92 100,000 yen each of the specialized departments would offer its own full course as a major. However, when this plan was announced the Philosophy Academy was experiencing a serious crisis. The cause was the abovementioned “storm disaster.” Originally the Philosophy Academy was established through private donations totaling 780 yen from 280 like-minded people, “without capital,” and not relying on the support of religious groups or influential people from the political or business worlds. After that they began construction on the new schoolhouse, but according to Enryō’s speech at the relocation ceremony, the total cost of the new building, its destruction, and its reconstruction amounted to as much as 4,100 yen. The total value of donations received by this time was about 1,500 yen, which meant that two-thirds of the amount remained as debt. In July 1890 Enryō wrote the following in a letter to Katsu Kaishū about the plight of the Academy. In the case of the Philosophy Academy, too, we currently have no arrangement for maintaining the school. We are planning to start fundraising this autumn and we have explored various ideas for how we might carry this out. However, we have not yet arrived at anything feasible. Enryō had already visited Kaishū twice, in April and May. It appears likely that Enryō was seeking his advice on how to solve this problem. The government’s higher-education policy was one of “respect for governors and disregard for those governed” (a policy of demanding
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