Topaz Oral History Project research files: Published articles (1920s-1980s)

Page 18

In th m 'III reli i I, wh'l Nis r , 1 n in h ways o h American L l U n i mu 1 n • u · 1 y , til 11 t i .l t i d n i :l , 1 , , • j c m , > f u :,; o 1 · 1 un rst n 1n h t d to ~ucl W sterr id s . I t:1i v h l r li1i n t ch s evil. Il i ·fin ·a par•nts lo speak to their hil ren bout their own religious beliefs, but it is absurd for parents who 18 h no f ith th m~ lves t try to force a cert in religion on their children solely because th t religion happens to be that of their ancestors. children from families of the Buddhist faith need to be cautioned against s. aking ill of rublic school teachers who talk about Christianity. The same holds tr e of Christian families too. This type of friction is ugly, all the more so for being concerned with a lofty matter like religion. It goes without saying that all things being equal between the ideals of Japan and America, it would be advantageous for us to adopt the customs and traditions of the place in which we reside. Being a country where various races exist, the United States is especially sensitive to the problem of Americanization. Recently, we have seen vocational education encouraged among the Nisei. I for one, am delighted. However, I think it would be quite a loss, a waste of talent, for a child who has the intellectual capability of getting a college education to be limited to vocational training. This would be a loss not only to the individual but to society as a whole. Needless to say, it is advisable to give vocational education to children whose parents cannot afford to send them to college. It is, however, quite ill-advised for parents to abandon a college education for their children simply because they have observed the unemployment problem of college graduates. Having been deeply concerned about the subject of education for a long while, I cannot in good conscience encourage the easier way out. (8/10/28)