Tokyo, July 10, 'A very belated step has just been taken to raise the status of Japan's untouchables and to put them on a plane of perfect equality with the rest of the Japanese.
'The untouchables or pariahs of Japan are know as the "eta," and embrace between 2,000,000 and 3,- 000,000 souls who, for no fault "of their own, through no taint I8ke that of leprosy, but solely because they have been' born into it, have been made to belong to a' class set apart as outcast and unapproach._ able. Although suffering from the. same cruel disabilities that the pariahs of India suffer from, there is no direct connexion between India and Japan as to the origin of the despised classes, except, perhaps, common idea of purification and avoidance of the defilement.
For centuries the eta have been treated with cruel discrimination, No eta was allowed to live amongst ether Japanese; eta children had to go to separate schools; the eta could not hold public office; although subject to conscription, no eta was permitted to rise above the ranks, no Japanese will dare employ an eta directly, no inn oF lodging house will accommodate a person of this lass for fear of losing all trade; io eating house will cater to the needs of this community.
There are no physical or racial characteristics that differentiate the eta from the rest of the Japanese. They are not of alien origin, cording to Japanese hist Their position as outcasts is entirely due to the social ostracism with which they have been treated for generations past.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.