Imperial University of Japan.

The presence of Japanese students in the University for several years past, and the high standing which some of them have maintained in their courses, has doubtless aroused in many an interest in Japan and in the rapid advance which she has recently made in education. There is now in Japan a well organized school system and instruction is given in every grade from the kindergarten to the university. This instruction is of course adapted to peculiar needs of the country and is not, therefore, in all respects the same as that given in this country.

The centre of educational interests is in Tokyo, the capital of the empire, where the Imperial University and a large number of inferior institutions are located. It is estimated that in Tokyo alone there is a student population of twenty thousand. The Imperial University comprises six departments: Law, Literature, Science, Medicine, Technology and Agriculture. Closely connected with the university are five government and two private colleges which are preparatory to the professional schools. The enrollment of the university is about twelve hundred and that of the colleges about three thousand. The most prominent departments of the university are those of Medicine, Science and Technology. The rapid development of the country, and the construction of bridges, railroads, modern buildings, and the like, calls for a large number of trained engineers, and to these the Science and Technology departments give a course of training which ranks with the best that is given in Europe and America.

The course of the Medicine and Law departments is four years; that of the others is three years. The Law department includes separate courses in English, German and Japanese law, which are studied along with French law. In the scientific department considerable original investigations are carried on and the results are published from time to time. The prevalence of earthquakes in Japan has made the science of seismology one of the most prominent fields of research.

Students in Japan are almost entirely of the middle class and are usually men of scanty means. The government furnishes rooms and furniture free to all members of the university and board costs only three dollars and a half a month. The government also loans books without charge. There are no social organizations among the students. The faculty includes English, German, American and Italian instructors, besides Japanese.