NOTES AND ABSTRACTS.
The Three Model Villages in Japan. In the twenty-first year of Meiji (1887)," The City, Town, and village Regulations" were issued, and the founda- tion of local self-government was established. These regulations were in no small degree modeled after those of the western countries, but at the same time the utmost care was taken to encourage public spirit and to develop good old customs. In fact, the spirit of national unity which had been fostered during these twenty- five centuries since the foundation of the empire was the original element out of which the present system of local self-government was developed. Only a short time has elapsed since these regulations were issued, and our country is now in the midst of improvement in this respect ; and yet there are not wanting certain exemplary village communities, which may be regarded as model villages, worthy of imitation by others. Selecting the best of these model villages, we get the following three, and now proceed to describe some of their chief features :
i . Aiinamoto Pillage, Sanbu County, Chiba Prefecture. The prosperity of a community owes much, of course, to the efforts of its authorities, but unless the people of the community co-operate for the same end, its prosperity is not to be expected. Especially where natural resources are wanting, this co-operation is the more important to secure the wealth and prosperity of the whole community. The most remarkable in this respect is Minamoto Village, in Sanbu County, in Chiba Prefecture.
This is only a small village of some three hundred houses, but its administra- tion is in perfect order, and there are many things noteworthy. For instance, one of the most remarkable things in the village is the way in which the passbooks of the villagers are kept. Almost all the people of the village unite in saving all the money they can, and deposit their savings as postal deposits in the village post- office, and the passbooks are kept, not in the homes of the depositors, as is the case everywhere else, but in the post-office itself. Moreover, instead of the vil- lagers going to the post-office, the authorities come to gather the deposits. And, again, when recently " war loan bonds " were issued, this little village subscribed for a certain amount, and that at above par in every case. Such is the spirit of union in this little village. Again, this spirit is exhibited in the election of public men. From the election of the members of the House of Representatives to that of the members of the village council, all the villagers get together, deliberate over the matter, nominate one well-qualified candidate, and promise to vote for him. Is this not a beautiful spirit of union ? And the result of such spirit is naturally seen in the well-ordered administration of the village.
The common school of the village stands by the side of the village office, and it is painted with red ochre, so that the building may last for a long time. The school has the education fund of the village. One of the villagers contributed 1,000 yen, and that became the occasion of other villagers doing the same thing, and now the fund amounts to 12,000 yen, the interest of which is enough to sup- port the school at present. Consequently no tuition fee is charged. Another thing remarkable in the educational administration of the village is the fact that there is not one child in the whole village that does not go to school. Such is the extent to which education is encouraged.
As to agriculture, Gokurakuji, a division of the village, has done the most. Rice is the main cereal produced, as in other parts of Japan. The buying of manure, the selection of seeds, and the improvement of the nursery beds of rice plants are done through the vote of the whole village. A few years ago the village received an honor flag from the Agricultural Council of the prefecture, and since then it has continued to keep the same honor year after year. As additional work, every house plants trees, the result of which is also remarkable.
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