Japan and the California Problem Part 9

Is a.s.similation without Intermarriage Possible?

Let us now consider the third question:--"Is intermarriage necessary for the a.s.similation of the j.a.panese?" The people, who argue that the j.a.panese should be discriminated against because they are biologically unamalgable, thereby commit themselves to maintaining that intermarriage is the only way by which j.a.panese may become true Americans. Governor Stephens states that California's effort at j.a.panese exclusion is "based entirely on the principle of race self-preservation and the ethnological impossibility of successfully a.s.similating this constantly increasing flow of Oriental blood."[48] Without questioning whence he derived the authority for the a.s.sertion that the j.a.panese are ethnologically impossible of a.s.similation, we wish to refute the contention that the j.a.panese are una.s.similable because they are racially impossible of amalgamation. We believe that racial amalgamation is not a prerequisite of a.s.similation. We have already shown that the customs and traditions, as well as the supreme law of the United States, do not demand that all Americans be of one and the same race. This fact alone is sufficient condemnation of those baseless utterances which seek an excuse for failure and negligence in successfully fulfilling the duty of Americanizing aliens by the camouflage of race difference.

But there are other powerful reasons to support our view that race intermixture is not the only way to Americanize the j.a.panese. And this we find in the strong influence of environment on the physical and mental make-up of man. Perhaps the most significant anthropological contribution of recent times is the establishment of the truth that race is not a fixed thing, but that it is a changeable thing; changeable according to the conditions of environment. Professor Boas, a recognized authority on anthropology, found, in a strictly scientific investigation concerning the changes in bodily form of immigrants and their descents in America, that aliens change considerably in physical form after they come to America.

His conclusions are:

The investigation has shown much more than was antic.i.p.ated, and the results, so far as worked out, may be summarized as follows:

The head form, which has always been considered as one of the most stable and permanent characteristics of human races, undergoes far-reaching changes due to the transfer of races of Europe to American soil.

The influence of American environment upon the descendants of immigrants increases with the time that the immigrants have lived in this country before the birth of their children.

The differences in type between the American-born descendant of the immigrant and the European-born immigrant develop in early childhood and persist throughout life.

Among the East European Hebrews the American environment, even in the congested parts of the city, has brought about a general more favorable development of the race, which is expressed in the increased height of body (stature) and the weight of the children.

There are not only decided changes in the rate of development of immigrants, but there is also a far-reaching change in the type--a change which cannot be ascribed to selection or mixture, but which can only be explained as due directly to the influence of environment. We are, therefore, compelled to draw the conclusion that if these traits change under the influence of environment, presumably _none of the characteristics of the human types that come to America remain stable_.[49]

A very similar result has been reached by Dr. Fishberg in his study[50] of the Jews in America, in which he found that the physical features of the Jews in the United States are changing considerably as the result of change in social elements.

Because of lack of scientifically established data pertaining to the physical change of j.a.panese descendants in America, we forbear from making any bold a.s.sertion on that topic. Yet, even to the casual observer, it seems almost undeniable that American-born j.a.panese children are fast departing from the type which their parents represent, thus corroborating the truth discovered by scientists. The j.a.panese Educational a.s.sociation of San Francisco once conducted an extensive physical examination of j.a.panese children in twenty different grammar schools in California, and found (1) that they are generally superior in physical development to children of corresponding ages in j.a.pan; (2) that in height they are from one to two inches taller than children in Nippon; (3) that in weight they are from three to seven pounds heavier; (4) that they have fairer skin when compared with that of their parents born in j.a.pan; (5) that their hair is dark brown and not jet black, as is that of their parents; and (6) that their general posture is much better than that commonly seen among the children of j.a.pan.[51]

These purely bodily changes of American-born descents may be attributed to the difference in diet, in mode of living, in climate, and in the mysterious power of the social _milieu_, of whose influence upon the physiology of man we are yet uninformed. It is well to remember that America is a wonderful melting pot which does not depend, in its functions, solely upon the biological process of cross-breeding, but also in a good measure upon the social and natural process of automatic conformity to type.

Cultural a.s.similation.

