Japan and the California Problem

APPENDIX M

COMPARATIVE STANDING OF INTELLIGENCE AND BEHAVIOR OF AMERICAN-BORN JAPANESE CHILDREN AND AMERICAN CHILDREN DISCUSSED BY SEVERAL PRINCIPALS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

Request Sent to the Board of Education of Los Angeles, California.

December 24, 1920.

President of the
Board of Education,
Los Angeles, California.

My dear Sir:

I am collecting data on the intellectual and moral status of American-born Japanese children. Among the data the most important, I need hardly say, are their school records.

I shall highly appreciate your courtesy if you will be pleased to provide me with the valuable information you have at your command bearing on the subject. What I am particularly interested in is the average record of American-born Japanese children and its comparison with the record of American children.

Yours very respectfully,
(Signed) T. Iyenaga.

Method of Gathering Material

December 31, 1920.

Dear Mr. Shafer:

May I trouble you to select two of your schools in which you have the largest Japanese attendance and secure for me at your earliest possible convenience data as to the number of Japanese children in those schools and the points about them that are touched upon in the accompanying letter?

My thought is this—that if we secure records from two or three schools where we have the largest Japanese attendance, this will suffice as a basis for decision as to the other such schools.

Mrs. Dorsey.

January 7, 1921.

Mrs. Adda Wilson Hunter, Principal, Moneta School,
Miss Mary A. Colestock, Principal, Hewitt St. School,
Miss Mary A. Henderson, Principal, Amelia St. School,
Miss Lizzie A. McKenzie, Principal, Hobart Blvd. School.

A communication has been received from Dr. T. Iyenaga stating that he is collecting data on the intellectual and moral status of American-born Japanese children. He is anxious to know the average record of American-born Japanese children in the schools and how it compares with the record of American children.

Will you kindly send me statement concerning the results in your schools?

Very truly yours,
Assistant Superintendent.

Replies

(1)

Office of the Principal of Hewitt St. School, District No. 151

Report of American-born Japanese Children.

January 17, 1921.

My dear Mr. Shafer:

The American-born Japanese children, who are enrolled in this school, compare most favorably with the American children both intellectually and morally. They are like all groups of children. We find some very bright children and some very dull ones. As a whole, they are more persevering and more dependable than the class of white children found in this school.

Miss Oliver, who has been working with the Japanese for the past four years, said, “When with them I feel that I am in the company of well-bred Americans.”

Truly yours,
Mary A. Colestock,
Prin.

(2)

Amelia St. School, City

January 19, 1921.

Mr. Harry M. Shafer,
Assistant Superintendent,
Los Angeles City Public Schools,
Los Angeles, California.

Dear Mr. Shafer:

My general observation has been that given anything of an equal chance, children are children, human nature is human nature, and brains are brains—whatever the mother tongue may be. Compared with our other foreign children, or with other children born in America of foreign parentage not Japanese, keeping in mind the differences in social position that exist in all classes, whatever the nationality may be, I cannot see much difference along any line between our Japanese children and our Mexicans, our French and our Italians; nor do I think any of them differ radically from what we are apt to term “American” children. Few families are many generations away from some foreign ancestors....

Our Japanese children are called brighter and more studious, sometimes, than the others. I think this is due to the fact that they have, in many cases, ambitious, educated parents who follow school work up very closely in the home. Where home restrictions are lifted, such conditions do not always prevail, any more than in cases of other neglected children. They must be studious. Discipline of American-born Japanese children is not so close in the home as it seems to be with children born in Japan and reared along Japanese lines, yet such children show much more initiative in all of their work at school. They catch the American spirit.

As summary, I would say that physically, mentally, morally, given the same chance, there does not seem to me to be a great difference among children of the different nationalities, but this difference is most readily noticed. The other nationalities do assimilate quickly, and lose, to a great extent, their parents’ national traits in short time; but it is exceedingly hard to get the same results with our Japanese children. They cling to one another, to their own ways, and to their own language, even after many years of work in public schools, where most social barriers are broken down. My personal feeling in the matter is that this condition is the result of lack of American education in the Japanese homes and lack of American touch with the Japanese mothers.

Our Home teachers are doing much to help along this line, but it is slow work, and work that takes much time, and requires great tact on part of the workers.

Most important to me is the work our public schools are doing with the Japanese girls, the mothers of tomorrow.

Yours respectfully,
Mary A. Henderson.

(3)

Report of Intellectual and Moral Status of American-born Japanese Children

Moneta School, Los Angeles School Dist.

