from all the other Pacific nations will help us to find the right and permanent solution for our problems as we shall endeavor to assist in finding it for yours.

You are all familiar with the geographical and historical position of Korea. On the north is the wide expanse of the Manchurian plains, on the east the Japan Sea, on the west the Yellow Sea, the narrow and irregular strip of water that separates the peninsula from China and on the distant south are the Loochoo Islands. In the years past Korea gave culture and religion to Japan. Korean scholars took Confucianism and Buddhism and literature to the Japanese. She has never in her history of over four thousand years waged an aggressive war against any of her neighbors. Yet it is an irony of fate that two of the major wars in the last three decades, in neither of which she was a participant, were fought on the Korean soil, and that she is reduced in consequence to her present position. In connection with this peculiar position and circumstances it might be of interest to quote an eminent American scholar who spoke before a Japanese audience of educationists and officials in the city of Seoul some years ago. said, "Battles have been fought in Korea in the years gone by, and battles will be fought in Korea in the years to come because of her geographical position, and the attitude of the eighteen million Koreans in such crises will have to be taken account of."

He

Among the three world religions that are found in Korea, namely Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity, the last shows the greatest vitalizing power. Protestantism entered the country only in 1884, but the growth has been so rapid that we find at the present moment one out of every fifty Koreans Christian. This phenomenal growth is due mainly to two factors in Christianity, namely (1) personalism and (2) spiritual experiencepersonalism that recognizes individual worth and gives birth to the democratic principle of liberty and equality, and spiritual experience that makes religion real and an everyday fact. While we rejoice in the accomplishments of the past, we realize that the problem before us in the reinterpretation of the truths in accordance with the racial genius of the people and the application of the truths to social and inter-racial relations, as well as to personal conduct.

In the educational system as well as in the whole system of administration is found the "policy of assimilation," or amalgamation, of the Korean people. To us this policy means the ignoring of our history and culture and the deathknell of our individuality. In order to carry out this policy the educational method, the personnel of the teaching staff and the language medium through which the lessons are taught have been either entirely or almost entirely Japanese. Material prosperity has no meaning for us, if

that prosperity spells the one-sided advantage to those who control prosperity and to us only the losing of our own identity. Yet, an editorial that came out in the official organ, "The Seoul Press," on July 16, 1820, nearly a year after the inauguration of the widely-heralded civil regime, said, “We will not, however, waver in our determination to Japanize the Korean people, for we believe that our intention is right and just and that in Japanizing them we are promoting their welfare." Our problem is to have an educational system that will aim at the development of the individual and racial characteristics which will contribute richly toward the sum total of the civilization of mankind and to have our own mother tongue used so as to facilitate the processes.

We all realize the fact that there cannot be had any development of industry and commercial relations without capital and that capital is in the control of the banking system. A great deal has been said about the increase of commerce and industry in Korea during the past decade, but when we consider who were enabled to carry on the commerce and start the industry we can grasp the situation in which the Koreans find themselves. The situation is made plain in a statement made by Mr. Minobe and the Bank of Chosen which is government controlled and practically government-owned, and is the only bank in the country that is legallized to issue banknotes. It is the heart-center of the whole financial system in Korea. The bank was under very severe criticism on account of always such large losses incurred in Manchuria and he spoke the following before the stockholders: "The Bank of Chosen was originally floated to help Japanese business interests expanding in Chosen [Korea] and Manchuria, and its function is important. In view of its special position, the bank has been rendering all help necessary to persons and organizations whose expansion in Chosen and Manchuria is economically important. All this has been done to do service to Japan's economic cause." (Japan Advertiser, Aug. 18, 1922). This, at last, accounts for the inability on the part of our people to get enough capital to start any large industry and establish any substantial commercial relation with foreign countries. Our problem is to put the financial system of the country on an equitable basis and to make it possible for the introduction of foreign capital into the financial realm of the Korean people.

At the close of the Russo-Japanese war, the plea was made that the population was growing rapidly in Japan and that there was enough land yet to be reclaimed and developed in Korea to take care of the overflow for some years to come, so the then functioning Korean Government made a joint enterprise with the Japanese Government and organized the Oriental Company and turned over the state lands to the company as its share of the

stock, with the understanding that Koreans and Japanese are to share alike in the benefits. Later when Korea was annexed, the Korean Government was gone and the company became wholly Japanese. Since then, the company with its immense resources together with its annual subsidy from the government has been a giant master to the Korean agricultural populace. It gave every inducement and preferment to the Japanese farmers to move into Korea. The immigrants are provided with travelling expenses and capital to buy seeds and implements. When they arrive, they are given dwellings and also land that up to the time had been cultivated by Korean farmers, and financial arrangements are made so that the immigrants will in from five to twenty-five years' time become the owners of the land: In some cases as many as five hundred Korean tenant households were notified to move out in order to make room for fifty Japanese immigrant households. Race conflict becomes inevitable and bloodshed occurs in not a few cases. When they are evicted, the Koreans migrate to distant parts of Manchuria, and many die on the way through hunger and cold. When they reach their destination in Manchuria, they come into another conflict with the Chinese. There are many other such organizations, and when the pressure is too great through increasing obligations, the Korean small farmers find little alternative to selling their lands and moving on. The staggering problem before us is to make these processes at least non-discriminative.

IO. THE VIEWPOINT OF THE PHILIPPINES

BY CONRADO BENITEZ

I thank you for your applause; I feel inspired by it though it is against the rules to applaud! I think I need encouragement!

The Philippine delegation has heard that this distinguished group of representatives from different countries is interested in knowing the truth. The Philippine delegation, at least the one Filipino member of it, to tell you the truth, is not glad to be here before you and to have to speak on the Filipino question. The Filipino member of this delegation was not glad to leave his country to come and discuss the Philippine problem before an international group, and much less before a group of Americans.

Out there in the Philippines the Americans and Filipinos have ceased to discuss the problem. They say good morning to each other, and "How do you do," and, usually at the request of our American friends, we take a drink, because, as you know, the American constitution has not followed the flag to the Philippine Islands in respect to prohibition. But we do not discuss the Philippine problem because we have found out that it interferes with our digestion. The fact is, that we know each other's point of view too well.