The real criteria of Americanization being, as we have seen, a genuine patriotism and cultural refinement, it is in the light of these two points, more than in any other regard, that the question of j.a.panese a.s.similability must be examined. Patriotism is a peculiar emotion manifesting itself in love of one's own country, in willingness to devote one's self for the maintenance of national honor and welfare. It arises in us from our a.s.sociation, since early childhood, with things that surround us. We love things that we are used to; we cherish the mountains, rivers, and trees among which we were brought up; we hold dear the friends and people with whom we a.s.sociated in our early childhood, and as we grow mature, we take pride in finding ourselves members not only of local communities and societies of various sorts but also of the family of a great nation whose ideals and history we inherit. These and numerous other things become a part of our life for which we do not hesitate to fight, and if necessary to lay down our lives.

This suggests that two things are necessary for the genesis of patriotism--native birth and a free sharing in the goods of life. While no generalization can be made off-hand, introspection reveals that, when we migrate to another country after we have grown up, it seems well-nigh impossible to find ourselves emotionally attached as closely to the adopted country as to the country of our birth. To _be born_ in a country is the strongest factor in one's patriotism. The Const.i.tution of the United States in claiming all persons born in America as its citizens is clearly a product of master minds. Nativity alone, however, is not often sufficient to enkindle the fire of patriotism in our hearts. In the slave, to whom most of the goods of life were denied, to whom no active share in communal life was allowed, who was treated not as a member of the nation but as a tool, could mere nativity arouse strong love for his country?

Only when the child is brought up in an environment of friendly spirit, encouragement, and sympathy does he learn to identify himself with the country.

How do we find the patriotism of the j.a.panese in America? Are they patriotic in relation to the United States? For all those j.a.panese who came to America as immigrants of mature age with the prime object of making money, the answer must be made in the negative. Born and reared in the beautiful country of Nippon among a most hospitable people, their love of j.a.pan is surely stronger than their love of America. Trained and educated in the customs and traditions of j.a.pan, imbued with the belief, ideas, and ideals that are peculiar to j.a.pan, they would not know even how to avail themselves of the opportunity, supposing they were granted the rights and the freedom to share in the now forbidden privileges. To complete the inhibition, there are all sorts of handicaps placed on them, making it unthinkable that they should love this country. They cannot vote, they cannot get public positions, and now they can neither own nor lease the land in California. No; the j.a.panese immigrants in America do not love America more than they love j.a.pan.

a.s.similability of j.a.panese Immigrants.

How, then, about their cultural conditions? It is impossible here to compare the culture of the j.a.panese _en ma.s.se_ with that of other people.

We can take only a few specific points and see how they stand. Of course, in the absence of accurate data our conclusions are necessarily unscientific.

It is often alleged that the j.a.panese in the United States have a different standard of morality from that of the Americans, and as evidence of this allegation the att.i.tude of j.a.panese men towards women is pointed out. j.a.panese men are really "bossy" in their att.i.tude toward women, but that is the outcome of custom and should not be charged against their morals. They are often accused of being tricky, untrustworthy. We have already seen that there have been cases that justify such accusations, but that the cause was mostly due to their ignorance of legal processes and obligations, in which they sadly lack training. On the whole, the j.a.panese in America are law-abiding; they very rarely become public charges, and are peaceful and industrious. These facts even the most uncompromising j.a.panese exclusionist, Mr. J. M. Inman, admits as true, and states further that they are "sober, industrious, peaceful, and law-abiding, and contain within their population neither anarchists, bomb-throwers, Reds, nor I. W.

W.'s."[52]

That the j.a.panese in America have been able to make rapid progress in the Christian religion has been due to the generous aid and wise direction of the American churches. Within less than thirty years Christianity has become deeply rooted among the j.a.panese communities, exerting the most wholesome and powerful influence in uplifting their living conditions. In 1911, the _Den Do Dan_, or j.a.panese Inter-Denominational Mission Board, was organized with a view to carrying on a systematic campaign for evangelistic as well as community service. The Mission Board has been successful in propagating Christianity among the j.a.panese. This is clearly shown by the fact that at the present time there are sixty-one Protestant churches on the Pacific Coast, besides fifty-seven Sunday schools. The greatest success of the Board, however, has been attained in the field of practical social service, where the organization of young people's Christian a.s.sociations, the campaign against gambling and other vices, relief work among the needy, and the promotion of Americanization, have been successfully carried out.[53]

Judging from the small percentage of illiteracy and the complete system of j.a.panese compulsory education, the j.a.panese in America do not seem to be much behind the corresponding elements in the American population in average intelligence. Only in English are they markedly weak. The importance of a knowledge of the language in a.s.similation can hardly be exaggerated. It is the gate through which the alien can arrive at an understanding of American inst.i.tutions and culture. The weakness of the j.a.panese in English is chiefly due to the radical difference of the language from their own. Statistics indicate, however, a decided increase in the number of those who can command English. The census of 1900 showed that less than 40 per cent. of the j.a.panese in America could speak English, but in the census of 1910 the rate increased to 61 per cent.[54]

The rate for foreign-born whites in 1910 was 77 per cent.