As a rule American-born Japanese children know no English when entering school. Their progress at first, therefore, is more slow than that of English speaking children. Japanese children require one year to complete one half year’s work through the first, second, and third grades. After the third grade they complete the work in the time assigned.

They are especially good in handwork. Their chief difficulty is with English. In application they rank high.

As to their moral status they are neither better nor worse than other children.

Mrs. Adda Wilson Hunter,
Principal Moneta School.
January 14, 1921.

Report of Intellectual and Moral Status of American-Born Japanese Children

(4)

Hobart Blvd. School,
Los Angeles, California,
January 13, 1921.

Mr. Harry M. Shafer,
Assistant Supt. City Schools.

My dear Mr. Shafer:

In reply to your inquiry relative to the American-born Japanese pupils of our school, I enclose statement as to results noted in the various classes.

Trusting that this may serve the purpose desired, and appreciating your very kindly interest,

Sincerely,
Lizzie A. McKenzie,
Principal.

Hobart Blvd. School.January 13, 1921.

Report on Japanese Pupils
(American-born)

Many of the Japanese fail in First Grade on account of inability to understand the English language. In succeeding grades, progress is satisfactory as shown by the following tabulation of current date:

We find these children as a rule clever in use of pen and crayon, possessing light touch, having correct ideas of form, and excellent taste in selection of color.

As pupils they follow direction well, and are usually free from faults of rudeness or improper language. Of the forty above Kindergarten, three are troublesome and are persistent cases. In general, it may be said that these children as a class compare favorably with others in matters of progress and of conduct as well.

Lizzie A. McKenzie,
Principal.

LITERATURE ON THE SUBJECT

Books

Annals of American Academy of Political And Social Science, January, 1921. Present Day Immigration with Special Reference to the Japanese.

Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science, September, 1909. Chinese and Japanese in America.

Gulick, Sydney L. American Democracy and Asiatic Citizenship. Scribners, New York, 1918. The American-Japanese Problem. Scribners, New York, 1914.

Ichihashi, Y. Japanese Immigration. Marshall Press, San Francisco, 1915.

Kawakami, K. K. American-Japanese Relations. Revell, New York, 1912. Asia at the Door. Revell, New York, 1914. Japan in the World Politics. Revell, New York, 1917.

Masaoka, N. (Editor). Japan to America. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1915.

Millis, H. A. The Japanese Problem in the United States. McMillan, New York, 1915.

Pitkin, Walter B. Must We Fight Japan? The Century Co., New York, 1921.

Russell, Lindsay (Editor). America to Japan. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1915.

Scherer, J. A. A. The Japanese Crisis. Stokes, 1915.

The Japanese-American News. The Japanese-American Year Book, 1910 and 1918. San Francisco.

Official Publications

Annual Reports of the United States Commissioner-General of Immigration.

Bureau of Labor (California). Biennial Reports, and especially, “Report on the Japanese in California.”

California and the Oriental. Report of California State Board of Control, with Governor Wm. D. Stephens’s letter addressed to Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. California State Printing Office, Sacramento, 1920.

Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census. Chinese and Japanese in the United States, 1910. Bulletin 127, Washington Printing Office, 1914.

Immigration Commission. Changes in Bodily Form of Descendants of Immigrant. Senate Document, No. 208, 61st Congress, 2nd Session. Washington Government Printing Office, 1910.

Immigration Laws of the United States. (Revised Federal Statutes).

Kahn, Congressman. Japanese-California Problem. Congressional Record, 60, 4: 78-82, December 9, 1920.

Metcalf, Secretary. Report on the Japanese School Question.

Naturalization Laws of the United States. (Revised Federal Statutes.)

Reports of the Immigration Commission. Immigrants in the Industries, Vols. 23, 24, 25, Senate Document, No. 633, 61st Congress.

Roosevelt, Theodore. Presidential Message to Congress, 1907. House of Representatives; Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents. Part I; pp. 492-846. Ex. Doc. No. 1.

Pamphlets

California Farmers’ Co-operative Association. Japanese Immigration and the Japanese in California, 1919.

Clement, E. W. Expatriation of Japanese Abroad. Japanese Association of America, San Francisco, 1916.

Eliot, Chas. W. Friendship between the United States and Japan. Japanese Merchants’ Association, Portland, Oregon.

Gadsby, John. Foreign Land-Ownership and Leasing in Japan, 1920. Japanese Association of America, San Francisco, 1914.

Gulick, Sydney L. How Shall Immigration be Regulated? 1920. Japan and the Gentlemen’s Agreement. 1920. The New Anti-Japanese Agitation. 1920.

