister of Education was required before any person could become a member. At the close of 1890 125 meetings had been held and the twelfth volume of their magazine had been published.

Special classes.-The earliest education of the blind and deaf and dumb consisted in merely teaching the former acupuncture, shampooing, and music, and the latter some manual occupations, the effort being to help the defective classes so that they could earn a livelihood. The Kioto Blind and Dumb Institute was first established by private indi viduals in Kioto in 1828; in 1879 it was transferred to the authorities of the Fu. The course of study extended over five years, but an additional year, called the preparatory course for special branches, was added for the purpose of helping the pupils to gain knowledge of some industrial pursuit. In 1881 the course of study was divided into general and special, the former extending over six years, the latter over five years. In the general course the blind studied "the three Rs," geography, history, object teaching, morals, natural history, training of the senses of touch, smell, and hearing, physics, sewing, gymnastics, and singing; in the special course they had instruction in music and acupuncture. The deaf and dumb had in their general course morals, articulation, "the three Rs," geography, history, drawing, object teaching, natural history, physics, sewing, and gymnastics; special course, drawing (Japanese and foreign), writing, cutting, forging, making gold lacquered pictures, joinery with Chinese wood and with Japanese wood, sewing, embroidery, and thread work. There is not always strict adherence to the course, and supplementary subjects may be allowed in both of these courses if it is thought advisable. Candidates for admission to the institute must be between 6 and 30 years of age, although that limit is sometimes extended to 40 years.

Pupils who are not natives of Kioto pay a tuition fee of 30 sen (about 30 cents) each month. Poor people have loans granted them and are also allowed privileges as regards the difficult courses.

Another institute, the Osaka Model Blind and Dumb Institute, had a similar course, both in length and subjects. The Philanthropic Society of Tokio founded an institute for the blind in 1880, which also admitted the deaf and dumb. In 1886 this institute came under the control of the department of education, and its course was arranged according to the following plan: There were two sections-the ordinary and mechanical. The blind were taught the Japanese language, arithmetic,

conversation, and gymnastics in the former, music and shampooing in the latter. The deaf and dumb had (in the ordinary section) articulation, reading, writing, composition, arithmetic, written conversation, and gymnastics; in the mechanical section drawing, fitting and cutting, and sewing. The age of admission is between 8 and 18 years. Tuition fees were 50 yen (about 50 cents) a month, which were remitted in case of poverty. In 1890 there were 12 teachers in the Tokio Institute, 18 male and 5 female blind pupils, 33 male and 15 female dumb pupils. There were 6,764.858 yen expended for new buildings and 3,068.047 yen for other purposes.

An interesting description of the attitude of the Japanese towards the blind was read before the Asiatic Society of Japan by Prof. Dixon. A résumé of this paper is here presented, as it indicates the thoroughness of the training given to that class:

The blind, in the earlier period of Japanese history, were considered uncanny and unlucky, and they were miserably taken care of until a blind imperial prince was born. The Mikado gathered other blind people around the prince for his amusement, and later, when the prince became governor of three provinces, he selected blind men for his aids in governing those territorial possessions. For three centuries these provinces were ruled by the blind. The practice of shaving the heads of the blind is traced to the reign of this prince. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the blind were again sent forth into their former misery. But the wheel of fortune brought about a revulsion of feeling towards this class, and local authorities were ordered to provide for the blind of their districts and to give them suitable education. The blind followed two occupations-music and chanting and shampooing or massage-those who were experts in musical matters ranking well amongst the people, the less expert becoming musical story-tellers. Most towns and villages have their shampooers, who promenade at nightfall uttering a call indicative of their profession. To become a good shampooer requires nine years' practice. The first three years the would-be shampooer practices on his master; then gives three years to acupuncture; then there were three years' probation, the master receiving half the earnings.

The higher grades of offices were at one time open to the blind. Persons holding such positions were provided with special insignia of their office. Among the blind who have made their mark in the Japanese Empire is to be found a famous author, who compiled a valuable work of information in 635 volumes. In other fields of usefulness the blind are sometimes found; but as shampooers and musicians they seem best known. Miscellaneous and special schools.-Additional to the regular schools embraced in the school system of Japan there is a large class of socalled miscellaneous and special schools, many of which have courses of study of a quite elementary character, while others have, as their names will indicate, special courses in different lines. Many of these schools are under the control of the various departments. In the law of education of 1872 all higher schools taught by foreign teachers were designated as special schools. In 1873, the Tokio foreign language school was established and French courses were introduced, and German, Russian, and Chinese languages were taken up in turn. Eight schools were soon thereafter established as a development from this

school, but these were eventually abolished, and the German, French (1885), and English (1879) sections of the Tokio school became a part of the preparatory department of Tokio university. In 1880 a Corean section was added to the Tokio foreign language school, as, intercourse with that country became greater through the treaties of that date. The increased extent of commercial affairs plainly indicated to the Japanese nation the necessity of establishing commercial schools, and at the present time the Tokio commercial school has absorbed the remaining foreign language schools. Classed under special schools are local, commercial, medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural schools; i. e., 1 medical, 1 commercial, and 1 drawing school in the Fu of Kioto; 1 medical, 1 agricultural, and 1 commercial school in the Fu of Osaka; 1 medical and 1 commercial school in the Ken of Aichi; 1 agricultural and 1 commercial school in the Ken of Yamaguchi; 1 veterinary and 1 commercial school in the Ken of Nagasaki; 1 commercial school each in the Hokkaido and in the Ken of Kanagawa, Hyogo, and Shiga; 1 agricultural school each in the Ken of Niigata, Miyagi, Ishikawa, Tottori, and Kochi; and 1 veterinary school each in the Ken of Iwate and Ehime. In the Fu of Kioto there are 28 special schools giving instruction in law, medicine, engineering, political economy, philosophy, mathematics, surveying, and drawing; and in the Ken of Aomori, 1 school of literature, and in the Ken of Miye 1 nautical school.