The economic status of the j.a.panese appears to be about the same as that of European immigrants. This is indisputable from the sheer fact that the earnings of both are about the same. The only difference is that the j.a.panese show a tendency to mediocrity of earning power without becoming either paupers or millionaires. This is due to the fact that while there is an abundance of work offered to j.a.panese which enables them to earn a comfortable living, all avenues for a greater economic success are closed to them. No sooner do the j.a.panese show signs of some small success in agriculture than the privilege to till the soil is denied them. A similar restraint is now being attempted on the j.a.panese progress in fishing in California. In a sense, economic welfare is the foundation of cultural and spiritual progress, and to be denied the opportunity to make progress in this field is a heavy disadvantage.

The gravest defect of the j.a.panese is their lack of training in democratic inst.i.tutions. Having been given little opportunity to share in public or political activities in j.a.pan, their understanding and training in civic duties is notoriously weak. Obviously this must hinder the process of Americanization to a great extent. To counteract this weakness the dissemination among them of a knowledge of American civics is necessary.

It may be most effectively done by allowing them to share in a measure the American communal activities. But this is a privilege denied them.

The foregoing discussion of the cultural conditions of the j.a.panese in America is important, not in determining whether or not the j.a.panese immigrants are qualified to become American citizens--for this is out of the question at present, since the right of naturalization is not granted to them--but to show what is the character of the influence which is exerted upon the native-born j.a.panese, Americans by birth, by their parents. The core of the j.a.panese problem in America is, in our opinion, whether or not American citizens of j.a.panese descent can become worthy Americans. Those immigrants who came from j.a.pan will die out in the course of time, and further immigration can be stopped. In this way it is possible to curtail to a minimum the number of alien j.a.panese in the United States. But the American-born j.a.panese are American citizens and they are here to stay. Whether these young Americans will become a strong and successful element of the American people or whether they will degenerate to a kind of parasite and become America's "thorns in the flesh" is really a question of cardinal importance. But this depends much on the freedom and opportunity which are extended to their parents in this country. Thus the treatment of the j.a.panese in California or elsewhere in the United States a.s.sumes an aspect of vital significance to the nation.

It is not a question of the abstract principles of justice or equality alone, but one of concrete and vital interest to America's own welfare.

It is in this connection that all sorts of pressure and oppression--economic, political, social, and spiritual--exerted on the j.a.panese population, become most objectionable and harmful. These discriminatory efforts against the j.a.panese obstruct the Americanization of native-born j.a.panese in two ways. They prevent the parents from becoming well-to-do and refined people, and from getting permanent occupation and homes, all of which are essential if parents are to bring up their sons and daughters to a respectable standard. They also unconsciously imprint on the tender minds of children the idea that their fathers and mothers were not treated kindly in America, whose loyal citizens they are destined to become. What do those exclusionists really mean, when they insist that the j.a.panese should be given no opportunity to progress either in agriculture or industry because they are una.s.similable people? Do they mean thereby to check j.a.panese immigration? They surely cannot mean this, for there are other and more friendly ways of achieving their object, since j.a.pan has more than once expressed her willingness to cooperate with America in this respect. What else can they mean but that they want to hinder the American citizens of j.a.panese descent from becoming worthy Americans by ostracizing and persecuting their parents?

Native-Born j.a.panese.

Fortunately, in spite of all unfavorable influence and environment created for them, the native-born j.a.panese show very hopeful signs of realizing perfect Americanization. Here again we do not wish to dogmatize, in apparent lack of scientific data, and a.s.sert that we need feel no apprehension. Yet the few data gathered on the subject from observation strongly point to the hopeful conclusion that as greater numbers of them approach mature age they are gradually becoming Americans by the accepted standard. They proved their patriotism to America during the great war by enlisting in the American army and navy. In their manner, address, and temperament these boys and girls are American, with an unconcealed air of American mannerism. In their fluent and natural English, in their frankness and bold recklessness, in their dislike of little and irksome tasks and love of big and adventurous undertakings, in their chivalry and gallantry, in their tall and well-built stature, these young people are wholly American, no longer recognizable as j.a.panese except in their physical features. Indeed, it is the common testimony of the j.a.panese visiting America that the j.a.panese children born and reared here differ so distinctly from children in j.a.pan that in their manners, spirit, and even in the play of expression on their faces, they appear characteristically American. We cannot help being surprised by the completeness with which the so-called racial traits of the j.a.panese are swept away in the first generation of j.a.panese born in America.