Ichihashi, Y. Japanese Immigration, Its Status in California. 1913.

Irish, John P. Campaign of Lies, Stolen Letters of Senator Phelan. 1920. Shall Japanese-Americans in Idaho be Treated with Fairness and Justice or Not? 1921.

Kawakami, K. K. Senator Phelan, Dr. Gulick and I. Bureau of Literary Service, San Francisco, 1920.

Lamont, Thomas, and Others. Japan. 1920.

People’s League of Justice. Petition by People’s League of Justice, Los Angeles, California, 1920.

Rea, George Bronson. Japan’s Right to Exist. Far Eastern Review, Shanghai, China, 1920.

Roosevelt, T. America and Japan. Reprint from the New York Times.

Shima, George. An Appeal To Justice. 1920.

Taft, Henry W. Our Relations with Japan. Japan Society, New York, 1920.

The American Committee of Justice. California and the Japanese. Oakland, California, December, 1920.

Tyndall, Philip. Proposed Initiative Measure to be Presented to the Legislature of 1921, Seattle, Washington.

Vanderlip, Frank. Mr. Vanderlip’s Message.

Wallace, J. B. Waving the Yellow Flag in California. Reprinted from the Dearborn Independent.

Williams, B. H. The Case against the Japanese. 1920.

Articles in Periodicals

“America and the Japanese Relations.” Wainwright, S. H. Outlook, 124: 392, March, 1920.

“America’s Responsibility on the Pacific.” Greenbie, S. North American Review, 212: 71-79, July, 1920.

“Another Japanese Problem.” McLeod, H. New Republic, 24: 184-6, October 20, 1920.

“Anti-Japanese Agitation.” Business Chronicle, 9, 18: 137-49, September, 1920.

“Asia’s American Problem.” Robinson, Geroid. Pacific Review, 367-388, December, 1920.

“California and the Japanese.” Kawakami, K. K. Nation, 112: 173-174, February 2, 1921.

“California and the Oriental.” The Letter of Wm. D. Stephens to the Secretary of State Colby. The Pacific Review, 349-361, December, 1920.

“California-Japanese Problem.” The Pacific Voice, 5, 10: 4-10.

“California-Japanese Question.” Woolsey, Theodore S. The American Journal of International Laws, Oxford Press, 15, 1: 24-26, January, 1921.

“Co-operation between Japan and America.” Kaneko, K. Japan Review, 24-26, December, 1920.

“Discrimination against the Japanese.” New Republic, 24: 135-6.

“Future of Japanese-American Relations.” Shidehara, K. Japan Review, 170-171, April, 1920.

“Hegemony of the Pacific.” Living Age, 316: 638-40.

“Japan, a Great Economic Power.” Longford, J. H. Nineteenth Century, 523: 526-39, September, 1920.

“Japan and America.” Far Eastern Review, 16: 335-36.

“Japan and the United States, a Suggestion.” Otto, M. C. Japan Review, 334-336, October, 1920.

“Japan and the Japanese-California Problem.” Iyenaga, T. Current History, 13, 1: 1-7, October, 1920.

“Japan as Colonizer.” Stead’s Review, 53, 7: 358-9.

“Japan Challenges Us to Control California.” Stoddard, L. World’s Work, 40: 48-85.

“Japan Our New Customer.” Starrett, W. A. Scribner’s, 66: 517-18.

“Japan’s Diplomacy of Necessity.” Living Age, 316: 638-640.

“Japan’s New Difficulties with China.” The New York Times Current History, 457-458, December, 1920.

“Japan’s Use of Her Hegemony.” Ferguson, J. C. North American Review, 210: 456-459.

“Japan’s Aggression.” Inman, J. M. Forum, 65, 1: 1-9, January, 1921.

“Japanese-American Relations.” Shidehara, K. Outlook, 125: 317-18, June 16, 1920.

“Japanese-American Relations.” Yoshino, Sakuzo. Pacific Review, 418-421, December, 1920.

“Japanese and the Pacific Coast.” Ryder, R. W. North American Review, 213, 1: 1-15, January, 1921.

“Japanese Farmers’ Contribution to California.” Chiba, Toyoji. Japan Review, 212-13, May, 1920.

“Japanese Imperialism in Siberia.” Chamberlain, W. H. Nation, 110: 798-9.

“Japanese in America.” Trent, P. J. Review of Reviews, 61: 76-8, June, 1920.

