ETHICS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

When I was a high school student, my English was inferior (still now).
That is why I had to receive some supplementary lessons of English.
Most of lessons were boring and I couldn’t take any interest in them but one. In that lesson one textbook was supplied which title was “Ethics for young people” .
In such an anachronistic title didn’t interest me at all at first.
But reading over, I was attracted by its strange impression.

For a start, its contents −Fortitude,Courage,Heroism,Ambition,Self-respect,Self-control,Obedience and Home,School,Patriotism.....− tabooed words were on parade, made me so surprised. The current of the times, It was taboo like to say this kind of words.

My high school days were like breast high of democratic ocean.
This democracy was brought by American occupation army after the war.
Our ideology went from one extreme to another and every force was completely rooted out from Japan.
And almost all Japanese boys and girls were floating in this ocean without any suspicion , so did I.

Under the circumstances, these words had disappeared from school.
That is the reason these words made strange impression on me.
However, the lesson’s object was reading English, I was very curious to know its matters.

All phrases were simple and straightforwardly and persuasively with good metaphors and a stable logic construction.
For example, the following sentence from chapter “Heroism”

“Fighting is not generally a good thing.” I think this doesn’t want to say
“Fighting is bad thing.”
In my interpretation “You must fight in case by case” continued as follows,
“but if a boy fight let it be for some good cause such as I have named; for the protection of the weak and for the safety of the suffering, rather than in quarrel about some personal matter. Such fighting is in spirit of the heroes whose deep we so much admire.”

It is also hard to translate. Anyway, before everything “Heroes” have to be recognized.
This book is written by C.C.Evertt(1820-1900) American professor of theology. American boys are educated by this kind of book.

Now I read again, the matters are extremely reasonable and expressed in readily words without any affectation.
It tells advises and experiences to the children for living rightly.
Not only for boys but also grownups fighting is a big problem.

After the war in Japan, every fighters shall be punished with the edifying theme “Against force”.
It means “Fighting is bad thing.” And the rest of the sentence, “but if.....” is omitted.
Every fight is in disorder from the boys fight in the cause of justice down to hooligan’s violence.
Every fight is cut with a single stroke of the sword.
It helps to keep up appearance of peace world.

But in reality, wicked harassment and violence has not yet ceased.
The edifying theme tells us that any fights must not be settled with force but negotiation.
Violence is compulsive and unavoidable like falling stones form a cliff. Who warns stones to watch the signpost that says “No passage” ?

Now I remember a discussion with my school friend who was a left-wing element.

I said, “They say there are beggars in the Soviet Union.”
He answered, “Beggars don’t exist in a communist community in theory.”

“But you know, they exist in fact.”
“They don’t exist because, the theory doesn’t recognize.”

As you know, the history demonstrated their existence. Reiteration of edifying theme doesn’t help to settle the matters at all.
“Ethics for young people” is not edifyingly either religiously.
It just gives a little advice to the children who are weak and easily led into temptations.

The book says that it’s better to find the courage to come out than to find a hundred of excuses of staying in a warm bed in cold morning.

Without such a book, how can Japanese boys against American boys?

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