The explanation for such a remarkable fact must be sought in the strong influence of social, national, and spiritual environment. We have seen how even the most stable elements of man's physiological const.i.tution may change in a new environment. This being the case, it may not be entirely surprising that less stable elements, such as temperament and expression, should change more rapidly and completely in a new social _milieu_. This fact is a deathblow to the theorists who uphold the _a priori_ view of race, that it is a fixed, pure, unchangeable reality. It attests the truth of Mr. John Oakesmith's thesis in which he so ably establishes that "the objective influence of race in the evolution of nationality is fiction,"

and that the sole foundation and unifying force of nationality is the "organic continuity of common interest."[55]

In the cross-examination of native-born j.a.panese children by the Congressional Sub-Committee on Immigration and Naturalization conducted on the Pacific Coast last spring, it was found that in almost all cases the children expressed the feeling that they like the United States better than j.a.pan because they are more familiar and closely a.s.sociated with things and people in America. This is doubtless an honest confession of their sentiment. They generally do not read or write j.a.panese because it is wholly different from English and so difficult. They learn from their parents that the life is hard and compet.i.tion is keen in j.a.pan. They know America is a great country, a land of liberty and opportunity. Naturally their interest in j.a.pan is very slight, and they think they are Americans, and they are proud of it.[56]

These are the hopeful signs which offer us reason for being optimistic. We cannot, nevertheless, be blind to the fact that there are many obstacles which if left unchecked will tend to defeat our hopes. These obstacles we find, first, in the congested condition of the j.a.panese on the Pacific Coast. For convenience and benefit the j.a.panese have been living more or less in groups, speaking their own language to a large extent, and retaining many of the j.a.panese customs and manners. This tendency has been a great obstacle in the a.s.similation of the j.a.panese. Their dispersal in many other States of the Union is one of the first requirements of Americanization, and consequently of an equitable solution of the j.a.panese-California problem. We shall touch upon this subject in the concluding chapter.

CHAPTER X

GENERAL CONCLUSION

In dealing with the j.a.panese problem in California, we started with a general account of j.a.panese traits and ideas. We did so because we believed that a knowledge of the j.a.panese disposition is essential to a comprehensive understanding of the problem. No attempt was made to determine whether the traits of the j.a.panese--their emotional nature, their well-developed aesthetic temperament and strong group consciousness, and the unique feature of chivalry and virility prevailing among the lower cla.s.ses--are inherent in the race or acquired; but we concluded that the question may best be answered by observing those of j.a.panese descent born and reared in different countries. Later, when we examined the characteristics of the American-born j.a.panese and discovered that they appear to have lost most of the j.a.panese traits, and, in turn, have acquired mental att.i.tudes that are peculiar to the American, it was suggested that none of the racial characteristics is necessarily fixed, and that, similarly, the j.a.panese traits must have been largely acquired through peculiar natural surroundings and social systems.

Next we reviewed in a brief way j.a.pan's Asiatic policy in order to envisage the international situation in which she finds herself and to see how she proposes to meet her difficulties at home and abroad. We commented on the manifest shortcomings of that policy. In view of the fact that j.a.pan's industry--her only hope in the future--has to depend largely on the supply of raw material from her Asiatic neighbors, the a.s.surance of good-will and friendly cooperation with them is essential for her welfare.

It is in the failure to obtain this a.s.surance that the defect of j.a.pan's past Asiatic policy becomes apparent. We expressed our conviction that under the circ.u.mstances the best that j.a.pan can do is to so reconstruct the principle of the policy as to convince her neighbors of her genuine sincerity.

In the chapter on the background of j.a.panese emigration, an attempt has been made to discover its causes. The princ.i.p.al causes found are the small amount of land, the dense population, and the limited prospect of industrial development due to the scarcity of raw material. Moreover, the peculiar social and political conditions in j.a.pan are such as to obstruct, by numerous fetters and restraints, the free development of ambitious youths. The exaggerated stories of great opportunities in the new worlds kindle the desire of the young people to go abroad.