“Japanese in California.” Briggs, A. H.; Johnson, H. B.; Loofbourow, I. J. Japan Review, 166-170, April, 1920.

“Japanese in California.” Irish, John P. Japan Review, 7-72, January, 1920.

“Japanese in California.” Jordan, D. S. The Pacific Review, 316-65, December, 1920.

“Japanese Issue in California.” Stoddard, L. World’s Work, 40, 5: 585-600, September, 1920.

“Japanese Language Schools.” Kawakami, K. K. Japan Review, 14-15, January, 1921.

“Japanese Problem in California.” Locan, C. A. Current History, 13: 7-11, October, 1920.

“Japanese Pupils and American Schools.” Fulton, C. W. North American Review, December, 1906.

“Japanese Question.” Kawakami, K. K. Pacific Review, 365-78, December, 1920.

“Japanese Views of California.” Literary Digest, 67, 1: 20-1.

“Japanthropy.” Woolston, H. D. Pacific Review, 289-96, December, 1920.

“Legal Aspects of the Japanese Question.” McMurray, Orrin K. Pacific Review, 396-403, December, 1920.

“Liberalism in Japan.” Dewey, John. Dial, 63: 283-5; 335-7; 369-71.

“Light on the Japanese Question.” Kinney, H. W. Atlantic Monthly, 126: 832-42, December, 1920.

“Moral Factors in Japanese Policy.” Bland, J. O. P. Asia, 211-217, March, 1920.

“Oriental Immigration from the Canadian Standpoint.” Baggs, Theodore H. Pacific Review, 408-418, December, 1920.

“Oriental in California.” Irish, John P. Overland, 75: 332-3, April, 1920.

“Oriental Problem, as the Coast See It.” Hart, J. A. World’s Work, March, 1906.

“Oriental Question and Popular Diplomacy.” Pruett, Robert L. Japan Review, 291-92, August, 1920.

“Possum and the Dinosaur.” Mason, G. Outlook, 125: 319-20, June 16, 1920.

“Race Prejudice: Psychological Analysis.” Sato, K. Japan Review, 237-238, June, 1920.

“Shall East and West Never Meet?” Sato, K. Japan Review, 336-37, October, 1920.

“Some Aspects of the So-called Japanese Problem.” Vanderlip, F. A. Outlook, 125: 380-4.

“What are the Japanese Doing towards Americanization?” Sasamori, Junzo. Japan Review, 22-24, December, 1920.

“What Japan Wants.” Adachi, K. Nation, 181-82, February 2, 1921.

“When East is West,” Gulick, Sydney L. Outlook, 102: 12-14, April 3, 1920.

INDEX

Adaptability, Japanese disposition of, 20

Æsthetic temperament of Japanese, 13

Age distribution of Japanese in California, 112

Agreement, Root-Takahira, 34

Agriculture, Japanese, in California, 120-147;
causes of Japanese progress in, 123-126

Ainu, 14

American-born Japanese, 174-177

American disposition, 9

Americanization, criterion of, 151-154

Ancestors, Japanese, 16

Anti-Alien Land Laws, 138-142;
effect of, 145;
Appendixes C, D

Anti-Japanese Agitation, causes of, 75-89

Asiatic policy, Japan’s, 33-45

Assimilation, 137; 148-177;
and nationalism, 148-159;
meaning of, 151-154;
biological, 155-162;
of Japanese immigrants, 168-174

Australia, Japanese emigration to, 64-67


Birth-rate of Japanese in California, 109-119

Boas, Professor, quoted, 163

Bolsheviki, 38

Buddhism, 25

Bushido, 15, 21


California, causes of Anti-Japanese agitation in, 75;
causes of Japanese influx to, 50-63;
Christianity among Japanese in, 169-170;
competition in, 133-135;
congestion of Japanese in, 87-89;
cultural assimilation of Japanese in, 166-168;
genesis of hostility towards Japanese in, 71;
population of, 93;
problem, 7

