He played an extensive role in educational and cultural activities in the Meiji period by insisting that Japan require educational improvement to be at the same level as powerful Western countries, and that, to realize this, it was necessary to provide good education to the female population and build public libraries.
西洋列強と伍するためには教育の向上が必要であり、そのためには女子教育の充実と公立図書館の整備を訴えるなど、明治の教育文化活動において幅広く活躍した。