The Tokio commercial school (commercial schools date from 1875) was formed by the union of the commercial and foreign language schools of Tokio, and was placed under the department of education. in 1885. A year later an apprentices' institute and a special institute for banking were established in connection with the Tokio school, and the regulations indicated that the Tokio commercial school was "to prepare persons for the management of either public or private commercial affairs, or as managers of, or instructors in commercial schools." The course of instruction is twofold, an ordinary course of three years and a higher one of two years. Candidates for admission must be over 16 years of age and pass an examination in designated branches. Post graduate and elective courses are allowed. The apprentices' institute is designed to teach "such literary and manual work as is necessary for apprentices and artisans, or the children of the same." The courses are two, industrial and special, later called preparatory and principal. For admission to the first the children must be over 12 years of age; to the special course over 14 years; and must be able to pass an entrance examination. The banking or accountants' course aims to give such knowledge "as is deemed necessary for the transaction of financial business in Government departments, banks, companies, etc." The course of study extends over two years, and candidates for admission must be between 17 and 30 years of age, and be able to pass the requisite examination.

The Tokio Technological School, established in 1881, was classed among the special schools until its annexation to the Imperial University in 1886. There are also a few provisional technical schools, but their standard is not high enough to class them among special schools. The Tokio Fine Art School, established as a branch of the Engineering Art School in 1876, and reorganized in 1887, has not as yet developed to any great extent. The Tokio Music School dates from 1884, and includes in its four-year course of study morals, singing, theory and history of music, methods of instruction, use of various musical instruments. A special school in the Keu of Ishikawa has a four years' course, two of them being preparatory years to the courses in either law, science, or literature. Five private schools in Tokio are under the supervision of the president of the Imperial University, who exercises such prerogative through a "committee selected from among the officers of the college of law as inspectors of schools either during the ordinary course of work or at examinations."

The miscellaneous schools are those whose regulations and courses of study do not correspond to either elementary, secondary, or special schools. They include 814 schools for the study of Japanese and Chinese literature, 139 for the English language, 134 for handiwork, 120 writing schools, and 89 for mathematical study. Included under this head is the gymnastic institution, established in 1878, and attached to the Tokio Normal School in 1885. Its special object is to train teachers in military and ordinary gymnastics. Then there is the German language school, established in 1883 by the German Language Association. Its five years' course includes German, English, and Latin languages, Japanese and Chinese literature, natural history, physics, history, geography, chemistry, and mathematics, ethics, drawing, and gymnastics. Politics and law are also taught in a three years' course. The number of these schools is 1,440. The greatest increase of late years is in the English language schools. German language schools and those for mathematics rank next. The schools for instruction in writing are decreasing in number.

SCHOOLS UNDER CONTROL OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS.

The greater proportion of the schools which have been referred to throughout this statement are those which were under the control of the Department of Education, but this essay would be incomplete without a description of such as have been established by, or are under the special supervision of, other government departments. The first mentioned, the Gakushiu-in, established in 1875, was placed under the special control of the Department of the Imperial Household in 1884. The school was originally intended for the exclusive purpose of educating the nobility, but other classes are now admitted according to circumstances. The course of study is of six years preparatory, five years lower grade secondary course. two years higher secondary course, and

three years in a general course. A female school for the education of daughters of the nobility, which until 1885 was a part of the Gakushiu-in, is now under the patronage of the Empress. The elementary and secondary courses extend over six years each, and instruction is given in such sciences and arts as are appropriate.

Under control of the Military Department is the Military College, established in 1882, for the training of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineer officers, who are selected on account of talents and distinguished literary attainments. The course of study is of three years, and includes tactics, artillery practice, engineering, field fortification, horsemanship, military topography, topographical drawing, military geography, staff service, military administration and legislation, mathematics, drawing, foreign languages, literature, etc. The students admitted are lieutenants and sublieutenants of infantry and cavalry of not less than two years' service, and the same rank of artillery and engineer officers of not less than one year's service. The military academy is designed "to give instruction in such sciences and arts as are necessary to prepare students as officers of the army." The subjects of study are tactics, artillery, engineering, history, geography, drawing, mathematics, physical and chemical science, foreign languages, and Chinese literature. The military cadet course covers three years; military students of infantry, and cavalry, three years; for artillery and engineering five years, with a provision that students of artillery and engineering, "are to be appointed sublieutenants after two years' study, and allowed to continue their study in the academy with the rank of student sublieutenants." Nearly five thousand students have been admitted since 1870 and 1,652 have graduated. The Toyama Military School, founded in 1873, aims to train instructors, from among the commissioned and noncommissioned infantry officers, to investigate the condition of foreign military methods; to make practical experiments in manual drill, manoeuvers, and other military arts; and to investigate the physical and normal condition of officers and privates. The Military School of Gunnery, which in a four months' term instructs in the handling and firing of artillery, was first established in 1886. The Military Department has had since 1871 a "corps of instruction" under its control for the training of persons desiring to be commissioned and noncommissioned officers of the army. The candidates must be between 18 and 25 years of age, of sound constitution, of a specified height, and must pass an entrance examination, and, if trumpeters, must have regular teeth. Over 15,000 students have been admitted to this corps and nearly 10,000 have graduated.

The Department of the Marine controls the Naval Academy, with its four years' course in naval tactics, navigation, torpedoes, ordnance exercises, and general subjects. Candidates for admission must be between 15 and 20 years of age, of sound constitution, and able to pass an entrance examination in punctuation and in composition in