Tentative attempts were made some thirty years ago in emigration to Australia, Canada, and the United States. Nearly a quarter of a century's effort at emigration into the new worlds, with the exception of partial success in Brazil, had proved a complete failure, and thus attempts at migration towards the North came into vogue.

In our discussion of the causes of anti-j.a.panese agitation in California, it was made clear that the explanation of much of the trouble lies in the conditions of the j.a.panese themselves, such as congestion in particular localities and different manners and customs. The nationalistic policy of j.a.pan was also pointed out as a factor making for resentment. What renders the situation unnecessarily complicated, leading to a general misunderstanding, is the employment of the issue in local politics--exploitation of the subject for private ends by agitators and propagandists.

Then our study entered the heart of the California problem, the fact of the existing j.a.panese population. It was discovered that the rate of increase of j.a.panese population in California has been rapid, but that it shows a tendency to slow down, while the rate of increase of the entire population of the State shows a tendency to steady increase. We found that in comparison with the total number of j.a.panese in the United States the percentage of j.a.panese in California is remarkably high, nearly 60 per cent. of them being domiciled in that one State. Then we examined the factors--immigration, smuggling, and births--which contributed to the increase of the j.a.panese population in California. Under the subject of immigration it was made clear that the net gain from immigration has become small since the restrictive agreement was concluded, but that the number of those entering the country increased because the number of those who are pa.s.sing through or temporarily visiting America has increased. We expressed our opinion that in order to quiet the excitement of the people of the Pacific Coast it is entirely desirable to stop sending j.a.panese immigrants to America.

We have somewhat fully treated the subject of birth because it is a vital part of the question. It was discovered in the discussion that the birth rate of the j.a.panese in California is exceptionally high, due to the fact that a high percentage of the immigrants are in the prime of life and that the percentage of married people is remarkably high. In forecasting the future of the birth rate we stated that if immigration is stopped the present generation will in time pa.s.s out without being re-enforced, leaving behind American-born children, who, with higher culture and more even distribution with regard to age and marriage, will not multiply at nearly so high a rate as their parents. We concluded, therefore, that the present is a transitional period and that apprehension over the high birth rate is entirely unwarranted.

The chapter on j.a.panese agriculture in California gives report of a degree of progress that has been remarkable. As to the causes of this progress the peculiar adaptation of the j.a.panese farmers to the agricultural conditions of California was presented as the princ.i.p.al one. Then we considered separately the j.a.panese farm labor and the farmers. What we found in treating the subject of j.a.panese farm laborers was that they are indispensable to California's agriculture, inasmuch as they have several important peculiarities which are useful. Their ability to farm and their apt.i.tude for bodily and manual dexterity, as well as their highly transitory character under the system of contract labor, are useful a.s.sets to the farmers of California. Under the topic of the j.a.panese farmer, we examined the reasons given for the discrimination against j.a.panese in agricultural pursuits. The first reason--that they are "crushing compet.i.tors of California farmers"--was criticized on the ground that there is not much compet.i.tion between white and j.a.panese farmers, since there is a pretty clear line of demarkation between them, the former being engaged in farming on a large scale and the latter engaged in small intensive agriculture. The second apprehension--that the j.a.panese farmer, if left unchecked, will soon control the greater part of California agriculture--was characterized as an entirely exaggerated fear, since the portion of land which the j.a.panese till is quite negligible and there are vast tracts of land yet uncultivated. The third objection--which finds reason for opposition in the una.s.similability of the j.a.panese--we held as the weightiest count, and withheld criticism until we had fully treated the subject of a.s.similation in the succeeding chapter. What we insisted on was that it is unwise to maltreat the j.a.panese on the surmise that they are una.s.similable. Whether they are a.s.similable or not--and this is not the question, for they are not allowed to become American citizens--their children, who are Americans by virtue of birth, will suffer much from a hostile policy towards their parents.

The anti-alien land laws were considered briefly, and the views of their critics were introduced. As an effective measure to cope with the legislation, we suggested that neither legal nor diplomatic disputes will bring about a satisfactory result, but that only through obtaining the good-will and friendship of the people of California can there be a true solution.

The topic of a.s.similation discussed in the preceding chapter needs no recapitulation.