The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-06-06
The Mikado's Transformation.

Just fourteen years ago the Mikado ceased
to be terrestrial divinity and became an ac-
| tive power and visible presence among his
| subjects. Had he been required to perform
this new role after years of habit had adapted
his feet to the traditional groove of apathetic
seclusion, it is not impossible that the change
might have proved unendurable, and that to
the many difficulties with which his ministers
have already been called upon to grappls
might be superadded the embarrassment Of
serving puppet Prince according to the forms
OF responsible procedure. Fortunately however,
the Emperor approached his unprecedented
task without any of the prejudices of expert
ence, and in the conviction that the fashions
OF the past we're incompatible with the neces-
stiles of the future. He has succeeded-thor-
oughly succeeded-in taking an effective place
at the head OF the State and in conforming to
the strangely novel circumstances OF his al
tered relations with the outer world. Not
without an effort indeed has the transforma-
tion been accomplished. In the beginning IL
seemed as though the icy insensibility could
not be laid aside, and those foreigners who in
the early days of our residence here had the
honor OF being admitted to the Imperial pres
ence found it difficult to reconcile that statu-
esque imperturbability with anything but the
idea OF puppet set up to take the place Of
the Sacred Being not yet sufficiently human
lied to endure the aspect of humanity These,
however, are but memories growing fainter
day by day. They were succeeded first by fore
bodings;lsubsequently by astonishment Some
thing 1t was thought must happen-some in
daScrihahla Of
some disturbance Of social equilibrium when
the keystone OF fealty was struck away, and
the Sacred Being men had worshiped for
twenty cycles, laying aside his divinity,
showed himself to be of the earth, earthly.
Public opinion, however, proved to be COM
pletely at fault. The faith on which the 10y
atty of the Japanese people rests showed itself
to be independent of form
Almost before the reality of the metamor.
phosis had been fairly credited by the outer
world, we were bewildered by the extraordi-
nary spectacle of proletaries and pariahs gax-
ing unconcernedly on tho Dragons visage"
of which they had hitherto known nothing
save that its aspect was accounted fatal to hu-
man vision. Some good folk were seriously
scandalizsd by this suddenly developed spirit Of
irreverence. 1t seemed to them that the de-
mon of revolution was abroad, when the EN-
peror's presence ELECTED from aliens demon
stratlons OF respect denied to him by his own
subjects The truth was that the Japanese
haa Tor the most part no hats to take off, and
being denied the privilege OF rubbing their
foreheads in the dust, all that remained for
| them was to adopt the negative course of doing
nothing. Whether they regretted or reioiced
at a change which enabled them to take
their own share OF the road whoever happened
to be theirfellow traveller, and to keep their
doors open even whom royalty passed, there
ought not to bemuch difficulty in coniecturing.
But they sought for no further privilege. The
phantom OF democracy, which according to
political prophets, had been evoked beyond the
| posslDllity OF exorcism, never assumed any
tangible shape, and society moved quietly
| along in its old grooves.
Meanwhile we cannot doubt that the EN-
peror. unhesitatingly as he has adopted his
altered role, must have found the new char
acter very hard to sustain. Everything that
| he was required to do he has done with grace
| and dignity. Inaugurations of public enter
| prlses, reviews, receptions and SO forth, have
constantly been honored by his presence, and
he has taken his place in the Council Cham
Der, not perhaps as a ruler W ith active func-
tions and original projects, but still as . real,
no longer an ideal, head of the State. So far,
European sense is concerned, he has remained
almost as much secluded as ever, and to ex-
| pect that it could have been otherwise would
nave been scarcely reasonable. His conduct
II SUN natters was altogetner regulated by
his Ministers, and by many of his valued sd-
yisers what he had done was deemed enough
Their counsels, not perhaps unsupported by
| ms own lnclinations, nor yet urged altogether
unwisely, have hitherto sufficed to make the
emperor presence rather than an influence
| in the State. His intercourse with his SUBJ
I lects has been less real than nominal; he has
seen life with the eyes Of others, and trodden
a path where no sign-posts of sympathy or ex-
| perience are visible
| A month xuah hod 70 ta11 ~ H..
pedition in which His Majesty took as active
| part as any Of his courtiers; now an order
is issued by the Household Department, re-
ducing the Emperor's body guard to mere
traction OF its former strength except on Off
| cial occasions-from which it NAV fairly be
inferred that the frequent occurrence of unof-
hcial occasions is contemplated in the imme-
diate future-and we are very much mistaken
If His Majesty's fashion of life is not soon
| pQtentata