Canada, Japanese emigration to, 67-69

Capitalism, 29

Castle, Professor, quoted, 159

Chiba, T., quoted, 129

China, Japan’s coöperation with, 42-45

Chinese, 23, 95

Chivalry, proletarian, 21

Christianity, 28

Colonization, Japanese policy of, 18

Confucianism, 25, 27

Congressional sub-Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, 176

Constitution, Japanese, 11


Democracy, industrial, 31

Democratic institutions, Japanese training in, 172

Den Do Dan, 169-170

Despotism, Japanese, 22

Dewey, Professor John, 29

Dispersal of Japanese in California, 189

Disposition, Japanese, 20

Dual nationality, 191


East and West, 4, 195-196

Economic status of Japanese in California, 171

Education, system of, 31

Emotional nature, of Japanese, 9

English, Japanese ability to command, 170

Eta, 18

Eurasiatic relationship, 6

Expatriation Law of Japan, Appendix K


Farmers, Japanese, in California, 132-138

Fishberg, Dr., quoted, 164


“Gentlemen’s Agreement,” 100-106

German, influence on Japan, 30;
idealism, 32

Gikyoshin, 21

Group consciousness of Japanese, 16

Gulick, Dr. Sydney L., quoted, 157


Hara kiri, 12

Hearn, Lafcadio, 44

Hedonism, Japanese, 15

Hideyoshi, 10

History of Japanese, 10, 20

Humanism, 32


Immigration to
Australia, 64-67
Canada, 67-69
South America, 69
United States, 69-75

Industrial democracy, 31

Intelligence of Japanese in California, 170

Intermarriage, 155-162


Japan, topographical conditions of, 13;
Nature of, 14

Japan’s, Asiatic Policy, 33;
land area, 52;
agriculture, 52-55;
industry, 57-62;
population, 55-57;
social conditions, 62-63

Japanese, ability to speak English, 170;
age distribution of, in California, 112;
agriculture in California, 120-147;
ancestors, 16;
assimilability of, 148-177;
birth rate in California, 109-119;
civilization of, 14;
Constitution, 11;
death rate of, in California, 117;
descendants in California, 164-166, 174-177;
economic status of, in California, 171;
farm labor, 126-131;
farmers in California, 132-138;
immigration to America, 97-107;
Land Laws, 142-145;
morality of, in California, 168-169;
nationality, 85-86;
number of, in California, 91;
philosophy, 24;
sex distribution of, in California, 112;
social system, 30;
susceptibility of, 12;
training in civics, 172

Jesuit Fathers, 10

Jones and East, quoted, 159


Kikotsu, 21

Kipling, quoted, 4

Kojiki, 16

Korea, amalgamation of, 34;
local self-government in, 36;
situation in, 35-37

Koreans, 18

Kusama, Shiko, note, 170


Labor, 30

Land, amount held by Japanese in California, 135-137

Land Laws, Anti-Alien, 138-142;
Appendixes C and D

League of Nations, 19

Lippman, Walter, note, 86


Manchuria, 37

Mankind, 6

Marriage, Japanese, 11

Millis, Professor H. A., quoted, 157

Morality of Japanese in California, 168-169

Morris, Roland, 186

Myth, 17


Nationalism, 148

Native-born Japanese, 174

Nevada, 23

Newlands, U. S. Senator, 23

Nihongi, 16

Nitobé, Dr., 22

Number of Japanese in California, 91


Oakesmith, John, quoted, 176

Occidental learning, 26

Occidentalism, ultra, 19

Otokodate, 21


Pacific Coast, 193-194

Passports, 103

Patriotism of Japanese, 17

Perry, Commodore, 3

Philosophy, Japanese, 24

Picture brides, 113

Political rights of Japanese, 31

Politics as a cause of agitation, 80-82

Population of Japanese in California, 90-97

Positivism, English, 28

Pragmatism, 29, 32

Pride of Japanese, 11, 19

Propaganda, 83


Race war, 7

Racial difference, 83-85

Radicals, Japanese, 20

Relationship, American Japanese, 7

Roosevelt, Theodore, 33

Root-Takahira Agreement, 34

Russo-Japanese war, 18


Sakura, Sogoro, 22

Samurai, 12, 15

San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, 187

Santayana, 29

Science, lack of, in Japan, 15

Sex distribution of Japanese in California, 113

Shantung, 39

Shibusawa, Viscount, 186

Smuggling of Japanese to United States, 107-109

Social, force, 23;
milieu as affecting man, 165;
reorganization, 29

South America, Japanese emigration to, 69

State Board of Control of California, 96

Stephens, Governor, quoted, 5, 23, 122

Suicide in Japan, 12


Thought, Japanese, 29

Tokugawa régime, 22

Traits, Japanese, 9

Treaty, American-Japanese, 187, Appendix B


United States, the, Japanese immigration to, 69-74

Unity, national, 17

Utilitarians, 29


Vanderlip, Frank, 187


Wang Yang Ming, 26

White and yellow races, 5

Wilson, Woodrow, quoted, 154

Women, status of Japanese, 31


Yamato race, 14

“Yellow peril,” 82

Young Japan, 14